RE: 1, we're just supposed to know he's some bigwig at the FBI. They didn't give us much more than that.

RE: 2, I don't believe Reid had suffered anything recently to warrant his being "given slack" by the team. They were hard on him because he was over identifying with the unsub and taking it out on those he's working with. He was letting his emotions cloud his judgment on the job for which he rightly was reprimanded.