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.
Super long response!
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.