Criminal Minds

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!

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.

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.

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.

...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.

We learn more about this zany, loveable character in a much more interesting way.It was perfect the way they put Penelope on suspension when they found the encrypted file and through that we learned that she was one of the 5 or 6 hackers in the world with the ability to do the things she is capable of doing. We learn the FBI hired her because it could have been dangerous NOT to have her on their side.



I thought I would hate this show without Mandy playing Gideon, but it turns out I like Rossi better. He just plain doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks of him. Doesn't have a need to impress anyone. The writers did a great job here. The trouble with penelope is she is so darned likeable. Nobody except the objective outsider Rossi could have stared her down and ordered her to spill the beans. Her friends would have all killed her with kindness. She really should thank Rossi. He is part of the team if only because a group like that really needs a devil's advocate to prevent "group think."



Rossi's "tough love" saved her life because they needed that information to profile this guy. Once that connection was made, Penelope was able to hack into the system they had ordered her out of and check out all the files she had tagged. That's where the answer that ultimately saved her life and others was.



I was relieved that they didn't let her stay in her apartment alone (I was thinking - no, no, no, not another Elle screw up - Don't they know he's going to come after her!). But bless Morgan he planted himself on her couch even with a policeman outside. Loved the way Morgan coached her to trust her gut when she was wondering if the computer geek was setting her up or offering her a helping hand. Loved the look on Kevin's face when he first saw the unsub and we knew that he knew. That's good acting. When an expression says it all.



The unexpected gunshot shattering the glass with only a hint that there was a blonde on the other side was the perfect climax. Keven the male computer geek cringing at the sound of the gunshot, the glass breaking as bad guy went down right near him - perfect timing. Great writing. And the cute little attraction between Penelope and the male computer geek - so perfect. Morgan and Penelope love each other like a brother and a sister, but really outside of work and their humorous, sexy banter what would a computer genius and a profiler really talk about? She has so much in common with Kevin. Would love to see more of that character in the future too. Penelope in love with a guy that works in another office and in love with someone who is good to her - not a roller coaster ride. That would be adorable with Morgan being a devoted big brother type.

Aside from great character contributions from the others (even the new kid Rossi), this was really a beautiful tribute to the Morgan/Garcia relationship. There wasn't a bad element up until the end, when we skid off onto the black ice of this new potential Garcia relationship. I very much hope they don't push the M/G subplot to a back burner. It's one of the reasons I watch.



The other good bits included a very much in-charge Hotch (who is one of my favorite characters) and all the other actors (and the writing) clearly at their best. I simply don't miss Gideon, though I liked the character and thought I would miss him. Rossi is okay, but I find Hotch a far more compelling and stronger leader than the new guy. Perhaps, in time, he'll grow on me since the actor is terrific.

This episode revealed a lot about Morgan,Hotch,and rossi's characters. Not much else to say except a fabulous episode. This is literally exactly why I watch this series. It feels like there are 7 main characters. Criminal Minds does an unbelievably good job of distributing the spotlight to everyone. Criminal minds can go A LOT of differrent ways from here. I hope they do not build a Morgan-Garcia relationship. I think any relationships within the team could lead to some major issues. But then again, that could be very interesting to see. I would like to see A Reid-JJ relationship. They had something briefly in the first season, but nothing was ever built off of that. Fantastic Episode, I can not wait until next Wednesday

This may be the best episode and one of the only ones I have seen. I saw about the first five minutes of the previous episode and didn't like it too much. But this episode stands out the most to me. It's filled with action and suspense. The only thing I didn't get is why they didn't find this guy sooner, and I thought they kinda overdid it in the gun department. From all of the action you will quickly forget about the bad parts. After seeing such a good episode this week I think I might actually watch the next intallment as well.

This show just keeps getting better and better. Character developement is great. New twists in the plot...lots of suspense, action, and whatever else elements go into making an excellent show. It has become my favorite...passing up Grey's Anatomy. I see this has to be 100 words long...well what else can I say about this show. I love the addition of the new character...adds a new dimension, and leaves us all wondering about how the plot will develope with his entry and obvious "baggage". Actors are all great...no dead wood as far as I can discern. It will be nice to see how Garcia's new friend does in his role.

I think this was one of the best chapters of this show. Penelope is a character we knew very litle of her and in this chapter they show us that. We early in the chapter know that she is going to be all right soon. They are all really worried and they can find Morgan. I love the reaction he has in all the situations he share with Garcia. My favourite moment is when he tell her that he loves her and she nearly cries and tells him that she loves him too...so sweet...He stays with her for the night and protects her...And the litle Geek love scene at the end?? They were so cute... JJ has to kill the bad boy but as she says, she would do anything for her family...

Very emotional chapter, absolutely amazing!

The script was exquisitely-crafted, economical, rich, full of suprises and a sense of "community in crisis."

The director got the characters to reveal themselves so you knew what they were thinking without a word. Whoever lighted the show was a poet--he/she made every character radiate complexity and conflict. The surprises kept coming, right down to cutting to JJ AFTER the shot was fired. Huge character development in this episode while never slowing down the story-- almost an impossible trick to pull off. Music at the end was a great touch. I wish I had written this script. What a classic production. All involved should be proud.

Even the makeup person knew to keep some shadows under the eyes so the characters looked real and not like doll-like TV actors.



More, please!

Shows you that the team is very close to one another and really is great as a family. Not just a team player but as a family. Loved it when JJ shot the creep in the head. As the creep tried to get Garcia once and for all. Morgan and Garcia have like a brother-sister chemistry with one another. As I really loved that a lot. Everybody was trying to rally behind her as IAB was up to Garcia for doing something that she shouldn't be doing. Maybe Garcia has found a boyfriend in Kevin. The new tech guy. Hope that he comes back for more shows. Which I think that he will. Still, Rossi was kind of a jerk. Sure he may have jumped on Garcia and at times, I wanted Morgan to haul off and hit him. Trying to like Rossi but just can't. Which is the only setback that I have about the show.

OMG this was the ABSOLUTE BEST! It had everything. EXCELLENT script. I mean a 10 doesn't cover how much I loved this episode. First and foremost Penelope getting her own storyline and front and center was a definite step in the write direction but I had no idea that it would be this good. From the psycho deputy out to kill Garcia thinking she knows something more about him than she does. As always Penelope's heart was in the right place and wanting to help people. That atribute but her life in jeopardy. I loved how the team rallied around her even when IAB thought she was into something she shouldn't be. All she was doing was protecting her team. Her family. The interaction with all of her teammates I think reassured her that she did indeed belong. I think the scene I loved the most was Penelope in her apartment with Derek. This was long overdue. Their connection was undenieable even to them. Kevin's introduction maybe for this episode only but I hope not. I love Nicholas Brendon and I think he would give Penelope a challenge both professionally and personally.

Ok I haven't been this excited about and episode....since the last episode. I think the show is on a serious roll.



How do I love this episode...let me count the ways.



1. XANDER!!! I was having Buffy flashbacks.



2. Hackers of the FBI unite....ahhh geeklove.



3. Nice shooting there JJ



4. Garcia has a past, is anyone surprised?



5. Forward momentum on the Garcia / Morgan front, "You know I love you, right?"



6. And for the femslashy crowd, a nice moment between JJ and Emily.



All in all an amazing episode one of the best. 5 out of 5.



Still not sure about Rossi .... but still, XANDER!!!!

I loved it, I had a feeling it was someone with a personal vendetta against Garcia. Someone who had money to get information on her, didn't think he was with the police to know that deep into them all.



I was surprised what when Derek returned to the apartment that he didn't announce himself. He just drew his gun and walked in when he saw Garcia wasn't in the place he told her to stand in.



Though I was very happy with what Derek said to Garcia in her apartment that he would be friends with her couch till the ordeal was over. He made her slightly break down when he asked her that one simple question that she needed to hear.



When I saw the guy watch JJ go down the hall and into that room I felt he was going to go after her. I felt he was going to run down there for her when he discovered that his cover was blown. When they looked outside of the bull pen and found JJ at a desk looking over some files I wondered what Morgan was saying to her when the view went back into the bull pen.



Loved the ending though, he grabbed the other agent when he knew he was discovered and JJ walked up from behind, gun aimed. Hotch and Rossi knew then that the guy wasn't going to get away with her backing them, he knew someone was behind him, turned his head around and bang. Perfect shot to the head delivered by JJ.

What now Baylor, what now? You are dead, Penelope is alive. That Lynch guy was a cutie too. That is who Garcia should be going out with. A cute little tech geek like her, not some shadowy stranger who happens to be trigger happy. J.J. totally dominated this episode. And after all those freaky episodes (I mean come on, canibalistic satanist? creeepy) we needed one like this. And I knew they could not kill off Garcia, but throughout that episode I was not so sure anymore. But she's alive. That was the best. And I wrote the first review. Ha ha

This episode is awesome! Totally one of the many reasons I still watch this show. It's intriguing and suspenceful. Criminal Minds is one the greatest shows ever:)

I think because it gives you sort of a reality, you can see that this could possibly happen in the real world. In this episode I couldn't help but enjoy Garcia's intuition. When she was shot, she still manages to help the team. I think this takes this show to new heights. It always brings out each and everyone of the team's personal lives, and that's what also makes it a really great show.

This is the reason why I love this show so much. In this episode Garcia is shot by her date and the team is set to find out who did it. This episode had everything in it, it had drama, laughter, friendship and so much more. You also learn a lot more about Garcia's life which I found very interesting. The whole Garcia/Morgan relationship was just totally amazing and sweet in this episode. I specially loved the part were he tells her he loved her, and then she tells hem she loves him too. That was just so sweet, I almost cried when I watched that. I also loved the ending. I think it was the perfect ending for this great episode!

What an episode, I love it. From start to finish it was very exciting. I didn't expect what the killer does. It's very surprising!!! The interaction with Morgan and Gracia relationship is great, love it. We found out more about Gracia in this episode, and she was great having that protection so that other people can't access the team's profile, which was really clever of her.



Analyst Kevin Lynch (Nicholas Brendon), he was great, I love Gracia and Kevin interaction on the computer (hacking) and it was great. And JJ, she has change a lot since last season.



The new dude, Rossi… I'm still getting use to having him… I still miss Gideon, Just a little off the topic this Adam Fuchs (Marc Vann, he is from csi too, as Conrad ecklie) in both show or should I say most show, he act as this very annoying dude. Lol.



Criminal minds have been really good with their season, very consistent, but this episode was just amazing! Loved it. Keep it up! W_C

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At the end of 3x08 I was scared that the Criminal Minds team may have committed a big "no-no' in making a surprise ending for just that reason - just to have one. The episode turned out a lot better then I had expected. When you see a 9.61 rating for the episode and see that it has the highest rating of any Criminal Minds episode ever you have very high expectations for the episode. Did I think that it was the greatest episode of all time? No. But I thought it was a very good episode and it might turn out to be the best of season three when its all said and done with. I thought the ending was very good - so long as they really don't try and do anything with Morgan and Garcia being in a love triangle with this new geek guy that they brought in to replace Garcia for an episode. I'm all for him being with her so long as he doesn't get any screen time and so long as Morgan doesn't get weird with it. It was cool the connection they made with Garcia being like Frank Abignal. A lot of the times they make the connections on this show I'm not exactly sure what all of them mean. Very much so like House - sometimes I just don't get the jist of everything that they are saying. But they present it well enough for me to comprehend the explaination and every now and again I will know what they are talking about so it was cool that I got to recognize one of the ones they were talking about. Very good episode as a whole.

Everything happens for reason and the man who shot Garcia had reason too - and this episode really rolls out the backstory of her for us and puts her in danger again - the man learns that she survived and goes to finish the job and if in "Fisher King" Hotchner left but Morgan stays and we really have stunning chase..



But things really get even more exciting when Garcia starts to remember important details and more and more it comes that someone in agency is behind this..



And the ending.. JJ making that shot.. that was something you would not expect on that char..

After almost being killed by a guy who took her out to have dinner, Penelope tries to help the BAU team to find that same guy, and understand why he did it. Although this episode is one of those episodes, where you get to know one of the main characters of the series, it's also one of the funniest. And the reason why I say this? Simple, even after being shot, and fought for her life in the E.R., Penelope is still able to come up with a couple of jokes, like the fact of asking herself if David Bowie was God, because while being operated, she could only hear one of his songs in her head. Probably the best episode of this series third season, if not of the entire series. 10 out of 10!

This was a phenomenal instalment of Criminal Minds, and I think it exceeded all expectations. After the horrific conclusion to its predecessor, this one continued an epic storyline about Garcia.



The chase for the attempted killer was suspenseful and nerve-wracking, which was a big plus, and the ending to this episode was sensational, with the scenes in the BAU.



Garcia and Kevin working to attack each other computer-style was hilarious to watch, and that added another great dimension to this episode!



All up, a phenomenal episode! I think this is one of the best that they have ever done, and I hope that there will be more great episodes up to this standard!

Garcia and Morgan have got have one of the best relationships on televisionn. Their friendship is truly amazing and it is about time that Criminal Minds showcased it. I loved it when Morgan refused to leave Garcia's house and how he told he loved her. Don't we all want one of those from Santa.



It was also wonderful to Nicholas Brendan and Bailey Chase (two Buffy alums) put in appearances in this episode. I love how Lynch and Garcia made a connection through hacking in order for Lynch to use that against James Colby Baylor in the end. I also loved how Lynch appeared in awe of Garcia at the end when the two finally met in person. I hope we get a chance to more Nicholas Brendan's character in future episodes.

In this episode there were cute moments, dramatic moments, scary moments and event romance :)



Garcia is stalked by a killer and he is getting closer but they are having a hard time to find him. when they do, he is inside the bau and is ready to kill, JJ is the one that puts an end to it.



Overall this was a great episode, was lovely the scene where garcia and the new guy were hacking/flerting hehe im hoping he stays in the show.



Was nice to see more of her character and both of episodes were great.



They just keep delivering great work !!!

This episode is all about Penelope and trying to find out who shot her and why. In the end, it turned out that she tagged some cases that a cop was the first respondant to. He, apparently, put the victum in danger to save them, but, if they died, he was just the first responder. I liked this episode mainly for the character development. The shooter was an interesting character and the case was pretty intertesting also. I loved the end when Garcia and the other tech geek were like love at first sight. Overall, good episode and a good conclusion.