Criminal Minds Season 6 Episode 12

Corazon is yet another good episode of season six of Criminal Minds. I've always loved Criminal Minds for the psychology as well as the characters. The most interesting of the characters are Hotchner, Reid and Morgan, the rest are mediocre. The best of the episodes are the ones that focus on those big three if you ask me. This episode helped show just how interesting and strong of a character Reid is seeing as he single-handedly carried this episode with little help from Morgan and the others. Matthew Gray Gubler once again showed off his acting skills. The crime story-line was great as well because I've always found ritualistic murders extremely interesting and this ritual was so incredible that i couldn't help but look into other real rituals that are comparable to the one in the episode. Corazon seems to be hit or miss with everyone but it was a hit for me and one of my favorite episodes of this season.

Sure, we'll never get near the level of awesome that was Revelations, but compared to some of the other episodes we've had this season, this one is definitively a step in the good direction.





And looks like this wasn't the famous episode revealing Reid's secret after all... we're left to speculate once again! And now that we know it's apparently nothing physical, and since I do not believe CBS is stupid enough to think we'll buy a schizophrenic FBI agent...we have some serious thinking to do.





All in all, wonderful episode. We saw more of Reid, we got back to profiling like the show used to, and Seaver was in the background for pretty much all the episode. I wish I could say her few lines were at least great ones, but alas I cannot. 'Is that blood?' Seriously? Huh.

Dr. Reid is my favorite character and I've been waiting for a Reid-centric episode for sooo long! After watching "Corazon" I have to say I REALLY liked the ep.


With the exception of Seaver's presence (since when do FBI cadets present profiles? and more importantly, why did the scene in the plane had to involve her and not someone who actually knows and cares about Reid?) I felt the ep was very interesting, and MGG acting was INCREDIBLE, especially in the last scene!!!


Now, I'm only hoping for 2 things: first that they get rid of Seaver soon, and second that they don't give Reid schizophrenia 'cause there is no way he can continue in the BAU with that disease!! I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

This was definitely my least favorite episode in a long while, but it was still quite good. I enjoyed the case, but it was a bit too graphic for me. I don't mind a little bit of the horror, but not too much.





The Reid headache thing was not really exciting. It was emphasised way too much in this episode. I like Reid a lot, but this storyline didn't do anything for me.





This seaason has still been good, but I do not recommend this particular episode. The show surely will bounce back from this, because it is just awesome, and I am sure next week will be better than this one.

I've been reading the reviews of this episode, and a lot of things about it in forums. I have to say, I really liked the entire premise and how things have been set up for the future.





Reid is a genius, yes, but he is also a person who had a lack of emotional support growing up. To add to that, he knows he has a risk of developing a mental illness, and sees in his work every day how such issues can play out in the worst way. I've always seen him as a caring and sensitive person, but awkward with his emotions. In this episode, I feel like we see this played out beautifully.





The build up regarding the headaches and Reid's thought process was really wonderful. He never mentions the headaches to the team, and remember he managed to hide his Dilaudid addiction for quite some time, so although people notice he is "off" at some points, he has masked things well enough to have them ignored. His "visions" are all, from what I could see, his brain reviewing what he has seen and attempting to make connections as usual... but with the pain and all, it seems like things are sluggish and odd to him, and he cannot really process anything in the way he is used to.





His mistake is in not talking about what he is experiencing. His fear that he might be considered "crazy" overshadows his intellect, which must tell him he should let others know he may be at risk or a risk to the team. Herein lies the fatal flaw of our hero... this episode illustrated Reid's belief that he is only worth something if he is perfect, and that he would be worthless if he showed a weakness. Considering that Hotch flew and worked in the field with a very painful inner ear injury, it's not surprising in many ways. But there is also the build up from Reid's story, showing that he is lost when coping with his own emotions, and is accustomed to being perfect and caring for himself, for fear of being thought inadequate or that it may be a sign of a worsening condition. In the end, he makes the connection and solves the case... but at what cost? His pain and difficulty lead him to make incredibly poor decisions. (Walking out of the house without telling anybody he thinks the house across the street has something to do with the case? Bad career move to say the least.) By denying his problems he is putting himself at risk, and also potentially his team members and the cases they work on. I agree his reaction to the doctor is upsetting and disturbing. But it was very well written and completely accurate. Many people would react with denial and panic if some sort of mental health issue is suggested as a cause for their problems. Reid has experience that shows him how frightening that can be, and a belief that he cannot allow his mind to show any "weakness." I worked in the mental health system for many years, and have seen psychologists and psychiatrists who have been unable to admit they have issues because of similar reasons. So, from here, what may happen? Do we wind up with another "plot hole" like Reid's addiction, where it is alluded to but never really seen through? Or will we see how Reid is called on his stuff, and forced to confront his own inner demons so he can finally cope with them and grow? Or, will he refuse to hear that call, and wind up in a situation like Elle, compromising himself so much that the boy genius becomes a very real liability to the team?





The mind boggles...

After far too long a wait, there's a new Criminal Minds episode, and, we're promised, a chance to delve into the character of fan favorite Dr. Spencer Reid. Yessssss! The shouts of excitement and anticipation are louder than the towel waving crowds at Heinz Stadium during the Playoffs. Since MGG's injury last season it has been far too long since we've seen Reid at his best, putting together the clues while bringing the team together as eps that surround his character seem to do. Yep, they all pull together for Reid – see Derailed, Revelations, Memoriam. We've missed that camaraderie, that family feeling that he inspires, and cannot wait to see what this 'headache and hallucinations' thing is really about. They've promised us secrets this year, and, frankly, we've seen precious few in and among the eps that have strained our credulity, have stifled our praise and have given us absolutely nothing to cheer about and a ridiculous new character to despise. Okay, so maybe the anticipation had us get our hopes up way too high because now they've been crushed on the jagged rocks of stupidity. Too dramatic, you say? Well, I had managed to drum up a positive attitude about Corazon, so you'll have to forgive me my bitterness.





Scene 1 – not a bad set up, if you ask me. Reid fidgeting alone in a hospital waiting room, head down, shades on, mismatched socks in evidence. Nice directing of the disjointed montage scenes. I'm still excited, wondering what kind of diagnosis our hero is getting. A blinding headache for "not long," just two days, yikes! Sounds like some of my more persistent migraines. But then I look around and see … no one. Okay, Reid's a big boy; he doesn't need big brother Morgan to hold his hand, or weird Aunt Penelope. The loneliness factor tugs at the heartstrings, so, good, okay, let's go!





Scene 2 – and we're suddenly making a wrong turn down a one-way street that has Garcia playing JJ once again. Oh, come on! I thought we were over this need to pretend that wild child, soft hearted Garcia could possibly step into JJ's stiletto professionalism? And, yep, there's the blaring car horn – Garcia's mouth opens up and cheapens the horrible degradation of mutilated bodies showing up behind her.





And here's where it all slides down into the sinkhole where bad episodes reside – not only because Cadet Trainee Expert Profiler Mary Sue Seaver won't go back to the academy where she belongs, not only because Garcia isn't JJ and no one seems to notice, not only because my favorite characters no longer have any more depth to them than cardboard cutouts of the deeply involving characters they used to be. It is all that, but it's also the fact that these mind-numbingly boring people are simply saying lines to each other, trotting out words and phrases and clauses about murders and death and Island religion cum Catholicism that should be riveting and frightening and horrifying ... and it just ... isn't.





Reid sits alone in the dark on the plane. I realize he's in character here, hurting so much he doesn't want to move or speak, really - those headaches are like that. But that also means there is no spark, no glimpse of that Reid character we love, for plot's sake. And that means all our wishes for some good angst, or good-natured protectiveness, or ANY emotional attachment goes out the window.





The characters are barely interacting. They're even barely moving in some scenes, just standing there across mutilated remains or horrible photos mouthing lines. Reid and Morgan sit across from a man clutching a Chihuahua and seem half-asleep. Hotch, wait, Hotch is here somewhere, isn't he? Holding up that suit very nicely, but never really leading. Rossi ... well, he holds up Reid's vest at the end, so he's there, too. And, in what should be a dramatic, scary, surreal scene, Reid sits across the table from a chanting, possessed voodoo priest and has absolutely no reaction.





Huh? There were so many times I thought to myself, they're dragging me along in this ep, explainy, talky, making conclusions about the unsub while staring at each other and I'm along for the ride. And it's not like a roller coaster ride, or even a nice, casual spin through the country. Nope. It's a boring, sighing, jerky, stop and go trip to work through bad traffic on a Tuesday morning – when the end is nowhere even in sight.





Sure, Reid puts together all the clues in a way that only that famous brain can – I suppose some might call them hallucinations, but it looks more like stream of consciousness to me. Still wondering why he takes off his vest, but I digress. That scene in the boarded up home was awkward and badly acted all around. Reid doesn't seem clever or hero-ish or particularly angsty – just kinda pathetic. The Unsub is a moron whose character they didn't even attempt to flesh out. Wham, bam, no thank you ma'am, and it's over. Oh, Hotch has an almost important insight into Reid's health.





Last Scene – This is where the train comes off the rails for good. No physical cause of your ailment, Dr. Reid. Psychosomatic. Reid's afraid the doc's talking about mental illness – apparently, that's why he's been so upset: Mother Diana's schizoid tendencies are making him sweat. The nice, startled doctor watches the supposedly intelligent agent storm off.





So, I ask again, where are we and where are we going? Hotch should already be on the phone to get Reid checked out. Reid should be confined to a desk until these headaches abate. Reid should have turned in his gun the minute he realized he could not be trusted to aim it in the right direction. Migraines, brain tumor, food allergies, poison, voodoo – heck, I'd accept anything at this point that didn't turn Reid into the wallpaper, background only 'desk guy' while Super Duper Agent Ashley went into the field with all the other experts in his place. And where else can we be going? Are we doing the psych route? Because that will get him canned in a heartbeat! And with the lack of compassion on anyone's part in this ep, I'm sure the rest of the team would shrug, nod knowingly and say, "Well, it had to happen sometime," while they skipped merrily off with newbie Seaver.





What are the writers doing? Writing themselves into another corner like they did with Reid's drug addiction? What could possibly happen in the next ep to keep Reid in the field with the team?





I'm guessing this malady will simply *pop* disappear. When in doubt, pretend it never happened, right CM writers? That was some secret, huh viewers? On to the next plot.





The secret is how this show could still be getting such high reviews, here and in the Nielsens.

It feels like ages since we last saw an episode of 'Criminal Minds' and it's a whole lot longer than that since we saw a decent one.





Most Reid-centric episodes have been excellent; well written and acted but this one almost put me to sleep. What exactly do the writers think they are putting together these days? It certainly isn't quality television.





First of all, Garcia's witty banter and tasteless remarks were way out of line and NOT the way Garcia would normally behave. How often have we seen her shy away from the horrors, shut her eyes and hide in her office to avoid the reality? The answer is that, pre-Season 6, most of the time. Whoever is writing now and approving scripts seems to have forgotten all the fundamental basics of the behaviour of each character. Garcia is NOT a trained profiler, she should NOT be giving briefings and she would NEVER make light of the pain, horror and loss associated with what the BAU does. Garcia is not JJ, she is a Technical Analyst and should be doing only that. To make Garcia such an integral part of the profiling team is wrong on a hundred levels and does a huge disservice to the character and the fine actress who portrays her. Hotch was right to reproach her for what she said but the writers were much worse due to having written the dialogue in the first place.





I think it's fair to say that the powers that be who control 'Criminal Minds' want to shove Ashley Seaver in our faces as often as possible. They are certainly managing to do that. The trouble is, the character is so completely ridiculous and unbelievable that fans are not going to be able to warm to her, regardless of how often she appears on screen. Having her come up with a large part of the profile was infuriating. Her active participation in the briefing with the Miami police officers was an insult. Has everybody forgotten that this girl is a trainee agent with barely any FBI background, not to mention an almost complete lack of any of the necessary qualifications or experience to join such an elite unit as the BAU? Where is Erin Strauss when you need her to be raising hell?





To be honest, what could have been a really interesting case bored me to tears due to a very poor script and lousy acting. Matthew Gray Gubler looked as though he would rather be anywhere else but on the screen and seemed almost like an amateur who had never acted before in his life. We know he is capable of so much more but obviously the writers don't think so or don't care. Considering the episode was basically about Reid, he failed to shine at all. His dialogue seemed forced and that put me off centre straight away. Matthew is one of my favourite cast members but it looks as though both Reid and Garcia are to be sacrificed in order to make Seaver shine like a beacon.





I was appalled at Rossi's attitude when Reid's vest was found on the floor and all he could manage was a 'well, this isn't good.' When a young man who isn't the best shot in the world, and who is obviously ill, has gone off somewhere without his kevlar, shouldn't his colleagues be just a LITTLE bit more concerned about him? Obviously not. And what about Hotch? Where was the concern that he automatically shows when something is wrong with any member of his team? Have the writers decided to sacrifice that as well? When Reid was being chanted at in the interrogation room and things were obviously getting heated, his colleagues merely stood outside and watched. Not a care in the world, not even a cursory pop into the room to see if their young genius was ok.





The only true bright spot for me was when Reid was talking to the doctor at the end. The doctor was clearly hinting at a psychosomatic or physical cause for his headaches etc. but Reid was convinced he was talking about schizophrenia. This really bothers me because if the writers go down the road of having Reid develop the illness, not only will they be flying in the face of medical reality as almost all schizophrenia in a male manifests strongly before the age of 20, (Reid, by my calculation, must be close to 30), but also, if he IS schizophrenic, then he will have to leave the BAU, there is absolutely no question about it. I know the writers are having fun just throwing reality out the window this season and calling it 'television' but some things can't be messed with.





Reid feeling that he MUST be schizophrenic makes sense. He grew up watching it and it obviously still haunts him. For him to completely ignore what the doctor said in the face of his own panic and fear is also quite plausible. (That's why I enjoyed the end of the episode as Reid's reactions were well within the realms of possibility.) If he is diagnosed with Diana's illness, then it would not be possible, under any circumstances, for Matthew to remain with the show, so I hope fervently that the writers are not leading up to that. I would much rather the whole headaches and hallucinations scenario be a red herring, never spoken of again, than to lose another beloved character.





Better luck next week, I hope.

After such a long wait we finally get another Criminal Minds episode. I was so excited that I shut my self in a dark room and waited for my favorite character (Dr. Spencer Reid) to come onto the screen. The show started off great. I loved it when they went back and forth from the murder/ritual scene to Reid. I was so excited I had to rewind my tivo and re-watch the scene again. (On a fun side note, both times that I watch the opening scene my puppy, who is of course named Spencer, barked and growled.)He did not appreciate the loud banging and chanting. But moving on! What a great opening, I even like when Prentiss and Morgan asked if Reid was alright. They can obviously see that something is off. I feel like the team knew that something was wrong right from the start, but was a little sad that Morgan or Hotch did not have a one on one conversation with him. I was waiting for that, but it sadly never happened.





The plane scene: I loved that Reid was sitting in the shadows, his poor head. I would have loved it more if they wouldn't have had Seaver sitting in his seat, with the rest of the team. Oh and I hated her scene with Reid on the plane! That is J.J.'s job to worry about her little Spence. I feel that she was the only character to show Reid any worry or compassion. Which is weird. I felt at the debriefing that Morgan and Prentiss notice something wrong, but on the plane they seemed to find his behavior normal.





Next, we have the strange rituals and Seaver saving the day with her input. I do like that Reid is the one to figure things out, in the end. It felt more like Criminal Minds this time around. Not the hokie jump to conclusion, profiling it has been. They actually profiled the unsub and put the pieces together to figure out who committed the crimes. I know that a few people hated the interrogation room scene, but I loved it. I thought it was great how Reid and Morgan were looking at him like "What the heck?" Again my puppy Spencer did not appreciate the loud banging and chanting and I bet the headache ridden Dr. Spencer Reid did not like it either.





The last thing I want to mention. Once Morgan realized at the end where Reid was, it took him a long time to get over there. The house was next door and it seemed to take them 5 minutes to get there. Also, where was Hotch's scolding Reid for wondering off by himself, without his vest or telling anyone. Hotch's main job, other than profiling, is to ensure that all of his agents are accounted for. He just seemed to let it go. Reid doesn't wonder off on his own. I've seen that from him once. He is a very responsible person, who would have told someone what was going on. The only time he didn't was in "An Elephant's Memory" and Hotch told him never to take matters into his own hands, ever again. So I'm just wondering why he did not get into trouble. Reid could have been killed along with the other two victims.





After all of my rambling, I would say this was an ok episode. I liked that we got some good old fashion profiling, (even if Seaver was a part of it). But I am very concerned that Reid is not going to last until the end of this season. If he has any mental aliments than he cannot continue to be on the BAU. I am scared to say this out loud, but what if Seaver is not replacing J.J., what if she is replacing Reid!?! Considering Garcia is somewhat replacing J.J., then Seaver replacing Reid kind of makes sense. Well in the end I was glad to see Reid's spirit come back when he was talking to the doctor. But I was left with a major concern that our favorite genius might be leaving the show.