Question

[lethendy.livejournal.com]

I have a question/comment on this week's episode (and back story). Behind a cut for

Did anybody else find it odd that with a case involving children, and the obvious family themes - Reid and his Mom, JJ's baby - that Hotch's son was not mentioned once. No reference from Hotch about being a father?

Or maybe I'm the only one who finds it strange. I'm fairly new to the series, so maybe that's why it strikes me as odd

Comments

[mahoni.livejournal.com]

I was waiting for some kind of reference, too, but when it didn't happen I figured that it must have been one of those things where they already had JJ empathizing outright so it might have seemed like overkill to have Hotch say something too.

But I was still waiting for it. :P

[flynn-boyant.livejournal.com]

While it is odd that Jack didn't get a mention, I think part of it might be due to the fact that an overwhelming theme of the episode was mothers and motherhood. Particularly, mothers and sons.

They were creating parallels between all the mothers I felt.
JJ and Michael's Mother
--Women who face the frightening reality of the people out there who would seek to take or harm their children.
Diana Reid and The Unsub
--Mentally ill women who struggled to stay healthy for the sake of their children.

Thematically, there really wasn't a place for Hotch and his particular situation. Maybe next week, when Reid's father becomes part of the story, we'll get some mention about fatherhood from Hotch.

*shrugs*
Just a theory.

[heatherbird.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping for more Hotchness next week, too.

[mahoni.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that's a really good point, about the mother-son & motherhood theme.

[lethendy.livejournal.com]

Excellent point!

[knit.livejournal.com]

I was kind of wondering that too. Because wouldn't Jack be about the same age as the victims? Plus there was when Micheal's mother said how he didn't know how she felt. I kind of got the impression that she meant more that he didn't have a son.

*shrug*

[anomalous1.livejournal.com]

I felt the same way, I was waiting for Hotch to say "uh, I DO have a son."

[parisntripfan.livejournal.com]

I saw it more as "have you ever lost a child?" then "you don't have kids so you don't what we are going through"

And in that regard, they would right. Something happening to Jack may be the stuff of Hotch's nightmares but so far they are still just that. Nightmares. Not something he has lived through.

[knit.livejournal.com]

I guess that's probably how it was meant to sound. The other way is just how I assessed the situation.

[mcgarrygirl78.livejournal.com]

While Hotch may not have said anything, his body language spoke volumes. At least I think it did. When Michael's mother said he didnt know what he was going through, it looked as if she shot him, but just for a fraction of a moment. And when they called him to say it wasnt the right guy....he was more emotional than I have seen Hotch in a long time. This case definitely affected him. I dont think he had to mention Jack's name once for that to be seen. That's what made his happiness with his team at the end even more of a win for me.

[antoinettemason.livejournal.com]

this. it was pretty clear in the moments you mentioned that hotch was affected by the case. i also don't think it would have been appropriate for him to have mentioned jack after the mother's comment, not because he couldn't empathize but because the team's focus was on the family's predicament. personally, i love that cm has moments like that where they show rather than tell.

[lethendy.livejournal.com]

You're right about his body language - those subtle hints are what make TG such an incredible actor - he never overdoes it.

[spence-reid.livejournal.com]

Hotch doesn't seem to like talking about Jack. I think it hurts him too much. Plus, he's all: I have to be the leader and they can't see any weakness in me. In that line of work, emotion can quickly become over emotion, I think.

Kinda OT but...

[leianora.livejournal.com]

The very first scene, and the one where that song Shelter from the Storm was playing near the end, what was going on visually? Sorry to bug you guys about this again... Both of those scenes confused me, and I'm not sure if I was missing anything significant. In a show like this, where the smallest details can sometimes matter the most, I try not to take such pauses in verbal interaction for granted.

[parisntripfan.livejournal.com]

I think because it wasn't really relevant to the story. As been said, the themes of this episode were more centered on mothers and sons.

And while Hotch is a parent and may have nightmares about the evil things that could happen to his son, Jack has never gone missing. So even though he is a parent, he still didn't really know what the parents were feeling at that moment.

I think that if Hotch had said something "Yes, I know what you are feeling, I have a son myself," both of them would have said some version of what I said above. Hotch knew that, so he wisely kept quiet.

JJ, they couldn't hide the fact that she was pregnant. So they worked it into the story.

Now maybe next week, we might get more hear more about Hotch being a daddy. For example, giving advice to will about changing a baby's diapers and the thing you have to watch out for when changing a boy...

[lethendy.livejournal.com]

I wasn't so much expecting him to come right out and say something about Jack, more that he would be in the background in one scene on his cellphone talking to him or Haley. Reassuring himself that Jack was OK.

Aaah, changing a boy...fun times ;)