Criminal Mind: Penelope
By fred | November 25, 2007
(S03E09) Things are a but slow these days, and still it took me a while to watch that show. I actually didn’t even think of watching in right when I first could, so used to let it sit on my DVR and watch it during the weekend. Then it took me a little longer than usual, but I now did and I’m sure glad I did.
This episode was about a story we were introduced last week already, and last week I gave my thoughts about what we got to see then. And it wasn’t really good, because that was pretty much everything I didn’t like so much during that episode. But last week was only an introduction and it didn’t tell much about what was going on, besides that obviously the whole team would stop everything to find who attacked one of their own.
And they did, of course, not take or work on any other case before they closed that one. And they worked on it even though the higher officials told them not to, etc.
Nothing really new there, even in how Garcia turned from victim to suspect as she had some encrypted files on her computer. This was once again a very special episode, but unlike what we got not so long ago - when they all, including Garcia, went to the mall to find a missing kid - this time it was working.
I’ve said before that while he does not have the same position on the team that Gideon used to have, everything changed quite understandably after his departure, Rossi was now finally fully integrated on the team. Sure, when he went at Garcia asking her to cut the crap and tell the whole truth, he may have looked as an outsider. But mainly it’s just that (a) obviously he has a very different temperament then Gideon, or most of the team for that matter, and (b) he doesn’t have the same relationship to Garcia (yet), so of course his actions reflect this in such a situation.
Not everything was great, and the bit where Garcia new guy was going over her computer was nothing bur realistic, and I wasn’t a fan of the scene where Garcia, after Morgan told her not to move, did move anyways. Now that sounds very much like a stupid cliché, even if it wasn’t so that she gets shot and kidnapped. Still, the confrontation of the two was nothing new, and I did not understand why Morgan gave her a gun, and nothing more. Worse than that, she moved only to move and create the tension later on, not to go grab a phone and call for backups.
But all in all it was a pretty good episode, and once again it felt good. The show and every character have found a new way to work together, and it’s working fine. I have to say that at first I was really wondering if I’d be able to watch the show after Gideon left, but I find it very easy to do in the end. It may even have had some good, because I feel like some characters have evolved since that event.
For instance, I always felt that despite being a very talented and smart individual, Reid was always under Gideon’s wing in a way. And now that Gideon is gone, he has had to grow a lot and assume itself independently. He’s probably the one who got affected the most by the whole thing, and he comes out of it stronger than before, I think.
Quick little mention to Brendon, starring this week as Garcia’s alter-ego. I’m sure Buffy fans will have recognized him instantly, but I did not. Truth is, I thought I read his name, but I kinda forgot about it then. And his character was so different than how Xander used to be it really took me a little while before I suddenly realized I knew that face.
In the end it looks like this show will be able to survive the loss of his leader, and I can’t wait to see the new team going on their “regular” case some more, to see how it goes with time.
Posted in Reviews
Shows: Criminal Minds
