later, ask me what I think about keen little gadgets in the shape of dismembered women. (Guess.)

[brown_betty]

So the other night, more or less by accident, kphoebe and I ended up watching Criminal Minds together. I had read the one sentence TV guide blurb, but honestly I had more or less forgotten about that by the time I started watching. Twenty minutes twenty three seconds later, (by my chat log) we were on AIM together boggling at the bafflingly insensitive

Comments

[kutsuwamushi]

I had the same reaction. I love the show, so it was a nasty shock. I kept expecting it to get better, up until the closing credits.

I got the impression that the episode was written with the Roma imagined in the role of the villains, and then the single line about how they're perverting Roma customs put in afterwards. The line was even acted in a throw-away manner. It barely registered unless you were paying attention to the race issue.

[brown_betty]

Yeah me too. Me and Karen were both like “uh. Are they doing what I think they're doing?” AND THEN THEY DID.

I'm not sure if the 'perverted customs' is meant to indicate that these people aren't ethnically Romani, they're just, what, really big fans? Or that these are Romani who somehow got their own culture really confused at some point. AUGLKJDF.

[cimness]

Well, if they're speaking Romanian, maybe they're fans who never even met (or, apparently, read about) the Roma.

[brown_betty]

I GUESS. The writing was, in my opinion, not of the highest calibre in ways other than racist fail. Its rather unclear what's going on.

[ratcreature]

It's nice to hear that I'm not alone in my horror

[brown_betty]

I must have skipped what you posted about it because I was worried about spoilers. You're right that it doesn't make sense w/ the Roma, especially because its my understanding that its a very tight knit community with a lot of extended family and such.

And yes, exactly! What about the girls? Do they kidnap boy-children for them to marry? Leave them on doorsteps?

Really, this is a bit more like an X-Files episode than a CM ep.

[ratcreature]

Yeah my post is here

[brown_betty]

Yeah, there are Roma in North America, or at least, the US, I remember, from some research I once did for a Dick Grayson story I never wrote, but I honestly couldn't say I'm aware of ever having met one, or having seen one. And then this!

[skywardprodigal]

Gypsies stole my baby?!

[brown_betty]

And, as a lot of people have pointed out, what on earth do these people do with their girl-children? Kidnap them husbands? Eat 'em? Maybe dingoes ate 'em.

[sparkymonster]

My roommate asked the question of "but what about the girls" as well. We've spent some time coming up with new horrible options. Infanticide is the "winner" so far.

[brown_betty]

Magical gypsy sex-selective birth-control, with their magical ethnic wisdoms!

I'm not particularely articulate today.

[staubundsterne]

AHHHHHRGH. This is so bad on so many levels. I mean, srsly?

Re: I'm not particularely articulate today.

[karenhealey]

FOR. SERIOUS.

[miriam_heddy]

I had the same, WTF reaction. I couldn't even bring myself to post about it yet, because I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about the show, especially after the prior week's episode, in which both Morgan and Rossi baited the unsub by taunting him for his love for another man--as if they, de facto, assumed that was somehow wrapped up in his pathology and something he ought to be ashamed of.

I dunno. Two episodes in a row with writing that made me cringe.

And this used to be my happy show.

[cimness]

They DID always have some really shitty writers in the mix. Maybe just luck that they never went in such a completely FAILsome direction yet?

[brown_betty]

Yeah, that's how I feel exactly. It's nice to have a show that's safe, that you don't need to negotiate your enjoyment of, you know? If you do post on it, I will be interested to see your thoughts.

[brown_betty]

And coming back to carp about that one again: It wasn't really a show where the team did much profiling; it was sort of a detective-work show, which is kinda missing the point of CM, IMO.