Is it just me or has this season had the most random breaks ever?

[a_blackpanther]

This is the discussion post for Episode 8x20 - "Alchemy". Watch out for SPOILERS in the comments.

Comments

[diemme.livejournal.com]

Chad, you've forgotten the first rule - having sex=getting killed off.

[diemme.livejournal.com]

Isn't that Ivanova?

[ruralstar.livejournal.com]

It is Ivanova. Such a treat to see her after all these years.

[diemme.livejournal.com]

B5 wasn't the same without her.

This was a good episode. I love that Rossi isn't afraid to get up all in Reid's business.

[ruralstar.livejournal.com]

I've always liked Rossi since he joined the cast. His natural inclination seems to be to hold back when it comes to personal issues involving the rest of the team. Hotch is the exception, perhaps because they were both married and have now both lost someone. I liked that Rossi was the one to make an overt step to help Reid through this process. Clearly, Hotch and Morgan noticed but their relationship with Reid is different. This worked for me. I think the viewers got a bonus watching MGG and JM share some very emotional scenes. Nice to see them playing off of one another so well.

[ruralstar.livejournal.com]

For me this was one of the best episodes of s8. I thought MGG did some awesome directing work. A variety of camera angles and lens work, hand held and crane shots. The classic eyeball through the keyhole, Tess floating in eerie silence in the pond, and that crazy spin in to the library in the last scene.

I'm always amazed when an actor is directing and still manages to be an integral part of the story. MGG did a better job of this than TG earlier this season. Nothing against the latter, there was just more for MGG to play. And play he did. I adored the two scenes with JM and the last scene in the library was truly heartbreaking. I don't know if we'll see any more overt references to Maeve. Given the history of the show I'm guessing future mentions will be more in passing in regards to a case. I would love to be wrong.

I haven't been a fan from the beginning as some of you have. I understand that fans who live through a series do have a different take than those who came to it later and caught up via dvd/netflix. I've been on both sides of that fence. So as a newbie I'll just say that this is the kind of creepy, psychological mind-screw that I think CM does best. I'm all for less gore (the Good Earth anyone?) and more cerebral.

[techbychance.livejournal.com]

I agree with almost everything you said but I’d like to add something to this aspect:

MGG did a better job of this than TG earlier this season. Nothing against the latter, there was just more for MGG to play.

They certainly have different styles of directing but don’t forget that this was the fifth episode MGG directed over the course of the last four seasons while it was TG’s first take at directing since he directed two episodes of Dharma&Greg twelve years ago. So MGG has more recent practice with his directing.

I remember an interview (like this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrhV4WTHDM4), though in written form and from earlier) a few years ago when MGG said he found it very difficult to direct himself as an actor because he constantly had to switch perspective. And indeed, the first few episodes directed by MGG didn’t have much Reid in it and due to the additional workload on MGG, Reid was barely there in the episodes airing before and after the ones he had directed as well. In fact, I am amazed just how much of Reid we got in this episode, seeing especially since it was directed by MGG. I’d say he has improved a lot in being able to handle that double duty and I don’t think it’s fair to compare TG’s first take on a CM episode as a director with this.

[ruralstar.livejournal.com]

You make a good point about this being MGG's 5th experience and only TG's first after a long time. No offense meant regarding Thomas Gibson. I enjoy his work on CM very much.

Now if CBS would just give us the green light for at least one more year to wrap everything up....

[techbychance.livejournal.com]

No offense taken, I just wanted to add a little information, especially since you said you've been catching up via DVD/netflix.

And I'm sure CBS will renew CM soon enough.

[omgnowwhat.livejournal.com]

Ok, this is war! MGG has direct more CM, but TG is a better actor and the camera dose love him. Where sometime MGG dose not come out as strong.

[annievh.livejournal.com]

I didn't know MGG was going to direct again this season, what a nice surprise! His episodes are always good. And this season has been so weak I could use a good episode.

Not happy

[omgnowwhat.livejournal.com]

MGG need to do something different, something more of a fast action. It seems that they give him the same old thing every time. Ross/Reid thing was cool, but trying to find the unsub was boring and it drag with not much ACTION. Time to grow up and do something different. Give him a chance, I'm sure he could do it.

[techbychance.livejournal.com]

Well, he did direct Lauren, which was quite different.

[mycha-kk.livejournal.com]

I liked the episode, it was creepy (they usually are when MGG is directing...) and surprisingly I liked Reid/Rossi scenes. Well mostly because of Rossi. Don't get me wrong I love Reid and MGG, but I just feel we only get angsty Reid stories and I frankly have enough of that. For once I'd like to see him happy, not always getting over some crap that has happened to him. I was really dreading this episode when I learned we'll be seeing Reid trying to deal with Meave's death (I wish so much it hadn't happened that way with them, such a waste...), but surprisingly I liked the story. And I liked the story of the unsub, it was with a twist so it was interesting enough to me. I don't mind there wasn't much action. Definitely one of the best episodes this season, although I enjoyed Restoration way much more than this.

[meepalicious.livejournal.com]

This episode felt more like a horror movie and less like a crime drama to me … all of the creepy shots of the hallway had me tweeting stuff like "what is this, the Overlook Hotel? #CriminalMinds" while I was watching it. It was a good episode, but there's a reason I watch crime shows and not horror movies, brr. I thought the "twist" at the end was pretty boring, too.

[eiko82.livejournal.com]

This episode was creepy good. Felt so bad for Tess. She already lost her son and to discover you were being used like that, I guess it really was the straw that broke the camel's back.

The scene at the end with Reid and Maeve was heartbreaking. I still feel sad that those two didn't get a happy ending.