CM 4x01 Mayhem - You are my God-given solace
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!
Seriously,
In my opinion, that was perhaps the best season opener to date.
Hotch, after the explosion, and with Joyner while they were waiting for the paramedics. So amazing. Thomas Gibson, FTW! He played that so very very well. It's such a thing of beauty how Hotch just snaps right out of the haze once he realizes Joyner's probably hurt. He's so profoundly un-Hotchly when he's with her, or rather, he's Hotch-with-a-victim - but much less secure - with her. He really really cares about her, there's no way around that. Also, obviously the fact that he himself is hurt has a part in how he acts now.
The confusion was... beautifully done, nobody knowing anything, and Garcia trying and failing to get everyone on the line. (Also, JJ's Communications Director now? That sounds like a promotion.) In these sort of action-filled episodes, Garcia's in many ways a gauge for how the audience is - we're panicked when she is, frantic when she is, terrified or relieved or exhausted when she is. The others are trained agents, their responses are different. Garcia is unfiltered. But she's also focused, she does what she's got to do, and finds the bomber.
(PS: We don't get a whole lot of fancy effects in this episode, but the zoom from Hotch and Joyner and to the first responders where Morgan shows up is pretty neat.)
Morgan's chase for the bomber and the eventual confrontation was strong. I was totally going "Don't, Morgan, DON'T!" for the whole time.
Kate in the ambulance, oh my god. "Don't thank me, thank your partner, he did it all"
Hotch crashing in the hospital, oh HOTCH!
"So far these guys have accomplished nothing" - "That was memorable. This isn't." - "Morgan, the profile's wrong." And they ALL crack the case!
"I just wanna understand why I'm still alive." He's in pain, though. And the profile discussion in the hospital. And Hotch cracks the case!
The fake ambulance driver is one creepy, creepy man.
"Where's Morgan?" -- "Alone?"
The Garcia-Morgan conversation is so lovely.
Is it wrong of me that I giggled loudly at the "NO! NO! AAAAAARH!" from the bomber when Morgan pulled out of there?
Okay, v. disturbing image of the Secret Service agents dead in the elevator.
"Why does it always have to be you, why do you always have to do this?"
"There's something I want you to know, Garcia."
"MORGAN!"
Oh man, even though I was pretty sure Morgan wasn't going to die, I was about as shocked as Garcia was at the explosion.
And the bomber doesn't even FLINCH before slitting his own throat.
"You're my God-given solace. Woman, you promise me one thing: Whatever happens, don't ever stop talking to me."
A man who's beautiful AND eloquent? Damn, I wish he didn't have relationship issues. I'm also even more certain now that if he didn't, he be with Garcia.
And Hotch says goodbye to Joyner, and seriously, although I can't get the timelines totally straight here - unless of course Haley wasn't the only one cheating, emotionally or otherwise - he was obviously pretty fond of her, maybe even in love with her.
The tension with Cooper and Prentiss! Damn. They're so sweet. "I'm told they are great seats." and "I'm not most people."
"Don't you have something better to do?"
"Than to annoy you for three hours? Hell no."
Hotch is totally deflated there, close on depressed. He's not even thinking about cracking a smile or responding to the "annoy you"-quip. He's just... run out, but still running on business. "Give me the case."
I think we might see more of Hotch and Morgan's issues this season. It's something that's been in and out sporadically since 'Won't Get Fooled Again', ("Let's focus on profiling the bomber and not Gideon" "Copy that"), and of course 'Profiler, Profiled', those two butting heads, and it came to a forceful head in "Lo-Fi". Maybe we'll see more of that in the upcoming season. I'd certainly like that.
Also, briefly on Morgan's confrontation with Sam, there was this theme of fear and darkness/shadows, which I think might turn out to be thematic for the season, seeing as it ties in back with the end with Hotch and Morgan, so trust as opposed to fear, I guess.
So, all in all? A++
However, and I cannot believe I missed this in the first go, the scene at the end is one of those situations that prove that while Hotch may be many things, he is not perfect. After everything, it would seem that he's still pissed off at Morgan, most likely for the Alpha Male Moment(tm) earlier. In Lo-Fi, when Morgan apologized, Joyner took it in stride and was, in fact, rather gracious about it. Hotch hardly even acknogledged Morgan's apology, much less accepted it. He's pissed, and my guess is it's because Morgan challenged his authority - which is, in reality, what happened.
ALSO, here is another element of the underlying fear. Morgan is, like Elle before, afraid to end up like his predecessors. Elle saw her nightmare self in Max Ryan, Morgan sees his in Gideon and even in Hotch. ("He hasn't even thought about cracking a smile in over a year") Morgan is so afraid of ending up like Hotch, that the fear probably plays a role in his antagonism. Still, he can't escape the influence Hotch has on his life, as his mentor, his boss, and ultimately, his role model. ("It felt like he was taking her side" and "My opinion doesn't matter, the job's yours if you want it."/"Your opinion matters to me")
Ahem. That's it. For now.
Seriously,
In my opinion, that was perhaps the best season opener to date.
Hotch, after the explosion, and with Joyner while they were waiting for the paramedics. So amazing. Thomas Gibson, FTW! He played that so very very well. It's such a thing of beauty how Hotch just snaps right out of the haze once he realizes Joyner's probably hurt. He's so profoundly un-Hotchly when he's with her, or rather, he's Hotch-with-a-victim - but much less secure - with her. He really really cares about her, there's no way around that. Also, obviously the fact that he himself is hurt has a part in how he acts now.
The confusion was... beautifully done, nobody knowing anything, and Garcia trying and failing to get everyone on the line. (Also, JJ's Communications Director now? That sounds like a promotion.) In these sort of action-filled episodes, Garcia's in many ways a gauge for how the audience is - we're panicked when she is, frantic when she is, terrified or relieved or exhausted when she is. The others are trained agents, their responses are different. Garcia is unfiltered. But she's also focused, she does what she's got to do, and finds the bomber.
(PS: We don't get a whole lot of fancy effects in this episode, but the zoom from Hotch and Joyner and to the first responders where Morgan shows up is pretty neat.)
Morgan's chase for the bomber and the eventual confrontation was strong. I was totally going "Don't, Morgan, DON'T!" for the whole time.
Kate in the ambulance, oh my god. "Don't thank me, thank your partner, he did it all"
Hotch crashing in the hospital, oh HOTCH!
"So far these guys have accomplished nothing" - "That was memorable. This isn't." - "Morgan, the profile's wrong." And they ALL crack the case!
"I just wanna understand why I'm still alive." He's in pain, though. And the profile discussion in the hospital. And Hotch cracks the case!
The fake ambulance driver is one creepy, creepy man.
"Where's Morgan?" -- "Alone?"
The Garcia-Morgan conversation is so lovely.
Is it wrong of me that I giggled loudly at the "NO! NO! AAAAAARH!" from the bomber when Morgan pulled out of there?
Okay, v. disturbing image of the Secret Service agents dead in the elevator.
"Why does it always have to be you, why do you always have to do this?"
"There's something I want you to know, Garcia."
"MORGAN!"
Oh man, even though I was pretty sure Morgan wasn't going to die, I was about as shocked as Garcia was at the explosion.
And the bomber doesn't even FLINCH before slitting his own throat.
"You're my God-given solace. Woman, you promise me one thing: Whatever happens, don't ever stop talking to me."
A man who's beautiful AND eloquent? Damn, I wish he didn't have relationship issues. I'm also even more certain now that if he didn't, he be with Garcia.
And Hotch says goodbye to Joyner, and seriously, although I can't get the timelines totally straight here - unless of course Haley wasn't the only one cheating, emotionally or otherwise - he was obviously pretty fond of her, maybe even in love with her.
The tension with Cooper and Prentiss! Damn. They're so sweet. "I'm told they are great seats." and "I'm not most people."
"Don't you have something better to do?"
"Than to annoy you for three hours? Hell no."
Hotch is totally deflated there, close on depressed. He's not even thinking about cracking a smile or responding to the "annoy you"-quip. He's just... run out, but still running on business. "Give me the case."
I think we might see more of Hotch and Morgan's issues this season. It's something that's been in and out sporadically since 'Won't Get Fooled Again', ("Let's focus on profiling the bomber and not Gideon" "Copy that"), and of course 'Profiler, Profiled', those two butting heads, and it came to a forceful head in "Lo-Fi". Maybe we'll see more of that in the upcoming season. I'd certainly like that.
Also, briefly on Morgan's confrontation with Sam, there was this theme of fear and darkness/shadows, which I think might turn out to be thematic for the season, seeing as it ties in back with the end with Hotch and Morgan, so trust as opposed to fear, I guess.
So, all in all? A++
However, and I cannot believe I missed this in the first go, the scene at the end is one of those situations that prove that while Hotch may be many things, he is not perfect. After everything, it would seem that he's still pissed off at Morgan, most likely for the Alpha Male Moment(tm) earlier. In Lo-Fi, when Morgan apologized, Joyner took it in stride and was, in fact, rather gracious about it. Hotch hardly even acknogledged Morgan's apology, much less accepted it. He's pissed, and my guess is it's because Morgan challenged his authority - which is, in reality, what happened.
ALSO, here is another element of the underlying fear. Morgan is, like Elle before, afraid to end up like his predecessors. Elle saw her nightmare self in Max Ryan, Morgan sees his in Gideon and even in Hotch. ("He hasn't even thought about cracking a smile in over a year") Morgan is so afraid of ending up like Hotch, that the fear probably plays a role in his antagonism. Still, he can't escape the influence Hotch has on his life, as his mentor, his boss, and ultimately, his role model. ("It felt like he was taking her side" and "My opinion doesn't matter, the job's yours if you want it."/"Your opinion matters to me")
Ahem. That's it. For now.