I wanted so much to like tonight's episode, but after a rewatch, I'm still meh on it. Individual parts were awesome, and the Cohen soundtrack was amazing, but it never came together as a whole. And the final confrontation doesn't jibe with what we know of Morgan.

Argh, I need to be more coherent about this, but I'm finding it difficult. My thoughts have obviously not completely gelled yet.

That had the feel of a massive rewrite in order to set up JJ's departure.

I'm with Maria—individual parts were really good, but other parts were just... meh. Then again, I may be bitter that Spicer was killed, because I really liked him.

I really liked him too. He and his partner would have been better for a spin-off than the people in the actual spin-off.

AJ did a wonderful job with the material she was given and I'm glad they gave her that opportunity but...I did not think much of the episode at all.

I thought Spicer and Ellie were the best bits. With the exception of JJ's moment in the spotlight I thought the characters I've grown to love were exceedingly dull and mostly just stood around looking puzzled. Morgan's temper flare at Garcia and subsequent comment to Hotch were out of character. I might have bought the shortness but the comment to Hotch was extreme for Morgan who isn't a complainer. Meh.

The whole time I watched, I had vicious thoughts towards the producers over AJ and Paget. I'm not sure I can get over it. I adore the others, but I'm not sure I can stay with the show feeling this level of hostility, and I certainly can't if they don't deliver better episodes.

You know, too, on thinking on it some more, I think part of my discontent lay in the fact that I think they took far too easy a way out with Billy Flynn. Madonna/whore complex with the mother where the son then evolves into a sociopath who mercilessly kills? Who does this remind us of? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Again, making me think a rewrite happened and they went back to a previously used scenario, except Flynn wasn't directly matching wits with any of the team members. Just using brutish force. I realize there are only so many ways you can play the UnSubs, but they've generally been so good with the cases and fairly solid with them. For the conclusion of a two-parter, that also served as a season premiere, they really dropped the ball.

I honestly thought Morgan was just going to go off the rails and go rogue for this ep. which would have been such a powerful moment for him—the guy who is so bound to authority as a former police officer and FBI agent, just losing it.

But... they had to set up JJ leaving.

The whole time I watched, I had vicious thoughts towards the producers over AJ and Paget. I'm not sure I can get over it. I adore the others, but I'm not sure I can stay with the show feeling this level of hostility, and I certainly can't if they don't deliver better episodes.

I've already written a polite letter to the producers, explaining why I won't be watching CM anymore. I'd rather leave now and keep the show in my mind as something I enjoyed, not with a sour note of disappointment. In my mind, the show ended with "Slave of Duty".

The whole time I watched, I had vicious thoughts towards the producers over AJ and Paget. I'm not sure I can get over it. I adore the others, but I'm not sure I can stay with the show feeling this level of hostility, and I certainly can't if they don't deliver better episodes.

So very much this. I can't walk away because of my love for Reid, Garcia, and Morgan (not counting last night), but I very much want the producers/network to feel my (and near as I can tell EVERYONE else's) ire.

Just to clarify, the producers didn't have anything to do with cutting AJ and Paget. It was CBS and ABC Studios that made those decisions. From everything I've been able to discern, Ed Bernero, et. al. had no part in it. IIRC, he alluded to his displeasure in an interview, but not in so many words. I'll try and find the article.

I'm cynical and feeling pretty unforgiving right now.

I've been thinking about the final scene, and it's irritating me, not because I don't think that Morgan is capable of killing someone in cold blood, but because I think that he wouldn't be so stupid as to do it in front of witnesses. You'd think that he would wait for Flynn to at least make some sort of move that he can claim made it a righteous shoot. He just killed the guy.