I'm writing a paper on the female characters of Criminal Minds!

[x-forgetromeo.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to get a survey going so that I can get a good idea on a direction for this paper, so can we have a discussion post on female characters? 

What I need for my paper:

• Your gender
• Your age (an age bracket is fine if you're not comfortable giving a solid number)
• Your views on Elle, JJ, Garcia, Prentiss, Seaver, and Haley Hotchner: Do you like/feel indifferent to/dislike/hate any of them? Why? 

Otherwise, let's just have a free-for-all discussion on female characters of the CM verse. :) 

(Also, my laptop monitor is dead, so I might be slow replying to people, but I really appreciate anyone who comments.)

Mods? I'm super hoping this is okay. I didn't see anything against it in the rules, and it's technically a discussion post?

Comments

[la-loony.livejournal.com]

Your gender: female
Your age: 20
Your views on...
- Elle: Looking back to the beginning of the show and her character development I'd say I feel indifferent to her. I didn't miss her when she left, I think it was okay with me cause she changed so much after her attack and I saw her drfiting away from the team though she wasn't really a part of it yet. I neer saw a connection that went deeper than the job connection between her and anybody, even though she went on vacation with Morgan.
- JJ: I love JJ, she was the mama of the team. They can work without her but they work better with her. She quickly became one of my favorite characters because she cares so much about the cases and the team and she is a wonderful mom I really miss her.
- Garcia: I think Garcia is the glue of the team, if Garcia would go the team would slowly fall apart. I guess that's because Garcia is mostly not there where the team is. She sees all the cruel pictures and has to watch all the creepy videos BUT she is in her office which is full with things that make her the bubbly lovely person she is and I think she has an incredible ability to turn of all the bad things she sees at work and the team needs her for that because than she can always bring the good vibe back to them when they are down.
- Prentiss: She definitly is a kick ass woman, resulting from her childhood and past from Interpol and who knows where else she worked. But she is never just protrayed as the always strong kick ass woman, she gets those lovely moments to be soft when it's about her and her wish to have children one day or when she can be little geeky with Reid.
- Seaver: I try to like her but it's hard with all the backround knowledge of what is going on with the show. And the thing is Seaver probably wouldn't be there if they were able to keep JJ so she will have a hard time getting positive attention. And adding to that is that for now she is rather flat. I haven't seen tonights episode but everytime I look at her she has this kind of sad face that looks like she starts to cry every minute because her dad was a serial killer. I think that backround might be an overkill for the character. It was interesting for one episode but she is not getting rid of it for me and that makes her kind of annoying cause I don't want to be reminded of why she is there everytime I see her face.
- Haley Hotchner: I had my hard times with Haley when she filed for divorce but I learned to understand why she did it and that it was not because of lack of love between her and Aaron. I cried like a baby when she died and I still have a bad feeling thinking about it. She was a strong woman after all, she stayed with Hotch and the crazyness of his job for a long time and even in the face of death was standing strong for what I admire her.

[ficdirectory.livejournal.com]

Gender: Female

Age: 29

Your Views On...

Elle: I never really got into her character. I'm not sure why. It just never grabbed me. The most I've enjoyed her was in The Fisher King - two specific instances - when she was drunk, dancing at the party, getting interrogated and being all feisty - and the moment before she is shot, because she reaches for her gun.

JJ: I love her character. I started watching between Seasons 5 and 6. And I came into it knowing her character would leave. It bummed me out so much. By the time Season 6 started, I had watched every season. Enough to completely fall in love with her character. I love her fierceness, her dedication to the job, her wit, her mother's heart. I love the moments when she shows vulnerability and opens up. I love how she commands the press. I love how, conversely, the is the first one to speak with the family, pick up a child, or pull the trigger, to protect the rest of the BAU.

Garcia: She's so sweet, fun and quirky. I love how she is so sensitive and feels everyone's pain, because I can relate to that. I love her sarcasm. Her gentleness. Her kindness. I love how she connects with people nobody else can reach.

Prentiss: I didn't start out liking Prentiss, but have really grown to enjoy her. I don't have as strong an affinity for her as I do for JJ or even Garcia, but I enjoy her. Particularly when she speaks other languages, and when she lets her guard down for a minute to show emotion. As shady as her character is right now, I think her desire to protect those around her is genuine, and I think that's what I love the most about her.

Seaver: I probably have the least affinity for Seaver. She seems very visually similar to JJ's character with absolutely none of the heart. With the exception of one episode, I feel like I know nothing about her.

Haley: This is going to sound weird, but I did not like Haley's character at all when she was blonde and skinny. Perhaps because she was angry all the time. But when she had dark hair and a little meat on her bones, I found her more relateable. And again, maybe that's because she was vulnerable yet strong in the face of horrible circumstances.

Hope this helps!

[elventree.livejournal.com]

Gender: Female
Age: 23
Elle: I've seen the first season, but I didn't start watching until after she was gone, so I wouldn't call myself a fan of hers, though I don't dislike her. Though I'm glad she left so that we could get Emily instead.
JJ: Loved her to pieces. She was one of the most well-rounded female characters of any television show ever. She was a professional, outstanding at her job, had the deadliest aim on the team, and could perfectly juggle family life with her career. Some female characters on other shows are written as either all-work-all-the-time, or have pushed their careers aside to focus on family. JJ represented a perfect balance.
Garcia: I like her. She's sweet and funny.
Prentiss: Love this woman! Kick-ass, flawless BAMF. She has no trouble holding her own in her male-dominated career, and for that I look up to her so, so much. It PAINS me that they are giving her character the shove-off.
Seaver: I can not like this woman. It is ridiculous that she would be allowed on this elite team, she has no personality, and she adds nothing to the family. I can not suspend my disbelief enough to think that they could possibly allow this recruit onto the FBI's most elite team.
Haley: ... It's complicated, haha. I wasn't fond of her when she divorced Hotch, but though I didn't agree with her, I could understand where she was coming from. Her death scene had me in tears.

Great post! Can I ask in what awesome class you get to write a paper on Criminal Minds?

[alexhider.livejournal.com]

Your gender - f
Your age - 18
Your views on
Elle - I think Elle is one of my favourite girl characters on TV ever. She's so presh, feisty and feminine at the same time. The way she left the show was good too - cliffhanger season finale, BUT the 'mental breakdown' part seemed kinda forced.
JJ - IA with la_loony, JJ was The Mother, caring and loving. It was hard to watch her leave, like I've actually lost a family member, so yeah, I really liked her, she was amazing in every way possible.
Garcia - this woman is a FIREWORK. Although her style can be too much sometimes, she's never boring and that's why I love her. No matter where the plot goes, Garcia stays Garcia.
Prentiss - Emily is one badass girl. I wouldn't like to meet her in a dark alley. TBH, at first, when she'd replaced Elle, I was kinda... malevolent. Didn't like her, but she'd found a way to my heart eventually and now I can hardly picture the team without her.
Seaver - don't like her. I just don't. Maybe, it's the same way it was with Elle/Prentiss, but I seriously doubt that. She just doesn't have anything catchy, imo.
Haley Hotchner - Haley was a woman with a hard life, so I totally understand why she'd left Aaron. I bawled when Foyet'd shot her, and I still think she was a good character that had too little screentime for all the capacity it had to be appreciated.

[just-chiara.livejournal.com]

GENDER: Female.
AGE: 23

ELLE: Never liked her. I felt indifferent in the very beginning, but after a few episodes I just hated her. It's her attitude. She tries too hard to be 'badass' and she never really felt like a member of the team.

JJ: I love(d) her. She's a strong, successful, smart woman who is also caring, sensitive and loving. She gets emotional, but also knows how to keep her feelings in check until the case is over.

GARCIA: She's one of my favorite tv characters. She's an amazing person and I would love to be her friend if she were real. She's the most human part of the team (not to say that the others are robots, but she's the one 'allowed' to show her feelings in the privacy of her office), the one who most often mirrors what the viewers are feeling about the case. I love her attitude towards life and how she's rather proudly stand out than blend in.

EMILY: Oh, Emily. My girl. While I think that from an objective point of view Garcia is the best female character created by the writers of CM, I personally just LOVE Emily. She's effortlessly badass (for real, not like Elle) and cool, she's independent, and underneath all that tough skin, there's the heart of a nerd. I didn't love her immediately like JJ or Garcia, it took a few episodes, but then she had me. I also love it that she has a troubled, mysterious past. I am going to miss her more than JJ, and I'm not sure the team can recover from losing her.

SEAVER: I hated her from the very first scene. I hated that they did an episode about her when we had to wait SEASONS to know something about the other characters. I hated how they introduced her. I hated the idea of her, more than her actually. It didn't make sense in the beginning: why would they keep around this kid whose only qualification is being the daughter of a serial killer? You don't get into the BAU that easily and you don't get into the BAU without any experience (unless you're Reid, but it makes sense in his case - tv sense, at the very least). But her? No, thanks. I was glad they weren't replacing JJ with another media liason, but at the same time I thought they could have done a better job creating a new character. And then... then something slowly changed. First, they gave her a reason to stay: Emily took her as her intern. And then, when she came back after the winter hiatus, she was written better. Especially in last week's episode. Sure, I still roll my eyes sometimes and say 'yeah, okay, I could intern for the FBI too then' when she says something really obvious. But it's okay. She's starting to feel like a member of the team and I think there's potential there.

HALEY: I never cared much for her. She was always Hotch's wife and that was it. When Foyet killed her, I cried because I was sorry for Hotch, not for her. She never got a lot of screen time (obviously ;)) so it's hard to say. I didn't like her, didn't dislike her. She was just... there.

[nannerz2cool.livejournal.com]

Your gender Female
Your age 29

Your views on Elle I'm pretty much indifferent to her. She has had some nice moments, but she has always struck me as a bitch. Not particularly warm. Like her most when she's feisty, like in The Fisher King Part 1.

JJ LOVE her. She's very nuturing but tough. I love how she rarely cries and much more often is prone to hide her vulnerability. I love that she's a crackshot. Favorite episode? Either Revelations or The Longest Night.

Garcia Adore her. Love the quirkiness, love her empathy. Love her positivity and her special relationship with each of the team, but especially Morgan and Reid. Favorite episode? Penelope, of course.

Prentiss Honestly? I didn't like Prentiss at first. I thought she was too...mannish and didn't show emotion. Then I saw episodes like Lessons Learned and Demonology, and slowly but surely I've ended up loving her chameleon ways and her defenses and her fierce loyalty. Ahhh, this is so terrible. I miss her already.

Seaver Started out completely intrigued by her in What Happens At Home. Loved her storyline and the possible chemistry between her and Reid. And since then? It's as if the poor girl hasn't existed except to say some random line and to make my heart stop for a split second in plane scenes, sure that JJ is back when I see the back of her blonde head. So yes, as of right now? Indifference bordering on dislike, but more geared toward the writers than her.

Haley Hotchner At turns, she was adorable & infuriatingly bitchy. I was geared more toward indifference toward her until Season 5. Surprisingly, when she dyed her hair/wore the dark wig, I was much more sympathetic toward her character, and holy cow, anyone who could watch the phone call scene in 100 and not cry? I don't know how you couldn't. At her core, the most amazing mom in the entire world. So awesome. And hey, because of her, there was Jack and we all adore that kid!

[sugakane-01.livejournal.com]

Gender: Female
Age 32

Elle: I adored Elle. I liked that she was never seen as needing protecting or viewed as less capable than the guys. I also like that they let Elle be sexy and feminine without making her character have to rely on her sexuality. She also wasn't a bed of roses, she could be difficult and snarky and blunt but she could also be vulnerable and understanding. I loved her dynamic with both Reid and Hotch and loved how fierce and brave she could be.

JJ: I always saw JJ as the anchor of the group. She was capable and confident, but JJ's role on the team was to be the "normal" one. She gave them hope that they could do their jobs, do it well and not sacrifice their lives. They could have a family, a relationship, a life outside the BAU. She was incredibly compassionate and easily underestimated. JJ was a total iron glove in a velvet fist.

Emily: It took me awhile to warm up to Emily. Truthfully I still feel like I don't really KNOW her. She holds her cards very close to the vest and still comes off quite mysterious. Emily is professional and poised and I love how protective she is of the team, even willing to challenge Hotch to reach out to them after the attack by Foyet or force Spencer to confront his feelings about Gideon. She's brave and she's strong and she manages to mix compassion with competency and never comes off weak.

Garcia: I love Garcia but I think she's a lot more emotionally damaged than people catch on to. She pretends to be an open book but her emotional walls are pretty high. I actually think there is some serious sadness beneath that bright, shiny, exterior.

Seaver: Honestly, its a god awful character. My main issue is that I remember what Hotch said back when he didn't want to let Emily into the BAU: "We don't just let anyone who wants to give it a whirl." I don't see where she brings anything of value to the table or adds to the team dynamic and for me that makes investing in her impossible. She has no depth or layers and I DO think its been enough time to say that. When you go back and look at the first few episodes of CM I had a take on who Garcia, Elle and JJ were in their first few episodes, I can't say the same for Seaver. She's poorly written and poorly conceived. The other women had a clear purpose and defined role both personally and professionally: Elle was the protective older sister and had an expertise in sex crimes, JJ had media contacts and gave the team what they needed before they knew they needed it (like when she had Garcia put together an office for Morgan or made Spencer Henry's godfather), Emily stepped into Elle's "big sister" shoes and is skilled in interrogation and speaks multiple languages and has a background in undercover work, Garcia is an expert hacker and highly skilled technical analyst and reminds them all to smile and also takes care of them emotionally. Seaver is just....there. She doesn't contribute and doesn't belong imo. And the tragic backstory they tried to give her made me roll my eyes. This is CM...with the exception of Rossi they ALL have childhood trauma: Reid was brutalized and bullied, abandoned by his father and raised by a mentally ill mother, Morgan was moletsted, Garcia's parents died when she was 18, Hotch was abused, JJ's sister committed suicide, Emily's mom was emotionally unavailable...Seaver's serial killer daddy isn't winning her any points with me, especially since I don't care about her so why would I care about him?

Haley: I didn't like Haley but I did understand her-mostly. I think she was strong, but she was also really passive aggressive and played the victim A LOT. I think they made it easy to dislike her when they implied she cheated on Hotch and made her, for lack of a better word, a bit of a shrew. I was sad when she died, but truthfully I was sad for Jack and Hotch, Haley wasn't a character I was overly attached to.

[beatriceeagle.livejournal.com]

I'm a 19-year-old woman.

Elle: I don't think we got enough time with Elle to really dig into what makes her tick, but I liked her. I really liked her exit, which I felt was completely in-character and mostly sympathetic. (I think it's telling that the last words spoken about her on the show were "I'll miss you too," as opposed to the repressed anger and confusion that accompanied Gideon's exit--though, having seen "JJ," it's becoming clear to me that this show always makes characters leave the way their actors did.)

JJ: I love JJ, and I'm pissed off that she's gone. She's smart, capable, strong, and really dedicated to her family. She's also capable of moments of real insecurity ("Revelations" and "Legacy" are the examples that come to mind) and bad-ass as hell ("Riding the Lightning" and "Penelope").

Garcia: Is my love. I love geek girls. I really love computer geek girls. She's considerably more insecure than JJ, but makes up for it by being crazy smart and loving.

Prentiss: Is my other love. I've always identified with Prentiss. She's a geek who has a complicated relationship with her own emotions, she's (initially) desperate to prove herself, she's occasionally prickly and occasionally awkward. She is also, like JJ, bad-ass as hell. (The moment my friends and I tend to reference as the moment we realized how awesome Prentiss is is in "No Way Out." Reid talks about the chemicals which cause love, which can be found in food. Emily says, "Chocolate." Reid says, "Peas!" Emily says, "Really!?" She was so excited (as, of course, was Reid) that I found it hard not to love her.)

Seaver: I have no feelings about Seaver. It's neither the character's nor the actress's fault that JJ is gone, but Seaver hasn't really done much, yet.

Haley: I've always felt sorry for Haley. I think she married a man she didn't really understand. Back in season three, when she and Hotch were fighting, they had an argument about his job where he said, "This is who I am," and she said, "No, this is what you do." I always sort of considered that the fundamental disagreement of their marriage. She married her high school sweetheart, who was going to be a lawyer. Then he went off and became a superhero, instead, and that's not what she expected or signed up for.

[10millionpeople.livejournal.com]

Gender: Female (:

Age: 13-18 (too much of a bracket?)

Elle: Never much cared for her character, but I thought she was gorgeous. The personality never really popped at me, but that one episode of her when she was stuck on the train with the psyco man who thought he had a chip in his arm showed a good ammmount of how much strength she had, as did The Fisher King Part Two.

JJ: I love her character so much. I think she has just the right ammount of strength and is still able to keep enough of her humanity. She doesn't overdo it with the emotions, but she isn't a robot that can't feel anything. Lo-Fi was a really great episode for her, because it showed how she wasn't taking crap from the BAU for not warning her family. The team and Henry basically define her character (like how she was worried about Reid in Revelations), and I'm so glad to see her returning.

Garcia: I have no idea. She's great and all, but... a little outgoing for me, I think. She can't handle herself well with the team, either. She tends to cry a lot and get overemotional, which I think is a poor character trait for an FBI agent. Sure, she's only the computer anaysis, but all of you saw what happened in Penelope--she's FBI, so she's liable to be the target whenever, wherever. I think that one episode showed how she was kind of resilient, always wanting to get back up and help, be on her own, exc. through the time when she had to take it easy.

Prentiss: Really, I dislike her character so much. I want to like her because I love Paget, but she's strong to the point where she's untrusting (like Morgan said in Valhalla) and stoic a lot. One can't be the hero all the time, and I think someone needs to remind her of that. I'm not saying I'd do anything different if the tables were turned, but still. I also think the whole story with the Catholic church and her past that was brought up in Demonology turned me off of her character.

Seaver: Wow, I really have no idea at all. The first time I read through this, I though "Who the heck is Seaver?" then remembered she was that chick that lied to the victem's family in What Happens at Home. Not much more I can say about her; questioning Hotch's judgement is never a smart move. I don't know, maybe I'm biaed and love JJ too much, hahaha.

Haley: Give me a break. It's called a job, woman. Yeah... you should try it sometime.

Lol, sorry for the last one, but I just really hate her character. She's the only one I actually hate :P Hope I was able to help!

I HAVE OPINIONS, OKAY.

[ms-creant.livejournal.com]

Your gender: Female
Your age: 24
Your views on:
Elle: I hated Elle. I know a lot of people liked her, so I'm not trying to step on toes; but when the show originally aired, I had just starting college and I wanted to go into profiling. I remember everyone telling me that I should watch the show and I just couldn't. She was not at all believable or realistic as a character, which normally doesn't bother me in TV shows, but it stuck out like a sore thumb from the rest of the show's believable universe. I couldn't be bothered to watch it until I heard she left.
JJ: I hate that JJ's gone. She had this intense maternal strength, and I was really looking forward to what else lay into her character. I think her removal leaves a hole for the ensemble of the cast; without her it's like there's no voice of humanity to keep the analytical agents in check.
Garcia: Garcia is like the original GaGa. With computers. I love how she is as a role model and inspiration to be yourself. And, as a role model she offers an important standard of wit that usually gets over-looked in female characters (not to mention comfort in one's sexuality without that ugly term "slut" attached to it). Plus, she's sparkly, and that's what I want in my life.
Prentiss: Prentiss is, in my opinion, one of the greatest female characters in television. She's a strong, assertive, intelligent female; and her character exists as one of the boys in the Boys' Club. I think she's a crucial representative of females in the real world because of how assertive she can be; most shows tend to use females as "the emotion" or "the love interest" and I love that Prentiss does not exist to fill those purposes. And, I love even more that it's not a thing that she exists to be more than emotional/the hook-up (if that makes sense). I am so very interested to see what her background is, I just hate that it's being used to toy with us about whether or not she'll remain on the show.
Seaver: I am absolutely rooting for Seaver. I really, really want her character to succeed. I get the impression that all the hate surrounding her character comes from a feeling of she's there to replace JJ, and I understand why people feel that way. But, at the same time, I feel like she can be an entirely new dynamic. That is to say, not a replacement, but an addition to what's left behind. I think her story shows promise, although, I do agree it can be easy to mess up, so...yeah, I'm rooting for her.
Haley Hotchner: I go back and forth about Haley. I liked her, but I don't like that she was never really written to be a character (at least, that's what it felt like to me), but rather to exist as a plot point the writers could keep in their back pockets and pull out whenever they needed something "outside the office".


TL;DR: I'm pretty sure the heads of CM hate women, which hurts my fandom-love because they give us the best girls and then take them away.

Re: I HAVE OPINIONS, OKAY.

[x-forgetromeo.livejournal.com]

Would you mind messaging me about why you disliked Elle? I understand not wanting to step on toes, but I (surprisingly) haven't gotten a lot of negative responses about Elle. I won't fight you on it (for once; I'm being ~unbiased for the sake of my paper). If not, that's cool. :) Thank you so much!

Re: I HAVE OPINIONS, OKAY.

[ms-creant.livejournal.com]

Sure! It might take me a bit to organize my thoughts, but I'll give it a go.

Re: I HAVE OPINIONS, OKAY.

[beatriceeagle.livejournal.com]

Out of curiosity, what makes you say that the heads of CM hate women?

Re: I HAVE OPINIONS, OKAY.

[ms-creant.livejournal.com]

I vaguely remember something about when the contracts were up to be renewed, JJ and Prentiss were being cut because "they couldn't afford it", while the men of the show were being offered raises. That's sort of a first sign.
So, now they're completely removed JJ, they haven't been shy about pushing Prentiss out, and my understanding is Garcia is now on the spin-off, which at least looks like they're trying to push her to exist in that realm, and not the prime. The only female then is Seaver, a character who's still in school.
So...man-heavy Boys' Club just kicked out all the girls.

Re: I HAVE OPINIONS, OKAY.

[beatriceeagle.livejournal.com]

Ah. Yeah, I can see where you got that. Those were all decisions made by CBS, the studio. Bernero, Mirren, and Messer--the creative minds behind CM, the actual "heads" of CM, so to speak--did not want to cut JJ, do not want to cut Prentiss, and did not want to replace JJ. Those were all decisions forced onto them by the network (if you watch "JJ" with that in mind, it's very clear that they let her go very, very unwillingly, and were pissed at the network) and not really things the show and the people behind it are at fault for.

Re: I HAVE OPINIONS, OKAY.

[ms-creant.livejournal.com]

Oh, see, I know nothing about hierarchy in the film (specifically television), so there was my confusion. In my happy world in my head, they're all the same people. My bad.

[hrcsen08pres.livejournal.com]

Female
21

Elle: I like her but I am mostly indifferent. She wasn't really on the show long enough for me to form a concrete opinion, though I do like that she shot that rapist in a moment of vigilanteism.
JJ: I liked her, though she was fairly boring. I miss her on the show because she is 20x more substantive than Seaver.
Garcia: I HATE GARCIA. She is obnoxious. As if anyone that absurd and unprofessional would work in one of the most elite forces of the FBI. I wish she died when that guy shot her. Sorry I'm not sorry.
Prentiss: I love Prentiss. The writers have done an absolutely terrible job developing her character and this current arc is pretty ridiculous. However, I love how she is sort of mysterious. She is nerdy but in a very human way. She's also earnest and awkward.
Seaver: Dislike. Completely boring and the stereotypical female. It seems the writers thought they could replace one blonde with another and no one would notice. I also hated how she almost got killed by the UnSub. What kind of FBI agent would go off unarmed in a situation like that? A dumb one.
Haley: Dislike. Stereotypical nagging/bitchy wife who doesn't understand that her husband is serving the common good. The writers made her completely unsympathetic until her unfortunate demise, and that is a shame.

[maldeluxx.livejournal.com]

Gender: female outside, genderqueer inside - you can put as female though, I don't mind
Age: 35
Views:

Elle: From what I remember, I liked her, though in real life I might have kept a small distance to feel safer - I'm not surprised she left.
JJ: Liked her, she was more than just nice.
Garcia: I really like her, like her 'innocence' and way with words as well as computers
Prentiss: The one I'd get to bed with if it came to that ;) Perhaps my favorite also in other ways... and someone I'd choose to be if I'd be a female CM character *LOL*
Seaver: Haven't yet seen her (CM is shown where I live about 1-2 seasons behind), though I'm not certain I'll warm to her. I don't hate her anyway.
Haley H: Poor dear should've married someone more ordinary, a 9-to-5, attention-giving stable-everything guy... though in the end she had also some good sides. I didn't hate her, more like lukewarmish-to-good sort.

[gc-anthem-fan.livejournal.com]

Gender: Female
Age: 19
Views:

Elle: I actually did not like this character. I like strong, memorable female characters and I easily forgot her once Prentiss came around. I felt like her character was too emotional at times, and I understand being shot in your own home can be traumatizing. But it made her character seem weak the way she came back, unlike how other characters have dealt with tragedies to themselves.

JJ: I did love JJ, I felt she was this mothering presence that kept an even balance in the show from all the darkness surrounding the team. Sadly though, there wasn't too much depth to her.

Garcia: One of my favorite characters, because she is a strong female character, even if she has certain aspects of her job she can't handle. It makes her human to the viewers. She sticks to her beliefs, and has a strong presence via her physical appearance and her demeanor. The way the character uses comedy to keep a light air in the job is also another strong, vulnerable and human characteristic that makes people relate to her. I love it.

Prentiss: Another very strong character, but one full of many talents and many mysteries. She quickly became top in my favorite female list, especially after she kept to her beliefs instead of listening to a boss to get a better job. (Instance with Strauss). I feel that was one of the character's best moments, and showed true character and personality and made me fall inlove with her.

Seaver: I'm so disappointed because I love the idea of the character and wish the actress was better at acting the part. Her character seems so, distant like a background image, and I wish they'd make her more notable!

Hayley H: I do not like Hayley. Period. I feel like she was a selfish woman, who only cared about her needs and her wants. This may sound harsh, but I also think the character was probably miserable in the marriage before Hotch took the BAU job anyways. When a person takes a job like that, any woman should know what it entails and should either leave at that moment if they won't be able to handle it or stay and be the loving arms a man needs after a horrific job like that. To demand a person to choose between you and saving people, is a disgusting ultimatum. And when she leaves while Hotch is on that case, I lost all respect. I felt that was a childish and cowardly move, something that should have been discussed in a calm manner when the husband got home. Maybe the two just weren't compatible. But I hated the scenes with her in them.

[failte-aoife.livejournal.com]

Gender: Female
Age: 23

Elle: It's a bit difficult. I was late for the party and so I met Emily first, and really liked her, so when I watched the older episodes I already knew she would be replaced. Though now I've watched the old episodes a couple of times and she has some quite awesome scenes. I don't love her but I like her.

JJ: she stayed to colourless for me for most of the show. Before AJ's RL-pregnancy she didn't seem to have much character at all.

Garcia: I love her. Full stop. She's awesome (and probably the character I'm most like)

Prentiss: Again love. It's hard to put in words why. I just do.

Seaver: So far the show hasn't given me any reason to like or dislike her. We got hit over the head with her backstory in the first episode and since then nobody seemed to have bothered giving her any characterization.

Haley: More on the like than on the dislike side. I personally do not think that the show ever give reasons to have very strong feelings about her.

[lovechilde.livejournal.com]

Gender: female

Age: 27

Views:

- Elle: I liked her when she was there, even though I don't think I was ever as committed to her character as to the others. She wasn't as strong a part of the team as Prentiss became after her, sort of too new and too unconnected. She's an interesting case of a vaguely normal, less messed up person who was overwhelmed by the job- onscreen and off, if what I hear about the actress's reasons for leaving is true.

- JJ: God, I love JJ. She was their connection to a more or kless normal world, she pulled them out of the horror of cases and into more practical considerations. By the later seasons she was as experienced a profiler as the rest of the team, she was just discreet about it. I love that they gave her a family and motherhood and allowed her to keep both, since dramas usually thrive on marital conflict. Plus, she stayed kickass throughout. There was just- no tension between her and any of the others. It wasn't the kind of relaxation anybody takes for granted on this show, whether audience or characters. Her being off the show has definitely put a damper on season 6. Her parting episode was one of the best eps, IMO, and the only one other than 100 that made me tear up.

Garcia: Bright ray of light in their dark lives. I love her colorfulness, her language, her interaction with Morgan, all of it. Except her zig zagging backstory, but that's just nitpicking. She handles everything they do, more or less, and she's the one who stays behind to worry and wait and somehow stays cheerful. She's one of three chars who's leaving would definitely make me consider not watching anymore.

Prentiss: Took me a while to warm up to her, but they found a way to make her important for good reasons in her initial storyline (as a semi-spy for Strauss), and didn't try to make her a carbon copy of Elle or anybody else. She's very much her own woman and her own character, and I love that she meshes so well with the team, kicks ass and has her touchy spots as well, making her- well, as well rounded a character as any other. She goes into about twice the potentially dangerous situations that Reid does, after all :-) I'm intrigued by her current storyline, and if she left it'd be a great loss for the team and the show and us. The (almost) gender equality of the team is part of the attraction.
(Note: A making-of feature I watched recently says that in the real world BAU there are only two women. While I appreciate realism, in this case? Ignore that.)

Seaver: I can't help it, I don't like her. She's flat, pointless and a cheap wannabe substitute for JJ. They don't seem to be making the same effort with her characterization as with the others. I disliked Rossi when her first appared, but that wasn't because of flatness, he was just a jerk. There's very little they can do to make me like her any better, except write her out as undramatically as possible. It feels like she isn't adding anything to the team- no real added value as a profiler, being so incredibly inexperienced, and not to the dynamic, since Rossi seems to be the only one who even bothers with her, and he's far too attached to her. It's detracting from his characterization as well, in my opinion. I'm waiting for the scene where Reid sort of watches her work, wonders if he was that awful when he first started, and when Morgan says he totally was, apologizes.

Haley Hotchner: I have a soft spot for her because I was a Dawson's Creek fan in my misspent youth. She was a good, well-established and reasoned character, and I understood her, you know? It's a hard life to handle. Her parting episodes were some of the best the show ever created. I wish she'd interacted with the team a bit more, but I did like her (even if she totally got in the way of the slash). She could've done more, but what she did wasn't half bad.

May I just say, you're so lucky you get to write about TV. hose kind of classes are few and far between in law school.

[medusa81.livejournal.com]

Female, 29

Elle I suppose I am indifferent to Elle. She tried really hard to fit in, but in the short time that she was on the team she never really did. By the time she got out she was retreating more and more and wasn't really part of the team at all. She's not as strong as Emily, letting her emotions take over and influence her performance on the job.

JJ She's just a sweetheart. I really love her to bits. She's kind and approachable but can be tough if she needs to be (North Mammon) Even though she's not a profiler she was in the center of the team. I love how well she knows her strengths. Having no ambition to be a profiler, knowing how important and influential her job is to the team.

Garcia Fun loving Garcia. She brings some light to the mostly grim material the show deals with. She's seems to be what keeps the rest of the team from spinning into vital depressions. I think that she's amazing for having this bright outlook on life despite all the horror that comes across her screens.

Prentiss In the beginning I was not too fond of her. I didn't feel I could trust her and that the team shouldn't trust her. Later on when she made it clear to Strauss that she wasn't into politics she really grew into the team. At this moment, she is my favorite of all the female characters. She's a BAMF but at the same time she shows that she's not made of steel. She gets to show a softer side from time to time but she's trying not to let her emotions overrun her rationale.
She's a female role model. Not just for the viewers on tv, but also to Penelope who's stated more than once her admiration for Emily.

Seaver I have no real opinion on Seaver yet. She's not really a part of the team yet.

Haley My feelings about Haley are ambivalent. The (implied) adultery makes me dislike her. Even though one can understand where she's coming from I think she should have been honest about it. The sniping and passive aggressive behavior are very unlikable. On the other hand it's clear that she never stopped loving Hotch. She's a strong woman because of having to keep up the marriage and family all by herself. Despite it all she was a wonderful and devoted mother to Jack. It can't be easy knowing your not your spouse's priority. One should not speak ill of the dead and to be honest I don't even want to. Regardless of her faults I think Haley is a tragic heroin.

Super long response!

[goddessdster.livejournal.com]

I don't really have too much time to comment on others' responses right now, but I wanted to put my two cents in.

Female
41

Elle: Her character rocked; unfortunately, she wasn't well acted, therefore I never bought into any emotion she tried to express, which made her kind of suspect to me. Not the character's fault, but the acting and direction. Also, I thought her exit was kind of a cop-out.

JJ: JJ always struck me as kind of bland, her purpose on the show was to create the connection on the team for the common age range of victims. Then she had a kid and was allowed to have a child and keep her job and rarely expressed conflict as a result. This is a rarity in television, where women who work high pressure jobs are always portrayed as being covered in guilt all the time. Because it is the mommy's responsibility to give up her career for her kids, don't you know? This made JJ refreshing, and one of the most feminist characters on TV, actually.

Garcia: Who doesn't like Garcia? I'm sure some do, but those are few and far between. My favorite aspect of Garcia isn't just that she is smart and confident, but that confidence is portrayed through her manner, style, and individuality. It's easy to write off Garcia as the "Abby" of CM, but I think Garcia is much more real than Abby. Abby is a male idealization of the perfect "alternative" woman. Garcia looks real, knows her strength, and has vulnerabilities. She is the everywoman of CM, reminding the team that there are human beings behind victimology. And she has a boyfriend. And she is gay playing straight, which we need to see more of.

Prentiss: Oh, Prentiss. How I love thee. I would turn gay for Prentiss. She wouldn't care, of course. She would make some dry comment I would only realize later was a dig at my ridiculousness. But...What do I love about Prentiss? She is beautiful, but unusually so, a perfect foil for JJ's Barbie perfection. She is smart, multi-lingual, sharp, unafraid to ask question, confident, certain about what she feels is right and wrong. I love that she has always retained an aspect of mystery about her. On a show that makes it common practice to reveal DEEP SEKRITS about the characters as character development, I love that Prentiss has always kept a part of herself just for herself, and that she does this not just because she has DEEP SEKRITS, but also because she is just a private person.

Seaver: I think Seaver is a poorly executed character. Her entrance to the show felt like a slap for those who love and miss JJ (not me, but I can feel their pain now). She is bland and feels unnecessary. I don't hate her. I don't know her, and nothing she's shown me yet makes me want to. Poor writing, I feel.

Haley: Haley served a specific purpose on the show of humanizing Hotch. In this, she fulfilled her purpose well. I liked her (for a 2-dimensional character), understood the decisions thay had her make, and was sad to see her dead. Other than that, I don't think about her much at all.

[laminy.livejournal.com]

+ Gender - girl
+ Age - 21

+ Elle - actually hated. She just didn't really seem like she was a part of the team, and after the attack, maybe we were suppose to sympathize with her, but that was when she really went off. But she always seemed colder than the rest.

+ JJ - she was sweet and smart, and had an excellent place on the team. She was confident but approachable and dealt with the victims and their families well. But I honestly don't miss her that much now that she's gone, I don't think she was the glue that held the show together or anything.

+ Garcia - I did like her, originally, for almost the entire series. She was different that other women on TV, she was a role model for anyone who felt different, she flirted with Morgan and it was sweet. Now, I feel like being weird is her crutch. Like there's nothing to her character besides the fact that she's a little weird, and it's annoying. It's a try-too-hard.

+ Prentiss - dislike, particularly lately. I've never felt really strong one way or another about her, like, who cares, she's there now, but I wouldn't care if she left. I don't feel like she adds much.

+ Seaver - I don't have any reason yet to really like or dislike her, which is just a lack of her character being used. I know almost everyone absolutely despises her, so I'm rooting for her more than any other character. I want her to succeed so everyone can suck it.

+ Haley Hotchner - she did come off as selfish, like she was the villain in their marriage. I get why she wanted Aaron around, but I also think she knew what his job was when they got married. She was certainly a bit more likable when she was in hiding, but other than killing her off, I don't think the writers ever gave me a reason to like her.

[shadowkeeper.livejournal.com]

gender Female
age 22

+Elle- a little bit difficult. I started watching the show near the beginning, and it's been so long that I barely remember her. When I do see clips of her, I remember that I didn't mind her, but I didn't love her. She seemed like a character that had faded into the background a lot. I guess it could be because she didn't seem to have the strongest personality

+JJ- Loved her. Or, at least once she became an actual character instead of just the pretty face bringing information. I think I finally noticed her around the Van Der Beek 2 parter when she finally got out in the field and seemed to develop a personality. They she became a nice model for efficiency, professionalism, and a sympathetic face without overdoing it. When they gave her character a love interest and even a baby, I think she became such a lovely inversion of the trope of working mothers- she didn't quit her job to sit at home keeping house and raising kids.

+Garcia- Love how she's unique in a realistic way. She doesn't have a 'manic pixie dreamgirl' vibe where her uniqueness is more than just some kind of male ideal. She's quirky, fun, and somehow innocent even while dealing with gruesome stuff. I love that she's competent, and an even better hacker than her boyfriend FBI counterpart.
Her flirting with Morgen seems to be written a little ott at times, but their relationship is cute and I love the sibling relationship they have. 'Penelope' is in one of my top 5 favourite CM episodes.

+Prentiss- Pretty much one of my favourite female characters on tv at this point. It took me a couple episodes to warm up to her at first. When she was first introduced, right after Elle left, I almost left like the writers were trying to shoehorn her in or something. She seemed like she was just overly pushy and assertive because 'as a woman, she needs to be', and was just a convenient replacement for another female character. Then, after getting to know her after a few episodes, I think I really began to love her. She's strong, tough, wicked smart, and seems to have depth as a person. I love how she dials back on 'femininity' and isn't written like 'the girl on the team', but is equal to her male colleges- but we don't forget she's a woman. I love when her cheekiness shines through sometimes (like with her 'sin to win' weekend).

+Seaver- Ugh. Bland, no personality, cheap JJ replacement. I mean, maybe down the line she may develop into something other than just being earnestly knowledgeable, but right now, she's like wallpaper.

+Haley- Realistic. I mean, she seemed like she was used to give Hotch some life outside the BAU at first, then to give him drama, but her character seemed realistic. The loving wife who finally gets fed up with being abandoned all the time works better than a wife who just falls into the easy brackets of the wife tropes out there.

[eiko82.livejournal.com]

Your gender : Female
Your age : 28

Your views on :

Elle - I'm not a big Elle fan. I thought that she tried to be too badass at times and didn't mesh well with the team. With all the other team members, you got a sense that they'd be able to chill out with each other in their free time but Elle never seemed to fit into that. I know that she went on holiday with Morgan but generally, I never felt that she fit in well with the team.
Also, I really hated how she basically killed that unsub in cold blood. Her frustration was understandable but it's not an excuse.

JJ - I really liked her. She was smart, sweet and passionate. I thought that she made a great mother and team member. I really liked that eventho she wasn't a profiler, she contributed so much to the team on a professional and personal level. The team still doesn't feel the same way without her.

Garcia - I *love* Garcia. How could you not? I love her unique personality and her interactions with Morgan.
I also adore that her desk is full of cute, colourful stuff. I swear, I'd do the same with my desk if it was allowed at work ....

Prentiss - She is one badass, awesome profiler. I know that after Elle left, I didn't care much for Prentiss but as time went by and she proved to be a very valuable team member, I really warmed up to her. Again, I can't imagine the BAU without her.

Seaver - I kinda like Seaver tho I'd really wish that she'd stop looking like she is about to burst out crying. The last episode was the first one where I felt Seaver's eyes didn't look all teary. We haven't really seen much of her skills except fucking up badly in her first episode. But I'm willing to give her a chance to become a good profiler.

Haley Hotchner - I've always liked her. She seemed so sweet. Being married to Hotch must not always have been easy and I don't blame her for being frustrated at times. I cried when she died.

[btw-idgi.livejournal.com]

Female, 25 years old.

Everyone went through the list and gave their opinions of each female character individually which is cool and all but I haven't even finished season five yet so I haven't even encountered Seaver yet, or seen J. J. leave, so I'm going to pretend I didn't read any of that...

But to address your question (and I hope you don't mind that I'm doing this in a more general way):

One of the things that fascinates me about the main characters in CM is that, if you ignore their gender when describing them, they don't necessarily seem like they have to be women, if that makes any sense. There's nothing about them that follows the stereotypical media markers that "this character has to be a woman." Most of them go by last names, and JJ goes by a gender-neutral nickname. The fact that they're women only make a difference in a few episodes, or in certain story-arcs, and it's refreshing to see that the characters and their backstories are not reliant on their gender (for example, viewers might expect that the sexual abuse backstory would have been given to a female character, but instead it was given to Morgan). They're not included because they are women (to appeal to a female television-viewing demographic), but because they are people who are good at their jobs (good characters who should appeal to anyone, regardless of gender).

Every so often their gender does become somewhat important, though. When watching the episode where Prentiss is introduced, my friend commented "Hi, I heard there was an opening for a brunette," which kind of plays into stereotypes (they couldn't get another blonde after all, since they still had JJ and Garcia!). Every so often they're called on to become bait, like JJ in "Riding the Lightning" (although it was really her idea) and Prentiss in "52 Pickup." If you saw those examples in isolation it would seem skeevy, but in other episodes you see other characters being used for th the same way (i.e. Rossi sending Morgan and JJ into an unfriendly bar in Montana in "Identity" because they're more likely to get a response, or in "Risky Business" when Garcia interviews the kid because they both have computers in common). And then there are times when it's impossible to ignore that the character is female, like when JJ became pregnant, but even though she became a mother she did sacrifice her job for her child - Will did - so there was an aversion to what viewers might have expected to see happen.

Sorry if I don't make a lot of sense here. I'm bored enough to be on livejournal at work, but not bored enough to reread and revise!

You left someone out of the roll call...

[full-metal-ox.livejournal.com]

I realize that she usually plays an (intentionally) unsympathetic role in the narrative, but Erin Strauss is a regular supporting character and would seem to be deserving of mention.

[blue-sunflowers.livejournal.com]

Gender: F
Age: 30s

Elle: Varies. On initial watch, she's like the drop of water at the corner of my glasses. She's too, uhh....spicy? Abrasive? And the worst part is that she's spicy with no personality, and fairly self-isolating. The one who stands in the back, not because she's shy but because she just isn't naturally much of a team player. She also comes across as someone who relates better to men than women. While it's no big deal to see a Prentiss/Garcia scene, it kinda stood out watching Elle/Garcia together. Business, not friendship. On secondary watch, I like how she treated Reid as a big sister, and was always trying to learn her job while being *on* the job. No one ever had to stop the plot in order to explain anything to her (unlike for instance the Morgan/Seaver crowbar scene). Elle comes across as a good friend, one you can trust not to pour ice water on your back if she knows you wouldn't like it (unlike Morgan with the whistle to Reid). I never really *liked* her, but I did go from not liking her to thinking she was okay. I am happy she's gone though. I think Prentiss fits and flows better with the team.

In the end though, I didn't like how easily she went off the rails, particularly blaming Hotch for everything. I would have understood it more if she'd directed her anger at Gideon, who really was to blame - since he's the one who took the case to the media, against the unsub's orders. Hotch tried to help Elle, Gideon only went "she'll understand". I was very happy she didn't take her anger out on Reid, but also surprised no snarkiness went to Morgan, who basically ignored her - even though it seemed like they were friends prior, since they'd basically gone on vacation together.

JJ: Like. JJ to me always personified the Average Person. The one who reacted like a regular person off the street would when confronting the things they dealt with. I also thought her maternal quality was needed to "soften" the team. Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan are too harsh, and Reid is *too* soft at times (but mostly, he's clinically detached). Garcia is too over-the-top stick-fingers-in-her-ears. JJ in my opinion was just right.

Garcia: Like okay. I don't think I'd like her as a person in real-life, but I do like what her personality adds to the team. The person determined not to let it get to her. IMO, she makes the teams dynamics "pop". She's kinda like the purple scarf to the team's gray sweater. Can't say I like the sexual banter with Morgan (I don't think they have that kind of chemistry), but I do like the regular banter she does with everyone else. The one thing I do love about her is that her self-esteem is sky-rocket high, and that it's at a level that's appropriate to her skills.

Prentiss: Like a lot. I love her compartmentalism. She's the only one who stays on topic. That she bitches to Morgan about blowing out her eardrums after Morgan takes out an unsub with a machine gun is just too awesome. She's also the only one who stays back and "talks out" her thinking, which frequently allows the other team members to think outside the box (for instance, realize the unsub would be a woman when all other signs point to a man, etc).

[blue-sunflowers.livejournal.com]

Seaver: Hate. As someone who is supposed to be around 30, she's way too immature emotionally and intellectually. She's even that way if one fanwanks she went directly into the Academy after her Bachelor's (making her 22/23). She's constantly on the verge of tears (or has the "I'm soooo sad" face) and she asks questions that I can't imagine anyone with a college degree - let alone Academy training - would ask. Her exposition lines can't even be considered as audience clarifications, since she asks questions I also can't imagine the audience is even thinking.

Granted, Reid is also emotionally immature, but there's a reason the FBI overlooks this. I can't find a single one for Seaver.

As a character, I also resent the time the show is taking establishing her instead of the other characters. For instance, I much prefer the Reid/Rossi bonding over seeing Rossi playing video games with Seaver. Imagine that scene with Reid instead - and *that* is what I'd rather see. I also don't like that in essence, she's taking Reid's place as the baby on the team - particularly since Reid is *still* the baby of the team. So now, two people the team needs to watch out for.

Hayley: Indifferent. Pluses: She was a strong woman, even in the face of death. She was a great mother too. Hayley to me personified the idea of Perfect Housewive (and in the successful way, not the dysfunctional secret-drinker way). Negative: Haley and Hotch had to have been married (or together) for around 20 years before they had Jack. So Haley suddenly not realizing exactly who her husband is, and worse suddenly expecting him to change, just made me lose a ton of sympathy for her during the divorce storyline.

Hope this helps, and that it's not too late.