An actual review for Lauren (6x18)
I think I've watched individual bits and pieces of this episode so, so many times. Love them. If I was basing this review on the scenes alone, I would have said, "yep, ten out of ten, except for the wtfness that was the last scene (get to that later)". But an episode is based on more than just the sum of its parts, and to be honest, holistically speaking, the episode was a bit of a clusterfuck.
First things first - I think that the writers and their horrible, horrible continuity is so bad at this point that it's hard to believe that they're not trying to troll us. I'm pretty sure they made a big deal in 6x02 that JJ was going to the DoD, and now she's suddenly with the State Department like it ain't no thing? Plus, I know this was from Valhalla, but the fact that Hotch suddenly knows that Emily is Interpol, and not FBI like she told him on her first day really pissed me off. Even this week, though, they didn't exactly make it clear who she really worked for. JTF-12 was a joint task force created to bring down terrorists, but JJ mentions Emily's "CIA past." So was she with Interpol, or the CIA? Lastly, and most importantly, WHAT HAPPENED TO SERGIO?
You can't just show an adorable kitty cat, and then not mention what happened to it, show.
I loved the flashbacks to Emily's time as Lauren Reynolds (and I admit, Lauren/Doyle is pairing that I liked) but it felt like it didn't show as much as it could have. The transition from meeting Valhalla to him giving her the ring and then her playing with Declan felt a little jarring. I feel like they should have shown something about the progression of their relationship from "business partners" to lovers. Another thing that felt kind of jarring was the way the episode started - the team going over the list of names, as though Emily hadn't just run off in the middle of a profile. There should have been some kind of reveal there, but it just goes from "here are some names on a list" to "Lauren Reynolds is dead." A bigger reaction would have been nice there, folks - you've just realized that the woman you've been working with for five years is a spy (which would have been even more awesome, and more betrayal inducing if Hotch hadn't mentioned Emily's Interpol days in the previous episode).
Anyway, moving on.
Seaver.
I know her whole dealio with Rossi has been a sore point for some people, but I guess I don't hate her as much as some. She's kind of a non-entity for me. I kind of glaze over when she's talking. They did start to give her something of an "Arrogant until the shit hits the fan, and then she's just a scared newbie" kind of personality, which is better than nothing, but unless it was just Rossi trying to kick her back into gear, I could have done without the "Fresh Eyes" scene. Because if you seriously need a newbie to point that out to you, Rossi, maybe it's time to retire permanently.
Moving on.
Garcia finding the photos and the location of the warehouse from said photos felt a bit contrived, but that's a minor detail. I love, love, loved the scene where Morgan finds Emily in the warehouse, but after that, it gets a bit weird. I could have handled Emily not being with the team for her final episode, but the fact that they didn't really get a goodbye feels like a kick to the ribs. Chances are that might be for a reason - apparently 6x20 deals with some of the emotional fallout, so I guess I won't complain too much about it. That said, it feels like it would have been more...teamy, I guess, if the rest of the team, upon hearing Morgan's radio message, came down to join him once the building had been cleared. Then they could have gotten all teary-eyed as they realized that Emily was in bad shape, and be all anxious about her.
More than that, though, you have the most important unsub since Foyet, and you don't even mention what happened? Just a "Doyle's not here!" from Morgan, or something, because there are a lot of people out there who are confused about what actually happened to him (more on that in a bit).
The hospital scene was nice, if a little heartbreaking. My main gripe is with the Paris scene. "Yay, Emily's alive," should have been my reaction, not, "Why aren't they showing her face? Is it really Emily? Shouldn't JJ be a little more, I dunno, emotional about saying goodbye to one of her best friends?" It would have been nice to see some indication of what's being done about Doyle. Just a, "We're still looking for Doyle. But we will find him. We will bring you home, Emily," kind of thing, because as "Paget's absolutely positively final episode" kind of deal, it was way too open-ended. There is no way in hell the team wouldn't be out for Doyle's blood. Even if Hotch forbid them against it, Garcia would be tracking down every electronic lead out there. The only way they can really end it properly is by bringing back Emily and Doyle for one last episode somewhere down the track, though with all the casting issues, that seems like it could be a problem.
So, just a couple of thoughts on how it could have been fixed. 1. For God's sake, somebody write up a Series Bible. I'm almost surprised they managed to keep Emily's birthdate significant. 2. Three episodes focused on the plot would have given a better chance of fleshing out what was a very intense storyline, plus give room for finishing up the plotlines a little more neatly. More flashbacks, more Clyde, more exposition on what happened to Doyle, and something about when Emily would return (not so much for the viewers, but for the characters, because it seems bizarre to think like she'll never ever return. I'd like to think that she's tracking down Declan. If they didn't want to commit to more, they could have at least made the ending a little more definitive. Have Emily die, or have her drive off into the sunset, or whatever 3. TELL US WHAT HAPPENED TO SERGIO.
So it was kind of a messy episode for me, but thankfully, the fact that the majority of the acting was in top form, and the individual scenes themselves were beautiful. The Garcia voicemail scene makes me tear up even now, and Paget and Timothy Murphy have some very good chemistry going on there (Will someone please write a Doyle/Lauren past fic?) I'm gonna go watch it a bit more now.
First things first - I think that the writers and their horrible, horrible continuity is so bad at this point that it's hard to believe that they're not trying to troll us. I'm pretty sure they made a big deal in 6x02 that JJ was going to the DoD, and now she's suddenly with the State Department like it ain't no thing? Plus, I know this was from Valhalla, but the fact that Hotch suddenly knows that Emily is Interpol, and not FBI like she told him on her first day really pissed me off. Even this week, though, they didn't exactly make it clear who she really worked for. JTF-12 was a joint task force created to bring down terrorists, but JJ mentions Emily's "CIA past." So was she with Interpol, or the CIA? Lastly, and most importantly, WHAT HAPPENED TO SERGIO?
You can't just show an adorable kitty cat, and then not mention what happened to it, show.
I loved the flashbacks to Emily's time as Lauren Reynolds (and I admit, Lauren/Doyle is pairing that I liked) but it felt like it didn't show as much as it could have. The transition from meeting Valhalla to him giving her the ring and then her playing with Declan felt a little jarring. I feel like they should have shown something about the progression of their relationship from "business partners" to lovers. Another thing that felt kind of jarring was the way the episode started - the team going over the list of names, as though Emily hadn't just run off in the middle of a profile. There should have been some kind of reveal there, but it just goes from "here are some names on a list" to "Lauren Reynolds is dead." A bigger reaction would have been nice there, folks - you've just realized that the woman you've been working with for five years is a spy (which would have been even more awesome, and more betrayal inducing if Hotch hadn't mentioned Emily's Interpol days in the previous episode).
Anyway, moving on.
Seaver.
I know her whole dealio with Rossi has been a sore point for some people, but I guess I don't hate her as much as some. She's kind of a non-entity for me. I kind of glaze over when she's talking. They did start to give her something of an "Arrogant until the shit hits the fan, and then she's just a scared newbie" kind of personality, which is better than nothing, but unless it was just Rossi trying to kick her back into gear, I could have done without the "Fresh Eyes" scene. Because if you seriously need a newbie to point that out to you, Rossi, maybe it's time to retire permanently.
Moving on.
Garcia finding the photos and the location of the warehouse from said photos felt a bit contrived, but that's a minor detail. I love, love, loved the scene where Morgan finds Emily in the warehouse, but after that, it gets a bit weird. I could have handled Emily not being with the team for her final episode, but the fact that they didn't really get a goodbye feels like a kick to the ribs. Chances are that might be for a reason - apparently 6x20 deals with some of the emotional fallout, so I guess I won't complain too much about it. That said, it feels like it would have been more...teamy, I guess, if the rest of the team, upon hearing Morgan's radio message, came down to join him once the building had been cleared. Then they could have gotten all teary-eyed as they realized that Emily was in bad shape, and be all anxious about her.
More than that, though, you have the most important unsub since Foyet, and you don't even mention what happened? Just a "Doyle's not here!" from Morgan, or something, because there are a lot of people out there who are confused about what actually happened to him (more on that in a bit).
The hospital scene was nice, if a little heartbreaking. My main gripe is with the Paris scene. "Yay, Emily's alive," should have been my reaction, not, "Why aren't they showing her face? Is it really Emily? Shouldn't JJ be a little more, I dunno, emotional about saying goodbye to one of her best friends?" It would have been nice to see some indication of what's being done about Doyle. Just a, "We're still looking for Doyle. But we will find him. We will bring you home, Emily," kind of thing, because as "Paget's absolutely positively final episode" kind of deal, it was way too open-ended. There is no way in hell the team wouldn't be out for Doyle's blood. Even if Hotch forbid them against it, Garcia would be tracking down every electronic lead out there. The only way they can really end it properly is by bringing back Emily and Doyle for one last episode somewhere down the track, though with all the casting issues, that seems like it could be a problem.
So, just a couple of thoughts on how it could have been fixed. 1. For God's sake, somebody write up a Series Bible. I'm almost surprised they managed to keep Emily's birthdate significant. 2. Three episodes focused on the plot would have given a better chance of fleshing out what was a very intense storyline, plus give room for finishing up the plotlines a little more neatly. More flashbacks, more Clyde, more exposition on what happened to Doyle, and something about when Emily would return (not so much for the viewers, but for the characters, because it seems bizarre to think like she'll never ever return. I'd like to think that she's tracking down Declan. If they didn't want to commit to more, they could have at least made the ending a little more definitive. Have Emily die, or have her drive off into the sunset, or whatever 3. TELL US WHAT HAPPENED TO SERGIO.
So it was kind of a messy episode for me, but thankfully, the fact that the majority of the acting was in top form, and the individual scenes themselves were beautiful. The Garcia voicemail scene makes me tear up even now, and Paget and Timothy Murphy have some very good chemistry going on there (Will someone please write a Doyle/Lauren past fic?) I'm gonna go watch it a bit more now.