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Criminal Minds Season 3 Episode 9

Penelope

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 11/21/07

As Garcia fights for her life in this conclusion of a two-part episode, the BAU's search for her attacker leads the unit to believe the assailant could be someone close to the investigation.

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (28)

We all watch helplessly as Garcia fights for her life after being shot and flashes back to her past where we learn a little more about the quirky Technical Analyst we have all grown to love while the BAU unofficially hunt the perpetrator.moreless

10

By Lady_Lancaster, Nov 02, 2011

Penelope Garcia may not survive. That is the word from the doctors who are treating her as she undergoes extensive and hopefully life saving surgery. Meanwhile, the team feel helpless but one thing is for sure, they intend to find out who did this and find him quickly, in fact, you get the impression that Morgan would shoot him first and ask questions later!

When Garcia, still groggy after the surgery, tells the team all she knows about her attacker, they correctly predict that he has a lot of knowledge of law enforcement and that he obviously targeted Garcia on purpose - his 'meeting' with her was no accident. He wanted her dead for a very specific reason, and when she mentions that she has been volunteering as a counsellor for victims of crime, they think they have found their link. Turns out that the shooter is a law enforcement officer and one Miss Penelope Garcia, with her unrivalled knowledge of cyberspace, has red flagged several of his cases and he is none too happy about this.

Enter Kevin Lynch (superbly played by Nicholas Brendon, best known from his days on 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer') who is also an FBI analyst and whom Hotch asks to delve into Garcia's system to try and figure out what the connection is. Lynch adores Garcia's artistry but is more than a little intimidated by Hotch.

Meanwhile, the shooter, in full uniform, turns up at BAU headquarters, supposedly needing some 'police business' looked into. Garcia, now home from the hospital (very VERY quickly after such major surgery!)links up with Kevin who is at her computer station and is horrified to see her assailant standing right there! But what can they do? Easy, let the girls handle it! Only JJ, sitting in her office, it outside the area, and so, only JJ can shoot the unsub through the glass door with pinpoint accuracy! Go, JJ!!!!

A fantastic episode and really edge-of-your-seat stuff. My only problems with it were that the team as a whole didn't show as much concern for Garcia after her surgery as I would have expected, which is bad writing given that these people think of themselves as a 'family'. Also, as mentioned, the speed with which Garcia was released from the hospital, given that she almost died, was a little far fetched but, apart from these little nit-picking issues, it was great. Watch it and see!moreless
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The team rallies around Garcia after she becomes a victim.

9.0

By lngwstx, Sep 20, 2011

This episode is awesome for the relationships between the team members. It's one of my faves (with the one before being one of my least faves, on account of Garcia getting shot).

It made me feel bad for JJ. "You do whatever it takes to protect your family." That was a great line. :-)

Also I love that the other tech geek is so utterly smitten with Garcia.

Here's my big peeve, though: Garcia is one of a handful of elite hackers in the world, with skillz that make the other geek weak in the knees. So, why is her password to a super-top-secret encrypted file just a string of letters? I'm no hacker and even I know that's pretty weak.moreless
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This is one of my all-time favorite Criminal Minds episodes. When Penelope Garcia is shot, the BAU team frantically tries to protect her and find the gunman.

10

By blue_fish24, May 25, 2011

No matter how many times I watch it, I continue to love the episode, "Penelope" for all the team moments and the fantastic writing to keep all the characters reactions consistent with their personalities. Morgan is visibly angry about not being able to protect Garcia and stays by her side throughout the episode. I love how he holds her hand when they are asking Garcia questions and that he insists on sleeping on her couch to keep her safe. He is very protective whenever Hotch and Rossi start drilling her with questions. And despite the serious tone of the episode, Morgan and Garcia still manage to pull off some of their usual playful banter.

Kirsten plays Penelope beautifully in all Criminal Minds episodes, but especially in this one. Her line about not looking at the world and seeing danger everywhere, fits perfectly with Penelope's uncomfortable reaction in previous episodes to the violence and horror the BAU team deals with on a regular basis. I always find Rossi grating in this episode for the way he shows less concern than the rest of the team when Garcia is in surgery, as well as the rough way he insists on questioning her near the end of the episode. However, I rarely see the episodes in chronological order, so I always forget that at this point he has only very recently joined the team and therefore has reason to act the way he does. While he cares about Garcia's well-being, he is not as emotionally invested as the rest of the team simply because he does not know her as well. And his forceful questioning of Garcia is effective at getting the information they needed.

I think this episode is just spectacular. In addition to keeping all the characters consistent, I appreciate all the little consistencies with the writing. Such as immediately after Garcia requests the team not talk about her like a victim, we cut to Rossi and Hotch discussing the victimology of why Garcia?

JJ's line at the end about, "doing whatever is necessary to protect your family," really sums up this episode. "Penelope" really illustrates how the BAU is a family that loves and cares for one another and how they are willing to do anything to keep one another safe.moreless
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The conclusion to the Garcia being shot storyline and it didn't disappoint. We find out more about Garcia's shooter and who he is. Nice job making him a cop who was a killer and thought Garcia was on his trail. We also found some goodmoreless

9.0

By danharr, Mar 29, 2011

The conclusion to the Garcia being shot storyline and it didn't disappoint. We find out more about Garcia's shooter and who he is. Nice job making him a cop who was a killer and thought Garcia was on his trail. We also found some good insight into Garcia's past finding out she was an underground hacker who the FBI recruited to keep her from being a threat. We got touching scenes between her and Morgan as he protects her an professes his brotherly love for her. Rossi almost gets restrained as he forces Garcia to admit why a law enforcement officer is after her and once again it's linked to her misusing FBI resources. In the end the episode was made by JJ and a perfect headshot. Great episode we know more about the characters and the team has gotten closer good episode.moreless
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This episode is currently ranked by TV.com as the top episode of Criminal Minds! And for good reason...

10

By alexbourbon, Mar 07, 2011

...It gave the limelight to a character that had been on the backburner throughout the entirety of the show, Penelope Garcia. That alone made the episode so interesting and thrilling. Because of her lack of airtime throughout the first three seasons, in a way it had helped build up so much interest in her character for the audience. Where did she come from? Who is she? How did she get to where she got? All of these questions and more are answered in this expertly woven episode, as well as the most important question of all... Who is this man and why did he shoot poor innocent Penelope? The name Penelope has symbolic significance as a strong woman name. It reminds me of the greatest Penelope of all, the one in "The Odyssey," who even after not seeing her husband in twenty years and being pressured by her suitors to remarry, she never lost faith in her husband. The strength of resolve, determination, and loyalty of "The Odyssey"'s Penelope is similar to the qualities that Kirsten Vangsness' character, Penelope, exhudes. Though she had been shot and nearly killed, she has resolve and determination to find out who had done this. She is also fiercely loyal to the BAU unit and her friends. Though like the literary Penelope in "The Odyssey," Kirsten Vangsness' character does have flaws as shown in this episode. In a similar way in which Penelope in "The Odyssey" responded to her suitors with indecision about whether to remarry, this flaw of indecision was the same that caused Vangsness' character Penelope to be temporarily suspended by the BAU unit in this episode. She does not know whether or not to tell her friends about what she does as an extracurricular activity, where she helps victims' families cope with their losses and unsolved crimes. As a result, she slows the hunt for her killer, where they could have at least developed a motive for her being shot. But in the end, Penelope Garcia shows herself to be an integral part of the group, once again, but more emphatically this time. She could have simply rested in the hospital and recover but she went out of her way to help catch and dispatch her killer. This episode had great performances by the guest stars of Whedon's great talent pool from Buffy and Angel. Marc Vann, Chase Bailey, and Nicholas Brendon all did an expert job. I look forward to seeing Brendon back as Kevin Lynch. Brendon was the only bright beacon this episode had. Though "Penelope" is considered the best episode of the series' three year run, and "is" rightfully so in my opinion, let me make this clear, it was probably the most bleak and depressing episode as well. You had Morgan being solemn and prophetic about his prayers, Rossi going crazy briefly on Garcia, JJ and Emily arguing with Marc Vann's character, Hotch being pissed about Penelope's passwords, Reid more toned down with his genius tidbits than usual, and of course Penelope wouldn't be too happy after being shot. Brendon's Kevin Lynch was good-looking, funny, charming, witty, and cunning. His hacker battle with Penelope was obviously the funniest part of the episode and the cutest part had to be his "You're better" line to Penelope at the end, as well as mouthing her name. It seemed his overconfidence at her during his hacker battle and his subsequent defeat had humbled him, as well as allowing him to be serious enough to be cunning and deceive the killer into believing he'd wipe his file later on in the end. If they do not bring Brendon back, then it would be a huge mistake for the show. I have seen the first three seasons of Buffy and make no mistake about it, Buffy was a dark show during those seasons, where humor and moments of brightness were badly needed. No one gave humor to it as well as Brendon did. For this show, Criminal Minds, which is also dark, there needs to be someone to brighten it a little. Vangsness has done an admirable job, but there's only so much humor you can use between her and Morgan until you just get tired of it. Overall, I give the episode ten stars. With this third season looking like it will be cut short at thirteen episodes, I say the box set that comes out for the third season should still be vigorously sought after and purchased. Why? This episode alone. It's worth every penny.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

EDIT

Shemar Moore	SSA Derek Morgan
Joe Mantegna	Senior SSA David Rossi
Thomas Gibson	Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner
Matthew Gray Gubler	SSA Dr. Spencer Reid
Paget Brewster	SSA Emily Prentiss
A.J. Cook	SSA Jennifer "JJ" Jareau

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Marc Vann	Adam Fuchs	Guest Star
Tamara Zook	Neighbor	Guest Star
Andrew Elvis Miller	Medic #1	Guest Star
Nicholas Brendon	Analyst Kevin Lynch	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (7)
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- After Battle confirmed with Lynch that his files were wiped off the system, Fuchs stood and moved a step closer while telling Battle that he would keep Battle updated about their investigation. The view then moved on to Garcia's home screen, and Reid said Battle knew the profilers were on to him. However, from Garcia's home screen, Fuchs was still sitting when Reid said that.
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- Garcia is said to be an only child in this episode. However, Garcia stated in "P911" that she had four brothers who wore shirts from a wilderness group called the Tadpoles.
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- Guest stars Bailey Chase and Nicholas Brendon worked together previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
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- Thomas Gibson and Nicholas Brendon worked together previously in the film Psycho Beach Party.
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- As Garcia was being transported to the hospital in this episode, it was revealed she is 30 years old.
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- This episode established a large portion of Penelope Garcia's backstory.
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- Garcia spent her childhood in San Francisco, California.
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QUOTES (21)
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- Hotchner: How are you feeling?
  Garcia: (after being shot by James Colby Baylor) You know, I've had better dates.
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- Kevin Lynch: This system is insane. It's completely Linux-based, open-source programming. You don't see this in government systems outside of like... Switzerland.
  Hotchner: James Colby Baylor.
  Kevin Lynch: Right... I get it, chop chop, geez.
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- Reid: Tell us about the watch he was wearing.
  Garcia: It was a fake Rolex.
  Morgan: You sure about that?
  Garcia: I know my knock-offs.
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- Hotchner: Why does he risk coming into an enclosed courtyard to steal a purse?
  Rossi: World's boldest purse snatcher?
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- Rossi: (to Hotch) I told you I'm sick of this jagoff being in front of us.
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- JJ: (while watching Hotchner enter elevator)What's Hotch doing?
  Rossi: Right now I'm guessing he's wishing anybody else was the leader of this team.
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- Morgan: (grinning as he looks around Garcia's apartment) I, umm, I would expect nothing less.
  Garcia: (laughs) You should be flattered. Not many people are invited in off the grid.
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- Garcia: I volunteer once a week. Counsel family members of murder victims.
  Morgan: Baby, you don't get enough of this stuff at work?
  Garcia: I look at those crime scene photos all day long. I can't know that those families are out there trying to cope and not do something to help.
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- Morgan: You need some rest.
  Garcia: (nods, then hugs Morgan) You're right. Go. Be free my love.
  Morgan: Hey, I'm not going anywhere.
  Garcia: I'm fine. I've got my goon squad parked out front.
  Morgan: Goon squad or no goon squad that couch right there is going to be my best friend until we find this guy. Now leave it alone.
  Garcia: (smiles) Okay.
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- Garcia: (as "Heroes" by David Bowie plays in the background) You.
  Kevin Lynch: You.
  Garcia: You're good.
  Kevin Lynch: You're better. (extends his hand to her) Kevin Lynch.
  Garcia: (shaking his hand and smiling) Penelope.
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- Morgan: Who the hell uses a revolver?
  Reid: Someone who doesn't want to leave shell casings behind as evidence.
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- Rossi: You look like crap.
  Hotchner: Four days, no leads. I feel like crap.
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- Garcia: One of the last things I said before he shot me was everything happens for a reason. Derek, if I lose faith in that then nothing in my life makes sense.
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- Prentiss: (to Garcia, looking at Adam Fuchs) Oh, don't worry about your reinstatement papers. He'll sign them as soon as his hands stop shaking.
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- Kevin Lynch: (accessing Garcia's computer) This might be the coolest girl I've ever met.
  Rossi: You've never laid eyes on her.
  Kevin Lynch: Well, her GUI is mind-blowing.
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- Garcia: When I was in the ambulance I could hear the song "Heroes" playing in my head. I kept flashing in and out of consciousness, everything was really bright and I remember thinking, "Wait, is David Bowie really God?"
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- Hotchner: (at the crime scene) So, victimology - why Garcia?
  Rossi: Look at her.
  Hotchner: What are you saying?
  Rossi: Well, you don't look like that by accident. She wears her individuality like a shield.
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- Hotchner: I don't care about protocol. I don't care whether we're working this officially or not. We don't touch any new cases until we find out who did this.
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- Morgan: Hey silly girl. I love you, you know that, right?
  Garcia: I love you too.
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- Morgan: Take this gun.
  Garcia: I don't believe in guns.
  Morgan: Trust me, they are very real. Take it.
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- Garcia: William Shakespeare wrote, "Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."
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NOTES (2)
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- At the end of the previous episode ("Lucky"), Garcia is shown being shot in the chest. By the beginning of this episode, the bullet wound had mysteriously moved to her abdomen. The continuity error was explained as a practical decision made by the show's writers. Kirsten Vangsness explained in the extras from the Season 3 DVD set if Garcia had survived a gunshot to the chest, either she would no longer be able to wear her trademark cleavage-exposing outfits or else Kirsten would have had to wear scar makeup for the rest of the series because the trauma surgery requires the breastbone to be split and the ribs spread apart, so the surgeon can locate the bullet and repair the damage. This surgery always leaves a scar running down the center of the chest where the low-cut section of Garcia's blouses would lie.
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- The song playing when Garcia and Kevin Lynch are trying to out-hack each other was "Virtually Happy" by Holly Golightly. The song playing at the end of this episode when Kevin Lynch and Garcia finally meet was "Heroes" by David Bowie.
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ALLUSIONS (2)
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- Garcia's password to the encrypted files was "Gilman Street." 924 Gilman Street Project in Berkeley, California (aka the Alternative Music Foundation) is an all-ages, non-profit, collectively organized music and performance venue. The members strive to provide a violence, alcohol and drug-free environment, and will not book or support racist, misogynist, or homophobic bands or performances.
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- Reid: It's like Frank Abagnale; the Bureau figured if you can't beat 'em, hire 'em.
  
  Frank Abagnale is a former con man and impostor who at various times pretended to be a lawyer, a pilot and a physician. His story inspired the movie Catch Me If You Can, in which he was played by Leonardo DiCaprio. He now works as a security consultant.
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