Some pondering about No Way Out 2

[elizaswain.livejournal.com]

I watched the re-run of the Season 2 finale last night and thought of something. I'm not sure if it's been discussed before.

At the very end, when Strauss (the blonde boss-woman) is interviewing Hotchner, he gives her a brief rundown of the team to show how well he knows them. He says something like, "Prentiss tries hard to fit in, but it's not necessary." Then Strauss gives Prentiss the "turn Hotch in" speech. I remember last year thinking that she just targeted Prentiss because she's the newest, or because of her mother, or something like that.

But now I'm wondering if Strauss chose Prentiss because Hotch mentioned her need to fit in, and she took advantage of that. Or maybe she even led Hotch right into that, by egging him on until he talked about his team, so she could figure out which one would be most likely to turn on him.

What do you think? Or am I giving Strauss more credit than I should?

Comments

[emploding.livejournal.com]

Yep, me too. Emily got the job without actually being hired, meaning that someone up the top put her there.

[mcgarrygirl78.livejournal.com]

I disagree about Strauss being the reason Emily is in the BAU. She earned her FBI stripes in other locations like everyone else. I think Strauss thought about a combination of politics and Emily's newness. She probably mistakenly thought Emily was like her mother and would do anything she needed to to get to the top of the BAU heap one day, even the head of the FBI. She mistakenly thought Emily was like her too. Of course she's not and that's why even though she was the newest on the team, she fit in really well and despite her concerns about it, Hotch knew she fit in too. He was also onto Strauss.

[batgurl88]

I definitely saw it as Strauss being the one to put Emily in the BAU (even though Emily wasn't aware of it until this episode). Straus said right out that she put Emily in the BAU (though, I'm sure Strauss embellished on other people thinking Emily was too "reckless" for the team, in order to make Emily feel even more in her debt). Hotch even said in 'In Name and Blood' that Strauss "put you on our team and she expected something in return".

Strauss definitely misjudged Prentiss, though. :)