Criminal Minds #3: Beware The Office Of Unfettered Omniscience

Spoiler: thoughts on tonight's epi

Was it necessary for Strauss to bring up retirement to Hotch? The man just buried the mother of his child, and she is already trying to take his job away from him. She is such a selfish person, she was just waiting for this opportunity.

Awww, Jack it was so sad when he was watching the birthday video with him and his mom.

The team, kudos to them for doing a good job even though they were obviously torn between Hotch and their work.

As for the case itself, very creepy about Joe and how he got the personal information of those women

 

Spoiler: Reply

I'm not so sure, I think that that Strauss's intentions might have been benevolent, at least slightly. She genuinely seemed concerned about whether he felt able to come back to the job and take care of his son at the same time.

 

Okay here are some of my thoughts on "Slave to duty"

Spoiler: Thoughts

Okay who didn't get teary? and if so I want what you were drinking. Cause I swear that funeral, those words from Hotch, little Jack, and the end of the funeral... OY!

Not to mention that Strauss has to know that work was one of the reasons his marriage ended, I mean she makes it her business to know this. Thing is while she said "I thought I would be leaving with an answer" I think she really knew she was giving him an option to be considered carefully and with time, but keeping slightly with her reputation she made that statement. She has three kids (remember Hotch profiled her a bit she favors her middle son) she may have wanted him out in the past but this to me was different, it was more out of respect for him and his family.

We know she has never really given him the benefit of the doubt, she was always the baracuda (okay you know the word I am meaning) I think in someways thats a cover, she is so use to that persona to keep people from thinking she is weak. As to her past with Hotch, I think she always knew he was a force to be reckoned with, but I guess if your going to make someones life a living hell, make it someone as strong as you are. Thats why she doesn't faze Rossi imo.

I love how they opened with the funeral, and that Jessica basically told Hotch you need your son, he needs you, but you also need work, and I need apart of my sister. By offering to care for him when he had to leave. I also love how the show didn't let the funeral dominate the episode, it wasn't to slow or too quick, they maintained the emotions of the team for Hotch but they also moved on with the case. The case seemed like it moved fast, but otherwise definitly paced. Even Garcia's quips were more toned down then normal. Consistancy Hotch brought up that play they did in school again.

Little Jack laying there watching the birthday video, and asking if he could sleep in daddy's bed again. And how he missed his mommy. I also like how during the "Pancakes for dinner" part he said one toy was the bad guy and the other was daddy, and nobody beats daddy. Showed I think even aunt Jessica that no matter how much Hotch missed out, both him and Haley never let Jack forget or miss anything daddy was there.

Never underestimate Rossi to get to the point, when he asked Derek about the job, he does have that grapevine, or Strauss asked him for his opinion. Morgans reply was the Morgan we know "It's hotch's team" that is what I call major respect and Rossi saw that.

Okay I have to ask did I call it or what on that pic, that it was Rossi walking away, I know that umm back, and the JEANS!!! lol. Again he gets to the point of it all, about hotch telling Haley he was returning to the BAU, and Hotch's response was perfect "she already knows".

:lol: I love how they constantly promise not to profile each other and yet no matter what they do it, even when they may not realize it. Course is it really profiling (ie Morgan's intentions, Hotch's decision) or is it the family unit, or a combination of the two. Know your friends/co workers/family know their body language the art of profiling is human behavior, the art of the family/friends dynamics is similar to that as well.

10/10 on the emotional parts (funeral, hotch, the team)
5/5 on the case didn't really do much for me to easy not real clever imo.
Overall I would give it a 9/10.

Spoiler: Promo

I think when the care is hit that it's morgan driving. I don't think Reid would be and it definitly wasn't JJ, and Hotch has enough bruises and Rossi naw.. Has to be Morgan.

 

Hee. When I was watching last night I kept thinking "But if Rossi doesn't change out of his suit, how will Destiny know it's really him?".

I loved that when Rossi comes in to talk to Morgan, a little hesitant about the latter's intentions, Morgan just says that it's Hotch's team. Because in some ways Rossi probably expected that answer, but I'm sure that Rossi has seen command get to people's heads, and might have been partially expecting Morgan to cause trouble.

Come to think of it, is Hotch officially back to being the Unit Chief? Or will that happen next week?

I agree about the "profiling the team" thing. They do it all of the time. I think they just pretend that they don't so that they can't justify the others doing it to them.

Spoiler: Promo

I'll have to watch it again. I knew that Emily wasn't driving (because either she'd be driving an English car [with no hands] or the UnSub was driving), but I didn't see a shot of anyone driving. I also didn't see the car get hit; I thought it went off the road as in something the driver did. So basically I wasn't paying a bit of attention. :lol:

It could be a Cop of the Week, too.

But now I'm really interested. Stupid show. Making me obsess over it. :lol:

 

What can I say I profiled the jeans. :lol:

Youtube Promo: Retalitation about a 31 second promo.

 

Damn you Criminal Minds for making me cry! What's wrong with you!!! LOL
My daughter was sitting at the end of the couch, thankfully she didn't see me crying, she doesnt like it when TV shows make me cry.

Jack Hotchner is the cutest little boy, I would like one of him please...

Reid looked like a pimp with his cane....LOL

Emily was PISSED!!! I can't say I blame her

I really do think that Thomas Gibson deserves an Emmy...he is doing a tremendous job this season.

Rossi knows Hotch, he wouldn't be able to leave the team.

Morgan called Garcia baby girl, I really missed that.

Dear Santa, I want a Morgan of my very own.

 

I don't think she was saying that Morgan is better then you, but rather you taught him well and that he wouldn't have to worry because Morgan is good at the job, honestly I think she was trying to give him that way out of you don't have worry notice she said the "Team would stay intact" as if to reassure him. Hey I didn't like the baracuda either and I am still suspicous of her. But I think since Haley's death her motives abnormal as they have been have been honest and without Malice.

Joe is played by Wes Brown - he has played on "true blood", CSI Miami, & Trauma. If that helps any.

Trivia about this ep. From TV.com
Garcia calls Morgan "Shug" in this episode. Shug is the name of Shemar Moore's dog.

The reference to being out of town visiting family in Indianapolis alludes to Rick Dunkle's (The writer of this episode) frequent visits to Indianapolis to visit his own family.

The list of names Reid reads to Garcia outside the night club are all named for Rick Dunkle's friends, three of whom work on the series.

Some good news:
CRIMINAL MINDS was first in households (8.9/14), viewers (14.31m), adults 25-54 (5.0/12) and adults 18-49 (3.8/10). Compared to its last first-run episode (Nov. 25), CRIMINAL MINDS was up +9% in households (from 8.2/14), +19% in both adults 25-54 (from 4.2/11) and adults 18-49 (from 3.2/09) and added +700,000 viewers (from 13.61m, +5%).
This is CRIMINAL MINDS's best deliveries in households, adults 25-54 and adults 18-49 since Oct. 21, 2009, and its best viewers delivery since Sept. 23, 2009 (the season premiere).

 

This was on the one blog I read:

And it really brings up the conversation of what exactly happened to Emily that sent her to that place. She was so pissed off and it was so strange for her character. I don't think she's ever gone to that place before. She was close in Demonology, but that was just grief. This was pure, triggered anger. She was looking for a reason to shoot Joe. I don't really blame her for feeling like that, but she almost never shows those emotions. She's Compartmentalization Girl. She dissociates like it's her job.

I was fascinated by the cracks in her compartmentalization, as was seen in Outfoxed, but this is a major crack. Her voice was soft and had barely-contained anger, and I'm pretty sure that the team was confused by this different side of her. I certainly was. And scared. Definitely a little scared.

Spoiler: Promo

It's definitely Morgan driving. Because the car scene looks to be a continuation of the scene where Emily and Morgan arrest the guy, and Emily isn't driving, which leaves Morgan. Emily's in the passenger seat.

Also, ow. It's not an SUV, it's a car. And they get hit by, like, a truck. And then said car rolls down a hill. I don't think we're looking at only Emily Damage, here. Morgan's got to have something, too. So I'm going to go ahead and guess that he's either stuck or out cold, and she gets out to chase the fleeing UnSub, and that's how she gets into a scuffle with him and receives her black eye. That makes the most sense to me.

At, like, 15 seconds into the promo, Emily has her gun aimed at the UnSub. So either he managed to get out of the handcuffs, or she thinks that threatening him will stop the truck from trying to kill her. There are probably other options, but I'm going to go ahead and go with option one.

Retaliation (5x11) Promo

 

I actually got confused when I was watching Emily growling at that guy and thought I was watching Elle for a moment! :lol:

I'm going to run out of time here, so I just want to ask: What is Strauss's problem with Hotch??? I mean she's willing to use the tragedy of Haley's death to get him to retire?!? Why does she hate him so much??? I've been wondering this for a long time. What if before Hotch and Haley got married, or even during their marriage, Strauss wanted to be Hotch's cougar?! :guffaw:and Hotch turned her down, so this is why she dislikes/hates/has it in for him so much? :guffaw:

 

Poor Emily and her mystery trauma. Honey, if you don't tell us what it is, we might think that you've just snapped from all of the head trauma. We'll have to hope that you don't get any mor... oh, wait. *g*

Hee. On a more serious note, I think that Strauss may feel threatened by him a bit. She might feel that someone that good at their job might come up later to threaten hers. I also feel, at least a little bit, that there's a possibility that Strauss truly believed that Hotch was toxic to the team. You wouldn't try to get someone to turn snitch if you didn't A) really want him gone or B) really think that there's something there. And, not that I'm saying that Hotch should have been fired, but he pointed out that there were at least two things that, if Emily had told Strauss, would've gotten him fired. I'm not saying that Strauss is right, because before she had this newfound soul I hated her for trying to turn Emily traitor, but I'm saying that there's a possibility that not all of her intentions were malicious.

 

That and she wants a Yes ma'am kind of guy and when Hotch says it, it's usually with a touch of polite "bite me" underneath it. Hotch I think serious, calm, does well, is liked by his team, and everything that basically she proved that she could never be. He is driven but not so much that he doesn't realize there is a reality outside the BAU. She seen him as her neimis if you will. Or even maybe the version of a human that she wants to be while in her mind using the women have to be tough and he is the punching bag. Basically I think Hotch has the strengths she will never have, and it could be that she thinks he could have her job and she is holding on to it with clutched hands.

This is why I think she bragged Morgan up I mean it could be she was saying he taught him well, and knowing hotch worries when he isn't worrying (you know what I mean) she brought Morgan in the conversation to either 1. relieve Hotch the team will be safe, or 2. Thinking he [Morgan] would be that yes ma'am. Which hows that going since morgan ignored her until Hotch told him basically umm you better get back to her.

As to Emily, I think her sudden anger was driven by grief and emotion for her friend who just lost a loved one, more like dude you freaking dragged me from a funeral reception of a good friend and almost like a brother, because your freaking urge to live out a freak fantacy couldn't be contained just because your GF dumped your sorry a$$ and you picked a wrong time to do this, anytime is a wrong time but I have bypassed PMS and a gun to seriously pissed off with a gun. [Insert her speech] and looking him in the eye.

I don't think it was a trauma that drove her or rather an inner-personal trauma but that they lost an agent (Sam), Hotch at the time to them was up in the air (Staying/going), they had to deal with the debriefing (after the reapers death which is draining in itself), helping Hotch out (Being there for him and his son), and filled with sad and pain that if this can happen to their strong leader then it can happen to any of them a reality they knew but was pushed to the side. And that IMO really pissed her off!!!

 

Hm. Yeah, I suppose that it could've been the culmination of a bad week. I just don't personally believe that because she was the only one that was that ticked. The others actually seemed a bit surprised by it. If it was just the recent events, they'd all be kind of angry, because Emily normally doesn't have that kind of fuse.

If Strauss thinks that Morgan will be her Yes Ma'am, she is either stupid or delusional. He was growly at her when she suspended Hotch. Imagine if she was actually trying to order him around? Yeah right.