I am reminded again of why Hotch’s wife annoys me so much. We see her so rarely that I tend to forget. Then she comes back and I get pissed and frustrated anew. What I want to say to her (and to the many spouses like her) is this:
Honey, the people who do this sort of job do it because they are passionate about it and it fulfills something inside of them. It is a driving force in their life. It is a part of what makes them who they are (and the person with whom you fell in love). They can’t not do the job. If you force (or guilt, beg, etc) them to give up the job, they will be giving up an essential part of their character. Not only will they (and by extension, you) be miserable, but they will grow to resent you as the cause of their misery. Do you really want to destroy a good person because you don’t like his hours or are upset not to be the number one force in his life? You knew what he was when you met. You knew what he was when you married him. You knew what he was when you had his child. Why are you trying to change what he is now?
The bureau chief stepping in to run the unit was laughable. Bureaucrats do not belong in the field. It was rather surprising when she realized at the crime scene that she shouldn’t be there and stepped aside to let the experts to do their thing.
The minute someone said something about the transfer request and resignation not showing in the system, I was cheering for Garcia. Who else could have done it? Plus the making sure Hotch had the case file was a brilliant move. I found it touching that Hotch thanked her for it even as he was telling her to cut it out. Lesson learned: If you treat your tech support well, they will always have your back even when you do not ask it of them. We are nothing if not loyal.
Reid was so sweet in this episode. I loved that he fell asleep in the chair waiting for Gideon. His worry was understandable. When you know the possibilities of what can go wrong, you will get worried quicker. Thank the gods, that Gideon did not do what I thought he might (mom was right; it would have been out of character). When Reid first walked into the cabin and I saw the empty shelves, I was so relieved.
It was interesting to hear Hotch voice his suspicions of Reid’s probable drug problem. That was, I believe, the first time anyone had mentioned it. I, personally, have not seen many signs of it but then I don’t remember what to look for. It was heroin he had been given, wasn’t it? That is one you can never truly get off of, I think. It’s been a number of years since I took Drugs, Alcohol and Crime so my memory is fuzzy. I do remember my professor saying that he never minded the heroin addicts because at least they were never out robbing people or burglarizing places.
At the end, I do not think Hotch was surprised to find Haley gone. When he flew out for the case, I think he knew she would be gone when he got back.
One question to end: When the kid said he was working on multiplication while his classmates were still on division (implying he was more advanced), don’t you have to know multiplication before you can learn division?
Scared to Death:
While helping people (including yourself) face their fears is a noble thing, I think he is carrying it just a little too far. Nothing good can ever come of a conversation that included the phrase, “Is it worse than you thought?”
Does 3 bodies really constitute a mass grave?
I love how Reid can always come up with an example or exception to the rule. You would not think that trait would be as attractive as he makes it but for some reason, I find it unbearably charming.
Personally, I would have gone with Hotch and taken the stairs but I already knew the elevator death statistics that Reid quoted. Also, I once lived in a building that had an old elevator with the gate in the elevator cage and a door on each floor (think 1940’s era). It had the disconcerting habit of dropping a floor when you went to open the gate. Stairs became my first choice for anything under the 6th floor. It was cute how Reid was freaking out over Morgan hitting the buttons. Morgan thought it was all funny until the elevator jerked. Not so funny now is it? Reid’s whimper of “Hotch” was priceless as was Hotch’s inquiry if that had been the elevator buzzer.
I have a few questions about the drowning scene. It has been my belief that treading water is a natural instinct but there is also the fact that if you stop moving your head will float (this being the only way my sister can float). Shouldn’t drowning take longer, too, and wasn’t he close enough to the dock to be able to reach out and touch it?
The fact that he made notes on all the deaths like they were research experiments was rather creepy.
What is wrong with sleeping with the light on?
Morgan handling evidence (shepherd’s crook) bare handed. What is wrong with you? You should know better, young man. So, in all probability, there will not be any recoverable trace or fingerprints since it was in the water, that is no reason not to exercise all due caution.
The basis for Reid’s moment of inspiration:
Reid: “It hit me when Morgan freaked out when we were stuck in the elevator.”
Morgan: “I freaked?”
Reid: “That’s not important.”
That was a real believable moment there Reid when you assured Prentiss you were fine while looking away each time you said it. She brought up a good point; out of everyone Gideon abandoned, you were the only on to which he bothered to explain himself. Perhaps it was because he saw himself (and knew you saw him) as a father figure and he did not want you to blame yourself for his leaving as he knew you did when your father left. I’m not condoning his leaving, though gods know I’ve wanted to do the same thing before. He still went about it wrong.
“That cup of tea really relaxed me.” Really? Maybe because it was DRUGGED.
Here is what I did not understand about the last victim (buried alive): He covered her in dirt by pouring potting soil from the bags. Why did she not climb on top of the dirt as he poured it and then climb out? While it was a substantial amount of potting soil, it was not like the rate of burial was high. I also do not think there was enough potting soil stacked to the side to fill that hole.
“Don’t ask me to come down?” Doesn’t sound like they were going to.
“They sacrificed themselves for science.” Explains the notes.
Odd little thing, he took off his glasses before jumping. What’s up with that?
Morgan: “Can’t sleep.”
Hotch: “Want me to turn off the light?”
Morgan: “No, I want to be able to sleep.”
Last question: If you were killed by your deepest fears, what would kill you?
Note: Good question in the adverts for 10/17. Are serial killers born or made? Can be argued either way. I don’t think the whole nature/nurture debate will ever be completed.
Children of the Dark:
Reid never ceases to fascinate me. The writers have done such a skilled (and I imagine well researched) job of writing a gifted character and Matthew Gray Gubler portrays it beautifully. The attention span is a classic thing; either he is hyper-focused on that which he is working or he is easily distracted. If something isn't perfectly holding his attention then when some interesting tidbit comes his way he can spin it into something to hold his focus. There is an excellent reason so many gifted children are mistaken for ADD, it's not that they can't focus on anything but that if it isn't interesting to
them then they
won't focus on it. By the way, that whole explanation would be why I find his getting sidetracked my the Cleaver name ("rife with violent implication") and getting redirected by Hotch so fascinating (click
here,
here and
here for more info on gifted kids).
Irving was almost textbook as an "Angel of Mercy" serial killer. His choice of phenobarbital was classic. It almost broke my heart when he was talking to the cat and calling it one of the lucky ones because a new family would have hurt it before putting it down. He seemed like a nice, sweet guy (other than the whole serial killer thing); he wanted to help and protect others but never learned the right way to go about it. I wonder if he had never been sent to that foster home or had never met Gary if he would have turned out different.
Even though Gary had thought Tyler was just like him and it was "too late for the boy," Tyler made the right choice when he chose to destroy the "family" pictures instead of shooting the foster mom. Maybe Gary was projecting himself onto Tyler and feeling like it was too late for him. Wonder why he chose to have Tyler kill the foster mom instead of doing it himself. Something tells me that the cops showing up had nothing to do with it (didn't you love Reid's face when the little girl snuck around and handed him the note).
Quote of the show (from Hotch and Prentiss talking about her taking Carrie back to DC with her):
Hotch: "This is the job and I need to know you can be objective."
Prentis: "And I need to know I can be human."
Seven Seconds
This is every parents worst fear, their child being taken. In just a bare moment, their entire world can change. There is another important point made here. Everyone teaches 'Stranger Danger' to their kids, but statistically it is not strangers that will hurt children; it is the people that they trust. It is the people whom they see everyday: a neighbor, teacher, minister, day care worker, family friend, cousin, aunt, uncle, brother, sister or parent.
About Face
Those 'have you seen' posters freaked me out.
From the previews, I was very prepared to hate the new team member. Admittedly, I still do not care for him. I think he is only in this to get the case he asked Garcia about solved and not there to be a team member.
