CriminalxMinds @ LJ

Ratings are still very string, so I say at least another two seasons.

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It's just that the past two ones have had like 3 comments each. I remember when I had to turn off notifications on these posts. :/

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Yeah - it's never been a particularly active fandom, it's just not that kind of show and I've found myself a bit bored with it. i still like it mostly - but it's no longer exciting.

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It has been! But it seems everyone's just... lost interest, really. Which is sad, really.

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Hah! yeah, I guess there's not much incentive to watch right away, it's just not very exciting anymore.

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meepalicious.livejournal.com

I like this place! I just only come around to discuss eps I liked (or those that I really hated) and the last handful have been "meh," just sort of middling. I liked this one, though.

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I came to the series a little over a year ago and started posting actively after I caught up with all of the past episodes. I can totally understand why long time fans are tuning out. I lived through that in two other fandoms. That said, I am still interested in the series and the ensemble is one of my favorites on TV. There are notable weak links, I've never found Shemar Moore to be a strong actor and Jean Tripplehorn has never been a good fit. I still enjoy the show however. It is different this year. At least it's not shockingly gory in the way it was for a good part of s8. It is more focused on psychological horror and they've made the choice to not always have a horrific ending, a good example being "Route 66" I agree with others who would like to see a more active through story as in past seasons. I think it's getting harder to excite an audience now. We're a bit insensate due to the fictional and non-fictional violence we're all exposed to in our daily lives. Better, quality stories will keep this show strong. The potential is still there. Hopefully tptb will act on it and not let this show fade away with nary a whimper.

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blythechild.livejournal.com

I don't watch the episodes on the nights they air. Sometimes it takes me over a week to catch up, so coming back to an ep-specific comment post seems a little pointless because no one else does and you are essentially talking to yourself. I also have a lot of criticism for this show now, and I'm not sure how welcome that would be here. Perhaps this comm would perk up a bit if a general question were posed for debate or something rather than asking for viewer reaction to current episodes.

Just a thought...

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blythechild.livejournal.com

I completely agree with you re: show needing to get back to better, quality storytelling instead of ratings-linked gore. I think that there is a certain amount of writer exhaustion at work here as well - over 200 episodes means that they've covered a lot of potential storylines already.

As someone above pointed out, CM still does well ratings-wise which means that it is unlikely to be cancelled without something really promising to replace it in the studio pipeline. That said, the cast seem tired and Shemar Moore has gone on record as saying that he wants out after this season.

It would be a wonderful thing to see this show move to a more linear, case-related format where a given case gets spread out over a few episodes instead of having a 'case-of-the-week', but that'll never happen. This show has always been at its strongest when there was an overarching storyline - both case-wise and character-wise - that made viewers eager to tune in to find out what happens next. Right now, you could miss a bunch of episodes and it wouldn't affect your general knowledge of the show <- that's not really the definition of gripping tv, is it?

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It's been a while since we've had a Round Table Monday; you're as free as anyone to toss a topic into the ring.

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I think the series might have one more good season left in it. 10 is a nice round number. With filming on ep 20 currently underway a cancellation this year would leave me feeling very cold as a viewer. I know I haven't been around as long as most of the community members but I have a sense of loyalty to the series and I really do love the characters with the exception of Blake who is just kind of there. Even if CBS only ordered up a short season for next year that would allow for a proper conclusion. it's not the kind of show that can truly wrap up since the events it portrays are creepily ongoing. There will always be crazies out there making the world unsafe. But with proper notice the characters could move on in a plausible way. If Shemar wanted out for example he might be willing to settle for recurring to allow viewers to say good-bye to Morgan. I personally wouldn't miss him all that much. I think Shemar is a pleasure to look at but I don't find Derek a huge contributor most of the time. He's smart but tptb often fail to make his contributions meaningful. Writer's fatigue combined with the fact that shows like this need 'the muscle' Not everyone can be the braniac. I think Derek departing would be most keenly felt in terms of character interaction with Garcia and Reid. Again, an important part of the show but something that could be written around or even used as a device to make those characters grow. The loss of any major character at this point should signal the beginning of the end. CM can go out in style. I just don't think is quite the right time to bid it adieu.

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I did want to comment specifically about this episode.

I had to rewatch today as I couldn't devote full attention last night. What I liked best was Reid's role in the story. It's been a while since he was front and center without actually being the only one on the screen. I liked the final scene between Reid and Marvin, and the ongoing references to his mother. The last bit with the souvenirs was nice. They haven't completely forgotten about character moments this season.

Overall I thought this was an interesting story. Not really a Criminal Minds story though. There was profiling involved but it felt more like a police procedural instead of a more science based based procedural. I use the term loosely as I know 'science' of any kind on TV is pretty shaky most of the time. I think they've had better stories this season and they've also had worse. I've a certain set of expectations for CM and I'm not really looking for something to replace it so I am possibly more easily pleased than most.

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I can think of least one deductive plot hole: a lot of people's first reaction to "2/10" would've been to assume that it was a date (perhaps an anniversary or deadline significant to the UNSUB); that possibility ought at least to have been acknowledged and ruled out.

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Closest thing to interesting past season was Reid's girlfriend plot and they killed that so brutally I just lost all heart for show, characters.

I have a theory--and I'm aware that I risk kindling a wankapalooza by stating it--as to why Maeve was so summarily Stuffed Into The Fridge: the Powers That Be may have observed the tendency of certain elements of the fandom to snarl at nearly every recurring female character on the show (the phrase "Mary Sue" frequently being applied). Seaver got it with compound interest; as did Beth, who was branded a creepy stalker for having the temerity to take the initiative in courting Hotch (there was a vocal contingent hoping that she'd turn out to be the Replicator.) Elle got crap for going Cowboy Cop; Prentiss got it for being the Replacement Goldfish for Elle; Haley got it for breaking Hotch's heart; Blake is getting it for the fact that the writers still seem unsure what to do with her character; J.J's getting it for having Taken a Level in Badass and acquiring additional layers of angsty backstory.

It's possible, therefore, that somebody thought that building up and then killing off a potential love interest for the fandom's designated squeebait would be a well-received move; little did they reckon that a lot of the fandom identified with Maeve. (Significantly, Garcia--for all her eccentricity and plot-induced hacking hypercompetence--seems to enjoy immunity to Sue-calling, and her popularity as a fandom placeholder may be a lot of the reason.)

Edited Date: Mar. 7th, 2014 12:26 am (UTC)

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I enjoyed this episode. It was sort of a Reid episode without really being one. I like that his mom's getting better. Plus, I love magic, hypnotism, illusions, grifting, cons, etc. It was fun.

And the punchline was Reid's mastery of headological Aikido to con the con man: "Nah, I wasn't even born then."

I love the defanging of Smug Snakes.

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Agreed! My first thought was that it was a date also. Of course that wasn't the date of the discovery of the body and then there was a second body with the same date nearby so maybe that's why a date wasn't considered?

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