observations

[ohshiznaps.livejournal.com]

I was watching some early-season re-runs on A&E last night, and the early episodes of the show make me smile. i'm glad to see the show progress to where it is now.

here are a few things i noticed that are different from now, feel free to add on/ discuss:

Hotch and Elle chemistry. 

Reid's combed back, shorter hair

Reid's short sleeved button up plaid shirts

Morgan with hair.

Hotch making jokes

"Spence" / oddly maternal JJ

green screen flash backs to unsub behavior while explaining

Comments

[oddestoneout.livejournal.com]

I used to love the green screen flashes, I don't know what anybody else felt about them, but I definitely miss them.

and a happy, joking Hotch is something that I miss dearly. And I too noticed the Hotch and Elle chemistry.

[akitron.livejournal.com]

I miss Spencer's old hair. It was so sweet.
And RIP joking Hotch :( Life has been so shitty for him of late.

[infinitycluster.livejournal.com]

I noticed some things too, even though I'm not sure if we saw the same episodes.

I noticed Jason setting up Reid to ask JJ on a date with the redskins tickets, like a father-figure giving Reid the chance to "practice" talking to women in a different way. In that episode Reid seemed particularly upset by Morgan picking on him saying he can't get a date, and I thought it was sweet that Jason picked up on that.

I never saw Morgan with hair, I missed that.

I noticed Penelope openly leering at Morgan at a bar, rather than the friendly flirting they generally do. It was kind of sad to me for some reason.

I noticed that Reid seemed a lot more nerdy with the original hair and demeanor, and a lot more clueless. Now Reid looks exactly like Matthew does off-set. I'm not complaning, I think he's baeautiful, but its harder to see him as awkward when he is in character but still looks like a fashion model.

[failegaidin.livejournal.com]

I'm glad it wasn't just me who noticed the Hotch/Elle chemistry. 'Cause seriously...sometimes it was uber strong.

[call-me-ps.livejournal.com]

In the first few eps, at least, Morgan wears suits. Now, the only one who regularly wears suits is Hotch. Reid's sense of fashion has also progressed to the point where they now have him dressing pretty nicely which actually as much as my eyes enjoy it sort of irritates me from a character continuity standpoint.

[infinitycluster.livejournal.com]

lol, sup icon twin. I like yours better actually.

I liked the green screen flashes too.

[call-me-ps.livejournal.com]

Haha. I said almost this exact same thing. SO with you on that.

[call-me-ps.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I picked up on how young, relaxed, happy and smiley Hotch was in those first few eps, too. Man, oh man I had completely forgotten he ever WAS that way. Now he's more Gideon. Old, tired, seen it all... Makes me sad.

Also, rewatching Extreme Aggressor I realized that Haley suggested Dharma as a name for their child and it made me LOL IRL.

[infinitycluster.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he looks amazing but it just seems somehow less Reid. I mean, they have a turbo-hottie running around with a gun, and the other agents all treat him like a reject from Revenge of the Nerds.

It reminds me of how no one sees that Clark Kent is Superman because of the glasses.

[cloudzrshibby.livejournal.com]

I loved the green screen stuff.

I never really saw Hotch/Elle chemistry, but that's mainly because Elle annoyed the crap out of me and I like to believe those where the happy times Hotch had with Hayley.

I also loved Hotch joking. He smiles a lot in the first season, too. He's just all around not as tense/boarder-line douchey.

Reid's hair bothered me so much. Like, I know he was sick and everything at the time, but it really only made him look worse. Of course, right now I'm not diging MGG's hair either, as its also making him look sick. I think between seasons 2 and 4 were the best times of his hair.

Also, I still kinda wish JJ refered to Reid as "Spence". It totally cut some of the show's tension. It also added to her motherly character.

[cloudzrshibby.livejournal.com]

Also, rewatching Extreme Aggressor I realized that Haley suggested Dharma as a name for their child and it made me LOL IRL.

I never picked up on that till you said it and now I can't stop loling. xD

[akitron.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I don't want him to go off the deep end like Gideon did though. I would cry so hard.

ALSO UGH HALEY NO.

[imadoctornotalj.livejournal.com]

I totally miss the green screen unsub behavior! I used to think it was so cool. I also miss Gideon. Because, um, I'm secretly in love with him his character made the show for me. It doesn't completely seem like the original Criminal Minds without him (as badass as Rossi is.)

I also miss Reid's original style. Don't get me wrong, he is so totally hot with his current one, but he doesn't seem so much like a total geek genius. Like he seems to know what he's doing in the looks department, and it's weird nobody around him notices it. Though, he's been through a lot more than that young, naive little nerd back in the first season, so I don't totally blame him for changing hairstyles.

And Hotch, his happiness. It was the best. <3

[call-me-ps.livejournal.com]

She still does. In one of this season's eps I noticed it for sure.

I also greatly miss the Morgan/Garcia banter which got lost somewhere between the beginning of S4 (hello "Girl you are my God given salvation. Don't you EVER stop talking to me") and now. I don't know what happened.

AND AND AND the witty way Garcia answered the phone. She is all just "Garcia here" or "speak" nowadays. Lazy writers. Lazy. Our girl is far cooler than that.

[infinitycluster.livejournal.com]

I also think it would kick ass if they wrote in more moments where Reid does magic tricks.

[kissmecait17.livejournal.com]

mainly because Elle annoyed the crap out of me

Agreed. My mother is an Elle uber-fan and I don't get it.

[cloudzrshibby.livejournal.com]

I've only caught it once this entire season. She calls him "Spence" in that episode with Gavin Rossdale (or however you spell his name). "The Performer" was what it was called, right? But yeah. That was the first time I had heard it in a while.

And yeah. Idk what happened to their friendship. Its kinda...not flirty anymore? I don't get it. I dunno. Maybe she's just mad about him getting all lovey-dovey with that chick who's brother died. It was sweet when she did the office for him, though. :3

And yeah, Garcia seems less...Garcia-y. I miss when she was all "YAY~" with, like, EVERYTHING.

[cloudzrshibby.livejournal.com]

I don't it either. Her character was so detatched and...idk.

[iamtheliquorr.livejournal.com]

Hotch and Elle chemistry.

YES YES YES

I have never been able to get on the Hotch/Prentiss bandwagon b/c Hotch/Elle will be my OTP forever. And I think I actually started shipping them even harder after the arc when she went vigilante and left. It would be such hot and dysfunctional drama, omg. It's still fresh in my mind since I just marathoned the whole series a month ago, so perhaps I'd feel differently if I'd been watching all along, but i doubt it.

I love that someone else sees it.

Hotch making jokes

I miss this, too! Poor guy. He's really had a hard time. I'd be more than happy to comfort him, however

[ladybast.livejournal.com]

I assumed their relationship changed because of Morgan temporarily taking the lead position on the team. There was one episode where they were once again on the plane and Morgan called her sweetheart or sweet girl and then corrected himself.

[iamtheliquorr.livejournal.com]

I'm a stan and I could attempt to explain... but when I try to explain why I like less popular characters in other fandoms it usually doesn't help much. What one person likes might be what puts off another.

I love Elle because precisely because she's so detached and snarky and not at all warm and personable. She's pretty much a stone-cold bitch all the time and I like that. But I also sensed there were deeper layers that we never really got to see because she wasn't with us for a very long time. As a fanfic writer, she's my favorite to write, because she's one of the most intriguing to try to unravel the layers and figure out what makes her tick.

I much prefer Hotch/Elle to Hotch/Prentiss b/c frankly, I just can't seem to see what everyone else is seeing. I wanted to like them because they're so popular and my girl isn't coming back but it just didn't happen. So I still hang onto my OTP b/c they're both so similar... they're not particularly open books, both deeply damaged but not one to let on, and both dealt with that damage in very different ways. I would love to see how they'd interact after the ordeal Hotch went through with Foyet. And yes, I have started writing that fic lol.

[nytekit.livejournal.com]

Are you kidding me?! I was watching it, too, and doing the exact same thing! Making comparisons with then and now, with the "Spence" thing being at the top of the list. I also noticed we get a lot less team-fun episodes now. They don't party or go out together much anymore.

[eiko82.livejournal.com]

THIS!

Actually, I wouldn't mind a bit more group fun/relaxed moments like this or when they all watched Charlie Chaplin in Gideon's office.

[infinitycluster.livejournal.com]

I love how Hotch just rolls with it and walks away smiling while Reid looks sheepishly proud of himself. So cute!

[infinitlight.livejournal.com]

On Elle: word to your mutha.

I really like her cranky side, I think it differentiates her from every other "nice" character on tv. I think several of the things about her character that bugged people would have been further explained if she'd stayed on the show (the casting info gave some pretty pertinent information on her backstory).