Season 2

[unmellow-yellow.livejournal.com]

So what does everyone think of Season 2 so far? Better than season1? Just your overall thoughts...

Comments

[chitown-gal.livejournal.com]

The first eight episodes of first season are my absolute favorites, so I have to say I prefer Season 1. There are some things I like in this season (notably No Way Out), but I'm just not as happy with this season as I was last.

[unmellow-yellow.livejournal.com]

Same here. I miss Elle and the team has sort of gone downhill and lost their "je ne sais quoi." I also miss the locations and am sick of them focuing on Reid.

[chitown-gal.livejournal.com]

It's a much darker team this year and if (huge *if*) they're heading somewhere long-term with all this then I might forgive them for it. Or for some of it.

I do think they're all getting much more broken this season. Gideon should have gone off the deep end about the time Elle left. And he's had even more reason to do so lately. (The one scene in Revelations that I like is him pacing in the bathroom, "I did my job")

Seems to me, though, that they're all going to crack up at the end of the season and then what do we do next year? Have a whole new team? Follow their recovery? Or are they going to sweep everything under the rug like CSI:Miami did (for the most part) with Speed's death?

At least we got some Morgan backstory this year. It almost makes up for it being the Spencer Reid Hour. But I want to know more about Garcia! (And Gideon, of course, but do I even have to mention that? Everyone knows how I feel about him. *g*)

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

*g* I'm not sure about this Spencer Reid hour thing. His plotline is kind of foregrounding the dramatic, which I think may make it distracting--but despite his continuing mental breakdown, this last ep was a Gideon ep, by me. And the one before was a Morgan ep.

And we had all that lovely lovely Hotch and JJ in the front half of the season.

[chitown-gal.livejournal.com]

I think I'm still recovering from Revelations. (I need to get back to you at some point on that - sorry to bail in mid-conversation!) If getting the plum post-Super Bowl slot meant that we got the whole "Is Reid (shooting up) or Isn't He?" subplot that was retro-fitted into at least Fear and Loathing, then I'm kind of unhappy we got the extra two episodes for the season.

It may not be fair to judge this season before it is completely done. At this point last year I was extremely unhappy with the entire show. (1x17 was Machismo, which didn't work for me for a variety of reasons.) But by the time of FK1, I was hooked for the summer. If they can do that again, I will happily spend my summer anticipating Season Three!

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

*nod*

Putting on my Writer Hat for a minnit ('scuse me) I have a pretty good idea of why that plotline is there.

It's a super-dramatic narrative hook for new viewers, who aren't going to twig to the ongoing development of Gideon panicking in bathrooms and Morgan getting more and more snappy with Garcia since she broke open his sealed files and Prentiss trying to find her feet while Hotch and Gideon get more and more disillusioned with their jobs and Garcia slowly gets her gloss worn off. In other words, all of the subtle stuff that they already were doing.

Also, I wonder if they wanted to give MGG more to do, since he's got this flavor of the month thing going on, and they want to keep him around. Since he still sounds kind of iffy on the whole acting thing. So you've got this uncharacteristically obvious character development, and then you have Morgan covering for Gideon when Gideon has his little ain't-going-in-that-hole thing.

Also, it lets them establish another parallel thread between Reid and Gideon (something they have been working since episode one, really.) as we watch the progress of both cases of PTSD. (And, yanno, I suspect JJ's will be back eventually.)

I'm specifically thinking of the paired responses to stress situations. Gideon can't go in the hole. And Reid can't stay in the homeless shelter. That whole whirl-and-flee thing he does? Reads (bad pun) to me like a panic attack.

Magic trick. If they're doing something flashy with Reid, *watch their other hand.*

[chitown-gal.livejournal.com]

I hope you're right about the magic trick. I think you and I are the only ones (that I've seen, anyway - maybe I need to go back and check the ep thread for last week) who believe in the significance of ain't-going-in-that-hole.

I didn't realize MGG was iffy on sticking around. I always thought that was the big risk with Mandy, that he wouldn't stay. He's been on this series for more consecutive episodes than any other at this point yet he's always interviewing about how dark and difficult it is.

Now I will have to watch for Gideon-Reid parallels. I do hope we're in good hands with these writers.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Nah, several of my blog commenters twigged to the hole thing too. And my pal netcurmudgeon, who is my regular wednesday night TV date, took one look at that scene and turned to me and went "'Nam." And I went "Tunnel rat."

So, not just us.

I've heard Gubler say a couple of times in interviews that his family and friends keep reminding him that This Is Not What You Want To Do With Your Life, Gube.

I suspect if he leaves, it'll be because he sees an opportunity to pursue the directing. (He's also talked about how he would like to see Reid eventually go crazy and have to be hunted down like a dog, however. So unless he's yanking the public's collective chain (NOT THAT HE WOULD EVER DO THAT) he, at least, expects a tragic arc for that character.)

I've seen Mandy talking about how emotionally difficult it is, too. But I've also seen him talk about the rewards. So...

I dunno.

It's a nice role. Especially if they give him a little more carpet to chew on.

And yeah, I really hope they do not let me down. I too have been Burned. And so I am on tenterhooks, because I know what what I am seeing would mean if I were doing it. And I dunno if the writers are that much in control of their narrative or not.

[szeretni.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks about Criminal Minds like this. *grins* I can't comment on a lot of things because I've only seen up til 2.11 or something. I'm writing some comments in my LJ but I have nobody to discuss with so it's quite superficial sometimes...

Personally, I hope for a tragic ending. It's way better than having the series not develop at all. I'm tired of TV-shows that go on forever and ever and it's all sweetness and light and it just gets boring.
I'd rather see Reid go psychopath and have the team deal with that...I think they could do it well.
I liked what they did with Elle, that was sort of unique...or at least, it hasn't been done to death. :)

I prefer angst and darkness over no development at all. If I just wanted to watch crime without characters, there are a dozen of shows I could watch.
I fell in love with Criminal Minds because I saw a good development in the latter part of season 1. :)

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Oh god. If they are actually doing what I suspect they are doing, and the show is in fact this giant chess game that invites the audience to profile the profilers?

It will officially unseat my beloved 1960's cheese as my favorite TV show ever. Because I am a *sucker* for meta and deconstruction.

If not, it's still pretty nifty.

All my CM meta is tagged here:

http://matociquala.livejournal.com/tag/geeks+with+guns

But there are spoilers through the current eps....

I will wander over to your blog and natter if I have time later!

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Oh, and no worries about the dropped thread. Pick it up if/when you have time.

I understand, trust me!

(back to the deathmarch....)

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

My favorite ep is still "Riding the Lightning," but "Sex Birth Death" is a really, eally close runner up. I like the ones where our guys and girls are stuck with unwinnable dilemmas, I think: It's a kink of mine.

I think season 2 has been stronger on the character development. I think the balance is better than some people seem to--we've gotten a bunch of Reid in the last few eps, but we had a ton of Hotch at the beginning of the season, and Morgan and Gideon and JJ have had all had really strong episodes this season. (And I think we're getting more Gideon, soon.)

I want more of Garcia and Prentiss.

I was totally blown away with what they did with Elle. That took narrative courage, and it was *awesome,* and a powerful underscore of the thematic aspect of the show that looks at the toll the job takes on our heroes. I like the understated way they usually handle the character arcs (Hotch's marital troubles, for example.) and I like the introduction of those longer plot arcs.

So, for me, season 2.

[justams.livejournal.com]

I can't decide... Most of my favourite episodes are from s2 though, so I guess I'll go for s2. But then s1 is what got me to love the show...

[cpolk.livejournal.com]

Season 2 is the stronger season, absolutely.

I mean yes, it was *LOFF* on season one episode one for me, but I'm really, REALLY loving this concept of individual plot episodes with a long characterization arc. and man, are they giving me some great characterization arc to watch.

yes, I'm getting a lot of darkness, a lot of conflict, a lot of suffering. and I *like* that. as a science fiction fan and writer, I *want* to see long ranging effects to a character's actions. I want aftermath. I want struggle. I want triumph.

my favorite episode so far out of the whole thing?

Sex, Birth, Death. It's just wow.

[chitown-gal.livejournal.com]

I want to believe that they're really giving us the long characterization arc and they aren't just going to leave all these loose ends unresolved. But I've had too many series go south on me when I've given my heart to them (as have we all) for me to trust the writers.

I will love this season to death if they follow through, but until then I stick with the first eight episodes.

[cpolk.livejournal.com]

well, as long as it's not like the eand of season two of twin peaks...

just please god no.

[atari363.livejournal.com]

I always forget that Elle was ever a part of season 2. I Divide CM by Elle and Emily, I don't know why.

Does anyone else do this?


I like both seasons equally, surprisingly. Looking back, there have been some really good episodes in season 2, but there were some equally good episodes in season 1, so this keeps me going in circles. I just can't decide.

[szeretni.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I thought the latter end of season 1 and up til now (have only seen 2.10) was much better. I never fell for the show until now.
I guess I should watch the whole season 1 again to see what I didn't like...

[unmellow-yellow.livejournal.com]

Does anyone else wish that they'd bring in an older woman as a possible love-interest for Gideon?

[cpolk.livejournal.com]

he's already got one.

that nice lady who was in fisher king one.