I have chosen not to use an image from this episode for reasons that should be fully clear. Oh, remember how I said last week was the week to play a song by Linkin Park? I still think it was, but this week's episode was the golden opportunity to play the song called Crawling. It's strange how well that song fits with this episode, and the title of this review.
The episode opens with a man driving in his car, using Siri to text his friend. Well, this is proof Siri isn't very smart. "Are you ready to go on your period?" That was very comical. The rest of the opening scene was scary. The victim was walking around screaming, "GET THEM OFF ME!", and then he got hit by a car. Then, we can see the unsub (Unknown Subject) in his prime - trying to get a cockroach out of his skin using a needle and tweezers. Lovely show we watch, isn't it? For some reason, I forgot to eat before the episode. I was fine, though, I think we've seen a lot of gross and scary things in the 10 seasons of this show. Next, we see the team on the plane debriefing. The victim was a newspaper journalist. As a Media student, hearing that writing certain stories can get you killed was unsettling to me. Also, "Throw shade?", Garcia? More modern day terms that most people wouldn't understand. Great.
Afterwards, the team talks to a woman who worked with the victim. Her calling him a "Schizo" seems a bit controversial to me. Also, since it was hinted that they might bring up Reid's drug addiction again, this would have been the perfect time for Reid to defend the victim, seeing as though his mom is actually a schizophrenic, and he suffered from a drug addiction before. Kate's comment, "The newspaper telling the FBI no comment, imagine that." was funny. And then, we have a comical quote from Garcia, "I know you guys are psychic, but how did you do that?" Oh, I get it, because they can see into criminal's minds. How amusing! On another note, JJ has such pretty hair. It never looks messy, no matter how bad the situation is. And she called Reid, "Spence", again.
Next, the unsub abducts the doctor who was working on a vaccine that the journalist was reporting about - it's cool how they put that all together. It's nice to see the doctor talking to the unsub. Whoops, I spoke too soon. The doctor says, "You are sick." Don't tell him that! He's delusional, but he refuses to accept that! Who knows what he'll do...he'll kill you by pouring bugs on you. And with this we get Reid being used appropriately again. Me likey. Now, we are in BUG HEAVEN. As my mom said, "The music kills it." The cockroach came out of his nose; that is disgusting. Then, Rossi called him, "The good doctor". Blake reference, anyone? In Demons (9x24), she referred to Doctor Who as, "The good doctor." Leave it to me to find solace in a bug-filled episode of Criminal Minds.
We get the profile delivery next. Thank goodness. I'll take anything to distract me from these creepy crawlies. The unsub believes in a government conspiracy. That seems to happen a lot on this show. We finally get a glimpse of the unsub. Wow, he looks so "normal". Funny how the most delusional ones always look like your typical human being. Furthermore, the BAU are eating fried chicken while discussing this case. If they can keep their lunch down, we all should be able to. Grcia figures out that the unsub has Margellons syndrome? Nope, Reid is quick to correct her, it's Morgellons. JJ and Morgan go talk to a person with Morgellons. Her name is Lisa. She is very defensive, and she appears to be covering for the unsub. And the lady the unsub is with? They look like soul mates. Delusional soul mates. Well, I guess the phrase, "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours," truly applies here.
Another cute quote from Garcia, "Top of the morning, fellow leprechauns." I love her so much. I recall hearing the unsub say, "I don't ever really sleep." PLEASE don't make me relate to this guy in any way, please...*sigh*. We see JJ calling people again. I loved that so much; I really miss her being a liaison, that go-to person for the families and the press. Another quote, "Do you know why I itch?" I found this veryyy creepy. After, we see Hotch profiling. "I'm trained to see what's in front of me." [...] "I'm also trained to listen to what people say." That was badass. Finally, we get to see Hotch actually acting like Hotch again. He also said, "Someone who's not a mother doesn't just stumble on a cure like that." Was that some indirect reference to Haley which the writers probably didn't mean to put there, but I noticed and interpreted it as one anyway? Oh dear. The BAU then infiltrate the unsub's apartment. Only, they're greeted by a paranoid Jane. "He's not here, he's gone. And you're never gonna find him." Not likely. Also, Kate's sassy look was a nice touch. Is it bad that I'm not feeling this JJ and Kate relationship yet? I heard Rossi say to a doctor, "What didn't you try?" Hmmm, this has a different connotation to me.
We then see the unsub abduct Lisa. Her fear is spiders, so, naturally, this guy has spiders at his disposal. I wasn't too concerned, though. Have you seen Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? Acromantula are the kings of spiders. The unsub screams at Lisa, "WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?" She works for you, dummy. And next we have Rossi's attempts to talk the unsub down. Very clever. Rossi wins MVP for the episode. Why? HE PUNCHED OUT THE UNSUB! Bad. Ass. JJ is running after Jane once the case is over. I love this so much. She's talking to victims again! The tactic that Rossi used, the mirror box? Reid has heard of it. Guess what? I have heard of it too. I saw it happen on House before, and it was awesome. That JJ and Hotch scene at the end was great too. And the morgellons girl, Lisa? She all right now. That was yet another nice ending. Unfortunately, I'm kind of missing some epic Morgan action. We've gotten nothing but him screaming "FBI!" at the unsub. I miss him actually contributing things to the team.
What was the best part of the night? The events that happened after the episode, of course! Larry Teng and Breen Frazier were replying to the fans' questions for an hour or so. This is proof positive that the Criminal Minds cast and crew are some of the nicest people in all of television. What did Larry and Breen confirm for us? 10x11 will be JJ's PTSD episode, with Hotch supposedly helping her through it. Breen has been trying to get a Round 2 of the Morgan & Reid practical joke war, but he hasn't found the right situation for it, yet. Larry enjoyed working with Jeanne, and Bruce Zimmerman actually wrote in the phrase, "That's Ballsy." for Jeanne to say during Fatal (9x22). Amazing, amazing news.
So, what did you think of The Itch? Did it make your skin crawl? Are you looking forward to Boxed In next week, which is directed by Hotch himself, Thomas Gibson? Leave a comment down below!
First time using the Author Box at the bottom of my post. I hope it looks okay.
ReplyDeleteGreat review ! thanks : ))
ReplyDeleteAngela, I can always count on you for a stimulation conversation! :-)
ReplyDeleteYup, there was an acromantula in Harry Potter - the biggest spider I've ever seen. And it talked, too! It's horrible.
Reid pulling out the cockroach and Kate's reaction reminded me of Perennials (8x11) where Reid was talking about fly larvae and Blake has this priceless face. Forgot to bring that up.
I have a few friends that totally love the JJ and Hotch relationship. They've been so lucky - having scenes together in all four episodes of Season 10 so far.
I always overanalyze things. I really miss Haley these days, so.
Yup, AJ's hair is so beautiful. Reminds me of Jeanne's hair; every. single. scene. of every episode ever she had beautiful hair. It's kind of unfair. :P
Rossi /is/ a marine, sometimes I forget that. The writers also haven't given him a long-term relationship. And there hasn't been much talk of his family. So, there's a lot that hardens him. He has complete permission to be sassy. xD
Hmmm, I didn't connect the unsub to Sam from Supernatural.
Yeah, if only I could be a music consultant on CM - I'd plan out the perfect soundtrack depending on the episode.
The kids episodes are always the worst. And Thomas's son is guest starring, so that should be awesome to see.
You should DEFINITELY get a Twitter account! I also found out from Larry that he's the one who put Madness in Broken (8x15). He was very chatty last night; it was amazing!
Thank you, you're too kind.
Hehe, aw, thank you!
ReplyDeleteAhhhhhh, okay. I know I've seen the movies, but I must've forgotten (or blocked out) that scene :p. Talking acromentulas. Creepy.
Ha, oh, wow, yeah, there is a similarity there-I don't know if I caught Blake's face in that episode at that part, I'll have to rewatch. That story was pretty gross, too, with the larvae. I'm really terrified sometimes to ask just where exactly the writers get some of these ideas for their episodes, LOL.
Yep, I've come across a few people who love it, too. And I totally see why. They relate to each other through the fact they're both parents, they have a mutual respect for each other that's really cool, back in JJ's liaison days if she had a gut feeling about some case, Hotch was always among the first, if not the first, to listen to her and take her concerns seriously...it's nice. I'm glad those who are fans of that interaction are getting some good moments out of it, and given your info about what we can expect coming up it sounds like they'll get more. So woo!
Hehe, nothing wrong with that! It's what people who come to this site do :D. I love discussing this show and analyzing all this stuff and going deep into discussion about the characters and the storylines and such. I miss Haley, too. I liked her. And it was so obvious Hotch still loved her even after their divorce.
Argh, yes, her, too (especially given she has thick brown hair, just like I do-hers always looked better than mine). These lucky women, having their hair always look so pretty and shiny and whatnot. I want their stylists' numbers.
Yeah, it's not something that gets mentioned much, but it's a neat facet of his character that I like seeing show up now and again. No, they haven't-he's had many a woman on his arm over the years, as legend goes with him :D. I would love to see him find a girl he can commit to, though-I seem to want everyone on this show who's single at the moment to find some love in their lives, and those that are in relationships to have them continue to be successful. They've all been through so much pain and sorrow, they all deserve some long-term happiness and someone to come home to :).
And indeed, we don't know a whole lot about Rossi's family life, either-that's something I'd like to see explored more sometime, too. So yeah, you're right that all of that would help harden him as well. I love sassy Rossi :p. I have a very strong appreciation for sarcastic, snarky attitudes. My dad was like that :).
Just a random comparison I noticed-and I may well be alone in that, too, LOL. And oh, god, if I could plot the music on this show, I'd be in HEAVEN. That job would be right up my alley.
That they are. There's a few notable episodes of that sort that always haunt me after I watch them. I remember when I first got into this show and was DVRing some of the older episodes, one day I went through and watched them, and it seemed like most of the ones I'd recorded were cases involving children. I was getting really depressed and freaked out as the day went on as a result-afterward I was like, "Okay, I need to find something happy to watch now..."! Yeah, I heard that, too! That'll be nice to see :). I'm really hoping that we'll get a scene with the entire team decked out in costumes to celebrate the holiday. I would LOVE to see that :D.
I'm very tempted. I'll look into it in the next day or two here, I think :). And ahhhhhh, cool, thanks for telling me that! Mystery solved there-I officially like Larry now. Hehe. That's wonderful. I'm glad the cast and the crew for this show are so friendly towards the fans-we're a very loyal, passionate bunch, so it's nice to see that reflected and appreciated by the people who work on the show.
You're very welcome :). It's fun to be able to talk about this show with you, and get your perspective on the episodes.
Yep, I find that Blake's facial expression are always the most realistic.
ReplyDeleteJotch fans are very lucky now. Which is good, because Jotch has been lacking in actuality.
Haley was the best. Finally a women in charge of a relationship - and then they kill her. Uuuuuuuugh.
Jeanne has the best hair. I also have thick, brown hair, so I definitely envy her.
Sassy Rossi /is/ the greatest thing currently about the show, for me anyway.
That job would be right up my alley as well. :D
I think my favourite one involving a kid is Memoriam. I love how they involved Reid, his parents, and more. Rossi and Reid's relationship is something so incredibly sweet.
DO IT! I'm not sure who from the crew /hasn't/ interacted with me yet. :P Twitter is super addictive, but the payoff can be amazing.
:-)
She did have some good ones, yeah-I liked her sort of dry sense of humor and matter-of-fact response to things.
ReplyDeleteThat they are. It is good. I'm all for the show spreading the pairing interaction love around. And ha, so true about Haley. I know some fans didn't like her because she was so hard on Hotch, but I sympathized with her as much as I did Hotch. It clearly wasn't easy on her end in that marriage, either, and I understand where she finally got frustrated with it all. And the episode where she dies is so, so heartbreakingly sad.
Ah, you understand :D. Yeah, some women can just make it work. I envy them :p. Course, I'm also not really one who's good at hairstyling-maybe if I had more gumption to do anything with my hair it'd work. But instead, in the mornings, I just want to sleep in as long as I possibly can instead of fuss with my hair, LOL.
He's fun. I like that he keeps the mood light with his remarks. Yeah, if I can't write for a show, being in charge of the music would be just as good an option.
I LOVE "Memoriam"! Soooooooo much. It's one of my top five favorite episodes. I like the storyline with Reid and his parents, and the end, when he's named Henry's godfather and is holding the baby for the first time and talking to him and getting all choked up...gaaaaaah, I am a puddle of mushy goo every time :D. So. Freaking. Cute. That is one of my all-time favorite scenes from the show, if not my favorite.
And yes, Rossi and Reid's interaction is great throughout, too-it's like he's stepping into the fatherly role Reid's dad had abandoned. I like when Rossi gets all concerned when Reid starts freaking out during that hypnosis session, and is reassuring him when he wakes up. Those two have a great friendship, I really enjoy scenes with them together. It's even more neat to see how close they've gotten considering Rossi was a little unsure of Reid when he first joined the team.
Hehe, working your way right on through 'em all! That's neat, though, I'm glad you've gotten to talk to them a bit here and there. Yeah. I'll take a look and see what happens :). If I do, I'll add you as well.
HALEY IS AMAZING. It's the Skyler White Breaking Bad situation here. Except, I found Skyler a lot more annoying and I rooted for Walt all the way. But here, Hotch is at fault much more than Haley is. 100 is probably my second favourite episode just because it's so beautifully written and directed.
ReplyDeleteYou bet I understand!
Memoriam is great. Although, I didn't really like The Instincts that much.
Rossi is such a great father to Reid. In my opinion, he was waaaaaaaaaaay better than Gideon ever was.
Yeah! Join Twitter today, and you can interact with some of your favourite, sadistic writers! :P
Haven't seen "Breaking Bad" (I know, I know), so I can't personally comment on those characters, but I am familiar with the general issue which you speak of. Unfortunately if a woman gets on her husband about this or that she runs the risk of becoming a "nag" to some viewers. It's not always true, but sometimes women just can't win on a TV show, unfortunately. I like "100", too. I like the way they handle the interviews with the team, and the way the team goes to bat for everything they did in that episode. And it's so emotional throughout.
ReplyDeleteAw, I like "The Instincts", too. But "Memoriam" is my favorite of that two-parter. Heh, a lot of people aren't too keen on Gideon-up and leaving with nothing but a letter for your protégé who has some painful memories in that department will not endear you to a lot of viewers :p. I thought Gideon and Reid did have some nice moments together in the first couple seasons...but yeah, I think his relationship with Rossi is much nicer and stronger. I think they get each other better, and can be honest with each other about anything (Reid opening up to Rossi about his dreams involving Maeve in "Alchemy", Rossi giving Reid blunt yet much needed advice whenever necessary).
LOL, a tempting invitation if ever there was one :D! It is funny to have these writers coming up with such creepy stories week in and week out, and then you see interviews with them on some of the DVD features, or hear about them chatting with fans, and they're always, like, super nice and friendly :p. For such a dark show, the cast and crew sure seem to be a cheerful, friendly, funny bunch.
"For such a dark show, the cast and crew sure seem to be a cheerful, friendly, funny bunch."
ReplyDeleteIt's so true - and is quite weird.