Round Table Mondays: Bit Parts

[nwjarvis.livejournal.com]

"There are no small roles, only small actors." -Constantin Stanislavski

I think most of us are in agreement that what makes Criminal Minds memorable is the characters. We tune in each week to watch our Band of Seven battle the monsters.

And of course, the guest stars are an essential ingredient. Whether it's the Cop Of The Week or the Latest Monster, characters like Cal McGee the OCD cop and Floyd Feylinn Farrel the Lucky Cannibal stick in our minds.

But there's a third group I'd like to discuss.


This group is the "bit players". Actors whose names are usually listed in the end credits, who may only have a few lines but who frequently bring to the episode a bit of depth and texture. They are not usually well known (although there are exceptions) and their names are not the ones drawing the viewer but they bring flavor to the story in the same way a dash of salt enhances all the other ingredients to a dish.  

Frequently these characters are witnesses who provide information that could have as easily been one of the team, or one of the local cops saying "We talked to a witness who said....". Sometimes they're the friends or family of victims. Sometimes they're just part of the "living scenery".

To illustrate who I'm talking about, some examples would be:

In "What Fresh Hell" Mr. Lomax, the unsub's envious neighbor. "His yard never has any crabgrass".

In "Identity" the store clerk - most awesome bystander ever! - who sees the abduction and runs back into the store. You think she's running to call 911 until she comes back out with a shotgun as big as she is.

In "Zoe's Reprise", the cynical-eyed, cigarette smoking crime reporter. I think I might have a teensy crush on her.

It seems to me that CM has always had good bit parts that added to the overall quality of the show. It also seems to me that there has been a lack of them in the current season, which may be why some of the episodes seem (IMO) curiously flat. It's as if something is missing, but you can't put your finger on it - and I think maybe one factor is a lack of good bit parts.

So, what do you think?

Who were some of your favorite "bit players" on CM?

Do you think they actually contributed to the storyline, or was their purpose to add depth, interest, or even a touch of comic relief to the episode?

Did their part add to the characterization of any of the main characters?

Do you think that there has been a shortage of these characters in Season 7? And if so, do you think this has taken something away from the depth or texture of the show?

Comments

[citjara.livejournal.com]

This is a great topic. With all the "great names" and "beloved characters" you tend to forget that it's the small parts that are essential to creating the episode, too. I really loved the neighbour in "What Fresh Hell" - he was totally believeable. I can't really comment whether they have disappeared in S7 (haven't seen any of it), but I do think there's a tendency for those characters to vanish once the regular cast becomes "more interesting" than the plot. This has, in some part, happened to Criminal Minds like most others shows with a couple of seasons on their track record.

I think one wonderful bit player was the Secretary in P911, when they question her about which children have left school at the end of last year and she couldn't remember. She finally does give them helpful info, but before she knows it, the team is gone...

I really liked the hooker in "Memoriam", too - she went from "hitting" on him to having her curiosity piqued by his comment. Though I'm not sure if Reid being so oblivious is also because he is preoccupied with the case. He's not even really into the game he's playing (I think it's Black Jack?) Another character from "The Instincs/Memoriam" would be Diane's doctor. He seemed like the grandfather type you'd trust with your secrets.

I also really liked the tech girl from "Lo-Fi/Mayhem". Her part was a bit more than a "bit", but I like how she worked so well with Garcia and how Garcia seemed to mother her and try to help her deal with all the awful things she sees - and all of it wasn't some huge drama, just acknowledgement that this is part of the job, too. Also in this category of a bit more than a bit would probably be Steven Culp's Lawyer from Tabula Rasa - he was amazing the charocal-grey scene is one of my favorites, ever.

One actress who really worked the one scene (actually, it was two, but one important one) she had was the girl in "The Popular Kids" who confided in Gideon that the kids had seen the tourist decompose for months.

The Landlady from "Scared to Death" who calls in about her missing tenant was fantastic, too. Just the kind of lady you'd think would REALLY keep track of her tenants.

I'll have to do some thinking about this, maybe I can come up with a few more :)

[dhae_knight_1]

I agree! I'm one of a minority who really don't like Hotch/Beth. So Hotch has a girlfriend? Good for him! But, good heavens, did we really need to meet her? I'd rather have spent the time with him and Jack, TBH. CM used to be cases with scattered tidbits about the team. Some episodes lately have seemed like they're team with scattered tidbits of cases, and it makes me sad. :-(

[citjara.livejournal.com]

I could do with sole mentions, too. Just the sense that they do have a private life would be enough.

[nwjarvis.livejournal.com]

I'm kind of neutral for now on the Hotch+Beth thing. It'll depend of where they take it. She'll be OK in small doses but it doesn't need to become a regular plot point or even pop up too often.

[dhae_knight_1]

I just don't see hat her introduction adds to CM? Yes, I agree that Hotch needed to be shown to be getting over the angst of season 5, but giving him a girlfriend was the best way they could think of of doing that? Really? And, on top of that, to do it with a semi-stalker'y introduction of her?

Yeah... I'm not impressed by those storytelling elements. They seem lazy, compared to CM's usual standards. But, like I said, I was cringing the moment Beth appeared, so... I'm difficult. :-D

[citjara.livejournal.com]

As long as some unsub doesn't kill her, they haven't taken the worst turn they can!

[dhae_knight_1]

I cringe at the thought. NCIS already walked that path, and it wasn't pretty. Please to blaze your own trail, CM?

[citjara.livejournal.com]

Ack!

> Though I'm not sure if Reid being so oblivious is also because he is preoccupied with the case.

That should've read:

Though I'm SURE Reid being so oblivious is also because he is preoccupied with the case.

[nwjarvis.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it's because the characters have gotten more interesting, or because the writers have gotten lazier. Now that I look back, I think the trend actually started in Season 6, with the big change in the writing staff.

And I think it's a mistake. As I said in the intro, I think the bit players are an important factor in making the team and the case interesting. I really think the show has always been about the team, but in the past the "glimpses" we got of the team's character were done more indirectly, and it was often their reaction to one of the bit players that gave us that glimpse.

[citjara.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I was being inspecific. I wrote "more interesting", but I meant that the writers focus on them more than on the plot.

Other than that, we concur more or less.

[nwjarvis.livejournal.com]

I think I see what you mean. The writers got more interested in the characters and have somewhat neglected their world-building, e.g. the background characters? If that's anywhere near what you mean, then it's a good thought and I do tend to agree.

[full-metal-ox.livejournal.com]

And nuanced bit characters are one of those extra touches that go toward making a work of fiction seem lived-in, as it were.

[citjara.livejournal.com]

Yes, that kinda what I meant. It's just that as they build the characters, I think there's a tendency to concentrate on them more and more and neglect the plot. It happens on most long(er) running shows (and CM isn't even *that* bad IMHO), with the possible exception of the original L&O, and that was because they had a revolving door for their cast at some point.