Hope you've enjoyed today's episode, and remember that the next new episode won't air until April 8th!
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
CRIMINAL MINDS Season 10 - 1018. Rock Creek Park - Comments Thread
Hope you've enjoyed today's episode, and remember that the next new episode won't air until April 8th!
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This episode had plenty of team interaction and it was nice to see the episode play out entirely from the team's perspective and not seeing the unsubs. I liked seeing the team profile different kidnapping strategies and motivations for kidnapping Sophie. I also liked seeing the team profile all the different players involved in the case. It was fun to watch the team peel back all the onion layers over this crime and everyone involved. The team definitely employed a wide variety of psychological tactics to get the truth out, and that was refreshing to see. It was also nice to see the BAU employ a media strategy, though I wondered why Hotch didn't take the conference, since he is the team leader. It definitely enjoyed Hotch and Rossi work their somewhat snarky profiling magic on the mother. I saw the lightness and humor behind Hotch's eyes as he worked the mother over. It was masterful to watch, and we need more of it. And the promos were definitely right. The ending turned everything on its head, though I honestly wasn't surprised. I was just more surprised to find out that he wasn't in on it from the start.
ReplyDeleteI did have to giggle about some of the team's dress. Even when Reid gets called in the middle of the night, he comes in wearing a dress shirt, tie and cardigan. Does that poor boy not own any casual clothes? I want to see what he wears just for the hell of it. And what is up with Penelope coming with full makeup, hair accessories and an outrageous outfit in the middle of the night? Even Hotch was dressed down with just a casual polo shirt. :)
Overall, this episode is very much in the win category for me. This is how episodes should be written. The team should take center stage and the unsub should very much be off to the side. We learned everything as the team did, and that is the way it should be done. We need MORE of this type of writing. It is official: Sharon is definitely my number one favorite Criminal Minds writer. At least of the current crew, but I can't see anyone displacing Andrew Wilder as my overall favorite. But she stands head and shoulders above her coworkers these days, and no one writes as good of Reid as she does.
Wow this episode knocked it out of the park (no pun intended!!!) Everyone was spot on and I about needed an AED for the Reid scenes. :)
ReplyDeleteI did like the fact that Reid had some good contributions to this episode. Poor, kind, sensitive Reid had to listen to the poor housekeeper being abused and not being able to do anything about it. He is definitely not cut out for this line of work (I mean surveillance), because it is not in Reid's nature to sit by and allow others to be hurt, particularly women. And nice to see Reid in on the rescue, even if we didn't see him do anything. He was at least there.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to see him working with someone else, someone who didn't really understand him at first, but came around to him. It made for some interesting dynamics and I liked seeing Reid's social awkwardness at play and him make a genuine effort to be friendly with someone, particularly a woman. He has definitely matured in the social arena and the handshake at the end was a sign of that, along with his growing feelings for Dorian. I have no clue if we will ever see her again or anything further will develop (the odds are against it on this show), but if something did happen, I have no issue. At least it would be more plausible than when CBS was trolling desperate Reid fans over his 30 second interaction with Einstein. If anything romantic did develop between these two, at least it would come from a place where Reid and Dorian actually got to know each other and like each other, so it would feel like a real, organic relationship. One bit I found a TINY bit unconvincing is that considering the way Reid was written earlier in the series, I do have to give a bit of side eye at the idea that Reid is now fluent in so many different languages, particularly languages that are more obscure. I mean, I can see why he would learn Russian, but Nigerian? But without Emily, I guess somebody had to be the language expert. And on a purely shallow end, I am so glad to see Matthew finally cut his hair. I remember that day joyfully when he posted it on his Twitter, and now I can go back to seeing Reid as a Sex God now that the ratty mess is no longer around. Even though his hair is still wild, I think it looks much better on him short and doesn't look like a rat's nest, but rather sexy model hair.
I can not express how much I love this episode... Sharon Lee Watson knocked it out of the park.... When I was still clueless as to who the true unsub was at 9;45 i was beside myself with glee.... I'm going to watch this over and over and over again.. because honestly one viewing is not enough time to see all the little nuances for the case...
ReplyDeleteBarbara, you hit the nail on the head! I couldn't agree more.
DeleteListen, I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to you for having been belligerent with you and verbally ....well, inexcusable. I'd understand if you reply with one four-letter word followed by "off," or no reply at all... but I lashed out that time because this show (especially the female characters, being a gay man) resonates on a deep level with me and has tremendously helped me to overcome a childhood tragedy of ...Carl Buford proportions... you can guess the rest... But I had no right to lash out at you.
You are actually a remarkable woman. I've seen your blog, and I now know how much you truly love this show and that you are deeply hurt that JJ's character had been changed, in your opinion to which you have EVERY right, for the worse. A large part of your favourite show, which I now see how deeply you love, has been forever tainted to you. That must feel horrible, and whatever your opinion of JJ, Kate, 200, The Forever People or anything else is your business and the fact that it differs from mine gives me no right to barbarically let loose on you like I did. Whether or not you can forgive me, I offer you my most heartfelt apology, as a fellow Criminal Minds fan I hope you can forgive me and we can agree to disagree on common ground.
wow! Lots to say about this one!
ReplyDeleteWe got to guess from start to finish, we had so many suspects, loved it!
We had team, team, TEAM! everything we found out came from the BAU team who worked the case. Garcia found some clues, so did Reid, The team made this one. JJ and Morgan worked well together in this episode. Not once did I had a feeling they were taking over, no ninja JJ, just good profiling work! Kate was good too but she had less to do in this one. Hotch and Rossi were the one to interrogate the mother and a rare sight, Hotch smirking at someone! He did it to get her to talk. He and Rossi work so well together. Hope we see more of them!
Loved all the scene between Reid and the tech girl. They worked well together. Noticed MGG's drawing on the wall :)
The guests actor in those one especially, Tess Harper palying the mother, Chris L. McKenna who played the congressman, Those two were very believeable.
How about the ending? wow, didn't see that one coming! He had the BAU fool!
Was different to not see the team fly out but loved seeing Agent Anderson again.
It is geting hard for me to say who my favorite CM writer is, between Virgil William and Sharon Lee Watson, both have given us great episodes this season. I'll say it is a draw so far!
Giving this episode a 9.5/10! CM is sure hitting all the right notes at the moment!
This episode was pure GENIUS from start to finish ... Sharon Lee Watson is an unbeatable writer, Felix has been with the show since 1-09 ("Derailed") so he knows how do direct the hell out of this show, therefore I had high expectations, and they were beaten to a pulp. Words cannot express how much this episode highlighted everything I love about Criminal Minds and OMG revive me regarding Reid's uber-handsome haircut! Agent Loker should be so lucky! (I wouldn't mind seeing that either, but as someone stated, the odds aren't good) but it's episodes like these and "Nelson's Sparrow," and "A Thousand Suns," that give me perpetual hope that this show is FAR from over and can become one of CBS's most successful franchises. I cannot wait for "Beyond Borders"!!! This episode will keep me plenty entertained until April 8th :) Well done, what a wild ride!
ReplyDeleteLONG LIVE CM!!!
I have been a fan of CM from day one, but I have felt that the quality of the scripts over the past three seasons have been going down. There were a couple of times I thought they were going to 'jump the shark'. Even after saying that, I still can't give it up on the show, but I don't watch it with the same intensity as years prior. So tonight I decided to sit down and really focus on it and possibly see what I might be missing.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately for me, I thought it was never going to end. To me it just plodded on and on and on. When I looked at the clock expecting to see that there was only ten minutes left and it was only 9:30. The guest characters weren't interesting. I wasn't surprised that the mother was behind it nor was I surprised in the end that the husband was in on it.
I did raise my eyebrows at Reid speaking a foreign language. The Russian wasn't a surprise since he wanted to watch that Russian movie with Emily. But Nigerian? That is a little obscure.
All seasons have good and bad episodes and this one fell in the bad category for me. I have my fingers crossed that the next one will be better.
I couldn't disagree with you more... I never saw the Mother coming.. and was sucked in like the BAU by the Congressman with the reveal at the end... THis episode embodies everything CM was and should be about... For me was a throwback to the great episodes of S1-5.... The team was spot on... The guest cast was done extremely well... Felix did an AWESOME job directing Sharon's so well written script... I loved all the little nuances that kept me guessing from start to finish...
ReplyDeleteMy most beloved fact was that we the viewer were pretty much CLUELESS as to who the real unsub behind the kidnapping was until the very very end...
I give this episode a 10 out of 10 and A++
Lol...no problem. It just rubbed me the wrong way. I agree that the season one episode was good, but in that one the team was out and about investigating the kidnapping. This one just seemed more like a bottle episode where they stayed in the BAU and talked and talked. I guess I needed a little more action. And when I say action, I don't mean bullets flying and blood and bodies everywhere. I guess I just wanted them to actually get out of the building...lol.
DeleteGreat episode and even Reid's hair was fairly neat.
ReplyDeleteSharon Lee Watson for showrunner!
Hotch is in a polo shirt. Hotch is in a polo shirt. Hotch is in.......... *hits self along side head* Oh hello there! I guess this is where I put my two cents worth in.
ReplyDeleteShort and simple. Sharon Lee Watson once again proved she understands the total concept of this show. Criminal Minds is about the "team" of specialized FBI agents, known as profilers, that handle sick crimes. This episode was another shining example of how truly well Sharon has wrapped her arms, and head, around that concept.
This episode was exactly the kind this long time CM fan expects: the team, profiling, doing their job. There was great balance among all the team; Pretty Boy was excellent; and the entire cast was written within character throughout the entire 40+ minutes.
I share my jumbo size bag of peanut M&Ms with Sharon for writing the brilliant scene of Hotch and Rossi playing the mother like a fiddle. Hotch's Cheshire cat grin said it all. He let Dave spring the trap and then he brought the smack down. I've already re-watched that scene four times.
I must admit, as soon as Mommy Dearest gave it up, I knew Sonny Boy the snake politician was part of the plot. And SCMF, you correctly nailed it again. Felix Alcala should be in the director's chair more often around CM.
Rockie's grade: A+ I don't need to say much when the ep is this good. ;)
Why thank you, Rockie! I agree with you 100% ... I've rewatched the infamous "Hotch Stare" he gave to Benjamin after they found out about his gun, that glare which would make Tony Soprano rat out his whole crew ... probably 5 times already! lol A+ for me too!
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ReplyDeleteGreat episode. Team, profiling, clever story, suspense and a great twist at the end. This was Old School CM - Sharon Lee Watson really knows the heart of the show and the characters. Even Garcia was more like her original self and JJ was fine in this one. And Reid was shown as the genius he is and not mocked or sidelined. So great to have a return to core values of the show and not have the generic action cop show they have been turning it into lately. It;s an A+ from me.
ReplyDeletei have to agree with Mary. I really enjoy this episode.
ReplyDeleteOverall, good solid episode, with more team than unsub (yay). The Reid parts were very nice. I liked that he liked this girl, didn't fall down drooling or anything, but liked her and wanted to take her out for coffee. That was well done, and she was perfectly "drawn" for the part. Cute, capable, no-nonsense, and expecting competency from him. I can totally buy that Reid would find his voice, so to speak, when on his own, no Morgan nudging him, no Garcia squeeing over his attraction to someone, no JJ rolling her eyes. This was quite plausible. And that shot of him that filled the screen for like 13 whole seconds, just his face, my god, I just have to thank the director for doing that.
ReplyDeleteDon't have to see the girl again, but it would be OK if we did. I loved the blushing after the handshake bit. Very nice.
So, I'll admit that this episode really didn't need a plot, since there was so much delicious Reid on my screen for so much time. But I did appreciate the plot, and the many attempts at misdirection. I was struck by the sheer amount of evil portrayed among the different players involved, and gratified when their various evil machinations started to interfere with each other.
ReplyDeleteI liked all of the characterizations, and that everyone had a reasonable role to play. Liked that Morgan and Garcia were given a moment of affection that didn't include any of their smarminess. It was unnecessary to the plot, which made it just....nice. And I mean that in a good way. Loved the teaming of Hotch and Rossi with the candidate's mother. They can grill like no two others can grill.
And then there's Reid. I think Sharon Watson has his characterization down (except the handshake thing, since he's freely offered his hand on a number of episodes), and I love what MGG can do when the writer gets it right. (And yes, I think he is completely hindered when the writer gets it wrong.) He was the shy, intelligent, valiant genius I love to watch. I don't know that I got any romantic vibes between him and Dorian, although I could see where something could grow down the road. I just think he found someone interesting, who promised to be intellectually stimulating to him as well, via languages and literature---and he took a chance on making a friend. I also don't think it was coincidence that he arranged their coffee date speaking Russian---I think using the foreign language served as a bit of a shield for him.
Overall, a winner for me, and an episode I'll definitely watch again. Even if it's only the Reid scenes.
Wow, this was a really great episode! Felt like old seasons.
ReplyDeleteLoved it! It was so great to see the team profiling again instead of crazy unsub torturing victims. Rockhotch, I am with you! Hotch was gorgeous in this, as was Reid. I pretty much figured the husband was in on it. I'll admit I should have caught on a bit quicker than I did that the mother was also involved, but overall I thought the writing was great. This is the way it should be. Hotch and Rossi are the most experienced of the team and it was great to see them working together again and playing off each other as they questioned the mother. I loved seeing Reid with someone who didn't roll her eyes at him or act as if he's some kind of freak. Whether this turns into a romance or not does not matter to me. I just want him to have someone outside the team that he can talk with. I liked that we got lots of Hotch, Reid and Rossi and not so much JJ in this one. It was a good balance of screen time for the entire team. Good job, Sharon!!
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