Other things may change us, but we start and end with family...

[a_blackpanther]

This is the discussion post for Episode 7x16 - "A Family Affair". Watch out for SPOILERS in the comments.

Comments

[gen-is-gone.livejournal.com]

Well, not every relationship on the show has to has to come about as the result of a case.

[gsyh.livejournal.com]

Um, Rossi and Gideon's relationships with Caroyln and Sarah Jacobs did not came about as a result of a case, but they did tied into the rest of the universe and storyline. My point is, storytelling, you don't want to have a loose end flapping around on center stage. It's cool if the characters have lives that have nothing to do with the case or the people they work with, but why are we being shown this?

Like, Kevin and Garcia, when he surprised her in her apartment, that scene serves a purpose, not only those it shows that Kevin probably have some social understanding problems, /how much/ Garcia got jumpy is a continuity of her having been shot by someone she was dating. When we saw them post-coital, as cute as OMGXANDER is, that scene ties into the rest of the universe because Rossi walked into Garcia's apartment, so the Kevin/Garcia thing isn't just hanging loose away from the rest of the story.


tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheLawOfConservationOfDetail


...and Chehov's Gun:

tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChekhovsGun

...is why so many people perceive Beth as an unsub: the last time we saw a character given this much screen time solely as a love interest is the douche who shot Garcia.



...because THIS:

We have 42 minutes. If we give a detail, it better be important.

Especially considering the huge ensemble cast! Think about it, the BAU not only work together, they hang out after work, this is because they are close and they are a family, but storytelling wise, it's because there are so many characters and we get to see more of them overall if we don't cram in additional loose end friends that no other character is connected to. Giving a character friends and family adds realism, but if you aren't careful about who you use to give them relationships, like, with other main characters, even if it means ( tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EveryoneIsRelated)Everyone Is Related...you are going to end up with something like Naruto:
tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters

Haley Hotchner was awesome, she felt real, and her appearances have a storytelling purposes: the strain of BAU on private life, apparently cops have a high divorce rate, and according to John Douglas, it's even worse for the FBI. Plus, because Haley have been married with Hotch for so long, both of them knew Gideon so long that she suggested Gideon as a baby name, and Rossi knows Haley for a long time too.