CM: Fisher King was on A&E tonight. Part 1 still sort of sucks, but Part 2 is one of my favorite eps of the entire show. The ending montage is great; Reid reading to his mom and reaching over to hold her hand is just lovely, and what is IMHO one of the most indelible images from the entire series ends the show, with Hotch washing the blood off of Elle's wall.

I totally agree with you, Kathy.

Which made her screaming at him that he didn't have her back suck that much more.

Which made her screaming at him that he didn't have her back suck that much more.

I really felt for Hotch with the way the Fisher King ended. Not just that he feels guilty about her getting shot (which I think is a bit deserved - if he wanted the agent to stay with her he should've said so), but that his family life gets the shaft again. He'd been looking forward to spending two weeks doing chores at home, and having him do chores at Elle's home instead was a neat little smack in the teeth for him (and his family).

Not just that he feels guilty about her getting shot (which I think is a bit deserved - if he wanted the agent to stay with her he should've said so),

poor Anderson. Although I think that if Anderson had gone with her, they both would have gotten shot.

poor Anderson. Although I think that if Anderson had gone with her, they both would have gotten shot.

Narrative-wise probably, but the Fisher King didn't seem to have any particular fighting skills or training; I wouldn't have found it too credible that he could take out an alert agent (and especially go on to get the drop on another).

I wouldn't have found it too credible that he could take out an alert agent (and especially go on to get the drop on another).

Anderson isn't particularly alert. Neither of them would have been expecting him in the house, all he had to do was fire two shots.

I like Anderson. I especially liked his line in "100": "I'm not just a pretty face." Hee.

"Fisher King Part 2" is a really well-written ep, and does a good job of showing the characters for those who are tuning in for the first time and reinforcing those traits long-time watchers have already seen throughout season 1.

Gideon reassures himself that he did the right thing in calling the press conference that got Elle shot (shown again in "Revelations," when he's pacing the bathroom after Reid has his seizure and is apparently dead).

Hotch bucks up Gideon at the hospital, tells the rest of the team (including Garcia) they did a good job, and then goes and washes the blood off of Elle's wall.

Morgan is impetuous (wants to run to the hospital after hearing about Elle), but then picks up on the piss-poor cop work done after Rebecca disappeared (as a former cop would).

JJ keeps Morgan focused and runs interference with Rebecca's mom. Garcia is the heart of the team and wears hers on her sleeve.

And the writers pull a typical gotcha with Reid--at first glance, he's just embarrassed about his mom being in the sanitarium ("She's a patient there" and his writing letters to avoid visiting her). It's only with the simple line "Did you know schizophrenia is genetically passed?" that the viewer really gets Reid's issues. (The writers like to do that--set up the stereotype, and then blow it away immediately afterwards.)

New Castle toinght (also House and Chuck)! Yay!!!

what is IMHO one of the most indelible images from the entire series ends the show, with Hotch washing the blood off of Elle's wall.

I think so too. Hotch in his suit, methodically starting on the blood in a act that's part expiation and part father figure.

Yay Castle! Yay Chuck! How I've missed you. Is anyone planning to watch The Event? I don't know if it goes here or Boxed Set. I haven't decided. I'm between "give it a try" and "don't be fooled again."