I'm quite disappointed this episode didn't have any PTSD or a traumatic aftermath for Hotch, although I wasn't really expecting them to do that. When it comes to PTSD, Criminal Minds doesn't exactly have the best track record. However, this episode was pretty great in its own right. I'm not a huge fan of the Sex Trafficking story they are deciding to go with for the finale, but I'm sure it will be intense nonetheless.
Another interesting opening shot was had in this episode. It's man in a black hoodie running from the police, panting heavily. He goes to his friend's house, maybe? Her mom is horrified at what Danny, our unsub, looks like. She asks him what happened, and there's a shot of this blonde woman running through the forest, scared. That transitions to JJ and Morgan going for a run together. That was really cute. Morgan and Garcia's cute flirting continues with Garcia's opening jab, "Hurray, heavy breathing! I wasn't invited. What's the occasion?" Garcia informs them about the unsub's victims. They were all found in their cars, which immediately made me think of Zodiac. However, Danny appears to be mentally unstable. He gets headaches and becomes irrational. His friend seems to be very helpful to the cause. She even massages his head. "The right thing to do is always the hardest thing to do, and you're doing the right thing." Danny's mom died, and she encourages him to find the son of a bitch who killed her. Great advice. Now it's time for the theme song.
Opening Quote:
Spoken by David Rossi - "It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways." Buddha
The profiling on the plane was interesting. The scene where they walk into the police station was also interesting. Rossi's interrogations have been such a fantastic thing to see. He's so incredibly sassy, but it comes from such a great place that you don't get angry at him. Reid and Rossi being hit on by a prostitute was hilarious! That seems to always happen to Reid, and I kind of find that adorable. This other prostitute, that JJ and Kate interrogated, seemed to be hiding something, but I felt bad for her. She seemed really afraid and disturbed about this case. JJ even gave her a ride to where she needed to go. She was lying, though, she knew the victim and the unsub. She saw the shootout take place. She begged JJ not to take her son away, that she had nothing to do with the murder. JJ was compassionate; she reassured her that they're not going to take him away. I really enjoyed this scene because I love when JJ talks to the families. Meanwhile, the unsub is severely devolving.
His profile is a vigilante. I'm a big fan of those. They tug on my heartstrings because what they're doing is wrong, but they do it for the right reasons. See the show: Dexter. A perfect example of a serial killing-vigilante. Anyway, now Danny is self-loathing. He thinks it should've been him. Yeah, do you really want to revisit the words, "It should've been me."? Thanks for reminding me of Demons (9x24). This unsub's story is actually interesting though. His tenants and the story around his mom's murder is intriguing to me. It's unsubs like this where you actually root for them to succeed with their deeds is an unsub well constructed. Even the public is starting to root for him and use his services, or at least, that's what the unsub imagined in his head. He envisioned that this girl was demanding that he kill her boyfriendI found this fascinating. Later we find out that him and his mom both have paranoid schizophrenia. Oh, something Reid could possibly relate to, ouch. Wish they played that up a bit more.
The BAU get to the apartment. "Get back, I've got hostages!", screams the unsub. Yikes. He shot the door where JJ, Morgan, and Reid were standing. Oh boy, this got intense. The whole time the man that shot his mom was in police custody. And that ending with his victims talking to him was quite creepy. And the case wraps up with a happy ending of sorts. That's a relief. And dang, the team has a "Congressional oversight meeting" with paperwork to work on. That's not good. Now, here's the part of the episode I really don't like. First of all, we were promised a season-long unsub, much like the Replicator, that won't be involved with the BAU until the finale but will affect Kate and her family all season long. However, this Sex Trafficking Ring was only mentioned prominently 2-3 times. That's already a pretty ineffective move on the writers' parts. Furthermore, how in the world are Meg and her friend able to sneak off to meet this guy with a BAU AGENT AS A MOM? She works for the FBI for god sakes, surveillance should be her top priority! She said she was monitoring her internet access, yet this was still able to happen. This is very unrealistic and kind of put a damper on this season/episode/inevitably the finale next week. It just seems like a poor choice with some lacklustre writing.
Closing Quote:
Spoken by Spencer Reid - "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." Albert Einstein
Despite the ending leading up to the finale that I'm really not a fan of, I throughly enjoyed this episode. It felt a bit like "classic CM" (I just shuddered because I hate using that term), where the profiling was crucial to the case. If I had to rate this episode, I'd give it a B+. I was immersed in this story, rooted for the unsub (until the ending), and enjoyed JJ's scene with the prostitute. It was definitely one of the episodes this season that stands out to me as one of the better written episodes. I just hope the finale next week isn't completely disappointing.
What did YOU think of Protection? Are you curious about what's going to happen to Meg and her friend next week? How excited are you for this finale? Be sure to leave a comment down below! And as always, you can catch the rest of my reviews [here].
The profiling was crucial? "Classic CM"? If you live in an alternative universe, maybe. In planet Earth neither of those things are true.
ReplyDeleteThe profiling, other than the plane scene, was missing in combat (must have been in a coffee run along Hotch), and the profile they delivered came out of a magician's hat apparently.
And Classic CM never showed the Unsub from the very beginning so he could show us in Technicolor every little bit of his delusions and his violence and all the gore he decided to engage in, and never discarded the team in favor of using a single character that could do everything, do nothing wrong, and leave Reid for dumb all in less than 40 minutes.
I gotta admit.. Reading your review was hard... I didn't see anything that you're referring to as being 'good'... or great or even Classic CM... There was virtually 'no Hotch'.. JJ & Morgan dominated the entire episode. The important 'interviews' were done by Kate and JJ, Rossi/Reid and Hotch might have well stayed back in Quantico for all they did. How they came to give the profile was never fully explained as too much time was wasted with gratuitous violence by the unsub and then the hallucination scenes with unsub, girl and her mother. They didn't bother letting the guy who's mother is a paranoid schizophrenic discover that piece of information. Garcia was just unprofessional maybe the tweetyboppers like the sexy Mama crap, but I as an intelligent woman find it insulting that that's the only way they apparently can portray the women on CM. The gratuitous T & A with the running scene was uncalled for, again all that was for was to 'highlight' JJ's body talk about female exploitation. Let's see what else, oh yeah it was a rip off of episodes already done and done much better. There was virtually 'no' profiling and the whole episode made the LAPD look stupid. And to top it all off we got treated to what is more then likely going to be the worst season finale CM has ever had. The whole sex-ring Kate's niece gets mixed up with is just stupid concept especially seeing as Kate not only was involved with sex trafficking before she came to the BAU but she's now a profiler. I can't believe HOW bad this episode actually was, and I normally like Virgil's writing.
ReplyDeleteI do prefer Virgil's other episodes this season, but I did enjoy this one too (as you can angrily see). Hotch I do admit was in the background most of the time, and that's something I complained about earlier on. But we really have no right to complain right now - we just had two episodes very centred around him. So, that complaint doesn't really hold up. About the profiling, yeah it could always be better. But it's season 10. I never expected much. And this felt like home to me, with a vigilante done right. Even if he was schizophrenic, this echoes the case from A Real Rain which was a bit different from this one, but ultimately eschewed the same factors (e.g. the occupation of the unsubs, the whole tenant scenario in this one, etc). They built some ground upon that episode and I think made it better. I didn't like that one that much, but this one made some improvements. That's what "classic CM" episodes should be. And lastly, what was hard to read about my last paragraph; we seem to be in agreement about the finale. It was a sloppy choice and no real thought or development was given to it. I'm not looking forward to it, but I'm going to review it anyway, and I hope it doesn't make you angry.
ReplyDeleteI think it worked this time to show his face right away, because of the storyline with his tenants. The profile was being made alongside his creepy actions and that's what's CM is all about. Delving along with the unsub, following them on their journey, and watching the team figure out what makes him tick. (In this case, a lot made him tick. Most of the profile revolved around his illness, his mother, and his killings - which to me, is a decent profile). The interrogations were crucial, especially when the witnessed opened up to JJ (after having her be kind and compassionate, which was one of the best scenes of the season). So I'm really not sure why you're so angry with me - this is just my opinion and how I saw it. (Aren't you from the Wiki? I used to edit there too, but not so much this season.) Anyway, I don't mind that you disagree with me, but the person to be angry at is the writers, not me. Besides, the ratings for this episode were dismal, and I'm sure you'll be thrilled to hear that.
ReplyDeletethe episode was boring and I think that's the worst thing you can say about it.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Hotch should have stayed behind, taking some days off maybe, a few seconds talk about how he was doing well and bla bla bla
No comments about Morgan and Garcia, that crap was funny the first time (more or less) after 10 years it stinks. Garcia never was the best character for me but after they left Vangsness bring her own wardrobe and write her own lines the character sucks. And the way she hits that keyboard!!! there are not words.
Actually, it is a lot better when is interacting with someone else, I like Garcia and Rossi when he thinks his daughter is a stalker.
I'm going to keep my personal opinion about JLH to myself, but I don't know why this and other shows got the strategy of bringing new characters to the show to keep some magic number of main characters, you know, after 7 years I'd love more time for the characters we all know.
Moreover, JJ came back to take Prentiss job (and personality) so technically they are working with more profilers than other BAU teams.
sorry for any grammar mistakes and for the rambling, I just need it
Um, actually, there were quite a few episodes in the "classic" years that showed us the unsub, if not from the very beginning of the episode, then still pretty early on in the episode. From seasons 1 through 4 alone, we have: "Revelations"-and we met the unsub in the episode prior to that (and not long into that episode, too, if I recall rightly), so we knew full well who he was going into "Revelations". "Minimal Loss", we met the unsub right away in that one once Reid and Emily got to the compound. "Riding the Lightning"-yes, there was the debate over Sarah Jean, but it was pretty darn clear her husband was a murderer, and again, we met him fairly early on in the episode. "Elephant's Memory" showed us the unsub through a good portion of the episode. We knew who the unsub was early on in "Derailed" (before the opening credits, even, I think). And "Scared to Death". Just to name some examples for you. And we got to see most of said unsubs in action throughout those episodes, too.
ReplyDeleteI get why some fans are so bugged about the idea of seeing the unsub early on, wanting to be part of the guessing game and watch the team build the profile while the unsub stays in the shadows until the end. But that part of it all honestly doesn't really bother me one way or another, personally. Sure, it's exciting to have the suspense of that surprise reveal, and many episodes have worked very well at keeping the unsub in hiding. But this is pretty much the only crime drama I watch, so I don't really get into the guessing game aspect of it the way other fans do (as other fans often typically like crime dramas in general, in part because they enjoy playing detective themselves along with the team on the shows). And I know that sometimes the technical terms and ways in which the teams on these crime dramas go about solving the crime or revealing the unsub aren't always realistic-that's been a constant accusation towards crime dramas in general, so I don't get too deeply invested in a part of the show that I know won't always be portrayed in the most realistic of ways. It's an interesting part of the job, building the profile or studying forensics or whatever, but can watch shows that feature stories on real life crime stories or read true crime books to learn more about that part of things.
For me, the most interesting parts of these cases is seeing the issues they bring up, be they political or social or ethical or moral, or seeing how they affect the team on a personal level. Or seeing how the unsubs/victims are affected by these crimes, for that matter. And that was a big part of why this episode worked for me. I felt for the unsub a little-his determination to protect people was heartbreaking in how it was dealt with, and yet the ending with the recovery of those women's bodies was a chilling reminder of just how mentally messed up he was. That's the stuff that keeps me invested when it comes to the case side of things with this show. Otherwise, I'm mostly invested in the stories about the characters themselves and the balance between their personal and professional lives.
This wasn't a perfect episode, no, and not the strongest of the season by far, but it's not exactly among the absolute worst episodes of this show, in my opinion, at least. Like I said in my other post, though, to each their own.
Laura, you apparently have not seen "Normal," which is a much better version of the vigilante/schizophrenic unsub; however, the unsub in Normal was far more sympathetic, even though he too had already killed the family he was hallucinating was still alive. Protection was a frenetic and a little disjointed; and had way too much unsub. And I disagree, just because Hotch had
ReplyDeletetwo previous episodes doesn't mean he becomes nearly invisible. As the leader of the team, and to give heft to an episode, a more realistic Hotch presence is required, otherwise it seems like the junior varsity team scrambling for the ball.
The JJ/Morgan running scene left me a little cold. I found it strange that a woman who spends all week chasing unsubs with Morgan & the team, would spend a precious Saturday running with Morgan when she has a 6 year-old and husband at home. The writers are so determined to
show JJ's physicality that they are beginning to makie the character a little unsympathetic
and superficial. And to be called back on a case, I guess Henry has to wait another week to see his mom.
You rated this episode a B+; yet you gave a sparse review of "A Place at the Table" and gave it a B-. A Place at the Table had far better acting and character development, a quality script, the unsub was a mystery until the end--all the ingredients of a "classic" Criminal Minds' episode. I question
whether you actually watched the episode. Ed Asner and Thomas Gibson gave fabulous performances, which didn't even rate a mention in your review. Your review was brief, mostly surface and boilerplate stuff, comments you can safely make about any episode by reviewing press release and not actually watching it. And what comments did Garcia and Rossi make throughout that were so insightful? You didn't quote any, and I couldn't find any. And to say, "It wasn't completely unwatchable, the interrogation scenes were logical"; and really say nothing about the case,
unsub or actual interactions, it seemed like you seriously distracted or missed most of the episode.
Protection does not come remotely close to the acting, profiling or quality of A Place at the
Table. You should take the time to really watch A Place at the Table to get a better appreciation of it because it rates a grade substantially higher than a B-; and Protection, lower than a B+. But I know, people see things differently. I too love Virgil Williams' episodes, but not this one.
The gratuitous T & A with the running scene was uncalled for, again all that was for was to 'highlight' JJ's body talk about female exploitation.
ReplyDelete...uhhhhhhhh...okay, apparently I need to rewatch the episode, 'cause I clearly seem to have missed something-what on earth about JJ jogging was "exploitative"? I didn't get that at ALL.
And if you don't care for the banter between Morgan and Garcia, then I think you're pretty well out of luck on that front, because I don't see that ending anytime soon. You may not like it. That's fine. And I won't argue that there are times when she and Morgan should show some serious restraint with their flirty back and forth, especially on cases.
But some women do like communicating with men in that way, and they're not "less intelligent" for liking it. Let's try to not go around insulting people here, okay? Ultimately, Garcia's the one who's on the receiving end of those comments, and she clearly has no problem with it, so what the fans think about that banter, be it positive or negative, is pretty irrelevant.
As for the focus on characters-that's the risk you run with an ensemble cast. Some episodes will have heavier focus on some characters than others. After the events of the episode before this one, maybe that explains Hotch staying in the background, who knows? And I like seeing Kate and JJ team up, personally, especially when talking to female victims, of which there were in this episode.
And I'm always happy when Reid is prominent in an episode, and like Rossi having a big role, too...but sometimes they won't be (and considering the way some people in some comment sections have seemed a little irked at the idea of Reid getting a lot of attention, maybe the show is aware of that on some level). And sometimes they'll handle the "less exciting" parts of the case (though with Reid-you DID see him on the stairs at the end, in that apartment building with Morgan and JJ, right? He may not have been talking down the unsub, but he was still in a pretty hectic situation).
There may well be a good debate to be had in regards to how good the show is at rotating out the action and the interview/stay behind at the station side of things amongst the characters, sure-in the earlier seasons especially it did seem a little more balanced out and varied in who paired off and who all got to do what in the episodes. But I also understand writers wanting to go with team setups and character focuses that they feel most comfortable writing, too.
Heh, I actually had a very hard time feeling a lot of sympathy for the guy in "Normal". I did feel it a little at the end when he finally came to terms with what he did to his family-his scream of horror was heartwrenching. But the concept of a man going around randomly shooting people on the road for no reason, and then the fact that he did kill his family in such a cold manner...he creeped me out much more than he made me feel for him.
ReplyDeleteI do agree about JJ, Asner and Gibson performances and other things. Thank you very much
ReplyDeleteHe creeped me out too but he broke after helplessly seeing his daughter die. The episode made you feel that way because it was well written and well-acted. It was frightening because it can and does happen. The whole time I thought his family was still alive because it gave the impression that they were maintaining their regular routine. The unsub in Protection was obnoxious and hard to watch. I figured out the the mother and daughter were probably dead when he convinced the mom to quit her job by agreeing to no longer charge her rent. Is rent the only thing a job is good for? So now she's going to depend on a shaky landlord with massive headaches for her livelihood. I said to myself, she's crazy or already dead.
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah, I agree on why that episode was so frightening-I kept thinking of all the mass shootings in the news when I first saw that episode, so that didn't help my nerves. Maybe it was his face that made it hard for me to fully sympathize. He had a very intense-looking face :p.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that between "Normal" and "Protection", the former is a much stronger episode, and the twist about the family much more gut-punching. I'd started to wonder if something might be up when the wife was getting all accusatory towards her husband in the car-he had a gun to her and the kids and was speeding recklessly down the highway, so either she was being really bold in harping on about him letting their one daughter die or she was making one hell of a risky and not very well-advised move)...but I hadn't expected the reveal of them being dead the whole time, no.
I was surprised at first at the women's complete lack of reaction to the man being covered in blood, but I thought the disabled woman was in on his vigilante plan, and encouraging it, and the other woman suspected, but simply chose to look the other way, for whatever reason. Rent isn't the only thing a job is good for, no, but having been in the situation where you're lucky if you CAN pay your rent, let alone anything else, it sure doesn't hurt!
You make a good point about choosing to rely on a very unstable person for her livelihood, though...but considering the history between their families, and the fact that he could fly off the handle so easily, I just assumed they went along with any act of kindness he showed to placate him or something.
Classic CM? No way. This seemed to me like a bad mash up of A Real Rain, Normal and With Friends Like These. So much so that it was obvious from the get go that he was hallucinating Patricia and Milena. There was no suspense, very very little profiling, Hotch went completely missing, I was bemused by the running scene with JJ and Morgan (poor Will and Henry she obviously doesn't want to spend her precious free weekends with them!), no sympathy for the victims, the local cops were shown as fairly helpless and I don't know why it had to be the JJ/Morgan show with Reid, Rossi and Hotch barely there. I have watched this show devotedly for ten years - this was NOT classic CM. Boring, poorly written and disappointing. As for the finale with Meg? Like so many others, for us the season ended with the stellar Mr Scratch and hopefully next season we may see some continuity for Hotch on that. Let the traffickers take the irritating brat.
ReplyDeleteI read the break down of time from another site... And quite honestly it's appauling..
ReplyDelete(I've included the total break down here for other to see)
JJ 16 m and 31 sec
Unsub and victims 14 m and 39 sec
Morgan 12 m and 6 sec
Kate 8 m and 44 sec
Rossi 8 m and 1 sec
Reid 6 m and 41 sec
Hotch 5 m and 10 sec
Garcia 4 m and 25 sec
Meg and Friend 1 m and 31 sec
The worst part about this episode aside from Hotch being the office prop in the police station was that scene where Reid comes outside to look for the bodies of the Mother and Daughter, walks RIGHT PAST the huge dried bouquet of Flowers and points the cops to look in the wrong place, but then JJ comes out and points to the bouquet and has them dig there finding the bodies. HELLO Reid was there when the unsub said they were by the "Flowers".... Intentionally dumbing down Reid to make JJ or any of them for that matter look smarter simple is so grossly out of character for Reid it does 'make me angry', and HECK I'm not a big Reid fan so go figure... And before anyone starts trust me I get it.. Hotch had 2 Hotch centric episodes back to back, so it made sense He wouldn't be prominent in this episode... BUT the problem is that in limiting his screen time he was written like a piece of furniture, just there with a couple of generic lines that anyone on that set could have delivered.. If the writer's are going to limit the amount of screen time at least for the love of God, write the characters actually in character... I would have been Ok with it all if there was even ONE line between Rossi/Hotch where Rossi asked Hotch how he was doing, and Hotch said simple "Day by Day"... to which Rossi could have replied "Go at your own pace Aaron, we're a team don't think you have to rush yourself right back into the thick of things." And Hotch saying "Your right....then turns to the other's and gives out the orders of what he needs done."
THAT would have worked... That would have had Hotch being the leader BUT realizing after what he's gone through he can rely on his team and take a back seat at times. To bad something like that was never thought of apparently by this writing team...
I didn't like the episode neither. For me, it was a bad remake of another criminal minds episode from season 4: Normal. But I reply to you because I don't think you should assume posters here are angry with you. In your words, that's just our opinion, which happens to differ with yours. That's it.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to rewatch to catch how that end scene with Reid and JJ played out again, but, um, can I just ask this question? Am I the only one who finds it REALLY weird that people actually calculate/time the amount of screen time each character has? Apparently I'm just weird or something, 'cause that part of things really doesn't bother me as much as It clearly seems to bother others.
ReplyDeleteI really didn't enjoy the episode. I'm one of the awful critics. I thought it lacked the use of all the agents. Don't think every negative comment is about you. Maybe we just didn't' enjoy the episode as much as you.
ReplyDeleteI really started following the screen time distribution after TPTB turned JJ into RoboProfiler in S9... When they wrote her so completely off the believable reservation because she was a favorite of the Showrunner. And After the monster mistake of 200, where 'she' was the focus and not the team that just sealed for me that I needed to know if it was 'me' just being angry or was there a definite shift in who was getting the screen time... Sadly it wasn't just me... The numbers bear that out and very unevenly
ReplyDeleteNow, after following those numbers for awhile I can not believe that CBS/ABC has allowed their highest paid actor's become virtual wallpaper so that these writer's can highlight the lowest paid actors... I will say that this year JJ has been much better and more reigned in not so Super Agent, but Forever People and now this episode sent that off the charts again.. To me it's a juvenile depiction based on the Ohh La la 's of the Tweetybopper crowd... TPTB should be careful that they are pandering to a small subset of the fan base at the risk of alienating a much larger section.
I agree 100% Phoenix. When your favourite characters are barely present and have generic lines to say, or even worse get dumbed down to glorify the lesser characters, then you do get very interested in the screen time figures. They are the hard evidence showing just who are Erica Messer's favourites! We have had a couple of great Hotch episodes recently where finally he is written as the complex unit chief he should be - so that is at least a plus point for this season. But of course he should be written well in every episode, however small percentage of screen time he has which doesn't often happen. As for Reid - my favourite - well his screen time has been far too light for far too long and I dislike when his limited screen time is used to mock him or dumb him down in an attempt to elevate other more minor characters.
ReplyDeleteSee, we're already on a level of disagreement, because I'm really not at all bothered by the JJ I've seen on the show in recent years. They've probably given her more stories since she came back in season 7 because, crazy thing, the fans had demanded she come back! So pardon them for thinking that meant hey, maybe we can do more with her character, since the fans wanted to see her back. And I'm also guessing some of It was probably the show's way of trying to make up for the crap way CBS handled her, too.
ReplyDeleteIs she more action-oriented now than in the early seasons? Yeah. But I don't see that as a bad thing. And for all the unrealistic aspects of "200", I still really liked that episode, personally (when I became a fan of the show, I went into it knowing full well it wasn't always going to be realistic, because most crime dramas never fully are, so that doesn't really faze me. As I said elsewhere, I'm here 'cause I like the characters first and foremost, anyway). And I didn't get any sort of the impression you had of her watching "The Forever People", either. Apparently I am watching a very different show from those who can't stand her.
Why is who gets paid more more important here? This is an ensemble cast. JJ IS part of the cast. She always has been. So yeah, she's going to get some screentime, and she deserves to, just as all the others do. She has fans, too-are they not entitled to have their chance to see storylines or episodes focusing on her? Like it or not, she's here, and so she's going to get some attention.
I love Reid. Adore that guy. He's the reason I started watching the show regularly in the first place, and I'm always happy to have episodes or storylines focusing on him. But I'm also fine with it if he's not the focus of an episode. I don't see it as "playing favorites" if someone else gets a turn in the spotlight, I don't see it as the show having some conspiracy to write him out, or whatever other weird theories some fans like to throw out there. I just see it as, "Okay, he had his turn, now someone else gets the spotlight for a bit. Cool." And I love ALL the other characters, too, so I'm always interested in what's going on with the rest of them as well.
I'm sorry, but spending time calculating down to the seconds who gets x amount of screentime just seems like a really ridiculous way to watch a show. For ANY fandom. Your favorite character won't always get the majority of the screentime. It happens. No series is ever a "one-person" setup, so other characters will logically get their turn, too. *Shrugs* I don't know what else to tell you beyond that. I just think these kinds of complaints don't make any sense and are a little over the top and dramatic.
I just wish that TPTB would recognise just who are the fan favourites and write for them accordingly. The statistics of the screen times just make it crystal clear where things are going wrong and how they are putting the focus on the wrong characters.
ReplyDeleteYeah, except here's the thing: They ALL have fanbases. There are JJ fans out there, and quite a few of them. I've run into many of them here and other places. There's also Garcia fans, and Morgan fans, and Reid fans, and Hotch fans, and Rossi fans, and so on. They're doing just fine in terms of trying to make all the fanbases happy, I think. This idea that one's favorite should get more screentime than other people's just 'cause their fanbase might be a little bigger than another character's is ridiculous and not exactly fair to those who like the other characters.
" crazy thing,the fans had demanded she come back! So pardon them for thinking that meant hey, maybe we can do more with her character, since the fans wanted to see her back."
ReplyDeleteCrazy thing is you ask any number of those 'fans' who wanted AJC back and they will tell you they wanted the OLD JJ back.. Not this puffed up superhero, supermama, super profiler that they've given us...
Sending JJ off to hunt Osama Bin Laden and leaving the entire team floundering on such a Monumental Episode is Beyond acceptable... It's down right disrespectful to fans, the cast and the crew who MADE this show what it is... 200 SHOULD have been about the "Team" the entire cast how they work together how they get things done... What we got was 40 minutes of JJ and her ridiculous backstory with the team on the perifery.... If they wanted to do that episode FINE do it.... BUT NOT FOR THE 200th episode... 99% of all TV shows rarely make 100 episodes, much less 200 and to waste such a milestone on 'one' character is just an abomination... And before you tell me 100 was Hotch based... I remind you that 100 was written from the perspective of each of the other team members... it was 'their' story about what happened with the Reaper...
As for the Forever People... that was just a slap in the face... Reid, Emily, Morgan, Garcia even Rossi have all been chastised by Hotch for disobeying an order or not working within the 'team'... YET JJ goes off the reservation killing someone and there's 'no' word said... Personally Forever People was too late to undo any damage 200 did to JJ.... IT's right up there with 25 to life and now Protection for episodes I will NEVER watch again.
As for JJ becoming a profiler... Go back and watch S7, and you will see that they threw ANY continuity out the window with 200... How was Reid crying on JJ's couch for 10 weeks when she was in afghanistan? Why even though Hotch (an interrogator who 'co wrote the book' on Interrogation and Negotiation) and who was in Pakistan at the same time JJ was supposed to be there NOT used in Afghanistan? Why did JJ never tell her husband about being pregnant? There are just too many continuity issues that can't be overlooked if you are a true fan for as long as some of us have been.
And for your information CM was never an Ensemble Cast... It was a multi-character cast with what used to be distinct stars and distinct supporting cast... Erica Messer has muddied those waters in favor of supporting characters that can 'not' carry the show.... And the ratings are reflecting that.. Considering that Protection was THE LOWEST rating CM has gotten this year and for the last few years actually... that's telling you something. Or at least it should.
Ok, we get it. You like JJ.
ReplyDelete. . . . . . . Crazy thing is you ask any number of those 'fans' who wanted AJC back and they will tell you they wanted the OLD JJ back.. Not this puffed up superhero, supermama, super profiler that they've given us...
ReplyDeleteJJ and Garcia started out as distinct supporting cast. Now,f r the most part, Erica Messer has shown her true colors and more or less, put JJ in the forefront, while regulating the majority of "used to be the stars" of the show. This is no longer a team event.. And, that's too bad. The BAU was best when everyone know their role. Nw, it's JJ and, oh yeah, the rest of those guys.
And to that I have to simply respond with, "Okay, I get it. You guys don't." But if you guys get to go on and on about how much you don't like her (and I have certainly read many comments from you in particular at various sites-TV Line, TV Guide, here, etc.-about how much you don't like her), I can do the same in defense of her.
ReplyDeleteThere's another girl here who often comments on these episodes, and JJ is her favorite character. If she were here, she'd probably be the one doing all the defense, and I'd just sit back and let her handle it. But she's not, so...
And I'm not just defending her. I'm also commenting on all the other complaints about character screentime and realistic portrayals and whatnot that I don't understand, either. You're all entitled to your opinions, don't misunderstand-at no point am I implying you aren't. I'm just simply participating in the discussion and giving counter-arguments. That's kind of the whole point of these comment sections.
One thing alot of JJ fans and even Prentiss fans over look.... After JJ and Emily 'left' the ratings went UP! And quite frankly, seeing as the 'petition' to get them back included Paget Brewster, it is very feasible to think that JJ was just brought along with the Emily fans in getting Paget's job back.. Quite frankly if AJC was let go and Paget stayed I doubt there would have been the outpouring to save her.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is "thank you." You must have a lot of time on your hands if you are keeping track of how "many many comments" (your words, not mine) I have made. We all here have made many, many comments about our favorite and least favorite characters on a TV show. This is all a brief reprieve most of us have from our weekly job. I feel sorry if you are taking all this banter seriously. Yes, I dislike JJ almost as much as some people love her. If you are keeping track of my reviews, you should certainly go over to fanfic. I really ship Reid/Prentiss. You could make a tally chart or a line plot graph.
ReplyDelete'. After the events of the episode before this one, maybe that explains Hotch staying in the background, who knows?'
ReplyDeleteGood writing demands that events that was so important in the last episode would have been at least mentionned in the following one. After all, those people make a living getting in the head of serial killers. One would think that when one of their own and the BAU Unit Chief did fall victim of an unsub who use chemicals to turn people into killers, that some follow up would be in order the next time we see Hotch. That we would be told either by some comments made by the team or Hotch, how he is doing after what happened to him. We should not have to Wonder 'maybe this is why Hotch is just wallpaper this week.' Tihe writer in this episode failed at basic continuty.
Beside Hotch is like Gibbs, he is the quarterback of the team, he should never be left aside.
And I completely agree with that. I did say in my comment section for the episode itself, and here, too, that I wanted to see that addressed, and am disappointed that it wasn't. The only explanation I can think of that would answer why that didn't happen is that the entire episode was a bad dream Hotch had, instead of something that actually happened to him. But I don't think that's the case.
ReplyDeleteBut this show has always been up and down in how it handles the aftermath of dramatic events that happen to the team members, so much as I wish that weren't the case, it doesn't really surprise me or upset me too much at this point. Anyone who's been following this show for any length of years likely expects that by now.
' They've probably given her more stories since she came back in season 7 because, crazy thing, the fans had demanded she come back!'
ReplyDeleteYou know not all fans demanded she be back. I know I voted to get Paget back first and formost but was happy at AJ was back too, that is until JJ morphed into Prentiss after Paget left for good. I liked how JJ was before. She was the link with the victims. She was Hotch right hand. She was the public face of the BAU. Now all she is, Prentiss and Morgan made into one character. There was no reason to change JJ. The character was fine. Now we have storylines for her that get her to be recruited to go to the Middle East to interrogate a woman to try to find information on Bin laden? They needed a profiler for that job yet JJ back then was not a profiler, she never took the classes, even told Hotch in prior seasons she had no desire to be one. She was no interrogator either. So why her? You needed a profiler who was a skilled interrogator? then why not get either the BAU Unit Chief who already went to the Middle east, who is a profiler and who is a skilled interrogator. Go with Rossi who did teach Hotch. Jeez even go with Reid if need be but why go with the only member of the BAU who had no qualifications for the job?
I respect your right to express yourself and your love of JJ, after all I like Hotch, he is my fav :) You do make good points, but I think we just see the show in different lights. But hey it is ok, we are all fans of CM and good discussion is always fun, even if we disagree :)
ReplyDeleteNot keeping track. We just happen to wind up on a lot of the same sites a lot of the time whenever there is news about the show :). After a while you come to get to know some of the regular commenters for a series :p. But I apologize if I misinterpreted your remark above as more serious than it was intended.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right about talking on and on about characters we love. I could talk about Reid for days with anyone who's willing to listen, and have :D! And I do read fanfic-I very much like the Reid/Prentiss pairing, it's one of my favorites :).
I sincerely hope I haven't offended any fans here who are making complaints, because I mean none of my comments to come off as rude or snippy, and I'm sorry if I have come across that way. As stated, you all do have some valid complaints, some of which I share. I love this show, but it's far from perfect, after all. And it seems Reid fans are out in full-force right now, and trust me, you'll always have my support about Reid and his awesomeness, because I completely agree.
I'm just not one to dislike the characters on shows I watch, unless they're villains and meant to be disliked :p. And with this show, I love, or at the very least, like, everyone, past and present. So I just have a hard time understanding the dislike some fans do have for some of the characters, and figure they deserve some defense when the opportunity presents itself. Like I said, I wish the other girl I've talked to who is a big JJ fan was here, 'cause I think she'd do a much better job defending her than I am :p.
Besides that, considering there are fans out there who aren't big on Reid, unfortunately, I think comments like the ones I've read here are part of their reason as to why-I think the Reid fanbase can often irritate fans of other characters more than endear him to those fans. I don't think that's exactly fair, mind, to judge a character's likeability by how their fans behave, but for some people, it is what it is.
Anyway, though, I do apologize if I got at all heated with anyone else here. Not my intention at all.
FIrst let me address the 10 weeks... JJ left Afghanistan to go back to DC to help out with Emily and then returned to Afghanistan.. .and it was while she was 'home' she discovered she was pregnant.. watch the interaction with Emily... it's there...As the team moved forward there is 'no' mention of Reid taking time off... what there is in the episode 'Proof' is Reid angry at JJ because for 10 weeks after Emily died (JJ's back in Afghanistan according to the episode 200) he went to her house and cried to her about the loss of Emily... I get it you like JJ and you dislike Hotch/Reid/Rossi... but frankly you're trying to justify the implausible..
ReplyDeleteAnd NO multi character casts are not ensemble casts... ER was an Ensemble cast, Chicago Hope was ensemble cast, Lost was ensemble cast... CM is a procedural...where there is a 'clear' distinction about who the stars are and who the supporting cast is.. Erica Messer has blurred that distinction..
Now, go back and remember Elephants Memory and Hotch chastising Reid, Go back and Remember Garcia being chastised in the Fisher King and in Penelope, go back to Profiler Profiled and Hotch angry that Morgan DID NOT disclose he past when he was hired. Go back to About Face when Hotch chastised Rossi.... And what makes it worse... If Hotch 'knew' she was suffering from PTSD, which as a profiler much less her boss he should have she should NOT have been in the field period..
As far as her being pregnant... I do not know ANY woman who would keep that from their partner.... And I know several women who have had miscarriages while their partners were overseas...The fact that the military didn't demand a pregnancy test as per regulations just stimies me..
As for Hotch and Haley, go back to Nameless/Faceless.... Haley 'was' told about what happened with Foyet... Haley asked Hotch if he was sure she and Jack were in danger from this man... So that argument doesn't fly...
It is so easy to tell someone who disagrees with you to simply 'talk' to someone else or stop watching.. But honestly, all that tells me is that you aren't capable of backing up your own opinions... So.. Have a great night.. Be a Huge fan of the new and unimproved JJ... but remember.. if TG does not sign for S11.. there WILL BE No CM... Les Moonves has made that fact clear years ago.. so then JJ'd be out of a job 'again'.
That may well be. Emily/Paget's fanbase does seem a lot more vocal than JJ/AJ's does as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI'd also wager that from what I read, some of it wasn't even specific to the actresses themselves as it was a general rant against CBS's treatment (or supposed treatment) of actresses in general. It sounds like there were a lot of reasons behind the intensity of that campaign, some of which may not have had much to do with JJ or AJ (or even Paget/Emily) at all.
Still, there is a fanbase out there. It may not be as big as other characters/actors' is, but it's there.
Hotch is awesome. I love him, too :). I'd be thrilled to have a boss or a leader like him. And when he's in full-on dad mode with Jack, or showing one of those way too rare smiles, I think that's when he's at his most adorable :D.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you. Same goes for you. I think you're right that ultimately, everyone watches this show in entirely different ways, and for entirely different reasons. I think many shows can be categorized that way, if not all of them, LOL.
And I am enjoying the discussion! It's good to see people fired up about the show, even if it's not always for the happiest of reasons-debate and discussion are always welcome :D.
Good point about ratings, when AJC and PB left and RN came on board the ratings went up.
ReplyDeleteSeason 6: 3.5 demo 18-49 and 13.61million viewers average for the season
season7: 3.4 demo 18-49 and 12.63million viewers average for the season
CM lost 1 million viewers and a 0.1 in the demo( this is negligeable statistic Wise) once PB and AJC came back. btw those are live+same day viewing numbers.
I too love Hotch when he is full dad mode! He is a good father.
ReplyDeleteI make no bones about the fact that I Watch for TG, I started watching for him and will stop when he leaves, which I hope will not be this season!
I love debating and as long as things stays friendly I enjoy talking CM. We may disagree on things but I still love reading counter arguments to mines, sometime I find interesting things in other people views that may not occur to me.
That said, hope the season finale will be a good one. I am not invested in whatever will happen to Meg, when it comes to the BAU kids, I care about what happens to Jack and Henry. But who knows, I love Jim Clemente and Janine Sherman Barrois's writing so maybe we will have a great finale :)
"RoboProfiler" LOL I'm going to borrow that, actually they turned her in a sad shadow of Prentiss' character. JJ was awesome when she was a liasson and she was close to Hotch, Garcia and Reid in a very realistic way
ReplyDeleteI do agree, less screentime isn't the same thing than crappy time, it would have been better if Hotch had a few days off
ReplyDeleteI agree, I loved JJ as the Liasion... I loved how in several episodes she stuck to her guns and told Hotch 'no she didn't want to be a profiler', that she liked her job that she liked being the voice of the downtrodden Detective, the voice of the families, it was what she did best.... and she excelled in that.. When she shot Battle to save her team in Penelope that wasn't FBI SSA Jennifer Jareau taking that shot.. that was JJ protecting her 'family'. Yes she was tough as they come, but she was like a MamaBear protecting those who couldn't protect themselves.. and now that part of her is gone.. sadly never to return.
ReplyDeleteI just want to add here.. JJ told CRUZ she was pregnant when she returned to Afghanistan after helping out with Emily and she 'clearly' tells Cruz that Will doesn't know. It was there where Hastings overheard that conversation finding out himself that JJ was pregnant.
ReplyDeleteSo much this. I didn't want to reply to any more comments, but this was too good to pass up. Thank you so much. You are a gem.
ReplyDelete