A CASE TURNS PERSONAL FOR GARCIA WHEN A FRIEND OF HERS GOES MISSING SEVEN YEARS TO THE DAY AFTER HER DAUGHTER DISAPPEARED, ON “CRIMINAL MINDS,” WEDNESDAY, NOV. 16
Guest Stars Include Jack Coleman (“Heroes”) as Bill, a Man in Garcia’s Survivors’ Support Group, and Brigid Brannagh (“Army Wives”) as Monica,
Garcia’s Missing Friend
“Hope” – It’s personal for Garcia when the BAU investigate the disappearance of a woman in her survivors’ support group whose daughter went missing seven years earlier, on CRIMINAL MINDS, Wednesday, Nov. 16 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Guest stars include Jack Coleman (“Heroes”) as Bill, a man in Garcia’s survivors support group, and Brigid Brannagh (“Army Wives”) as Monica, Garcia’s missing friend.
Good episode, as sick as the unsub was. But was Hotch in this ep?
ReplyDeleteI thought the episode was really good, I really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThe only part I have issue with is Garcia in kevlar negotiating with the unsub. Garcia isn't a field agent but a technical analyst, and I think it was far-fetched. Don't get me wrong, I understand the reasoning behind it in the episode, but it was still unrealistic in my opinion.
Other than that, wonderful episode. This season is wonderful.
I was disappointed by some episodes ("Proof" and "Painless"), but overall this season is really great.
There was lots to love in that episode; Garcia was great, twisted unsub, a victim that fought back. Lots of creepy moments. Coleman was very good as the unsub.
ReplyDeleteTo Rockhotch31, yes was disappointed at very little Hotch. Why no one even asked him if it was a good idea to have the technical Analyst go inside the house of an armed, deranged man and try to talk him down? Why was she allowed at the scene? Couldn't anyone stopped her? Morgan, JJ or Reid? As Anonymous said, it was far-fetched.
On the other hand, loved the ending with the butterflies.
Good episode, would have been a contender for my favorite for the season so far if it wasn't for the Garcia going inside that house that is why I still prefer 'painless' as my favorite of s7.
I have to agree with Anonymous in that I also found Garcia's "face to face" involvement with Bill the UnSub a bit far-fetched, but it did mesh well with the story line.
ReplyDeleteThe butterfly motif was a nicely creepy touch, as was finding out that the daughter was not only pregnant but had chosen to end her life just (apx) two months earlier.
The part where the police officer wasn't overly-cooperative was a perfect foil for Morgan's complete and instant faith in Garcia's story - nicely done, as well.
I thought it was a really good episode and I agree about Garcia, she shouldn't have been in kevlar, trying to talk the man down.
ReplyDeleteTo Criminal Minds Round Table :
"Why no one even asked him if it was a good idea to have the technical Analyst go inside the house of an armed, deranged man and try to talk him down? Why was she allowed at the scene? Couldn't anyone stopped her? Morgan, JJ or Reid?"
I just wanted to point out that JJ is the one who let Garcia join her in the house to talk down the unsub, the others were already inside and unaware, (since JJ was surprised when Garcia asked her to go inside after the others had already left).
Morgan and Reid were simply faced with Garcia's presence in the house and had to work with it.
JJ simply allowing Garcia in the house is the most controversial part of the episode.
I still think that Morgan should have been firmer with Garcia when she told him she was getting in the SUV no matter what.
But Reid really didn't have anything to do with Garcia being allowed in the house.
Except for that part, wonderful episode !
About Hotch : next episode is about Morgan having some conflict with his hierarchy, so I bet Hotch will be involved a lot.
ReplyDeleteThe episode after that is a Hotch centric one (and he meets Beth).
From what the writers told us he'll also play an important role in 7x12.
And there has already been episodes this season where Hotch got plenty of good screen time.
In this one, maybe his fans wanted to see more of him, but the other team members (with the obvious exception of Garcia) didn't get that much more in my opinion.
I purpose that if Hotch HAD been around in his normal capacity, Garcia wouldn't have been able to do her "confront the UnSub" scenes, so it made sense to have less of him in this episode.
ReplyDeleteAll the characters get their turn and Hotch wasn't exactly absent during the episode, he still played his role.
ReplyDeleteAt least he played his role up until the near end.
But yes, if Hotch had been in that scene, I guess it would have complicated matters (and it seems the writer really wanted Garcia to go in that house...my least favorite part of the episode, which I still loved).
I would have still loved seeing Hotch expressing his disappointment/anger with JJ and Garcia.
Hotch should better not show any disappointment or anger with JJ and Garcia because in season 6 episode 21 "The Stranger" it was Hotch who let an unarmed Seaver do the hostage negotiations.
ReplyDeleteTo Zagi,
ReplyDeleteI understand what you mean, and I thought about that scene too before writing my comment, but at least Seaver was an agent who had graduated the Academy three episodes before ("With Friends Like These"). And Seaver wasn't armed because Hotch asked her too leave her firearm before going into the house with him.
I wasn't a Seaver fan to say the least, but it was still more believable since she technically was a field agent and a 'profiler in training'. Garcia is neither of these things.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm pretty sure we won't hear anything from Hotch on that subject (Garcia in kevlar negotiating with the unsub). If the writer had wanted to portray Hotch's reaction she would have done so during that episode and probably not later.
I enjoyed the case, the unsub and the victim. That poor woman has been to hell and back and I'm not sure how anyone really recovers from having their child kidnapped, finding their dead child, being raped by the dead child's kidnapper, finding out the kidnapper impregnated your dead child and then killing the man. Other than the woman being apparently scott free after murdering the unsub, I really enjoyed this aspect of the episode. All done very well and acted very well and that was one tough lady.
ReplyDeleteI found Garcia and her simpering ways to be unprofessional and annoying and her bullying her way into a police raid was stupid, silly and so contrived it nearly made my head explode and realistically it should've made Hotch's head explode and the world's largest Hotchalanche should've been delivered not only on Garcia, but on Morgan for allowing it and on JJ for taking it as far as she did.
Hotch taking a field agent into a negotiation with him can't be compared to an FBI technical analyst with no weapons training, no self-defense training and no law enforcement training what-so-ever dawning a kevlar vest and walking into an extremely dangerous situation. That Morgan even allowed her to get into the SUV is so stupid and ridiculous he should be busted down to desk duty for a month so he can study and remember how to be a professional agent with leadership potential again.
This show is just really getting silly in some respects. I miss those wonderful, dark, edgy professionals that used to work for the BAU and their stoic leader who used to guide them with a firm, but caring hand. Now they just seem to do whatever they want, whenever they want and Hotch doesn't seem care. I love the way they conveniently have Hotch at another scene so we don't have to watch him NOT react to his team behaving like irresponsible idiots. Like his absence is going to make us forget how ridiculous it is that Garcia is wearing kevlar and entering a hostage situation. Ugh.....I can't stand it.
@ sf81387
ReplyDelete"I love the way they conveniently have Hotch at another scene so we don't have to watch him NOT react to his team behaving like irresponsible idiots. Like his absence is going to make us forget how ridiculous it is that Garcia is wearing kevlar and entering a hostage situation. Ugh.....I can't stand it."
I guess it was convenient.
If Hotch had expressed his disappointment I guess it should have been against JJ and Garcia.
Like other posters have pointed out, it's JJ who allowed Garcia to follow her in the house, no one else. Maybe Hotch would have also told Morgan that allowing Garcia to go with them wasn't a wise decision.
Reid wasn't really involved in these decisions.
The thing is, the writer really wanted to write that scene for Garcia, so she might have overlooked the rest to fit that part in her story.
Garcia could have simply talked the unsub down by the phone, under the guidance of a profiler with more experience than JJ, who is a rookie profiler.
I could have been fine with that scene, and I could see Hotch agreeing to give Garcia a shot at this (since he trusted her with the kid in 'Risky Business', a different situation, I know, but he does trust her).
Hotch surely knew and approved that Garcia was with the team and also that she was in kevlar. They all left together . Hotch, Rossi and Prentiss to one location, the rest to the other. And Garcia already was in kevlar when she left the suv so she did not put it on only at the hostage scene.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Garcia should not have been inside the house but I have no problem with her doing the negotiation. She knew the unsub and the victim both from her group, she knew the profile and she is not stupid.
I did like the case. It was so much better than last weeks ridiculous plot. And the writer managed to write a good story that did not need gallons of blood and severed limbs.
Overall I think this season is really weak. The show is just not the same anymore. I miss the season 5 and 6 darkness. And I miss JJ as media liasion. I do not like her as profiler at all. The show already had enough profilers.
As always, it was a pleasure watching Kirsten Vangsness act and that was about the only thing I really enjoyed in this episode. This just wasn't an ideal episode for me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of your comments about Garcia being in the house confronting the unsub. I also don't like JJ as a profiler. She was much better in her role as a media liasion, she was unique, now she is just one of the profilers. Also considering the fact that she just became a profiler, I am finding it very strange that she is in absolutely every scene where they confront the unsub (probably except "Painless").
I also really miss the Reid- Morgan-Emily teaming (anybody remembers the scene among these three where Emily-Reid played poker than Morgan asked a question to Emily? It was so nice- showed their friendship- so far nothing like that). Unfortunately I am not liking season 7 so far. Of course I love that everybody is back and the family is reunited! However I have some problems with how their roles/parts have been handled. It also really feels like the writers all agreed on a specific structure and it never changes in this season ( e.g. showing us the unsub from the beginning of the episode, not giving us enough Hotch in the field most of the time, JJ being present in almost every scene- a lot more than any other team members, reducing Emily's screen time significantly etc.). One very nice thing about this season IMO is that Rossi got some attention more than before which was great! Anyways I guess I really loved seasons 4 and 5 and so far season 7 is doing a less better job for me.
The show continues to do well in the ratings and more importantly, in the all important demo. I think it's targeted at a different audience now and I'm just no longer the type of audience it's targeting. It's been moving in that direction since Season 5 and judging by these first eight episodes, it has arrived. That's okay, I'll always have Seasons 1 thru 4 to blow me away and I'll just do my best to try to enjoy what it has become until they cancel it.
ReplyDeleteThis was another great episode from the writers- Kirstin did a fantastic job -hat's off to her-This year they are having everybody have an episode to be involved with an that's a great idea.
ReplyDeleteE.J. Jahnes
The only thing that saved this episode were the very good performances by the guest stars because that absolutely ridiculous JJ decision to let Garcia go into that hostage situation defied belief. I am liking JJ less and less as the episodes go by and this last episode just made me throw my hands up completely where she's concerned. It was stupid, reckless and quite frankly, she needs to be reprimanded and put on desk duty. And we do not know that Hotch ever approved Garcia going with them in the first place because we don't know if they left the building at the same time (what if he left before Morgan's team or after?) If they wanted Garcia in that house, they simply could have had her rush in instead of making JJ look like a complete idiot.
ReplyDeleteGuys, this is TV and not real life. We have the team, we have the stories. It is difficult to keep a show fresh after seven seasons and its also difficult to come and run this show also after 7 seasons.
ReplyDeleteAs with other shows think we will get "good" and bad episodes (by this point in comparison X-Files as unwatchable); and also some scenes that might explain some of the things happening might not be able to make it in the editing room.
Concerning character time 1, 2 and 3 got a fair amount (TG, JM and PB) but not in the spotlight. I love Prentiss, but she had about 1/3 of season 6 with her arc (not Erica's or the writers or Paget's fault - it was what it was) so the other characters also deserve the spotlight, specially AJ.
In conclusion, shows evolve, people evolve; but the integrity of this people (characters and cast) makes me motivated to watch every Wednesday, overall this show going to continue to improve and I can foresee at least seasons 8 and 9.
To EmDoyle:
ReplyDeleteI completely see your point but I respectfully disagree on a small detail. The only reason they gave the arc to Paget was because she was being let go. If that wasn't the case, that arc would never happen so even though I see your point on this subject, I still think it is tiny bit unfair to her to cut her screen time quite a bit in this season for something that wasn't her choice in the first place (sorry if I am not making any sense). I agree that everybody deserves the spotlight. So far season 7 is doing a good job in terms of focusing on each member. I hope you are right and we have at least 2 more seasons of this awesome show:)
KV did alright with what was given to her but I agree with those who do not believe Garcia should have been in the field much less wearing a vest and entering the house. She should be back with the computers! In this case, besides NOT being a profiler, Garcia was also personally involved with the victim. I think Penelope would not have been allowed to come to the unsub's home at all.
ReplyDeleteRegarding JJ, I am not enjoying her as a profiler either. She should have remained the media liasion. That was a specific job and it suited her. Now, JJ just seems more cold like with some of her comments to Reid i.e. she was a nice person in school even to people like him. What's with that? It also made sense for JJ to present the cases. Garcia is not supposed to like all of the gore and horror and now she is hands on involved with it all at the briefings.
There were some comments about Prentiss. She did get that big arc at the end of Season 6 and from what I understand she gets the center of attention in the 150th episode as well--even though she wasn't there for all of those episodes. Yet, that one is Emily centric? That rubs me the wrong way. But the point is, she is getting more screen time coming up.
I had a problem with the ending of this episode because I wasn't sure what happened. It appeared that Monica killed Bill. Yet, she is not in custody? Would the others have really covered for her because she is Garcia's friend and she lost her child? I don't think she would have been able to just get away with it. There were other officers around besides the BAU team as well.
I also thought maybe Reid would get a scene with Garcia concerning support groups but that never happened. I wonder if his drug abuse will ever be mentioned again. They should keep on with it even if it is just showing him going to or coming from a meeting. The character is not cured. This is a life time struggle and so as such the writer's should not ignore it.
I am hoping the next episode, which is supposed to be Morgan centric, will have a scene where Reid helps him but I doubt we'll get it. I think it makes sense because that relationship is always one-sided with Morgan doing the giving and Reid the taking. It is about time that Reid got to help out Morgan. It didn't happen in Big Sea so it should come up now. We see Morgan helping Garcia like in this episode and she has done things for him like fixing up that office. I hope Reid gets a turn now.
Overall, I liked most of this episode. Everybody got something to do and Reid got to be paired with Morgan in the field! I was afraid that would end the minute Emily returned.
As an avid fan of Criminal Minds for over 6 years, I do not want to sound harsh or negative, but I am not very impressed with the show this year. And believe me, I wrote numerous petitions for Thomas Gibson's contract to be signed during the summer and have watched every episode of the show (sometimes more than one time). To me, the episode "Hope" was just okay. I liked that Garcia was personally involved in a case, but I agree with some posters that it was a little far fetched for her to go into the field. I also think that Hotch once again seemed to not have an important part in this episode. The Hotch of seasons past would have at least been concerned or questioned Garcia's motives. Painless was the strongest episode of what I think is a mediocre season which lacks focus. This is just my honest opinion as a dedicated fan of the show, but Hotch does not really seem like the same character as in Seasons 1-5. He seems detached from the cases. I liked his strong work ethic and his serious personality in past seasons. To me, Hotch just does not seem to be as strong of a leader as in past seasons. I am sorry if anyone disagrees. However, I would rather have mediocre episodes like "Hope" rather than what is coming in the next few months. I think the upcoming romance story for Hotch is a wrong decision. When Shemar Moore said in an interview that Morgan does not have time for a romance on the show but suddenly Hotch does, there is something amiss (in my opinion). Hotch is supposed to be leading a team,taking care of Jack,& taking on some of the duties of Strauss, and now he also has time for a romance. This is a really predictable plot line that can be found on any show. Yes, I guess this could be possible, but I find it more unbelievable. Maybe if the writers first showed that Hotch nolonger wanted to sacrifice his life for work & then had him enter a romance it would be a little more believable. I did not see this change occur on the show. I thought the writers would explore other aspects of Hotch's character first before giving him a love interest especially considering how loyal he was to Haley and considering that his work ethic is what ruined his marriage with Haley in the first place. At least have Hotch struggle with the idea of entering into a romantic relationship. Again, I am sorry if I offended anyone who supports a romance for Hotch, and I respect the opinions of those who favor a Hotch romance. It is just not the right decision in my opinion for the direction of the show or Hotch's character (at this point). In my honest opinion, this season lacks the intellectual complexity of other seasons and is becoming like other mediocre shows on TV.(I am not just saying this because of the so called Hotch romance.) I am forming my opinion based on the first 8 episodes of Season 7 and what I heard concerning upcoming episodes.
ReplyDelete@ sf81387 haha, about targeting the audience ... I'm wondering where CM think or place their audience (f.e. average viewer) in the sinus-milieus USA! (lol I know where I've my place in the 12-option-graphic but would like to know where the others are?) Beside this is the hardest part for the Marketing Expert Nielsen ratings give only socialdemographic figures nothing about social milieu. Not to mention the rest of the world has a different sinus milieu. However, I agree the direction of the show is slightly changing. And till now, I'm too not having a oh-uh yay! feeling about it. The character development for profilers is a hard thing to do. I mean in a good way, we already have some kind of image about them in our head. And the showrunners my just blow up the character in our head or made them even stronger. It's a tricky topic for the writers. I still watching/following the show - but the real enjoyment from earlier years is gone.
ReplyDelete