Enjoy tonight's 2 hours Criminal Minds season finale!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Criminal Minds Comments Thread for episodes 8.23 'Brothers Hotchner' and 8.24 'The Replicator'
Enjoy tonight's 2 hours Criminal Minds season finale!
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What a great ending to a tragic episode . But the question is - is he dead or not ?? Yes - the bomb went off - but he was locked in a room ??? Only 4 months to find out . A great season of Criminal Minds !! Can't wait until next season . E. J Jahnes
ReplyDeleteTragic ending for Strauss, but oh so very interesting ending for Season 8! Very much looking forward to Season 9!
ReplyDeleteWill have more to say tomorrow but wow what great season finale! two great episodes! Great writing by Rick and Erica! Great ending to a very good season!
ReplyDeleteI loved Brothers Hotchner for Aaron and Sean getting their issues out. I mean, Hotch was sent to boarding school?? That came out of left field. And the convo the brothers had about Jack was awesome. You could tell that Jack had really no clue who his uncle was.
ReplyDeleteAs for "The Replicator"? I have two thoughts.
The first is simply WOW! Best d*** CM finale ever IMHO.
So much so, my second thought is: *scratches head* "100" may have a contender as best d*** CM ep in my world.
I'm confused. Could somebody please explain to me how the character Mark Hamill played had access to all those files? I know it was explained on the show but it still doesn't make sense. Could somebody smarter than me and explain it? Thank you (And was he in Omaha field office all this time?)
ReplyDeleteOMG this was so much better than that 2 hour JJ drama crap feast we got for last year's season finale.
ReplyDeleteI thought these were 2 excellent episodes and I really hope we see more writing like this next season.
Most important to me as a Reid fan, I felt he was so much more prominent in this year's season finale,than last year's.
And last but not least Garcia wasn't wearing kevlar. Garcia in kevlar makes me want to go ballistic.
Please tell me who sang the song and its name at the end ...sad song. Thanks
ReplyDeletehttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HQrVwnEBPNo/UZq47mAPW8I/AAAAAAAAFI0/FAQpqOiVEqM/s1600/lk.jpeg
ReplyDeleteOMG that was fantastic!! Hadn't there been a season 9, that would have been the perfect ending to a terrific show. Now I hope season 9 is gonna live up to this, because that was just perfect!!
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about the finale.
ReplyDeleteI was entertained throughout but if I rewatch, I'd press fast forwards on certain parts. I liked the second episode more, I think although I liked the amount of Hotch in the first episode, it wasn't what I was expecting and it was sad, but there's been better Hotch episodes.
Even though the second episode was a bit predictable, well the replicator and death was, maybe not the motive of the replicator, I was cnvinced he would be the actual person who was wrongly committed, I did enjoy the episode but I think it would have had more punch if it was a cliffhanger. I understand why they didn't have a cliffhanger, the networks probably weren't sure if the whole cast were coming back. It felt a but anticlimactic without actually building up enough steam over the season, although they finally seemed concerned enough about being stalked and the unsub at large in this episode.
I would say this finale was good, I'd probably rewatch, but it wasn't my favourite, season 3 exploding SUV will probably still be my favourite CM finale!
Louise
The name of the song that was played at the end of the episode is 'Ashes like Snow' by Lily Kershaw. That song is available on iTunes.
ReplyDeleteI agree this was SO much better than last year's finale. I like being on the edge of my seat worrying about these characters that come into my living room every Wed and I love how there was actual detecting going on without Garcia pulling everything off of her computer. That's what makes this show great. I'm sorry Strauss is gone, but she went out in a a great CM way too. I'm really hoping that they manage to get Sean back next season. I really, really like seeing the to hot Hotchner brothers together on screen.
ReplyDeleteThis was what a CM finale should be like. It's really going to make me miss the show for the next 4 month, I can't wait for season 9 to start now. Isn't that what a finale is supposed to do?
--Jeri
Huge, huge improvement on last year's snoozefest of a finale. Great to see Sean Hotchner after all these years. The Beth moments were as mind-numbingly underwhelming as always - and the decor in her apartment was ugly as hell. Loved Rossi in this - what a legend! Reid at least showed his face and wasn't stuck in a van like last time. Good to see detecting and it wasn't all down to Garcia's improbable extraction of info from computers. And it was pretty exciting at the end. Sorry to see Strauss die - they need a figure like that to play off the team so it will be interesting to see who fills her job next season. Overall, a pretty good job all round.
ReplyDeleteThe whole Strauss thing was a bit strange. Turned Rossi into a weepy who knows what after years and years of sarcastic comments about and to her not to mention obvious distain for her very existence. And the last scene with the team around a table talking about memorable Strauss moments. Really? Don't think I ever heard any of them mention a single positive thing about her or to her. So now we find out that Strauss and Rossi were supposed to have been thisclose? The whole Replicator thing was only of interest to the writers all season. The helicopter scene was almost laughable. I've watched this show from day one but my days as a regular viewer are over.
ReplyDeleteI love anonymous at 9.14 comment about Beth's apartment decor, instead of focusing in her whenever she was on screen my mind kept drifting to the ugly room. I hope the writers move away from the loved ones next season. We've lost four, technically five loved ones if you count Gideons woman friend and Elle's dancing partner in season 1 finale along with Carolyn, Maeve and Haley. Will, Beth and Kevin are obviously in the lives of JJ, Hotch and Garcia if they mention them every now and again I'm sure the show would survive concentrating elsewhere when they want an uplifting moment instead of going to the partners of the team members for five minutes of an episode...
ReplyDeleteI liked the finale, not my fav but not the worst season finale for me that belongs solely to season 6, I can't even remember what it was about other than JJ coming back in the last 30 seconds. I'm not a Will lover but I didn't mind season 7 finale. I'm looking forward to season 9 though, it's the first season in a while where the full team will be back, without any issue other than Strauss' demise, but the show went a long time without featuring her significantly. I'll be interested to see what the writers do with a settled cast and if we get continued span of good episodes like we've had recently!
Kat
I guess I'm the only one who LOVEd season 7 finale. The whole season 8 was just ok for me., although I did really like All that remains.
ReplyDeleteI was amused when Rossi commented that he preferred JJ before she became a profiler - don't we all!! Season 8 has been a big step up from the previous two disappointing seasons. Let's hope Season 9 continues to improve. At least this season there have been attempts to bring in some continuity with the past and there's been a number of stand-out episodes such as God Complex, The Apprenticeship and Alchemy. Can't wait for September.
ReplyDeleteOK, I liked the final episode, but what didn't work for me was Mark Hamill playing the unsub. I thought his acting was dull and just plain bland. This guy was suppose to be angry and disgruntled about his lot in the FBI. He has been stalking the BAU and murdering a good number of people for a year, but I just didn't feel it with him. Those extreme emotions of his just didn't come across. The actor who played the Reaper and of course, Tim Curry were very convincing as scary villains, Hamill (who I loved in Star Wars) flopped.
ReplyDelete"I was amused when Rossi commented that he preferred JJ before she became a profiler - don't we all!!"
ReplyDeleteNO we DON'T!!!
I loved liaison JJ and I LOVE profiler JJ even more!!! By far my favorite female character on the show.
LJ
I agree, I love profiler JJ!
ReplyDeleteAgree with you LJ but I do wish they incorporated JJs former role into her new role, just so it didn't seem like the media role wasn't as important anymore. They got in Jordan when JJ was on maternity leave, it would stand to reason that the media aspect is still important, so you would have thought they would still want someone to specialise in the media or at least mention the role the media plays in their cases.
ReplyDeleteAlso I preferred it when JJ presented the case, sometimes it feels a little disrespectful or uncomfortable when Garcia can't get through a presentation without cringing, making quips or acting childlike towards the 'icky' photos. She's worked in the bureau for how long, knows full well death takes place yet can't look at the crime scene photos? I know Garcia is supposed to be the light, innocent team member who provides comedy but often it's just out of place or cringe worthy, like her and Morgans baby girl moments...
How did I get onto ranting about Garcia, idk, she was one of my favourites but now the less the better. Still love J.J though :)
JJ presenting the cases is the only element of liaison JJ I miss, for exactly the same reason. If anyone else did that I would probably stop noticing it that much. As for her media role, let's be honest here, the writers really failed JJ there, as that role was mostly implied and never, not even once, properly used. In the first 5 season we saw part of the press conferences she did a handful of times and they even made a press conference the center of a trap for an Unsub AFTER they fired AJ (and, oh the horror, they had Garcia do it)!
ReplyDeleteI've been re watching season 5 recently and apart from JJ selecting and presenting the case, when the writes didn’t forget about her and she didn't disappeared in the background, they used the character pretty much the same way they do now, as an active agent investigating various aspects of the crime, including going out on raids. They just didn’t call her a profiler and so she was left out of the profile presentation.
Now at least they don’t have a reason to shove her in the background.
So yeah, liaison JJ was great, profiler JJ even better!
LJ
Yeah I hear you, writers failed JJ big time. It was like they thought, we have enough issues figuring out profiles and such, all we need is a snippet of case being presented to the public/press in real life and that will do. Season 5 though is one of my favourite JJ seasons partly for the way we saw her interact with the victim families. I wish they worked harder on developing JJ earlier on I the seasons because that a lot of us, I'm guessing, took the snippets we saw of JJ in episodes and imagined the rest of her duties/ backstories etc and now it sometimes clashes with JJs new role. I hope Breen keeps his idea of dealing with why JJ returned from the DOD because I want to know what changed JJs mind to become a profiler.
ReplyDeletePart of the reason the show frustrates me so much is lazy writing. The finale had so many plot holes. It's like they have so many ideas they want to fit everything in and sometimes it comes off poorly executed. It's still enjoyable, but when youre not a casual viewer but a fan of the show, things stand out.
Also, is it just me, or do these writers not like taking risks? On British tv half this cast would be killed off by now. Not that I want any of them to go, but the replicator could have been far more destructive even if none of the core cast were killed, there could have been serious damage or injury. Yes Rossi and Reid will have emotional trauma next season probably because of Maeve and strauss but the evilness of the replicator still feels a little flat...
I said this before and I will say it again: JJ was very forgotten in the first 5 seasons, rarely had any stories and had a lot less screen time than most anyone else.JJ fans were naturally bothered by this but at least they(well us because I am a JJ fan) were honest as to why they were pissed off.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Reid fans who, once Reid took a back seat for 1-2 seasons(Oh my God the drama!!!) after being in the spotlight for 5 whole seasons starting shrieking that it's not that Reid is shoved aside, it's like the whole team is.
Mind you, they cared that the entire team was ignored while JJ got a few episodes to shine, not just that Reid wasn't the center of the universe anymore. Funily enough, I didn't hear the same fans complain in those 5 seasons whenever Reid was center stage and JJ was shoved aside, constantly.
Of course everyone supports their own favourite character I would be shocked if it were any other way, it's the hypocrisy coming from Reid fans I can't stand.
Now, regarding the season finale: I really liked it, I loved Rossi's "Zagzwang" the whole scene was great. I thoroughly enjoyed last year's season finale but I do think this one was a little bit better. I am looking forward to season nine.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about JJ fans v fans with other haters. I was a little shocked when I saw how dedicated some fans of the show are about hating JJ and you can't even get them to listen to you. The writers were so focused on the male characters for a good bulk of the series, that when they concentrate on the females we get super spy prentiss, why is she in an elite team Seaver and wallpaper Blake. The minute they try to give JJ some focus people either complain or the storyline often becomes about someone else. JJ had two great episodes this season, two of my favourites, Nanny dearest and All that Remains which both were still very team orientated. Many people argue that Red hadnt got much focus in season six and seven but if you look back, he was present and had his own epsiodes and when those epsiodes aired they were Reid centric rather than team focused with abut of Reid doing his job well.
ReplyDeleteIt annoys me as a fan of JJ that she gets overlooked or underused by the writers especially in the earlier seasons, because they had so many good opportunities with her character that they wasted. I just hope they don't waste opportunities in season 9...
I don't hate JJ per se but I am not enamoured of the way they have portrayed her since she became a profiler. I was re-watching "Damaged" yesterday and it just rubbed in that the warm, funny JJ from back then has somehow disappeared. She now usually presents as hard-edged and snarky and is shown as some kind of superwoman. There are flashes of the old JJ when she interviews witnesses but too often she is super Ninja JJ, rolling her eyes and acting superior. I would love her character again if the writing were better. Similarly Garcia has changed - she has become a parody of her earlier sparky and sassy self and now irritates more often than not. Favorite female character of the moment has to be Blake who at least presents as mature, professional and intelligent.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Garcia as for Blake I'm starting to warm to her, but I'm not taken by her as for JJ, I understand what you say, but I don't personally think JJ has changed that much. She's only had two ninja fights in season 7 and she's always had good aim. She's also always been snarky and eye roll-ey, but I think we used to see JJ in the compassionate roles a lot more in the earlier seasons. We still her comforting victims and families now but her role has changed within the team and it stands to reason that she'd try and separate her self from the profiling part like every other profiler on the team does. I wouldn't want to see her all soft and understanding when delivering a profile but I would like to see her perform more of her old roles more often.
ReplyDeleteIn one of the writers chats, they said they wanted to go over JJs time in the DoD and why she returned, I think if they explained that earlier on, JJ would have eased into the new role more, but the writers had Prentiss fake death and the Doyle arc to close up rather than focus on JJs return which we had to be satisfied with her 30 second appearance in season 6 finale and just be happy it all happened off screen. I think season 8 has started to get JJ as profiler and old traits of JJ to mesh better. I think season 7, they tried to hard to make her the same as Prentiss and Morgan, but this season they've begun to separate JJ from Morgan ( even though they constantly pair them up which is getting annoying) and Blake is so different from Prentiss, so JJ has her own profiler identity, kinda, it still needs work, but they're getting there.
I have to agree with anonymous 7:39 about JJ. I happen to love JJ whatever she is, snarky, eye rolling, kickass, compassionate, whatever. As for the finale I thought it was pretty good. Although at times iit seemed like a B movie and Mark Hamil was like a character from "Austin Powers". I'm not that invested in Blake yet so I didn't really care that she was in danger. I do like Blake she just doesn't faze me YET one way or the other. As for the rest if the cast I love them all and they could do care heels for an hour and I would enjoy it! Looking so forward to season 9!
ReplyDeleteCare heels should be cartwheels! Lol ! Gotta love auto correct!!
ReplyDeleteNot sure that I totally agree that the writing is lazy. But the show could be so much better put together. The writers may come up with some good ideas (but, really, you need a new medical consultant--it's almost always wrong). But the writers routinely over-write. So when much of what they've written needs to be cut, we're left with scenes that don't make sense and huge plot holes. It's not impossible to re-write such that those things don't happen. And it's also not hard to take each major plot and think about how each of the characters would react. But it doesn't seem to happen. When any series begins, it's all about the plot. If the series continues, it becomes all about the characters. CM should know that by now.
ReplyDeleteThe finale felt like a great jumbled horrible mess to me. Too many plot devices crammed together, too many plot holes. Everyone was over-acting to the point of parody. In a word - it was very hammy. I fully expected to see William Shatner come strolling out in an FBI vest.
ReplyDelete'Less is more' should be the mantra for Season 9. Dial it back. Go subtle. Fewer explosions. Fewer DRAMATIC SHIT THAT YOU CAN'T MISS OMG IT'LL BE SO AWESOME!! Stop killing peripheral characters and pretending that they mattered whatsoever. Stop killing love interests. Even fictional people have their psychological limits.
Can we have more quiet, intelligent plots instead of HIGH INTENSE DRAMA solved by ninja kicks and sass talk and bullets? You are losing the ability to dazzle us, so you're resorting to baffling instead? Anonymous 6:01 pm is right -- The writers need to go back to the beginning and rediscover what the show was about when it started, and why it was so good then, as opposed to the convoluted disaster it has been lately.
Fans turning on other fans, complaining about the décor of an apartment, complaining that the show has evolved and calling the show a convoluted disaster. Is it any wonder there are so few comments on this site anymore? I haven't read the comments on here for a long time and hoped things had changed. I obviously was wrong. People like myself have stayed away in droves because the comments have been taken over by a few who harp away with their individual agendas. I know you will disagree with me but I ask you to go back and look at what you have written and ask if it really contributes to the discussion of the finale in any constructive way. SJ
ReplyDeleteI think people should be free to say what they think about the show both good and bad. If they don't like character development, plot holes, set design, whatever - surely it is better to air those views. This should be an opportunity to air all views - I see no point in comment threads that are just sycophantic fan-fawning. The show isn't perfect - half the fun is seeing how other people view the show and the characters. We all have a different viewpoint and should be allowed to comment whether it is to praise or condemn.
ReplyDeleteMH
SJ has a point though. Some of the comments made seem to indicate that the poster hates the show, while others offer constructive criticism and/or ideas for future episodes. My question is to those who hate the show - why are you still watching it and why are you taking the time to post your extremely negative thoughts about it? You should be looking for a show more to your liking. And to those who comment with constructive criticism and ideas, please continue to do so. You don't know who follows this site and your thoughts and opinions just might be heard by the right individuals who can do something about it. And the rest of us enjoy reading it to get insight from a different perspective. LD
ReplyDeleteSeason 8 definitely had it flaws, but to me it was an improvement over both seasons 6 and 7.However there certainly is room for more improvements, which I hope we'll see,come season 9.
ReplyDeleteI'd never pick this season finale as a favorite of mines,but I still liked it and I definitely preferred it over both seasons 6 and 7 finales.
Although I miss Prentiss I have really grown to like Alex and I'm not upset that she is coming back. I just love the rapport she has with Reid.
However the fact is she is a newbie who has yet to be embraced by the fandom. So I seriously have to question the wisdom of having created an entire arc where she was even more of a key player in it,than the long time cast members.
I agree with those who feel "Brothers Hotchners" should have been shown last week and the "Replicator" should have been a 2 parter.
It just seemed bc they had to cram so many things in an hour it lost a lot of it's impact.
I also want them to go back to the more quiet intelligent plots they use to have on the show.Drama is fine,but it shouldn't take the place of a well written plot.
I've got to admit I did love badass Reid in this and the way he bought the unsub down was a lot more realistic than that ninja crap JJ use that onetime in order to bring down an unsub twice her size.
I agree with everything Anon at 11.15am says. Season 8 is definitely a big improvement on the previous 2 seasons. I didn't care for Brothers Hotchner although it was good to see Sean Hotchner again. I didn't buy into the fact that Hotch totally wrote Sean off because he didn't go to Haley's funeral. It seemed to go against the relationship they had in The Tribe where Hotch is very much a father figure to Sean and they ended it on such good terms. I cannot see Hotch letting Sean just sink into drugs like that. Although the Replicator had exciting moments it felt so rushed it was hard to keep up. On first watching I had no idea how they got out of the locked room!And yes - brilliant takedown by Reid. Not a bad finale but still I think opportunities were missed. I am still let down by the fact that the Replicator was someone we had never heard of before when all the hints seemed to indicate that we had already seen him.
ReplyDeleteThings I liked about the finale
ReplyDelete- Hotch and Sean, great, realistic relationship. Showed us a different side to Hotch and helps us understand him more.
- Sean in general = yum
- first episode was an interesting case and Reids suitcase tackle thing was funny
- the second episode got us conclusion to the replicator
-poor Strauss but it made us sympathise with her
-learning about Rossi and strauss relationship
- the best Rossi episode since About Face for me personally
-all the team had something to do
-the funeral/drinks showed them as a family
- the continuity, in particular mentions of Prentiss and the senator's reappearance, and Garcia's talk dirty to me story
Things I wasn't keen about
-Hotch and Beth :( I used to like the pairing, don't know what happened but something isn't working for me now.
-the replicators motives were not what I was expecting, which I liked but after everything, the conclusion was a little anticlimactic
-Strauss dying :(
- I wish we had more Rossi/Strauss scenes earlier on or at least mentions of their relationship earlier on instead of just that one mention in last years finale...
- is it just me or did no one on the team actually like Strauss until this moment, which made the drinks celebrating her life a little... Awkward, but hey I guess they're there for Rossi
- the helicopter/Rossi appearing from nowhere bit seemed a little off
- it felt at times like they were packing a lot of information/ideas into one episode instead of spreading it out better peer the course of the season
Overall, I thought the two episodes were good, not my favourite season, but still a good finale. I am now looking forwards to season 9.
ROTF, LMAO over that comment about all the focus Reid got in season 5.
ReplyDeleteI love season 5, it's probably my favourite after season 3. I didn't really notice that we got less Reid. I know that was the season he broke his leg but he still seemed to be featured in most of the season, but that season was Hotchs alone so I think most of the others took a back seat.
ReplyDeleteMosely Lane though, is one of my fans, I need to rewatch that one again soon!
Loved this season. Such a huge improvement from seasons 6 and 7. I thought it was a great ending to a fantastic season. Can't wait for season 9!
ReplyDeleteReminder,
ReplyDeleteSomeone saying they do not like something on Criminal Minds is not hate/negativity, it is just an OPINION. We all have one and should be able to express it.
What is NOT acceptable is bashing, that is, repeating over and over again the same negative thing/s. You do not like something, say it and move on. If needed be, we will go back at NOT letting people post as anonymous, as we have noticed some comments that are bashing and come from the same people.
The Criminal Minds Roud Table blog was started to be a place where fans have fun reading and commenting about Criminal Minds, not a place were a few keep telling us how they hate certain aspects of Criminal Minds week after week, managing to alienate everybody else to the point some feel bad expressing their own opinions. You do not like the show, don't watch it and/or go somewhere else to spew your hatred.
CMRT admins
from Anonymous
ReplyDelete'I agree with those who feel "Brothers Hotchners" should have been shown last week and the "Replicator" should have been a 2 parter.'
this was CBS decision and it wasn't a good one. Agreed 'Brothers Hotchner' should have been seen a week prior.
'It just seemed bc they had to cram so many things in an hour it lost a lot of it's impact.'
yes, a real 2 hours devoted to The replicator' would have been much better, things would have feel less rushed.
That said, this was our favorite season finale since the 'Low/Fi' episodes.
Anonymous,
ReplyDelete"I didn't buy into the fact that Hotch totally wrote Sean off because he didn't go to Haley's funeral. "
It could be more than that, We can deduce that Sean was not there when Hotch was recovering from Foyet attack. He said he didn't see Jack since he was 3, that mean to me, Sean decided not to be involved with his brother and nephew. Look at Jack reaction when he sees sean, it is clear he had no memories of ever seeing his uncle.
"It seemed to go against the relationship they had in The Tribe where Hotch is very much a father figure to Sean and they ended it on such good terms."
Yes but then Sean lost his job, didn,t contact his brother even after knowing his brother was attack by Foyet ( an article was published in newspaper with Hotch picture and name in it see 'Outfoxed') so It was Sean who stayed away.
"I cannot see Hotch letting Sean just sink into drugs like that."
Hotch had no idea his brother was involved in drugs, Sean even refuse to tell Hotch when they were talking about what was going on and Hotch asked Sean if he had told him everything, Sean said yes but we know now he was lying. Now that Hotch knows of his brother's problem with the law, Hotch is helping him.
I have seen the finale twice, will rewatch again last tonight and I can say i loved it!
ReplyDeleteFirst 'Brothers Hotchner', great episode that did show how Hotch and Sean did grew apart but that in the end, family will help each others. I do like Hotch and Beth, I think they are good for each others. Hotch already had a relationship with a woman who for good or bad reasons no longer supported her husband career path. Beth is not like that, she support Hotch career because just like for him, work is important to her. She moved to NY because it was good for her career, her relationship to Hotch was second to that. This is the same for Hotch, Jack and the job come first.
I like how 'Brothers Hotchner' ended just like 'the replicator' did, with family member being together this time it was the Hotchner's with Beth while 'The replicatoir' was the BAU family being together after they lost one of their own.
As for 'the replicator' like the episode, not my fav final, prefer the one where Foyet did show up at Hotch apartment and it ended with the shot fired ....that scared me all summer long! But Loved the action in the replicator, lots of it, maybe too much for a one hour show. BEST scene since '100' was when Erin Strauss died in Hotch arms! that made me cry! great work by Jayne and TG in that scene. And poor Dave he got there just a few moments too late!
The Replicator reasons for going after the team was fine, could see that, a guy that was probably looking for the crowning moment of his career gets rejected because of what Strauss did to him years ago and seeing Blake get in despite what Strauss did, must have angered him and make him snap. We see people lose it often after not getting the promotion they wanted or lose their job, go to the office and just shoot everyone! Of course this would have been a bit too mundane for a season finale so the replicator had to go for the more complicated way to get back at the team.
anyway, this post is getting way too long, so I just say that I loved the final, was happy that my fav Hotch was in the middle of everything in both episodes and cannot wait for season 9 to start!
So on second viewing the two episodes got better, I think it's because the things that bugged me, I already accepted happened and then I noticed things I missed the first viewing, probably because I was too busy ranting.
ReplyDeleteHotch was awesome in these episodes. He's felt a little absent at times this season and these two episodes had Hotch being the boss, making things happen.
All the references to prior episodes and events within the last eight years were great. Everyone at some point of watching this show, must have had an issue with continuity, face it, somethings just don't add up or easily get overlooked but this episode was excellent with references to past happenings.
Rossi stood out more than he has done since his arrival in season 3 and now I really want to know more about his relationship with Strauss (She will be missed. I hope we get a little tidbit with Rossi spending time with Strauss' kids, it would be nice if they were given names at some point.
I even like Blake now, she's not Prentiss, they've done a good job making sure she isn't Prentiss and I like that she's an older woman with experience. The mention of Prentiss was great but Prentiss has gone, this is the team now and it still works.
The Replicator was a (good) bad UNSUB. I don't think he felt as prolific or evil as the Reaper or Frank but I'm glad the story line got wrapped up.
I still think there was too much packed into two episodes, a flaw this whole season had at times, but it was a good finale, definitely better on the second viewing.