After three long weeks of suffering, I’ve finally been returned to the land of magic cables running into my home and exploding in sound and color on my television screen. After too long trying to catch things online (I found watching TV on a computer as a regular thing to be a miserable experience) I can once again sit back and overload my DVR.
Anyway, in most cases I have been able to catch my shows online. But for some reason, Criminal Minds is not available anywhere I’d trust to leave record of my IP address. So last night’s episode, the fifth of season six, was actually the first one I had the opportunity to see this year (the premiere was lost when I had to turn in my old TiVo box).
It was like visiting with old friends again. I was so happy to see the team (well, all except JJ — sorry to hear that she’d gone!), and I fell in with them with ease and comfort. Sure I was a bit lost about what had happened in the premiere that left Ellie (Isabella Murad) alive and living with a foster family, but since I hadn’t expected Morgan to lose that battle in the first place…. And I loved Reid’s new look — much better than the long hair from season one.
But then the case hit me like a heavy weight dropping down to the pit of my stomach. In retrospect I suppose it wasn’t particularly gruesome (at least in a relative sense to some other episodes), but should we really have to measure gruesomeness in relativities? I gave up on Law & Order: SVU last season when it got to be too much … you begin to see these shows a bit differently when you have little kids.
And it’s not just because last night’s episode of Criminal Minds starred a 13 year-old murderer, or had a secondary plot focused on a young girl who witnessed the murder of her own father. Regardless of who done it, the show is tough to stomach.
But on the flip side, the characters are ones I’ve grown to love. I’ve even learned to welcome Rossi in, even though I do still miss Gideon (Mandy Patinkin). And sure, the show has had its ups and downs as far as character development and interaction is concerned, but when you invest yourself in something, it’s hard to fault it for not being perfect.
I don’t think I’m prepared to delete the season pass I just set last night on my new box. Nevertheless, I don’t think I can say with any certainty that I’ll be able to come back week after week and watch it. I love reviewing the show, but I can’t imagine doing it anymore. My hope is that someone else on the CliqueClack team has a stronger stomach than I, because Criminal Minds has always been one of the good ones — it deserves the attention it so rarely gets.
How about you? Are there shows you’ve loved that you just had to drop because you couldn’t take it anymore? Is there any chance I can get back on the horse?
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Oct 21, 2010 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
I totally understand your hesitance about CM. I skipped the last couple eps because of the promise of torture porn; but, this episode didn’t bother me because the violence happened off-screen. I always applaud CM when they write an antagonist outside the usual unsub.
On the continuing story-line note, I liked seeing the return of Ellie and the mini-Morgan-Garcia family I thought might happen, if he ever took custody (albeit temporarily). I briefly watched last week when they hinted at Garcia taking over JJ’s role, but turned off when they slowly made her into a JJ-clone. I guess that didn’t happen, since they shifted her back to an arena/personality which allows the actress to shine –
*POST AUTHOR*
I agree that this was better than some in terms of violence and gore. It was really the combination of not having seen it for weeks (really months) and then seeing the episode this week — I felt like it was a piece of horror I hadn’t missed in my life. I love the show, but I just can’t.