This episode is about something. I have no idea what it is.

[a_blackpanther]

This is the discussion post for Episode 8x19 - "Pay It Forward". Watch out for SPOILERS in the comments.

Comments

[ruralstar.livejournal.com]

Got a copy of this earlier today. I actually liked it a lot. Decent team episode even with an obvious lack of MGG. I would assume because he would have been prepping Alchemy during the shooting of this episode. No specific spoilers from me. It was your basic stand alone. Next week's looks very interesting. And dare I hope for some fall out from Maeve's death? Here's hoping the spoilers are right.

[runriggers.livejournal.com]

I thought there was a lack of Morgan and JJ in parts of the show

[ruralstar.livejournal.com]

I noticed a very distinct blocking pattern for scenes where MGG/Reid should have been there but probably wasn't. A lot of close-ups that might have ordinarily been broader shots. I agree about Morgan and JJ as well now that I've seen the ep for a second time. Hopefully a lot of the latter 2 in Alchemy. I'll be happy for just one decent scene addressing Reid's reaction to Maeve's death. With MGG directing the ep promises to be creepy. "Lauren" seems to be the exception rather than the rule for his work.

I noticed in tonight's ep there were actually a lot of light moments, particularly from Rossi. "Was it my cologne?", "I think the head lacking a body, and the body lacking a head..." (can't remember the rest of the quote) I found myself smirking quite a few times. Then there was Garcia "donning her snorkel and goggles and diving back in." *laughs*

I loved how everyone's skeletons kept falling out of the closet. The ep wasn't their finest but it was solid IMO..

[paksenarrion2.livejournal.com]

This season has been very uneven for me. Some good episodes, some bad.

But I'm done. I actually rather like the episode right up until the end. The writers pissed me off when they made the whole unsub storyline revolve around the rape and have it turn out to be a case of a false report. Women vastly underreport rape in the first place, many from fear that they won't be believed. Rape culture is alive and well in the US, and the trope of the false rape report contributes to it. It was a cheap ploy and makes me so angry I wanted to throw something at my TV.

At least I'll always have the first six seasons on DVD.

[ruralstar.livejournal.com]

I don't disagree about rapes being under reported and the fear amongst women. Unfortunately, false accusations are made out of fear as well, as was the case with the female character in this week's episode. She was 16 and afraid of her father when the incident occurred. Coming forward after her lover's death would have served no purpose whatsoever in her mind. She could not see the value of clearing his good name in the face of what her own parents might do. I know this is fiction but kids make stupid decisions every day and don't always do the right thing later in life. Compared to something like "The Good Earth" which was positively gruesome and nutty, this ep had plausibility even if it was morally distasteful.

Just a thought.

[paksenarrion2.livejournal.com]

False rape accusation are a very small percentage, especially when compared to the large number of rapes that go unreported due to the fear that they won't be believed. I don't care about the reasons used to fit the storyline, they used it out of convenience. It's a part of rape culture and it is something that I don't want to watch and don't expect from a TV show that I used to respect for the quality of the writing and story telling.

And with everything that has gone on in the past couple of weeks with respect to kids and rape/rape culture, this was especially jarring. I watch TV to escape and yeah, some of the shows I watch are gory or have horrific story lines. But when they start using rape culture to sell a story line? That's when I say goodbye. Clearly other people will feel differently and that is their right. But I have sent an email to the writer and to Erica Messer as well. Hopefully they will think twice before using something like this again.

[philstar22.livejournal.com]

This, so much. They didn't have to do that. And false reports of rape are such a tiny fraction of the number of rapes that given the news lately it pisses me off that they went there.

And the thing is, considering what we get of the the actual story, it feels pretty coercive anyway, particularly given when it happened. I'd have to know more, but I'd probably suspect that it really was rape anyway.

[annievh.livejournal.com]

I am going to rant a bit now people, and this opinion may be a bit "unpopular", so sorry if I offend anyone.

Thinking back eight seasons of this show, I think this was the very first time a false rape accusation was used in a plot. And even so, the woman who made the accusation was afraid of retaliation by her apparently abusive father. So even her false accusation was the product of female hate and sexual oppression - since her father probably thought having consesual sex made her daughter unworthy and it was better to be raped than consent to sex.

But that was my take on the plot.

[meepalicious.livejournal.com]

This is the second episode in a row that I haven't even finished because I didn't care. Ugh. Now there's another, what? two week? wait until maybe something interesting will happen.

[eiko82.livejournal.com]

I liked this episode 'til it was revealed that the girl made a false rape statement. That was just so unnecessary.