Criminal MindsZoe's Reprise
Original Air Date: Feb 18, 2009
JD - Associate Staff Writer
JD@thetwocentscorp.com
Almost nothing could have made the part of my heart devoted to this show happier than being told there was going to be a Rossi-centric episode coming up. Okay, almost nothing, because I am also pretty stoked about this upcoming Hotch-centric episode I keep hearing about. But I digress. Back to Rossi. I was even happier about this episode being a Rossi episode after I watched it. All the character work here, even outside of Rossi's, was so well handled.
But Rossi's books! Rossi's fame! And best of all, Rossi's kindness and generosity, and how he still doesn't know the right way to show those things sometimes! Oh yes, I am a very happy Rossi fan right now.
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[photo: CBS.com]
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Almost nothing could have made the part of my heart devoted to this show happier than being told there was going to be a Rossi-centric episode coming up. Okay, almost nothing, because I am also pretty stoked about this upcoming Hotch-centric episode I keep hearing about. But I digress. Back to Rossi. I was even happier about this episode being a Rossi episode after I watched it. All the character work here, even outside of Rossi's was so well handled.
ReplyDeleteBut Rossi's books! Rossi's fame! And best of all, Rossi's kindness and generosity, and how he still doesn't know the right way to show those things sometimes! Oh yes, I am a very happy Rossi fan right now.
This episode starts with Rossi in front of a small assembly of people giving a reading from his book Deviance: The Secret Desires of Sadistic Serial Killers. Signed copies of the tenth anniversary edition available now for a limited time! Say for about thirty seconds at the beginning of the episode, and then Nerd Girl, who was taking notes during Rossi's reading, comes stumbling over a chair to chase after Rossi as he leaves the book store.
You see, she's a really big serial killer nerd who's a Really Big Fan of his. And she continues to follow him like an over-excited puppy as he tries to shrug her off on the way to his car. Apparently, murder is up in Cleveland, and Nerd Girl thinks it's the work of a serial killer. Except there's a problem with her theory. Rossi points out to her that the victimology, Modus Operandi, and signature don't match in any of the murders she tells him about. He hands her his card, and is on his way, telling her to keep studying and not stop until she finds all the answers.
It's just too bad that Nerd Girl, while seemingly bright in the bookish way, doesn't seem to have any common sense. She takes his advice to mean that she should go trespass on the most recent crime scene... and gets herself killed. Book smarts, 0 for 1!
So Rossi's card is found on Nerd Girl's body, and he gets called to the scene the next day, where he's given the skinny on what happened. Nerd Girl's name is Zoe, by the way, which I mention only because she's the title character, though I really just prefer to keep calling her Nerd Girl (watch as JD tries to pretend she's not a nerdy Rossi "groupie" too!). Rossi gets on the phone to Garcia and tells her to get JJ to distribute the information on the cases Nerd Girl told him about to the team to see if they can extract a pattern from the seemingly random murders, while he goes with the local detective to Zoe's (oh, fine) house to tell her mother what happened. Turns out, Zoe was always running off to crime scenes by herself. Book smarts, 0 for 2!
Rossi calls the team from Zoe's room after her mother leaves, and quickly the team figures out, after looking through the victims' files, that their unsub is repeating the crimes of other serial killers: the Son of Sam, Jack the Ripper, BTK, and the Butcher of Kingsbury Run, the most famous serial killer ever in Cleveland. Their unsub is a serial killer studying and mimicking other serial killers. Hello, similar premise to one of the Criminal Minds tie-in novels!
The team, however, is oblivious to the books written about them, and they head off to Cleveland to solve this case!
This is, once again, another strong episode this season. And the third good episodes in a row now, after I'd just been complaining this season was hit or miss! Kudos, show, kudos. Please continue to prove me wrong.
The evolution of the unsub felt really natural, not forced, and watching the killer "find himself" is both interesting and disturbing all at once. There were also great touches of team dynamics here, like the reminder that Hotch and Rossi are friends when Hotch goes to talk to Dave on the bench outside. The relationship between Rossi and JJ was a really nice touch, especially after the previous episode. Oh, I know they "kissed and made up" in the last scene last week, but this week was a nice reinforcement of that--the way JJ does Rossi a favor without question, and the scene at the end was a really nice touch too. Not only was it reassuring to Rossi, but it gave us some backstory on JJ in a really interesting way. I wish I could gush about this in a way that wouldn't totally spoil it. I guess I'll leave that for the comments, so tell me what you all thought of this. I'm bursting with love for this scene!
If you've read my reviews, it's probably no secret that I love Rossi. I love that he's a nice guy who comes across as a jerk. I love that he cares, but seems to have no idea what the right way to show it is. This episode, coming on the heels of last week's, only strengthened the way that my mind changed about Rossi's behavior in last week's episode. Rossi pushed and pushed last week to talk sense into the victim's mother, only to come across like he was trying to kill her hope, and it took a lot of thought for me to come around to thinking he had done it for her. This episode had a lot of that played out on a larger scale. It's like last season's Damaged and the Galen case all over again, and how his care for the kids in that episode was unwelcome at first, even if it was the only way he knew to show it.
Rossi is all swagger and confidence when it comes to what he knows, but when it comes to what he feels, he fumbles. A lot. It's no surprise he has three failed marriages and has, as he's said it, burned a lot of bridges. It's only a shame that I know so many fans of the show that can't look past the swagger and see the heart. It seems to be a constant debate with fans, especially with fans who loved Gideon, and one I've been thinking a lot about since last week.
So I'll leave you all with not one, but two questions. Firstly, did you love this episode as much as I did? And secondly, Rossi: love him? Hate him? If so, why, and did this episode do anything to change your opinion? Give me your two cents!
I love David Rossi. In additional to being a top-notch profiler, he is a wonderfully complex human being. We got to see his tender side in this episode but also the same Rossi swagger we always see. I love that about him, he is so three-dimensional, which many characters on TV are not. It is one of the main reasons I love this show as much as I do. What they do for a living makes it so hard for them to show emotions so it's great when the viewers can get a glimpse of who they are as people and not just FBI agents.
ReplyDeleteI loved the scenes with he and JJ. There is something about the two of them, they click and she seems to get him. Whether they are agreeing or disagreeing, they just work. What she said to him was so sweet, and the fact that it was true made it better. Not just said to make him feel better about his book tours and maybe a side of himself, the celebrity side, that he is no longer altogether comfortable with, but just the truth.
I am all for more Rossi in the future, he and Gideon are nothing alike. It's comparing apples to oranges. Gideon is gone, Rossi is there and he is a great character all by himself. The chemistry between the characters and the amazing group dynamic make Criminal Minds just as fascinating and enjoyable as the creepy Unsubs and despicable crimes.
I am a HUGE Rossi fan as well. I liked Gideon all right, but the way he left the team really turned me off to his character.
ReplyDeleteI love how Rossi can't seem to help getting emotionally involved at times. Even last week, with the psychic, I think his emotional involvement was on two levels -- his personal history with psychics in investigations, and his personal concern for the victim's mother. He's just really crap at showing it in a way other people can understand.
I loved the scene with Hotch and Rossi on the bench. Hotch is definitely the person on the team who understands Rossi the best, and the way he takes care of all the people on his team makes me adore Hotch even more. (Honestly, there's NO character on this show I don't love to pieces.) Every time the CM writers give us a glimpse into the slightly closer relationship between Hotch & Rossi, I'm filled with glee.
I have to say, it hurts to watch Rossi get yelled at. This is the second time he's had a victim yell at him and tell him to leave her alone in front of the team. :( But I was really glad that at the end of the episode, like in "Damaged" last season, the victim came around and understood that he really did care.
I agree with you, top-notch episode!
Now THOSE were AMAZING comments!
ReplyDeleteMcgarrygirl78 -
ReplyDeleteI don't know that I necessarily agree that you can't compare Gideon and Rossi. Yes, they are totally different as people, but they fill similar roles on the team: both senior staff members, both considered experts in their field, both characters that the others looks to for guidance in so far as the job they're doing--even if Hotch is technically a "superior" to Rossi, he still defers to Rossi from time to time. And, well, not only could you compare any two characters on the show in terms of the job they do and how they relate to the team, people do compare Rossi and Gideon all the time. I think it's a logical comparison, even if I do often dislike that people tend to prefer Gideon--whether or not it's fair to compare them is obviously up for debate, though. ;)
I love that about him, he is so three-dimensional, which many characters on TV are not.
I absolutely agree. I was just pondering this myself lately. It's great that the creators of this show allow the characters to evolve when so many other shows find a formula they like and stick to it. I think we've really seen Reid, Hotch, and Rossi (those three in particular) grow light years over the course of their runs on the show.
I love, love, love th scene with JJ. I've honestly, until we got Jordan, never appreciated JJ fully. Now I'm growing to love her more and more everyday, and it's great to get a little more back story on her, because I don't feel like we have a whole lot, even over four season. And over the last two episodes, we've gotten to see the way she relates to Dave in a way we haven;t before. And you're right, she totally gets him, and in a very understated way, much like Hotch does. :)
Carfinel -
ReplyDeleteI think the way Gideon left turned me off to Mandy Patinkin more than Gideon. But I do actually think Gideon's abrupt departure did fit his character. He never got emotionally involved with his team--even Hotch says he doesn't share much of himself--so it's easy to disappear and not even try to let people help you through a hard time if you're not connected.
Every time the CM writers give us a glimpse into the slightly closer relationship between Hotch & Rossi, I'm filled with glee.
Oh, me too! They have known each other for a long time, even if they were mostly estranged for a while. I love when we get to see that bond and that history between them. They don't even really have to say anything sometimes--like the end of Rossi's first episode; they only share a glance at the end, no dialogue needed, and it's understood that Dave is appreciated, even if he happened to screw up on that case. That connection is just there, but because of their jobs, they don't get to show it nearly enough.
This is the second time he's had a victim yell at him and tell him to leave her alone in front of the team. :(
People don't understand the man, much like some people in fandom often don't. It hurts a little to watch him try to do the right thing, only to have it thrown in his face. Not to mention, as you said, that both times it's happened in front of the team. For a man with so much pride, it's a terrible thing to have to endure. Seriously, he deserves cuddles. ;)
KP -
ReplyDeleteEpisodes like this make me think thinky thoughts. It's great when people think thinky thoughts right back at me. :)
I definitely agree that Gideon's leaving was in character for him. But it definitely made me respect him less anyway, if that makes sense. :) By contrast I like the way Rossi clearly chooses to invest himself in all the team members.
ReplyDeleteIn particular I think about his relationship with Morgan, and how he challenges Morgan's feelings about religion during "Lucky" and "Penelope", and then in "Lo-fi" when he goes after Morgan and convinces him to get back to the case.
The only time I can think of Gideon talking to Morgan like that, it was during "Empty Planet", and Morgan had to go to Gideon and ask if Reid was telling the truth about what Gideon said about him.
So yeah, I agree. Rossi came into the team and, as soon as he'd really grasped the idea of how the team worked, he threw himself into it 100%.
And I also agree that the man deserves cuddles. ;)
Rossi chooses to invest himself in even temporary team members. He was completely supportive of Jordan, a character I didn't believe was even deserving of his support. (I honestly still don't get that connection--maybe it was just because she kept screwing up because things got to her, and he understood that, considering he screws up more when he cares--but he was genuinely kind to her.)
ReplyDeleteI do like the push-pull between Morgan and Rossi, our resident in-team alpha males. ;) They are sort of similar in many ways, and I think it's good when they push each other, and it was nice to see that underneath that he cared, like we did in last season's finale. I think you could probably find examples, though, with every team member, of how Rossi is really more demonstrative, at the very least, regardless of how it comes out.
I think the cast from criminal minds are just awesome, especially Aaron Hotchner(Thomas Gibson). Keep up the great work. You rock. Julie
ReplyDelete