Before the ladies leave
Before the ladies leave
When the show started, we got Elle. I did not like her. While I'm all for girl power and strong females, for me Elle crossed the line between feminist and man-hater. Killing a rapist is okay by me, booting somebody's boy parts and looking at men as if they were all scum (even some of your co-workers) is not. To me, feminism is not about hate and surpassing men on everything they do, is about equality and mutual respect and admitting a woman will sometimes exceed a male and sometimes not. This may sound strange, but I remember feeling offended by Elle in some occasions.
So, Elle left (in her defense, I liked how it went down) and Prentiss got on board. Some people missed Elle, but I got used to Prentiss pretty quickly. Maybe because I started watching from season two on, but mostly because I identify better with Prentiss. She is a "tough chick" archetype, but she also has a warm heart and doubts; she looks like a human being, not like a banner for feminism (or, in Elle's case, man-hating).
Of course, all the way - episode two on (someone explain that to me?) - we got JJ. Starting out as a Media Liaison, she eventually got more screen time and got to drop the skirt and heels and get into the field. Makes no sense to me, of course, but I've learned to love JJ over the years. At first, she felt like "just another team member", and her big heart didn't hold a candle to, say, Reid's eidetic memory or Hotch's permanent frown. But slowly, I got to know that big heart more, specially on season five, and now it just warms the screen, which is important when you spend 42 minutes per week surrounded by death. She ruled this last season.
I also have to highlight the fact that Prentiss and JJ have insane chemistry; be it for friendship or femslash, it just works.
And there is Garcia. What can I say about Garcia that has not been said before? She's kind and brilliant and, of course, she is sexy. That may be the reason why I love her so much because she's not your typical choice for sexiness, but yet she's confidant about herself and joyful in everything she does, from working to dressing up. My favorite of all the Magnificent Seven.
Now, CBS said they're dropping them. Not all three of them, just the ones that are not as popular as Garcia. Money reasons, you understand.
When I first heard it, I thought it was kinda ironic. I finally love JJ and now they're booting her. Then, it hit me they were actually getting rid of these two characters they got me invested on for the past five and four years.
Some people called it a sexist decision to cut out two females out of a mostly male cast. I wasn't so sure, I was more inclined to believe they were cutting the characters that were less popular. I mean, I love Prentiss and JJ more than, say, Rossi and Morgan, but nowadays a Big Heart can't hold a candle to geeks and guys that tackle anything from a running unsub to a speeding train.
Of course, later we learned they were bringing on a NEW woman.
--On a personal note, the last time an FBI show I watched brought a new female character on board, she was Roselyn Sanchez and it killed Without a Trace (not alone, of course, the writers helped), so I actually fear what's coming.--
Yes, like a shiny new model, because those two old ones got obsolete.
I may even learn to like this new girl, maybe she'll even be an actress I like, who know? But already don't like how things are starting out and how she's getting here and I have major issues with the message they're sending - women are easily replaceable, once you're used to them you can just pick a new one, you know, to mix things up a little bit.
I wonder if they're gonna make her young and busty, or "well-aged" and "wise". Maybe she'll be black or latina, so they can give themselves a pat on the back for being diverse. And what do you think? Will she have a "dark" and "mysterious" past, and have the Rossi-Easy-Way-Out? Or will she work her daddy issues slowly through the episodes?
I'm not giving up on Criminal Minds yet, it's too soon to say something like that. This is a show that, just like JJ, I learned to love little by little. But I still wonder, when it finally happens (and it seems to be a matter of when, and not if), will TPTB think it will be just as easy to replace an audience of angry fans as it was to replace Prentiss and JJ?
AnnieVH
Written as an essay for a crimeland challenge.
When the show started, we got Elle. I did not like her. While I'm all for girl power and strong females, for me Elle crossed the line between feminist and man-hater. Killing a rapist is okay by me, booting somebody's boy parts and looking at men as if they were all scum (even some of your co-workers) is not. To me, feminism is not about hate and surpassing men on everything they do, is about equality and mutual respect and admitting a woman will sometimes exceed a male and sometimes not. This may sound strange, but I remember feeling offended by Elle in some occasions.
So, Elle left (in her defense, I liked how it went down) and Prentiss got on board. Some people missed Elle, but I got used to Prentiss pretty quickly. Maybe because I started watching from season two on, but mostly because I identify better with Prentiss. She is a "tough chick" archetype, but she also has a warm heart and doubts; she looks like a human being, not like a banner for feminism (or, in Elle's case, man-hating).
Of course, all the way - episode two on (someone explain that to me?) - we got JJ. Starting out as a Media Liaison, she eventually got more screen time and got to drop the skirt and heels and get into the field. Makes no sense to me, of course, but I've learned to love JJ over the years. At first, she felt like "just another team member", and her big heart didn't hold a candle to, say, Reid's eidetic memory or Hotch's permanent frown. But slowly, I got to know that big heart more, specially on season five, and now it just warms the screen, which is important when you spend 42 minutes per week surrounded by death. She ruled this last season.
I also have to highlight the fact that Prentiss and JJ have insane chemistry; be it for friendship or femslash, it just works.
And there is Garcia. What can I say about Garcia that has not been said before? She's kind and brilliant and, of course, she is sexy. That may be the reason why I love her so much because she's not your typical choice for sexiness, but yet she's confidant about herself and joyful in everything she does, from working to dressing up. My favorite of all the Magnificent Seven.
Now, CBS said they're dropping them. Not all three of them, just the ones that are not as popular as Garcia. Money reasons, you understand.
When I first heard it, I thought it was kinda ironic. I finally love JJ and now they're booting her. Then, it hit me they were actually getting rid of these two characters they got me invested on for the past five and four years.
Some people called it a sexist decision to cut out two females out of a mostly male cast. I wasn't so sure, I was more inclined to believe they were cutting the characters that were less popular. I mean, I love Prentiss and JJ more than, say, Rossi and Morgan, but nowadays a Big Heart can't hold a candle to geeks and guys that tackle anything from a running unsub to a speeding train.
Of course, later we learned they were bringing on a NEW woman.
--On a personal note, the last time an FBI show I watched brought a new female character on board, she was Roselyn Sanchez and it killed Without a Trace (not alone, of course, the writers helped), so I actually fear what's coming.--
Yes, like a shiny new model, because those two old ones got obsolete.
I may even learn to like this new girl, maybe she'll even be an actress I like, who know? But already don't like how things are starting out and how she's getting here and I have major issues with the message they're sending - women are easily replaceable, once you're used to them you can just pick a new one, you know, to mix things up a little bit.
I wonder if they're gonna make her young and busty, or "well-aged" and "wise". Maybe she'll be black or latina, so they can give themselves a pat on the back for being diverse. And what do you think? Will she have a "dark" and "mysterious" past, and have the Rossi-Easy-Way-Out? Or will she work her daddy issues slowly through the episodes?
I'm not giving up on Criminal Minds yet, it's too soon to say something like that. This is a show that, just like JJ, I learned to love little by little. But I still wonder, when it finally happens (and it seems to be a matter of when, and not if), will TPTB think it will be just as easy to replace an audience of angry fans as it was to replace Prentiss and JJ?
AnnieVH
Written as an essay for a crimeland challenge.