Criminal Minds thoughts (mid-S3)

[ginny_t]

I've been watching Criminal Minds. I'm not as attached to it as hysteriachan is, but once I reached the point where I could read matociquala's reaction posts, my interest picked up. I go in spurts.

I like the damage all the characters carry around with them. Heh, me, liking a show with broken people--who'da thunkit? Yeah, I know.

I'm super curious about Hotch's damage. It sure appears that it didn't come from his father. Has there been any mention of his mother? I don't recall any. One of the things I love him for is part of the beginning of his reveal. I'm paraphrasing: he tells someone they've just caught that sometimes people who are abused as children grow up to abuse others and others grow up to catch the abusers. I take that half a step further to "sometimes people who are seriously fucked up a children grow up to be seriously fucked up adults; sometimes, they shake themselves off and become perfectly acceptable human beings (for varying definitions of "acceptable")." This makes me happy.

There are a couple of things I've noticed. In the very first episode, the guy they've just caught taunts Gideon with his disbelief in MPD/DID. Later, in the "let's break Reid more" episode, there's no mention of "huh, real DID". Just a little thing. Also, in the same episode, no mention of the previous taunt that CPR works only 7% (or other single-digit) of the time. Little bits of continuity that would've made me happier. Sure, I watched two years worth of show in less than 4 weeks, what of it? They have a bible and writer brains.

The first part of the "let's break Reid more" two-parter had my geek scoffing a bit. Sure, I often leave my laptop open, but that's because I'm *ahem*ing something. When I'm not, it's closed. (Also, new desk tucks the laptop away behind a door. I love new desk; it saves my life!) Some of those computers had external webcams. People really leave their laptops open with external webcams clipped into place to be spied upon? On top of that, ain't no dude I call up on the phone going to get control of my 'puter! And then there was the "what kind of computer is it?" question. I've called tech support (after much frustration and gnashing of teeth first because that way lies further gnashing of teeth). The first thing they say? "Click on the Start button." Um, no.

I also didn't like the Frank episodes. I understand they were a bit of an X-Files homage, which is probably influencing me, as I was not an X-Files fan. They didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the narrative. For one, Frank's in charge, making the team dance on his strings (I was also a little meh about The Fisher King's premise, but that was acceptably explained for me). For another, Frank's evil is just too much. The other unsubs are more believable in their monstrosity. Frank seems too much.

Another thing that's keeping me from loving the show unreservedly ('cause let's face it: broken boys & girls fight crime? That's tailor-made for Ginnys) is the emphasis on childhood trauma and psychology. Their profiles are awfully detailed and accurate; I know from my intro psych course that that's not realistic. It's why I love the Hotch thing: it's an acknowledgement that the path is not straight; there are exits, and you can just go off-road, to stick with the analogy. Predisposition is not predetermination. There is a combination of nature and nurture and self. You cannot remove self from the equation.

There are some things I'd like to see: I'd like to see more casual smoochies that don't end in death, usually of the female half of the smoochies. Casual smoochies don't lead to death near as often as this show would indicate--always. I'd also be happier to see random person-the-show-starts-with end up dead or seriously screwed less often. It seems like any time the show starts with an unfamiliar face, that person will be in peril or more usually dead by the time the credits roll. There's no incentive to become emotionally invested in that person. On the other hand, I do like the percentage of people who are rescued in time. I like that some of the victims fight back and are active in their own rescue. That makes me happy.

Finally (maybe--I got rambly), I would've been much happier with the three-girls-in-the-cellar episode if it had been three sons. There we had one narrative where the endangered people didn't have to be female. Considering the number of women endangered, harmed, and killed in the show (which is the nature of the show--I get it), when we had a storyline that didn't require women/girls in jeopardy, why not have men/boys in jeopardy? I've thought about that one quite a bit, about the children used against their parents, about the friendship between the girls, about the football backdrop to the whole thing. Okay, maybe I've thought about that one more than I should've. I think it would've been a better and stronger and very different episode if it'd been boys they were trying to rescue.

I know most people focus more on the team than the plot. That's because that's where the better storytelling is, so I understand it. I know it's among the better shows on television. I get that. I'd still like it to be a little better. Better than the dreck isn't necessarily good enough.

Oh yeah. I'm sad that Kate Jackson's (great choice there!) episode was so weak. I have a soft spot for her. ^_^

In other news, I am yet another convert to the awesome of Penelope Garcia. JJ also rocks like a mad rocking thing. I'd snuggle either (or both) of them. ^_^

People who comment with spoilers will be bitten. Hard.

Comments

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Actually, the fact that it's girls is the *point,* and in an odd sort of way it's a feminist point. Because it's Lord Of The Flies--with girls.

It's already been done with boys, in other words, and one of the things that episode does is make the point that girls are as capable of being ruthless and strange and complex people as boys are.

[craftyginny.livejournal.com]

I guess… It's been a while (and a bunch of episodes) since I saw it, but I don't remember much detail about the girls. Yes, one was a star on the soccer team and sister to a football player, but aside from that, it was just that they were such good friends.

It's been a very long time since I read Lord of the Flies, and I resented almost every book I had to read for English class. I don't remember a pre-existing relationship among the boys. There must have been, since they were all from the same school, but I don't recall anything about, frex, Simon being Ralph's friend from school and protected because of that.

That's what bugs me, that they were chosen because of their friendship and to use against their parents. When confronted with a betray or die choice, one chose betray and convinced another to do the same. (Could be to contrast Reid's choice of which team member should die; he says himself first before choosing the person who can take care of himself quite well, thank you very much, where the girls convinced themselves to cull the weakest.)

Another reason I would've liked to've seen boys or a mix of boys and girls in that situation is to show that just as girls are as capable of ruthlessness &c. as boys, so are boys just as capable as friendship &c. as girls.

I'm not confident in my analysis skills (thus the resentment), so I bow to yours. However, I'd like to see more character strength from average people on the show, not just the team. Every time I see a character make a bad choice or be reactionary, I cringe. (It probably comes from too much CSI. Boy, am I glad I kicked that habit.)

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

I think as long as there's variation of response among the characters of the week, it's all good.

...Don't you think it's slightly unreasonable to expect the same depth of characterization from people we see for ten or fifteen minutes as from people we spend thirty minutes with every week? Because one of the things that I personally like about CM is how very strong--and how brilliantly characterized--some of the victims and survivors are in a few very quick strokes. The manic-depressive brother in "the Fox," for example, and also the father Reid interviews. Just to pick one episode I thought was particularly good.

[ginny-t.livejournal.com]

heh… I know I'm constantly raising an already-high bar. I'm greedy that way. There is indeed some very good characterisation, and the medium limits what the writers can do.

On one hand, I love the way reveals are small and subtle, and clues are scattered over the episodes sparsely. That's the way it would be in real life. On the other hand, the horrible crimes and criminals and victims as triggers for those reveals makes me a little twitchy. Such horrors as motivations (to varying degrees) for our main cast is a little bit troublesome. At the same time, I can't think of a better way, from a storytelling point of view, for it to be done. For what it's worth, I recognise the contradiction in my reaction.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

(Also, one of the things you're meant to do with the girls is project the parallel of JJ on them and get to know them that way; that's a classic CM trick.)