**SPOILERS**
After 14 plus seasons the last dozen or so episodes of the series are all lacking in the high degree of sophistication and depth and insight into the minds of criminals (deranged or just plain profiled).
This episode continues the chance romance of Reid and Max, contrasted by Cat (a bit over-played by Aubrey Plaza). In the earlier season 15 episode we are introduced to Maxine, an aunt that is watching her nephew for her sister Michelle. Now in this episode we find that Max has another sister Eloise, one has to question why even on a third "non-date" (as Reid and other BAU team members amply exclaim) with Max one would think that siblings would have come up, Reid being an only child but Max having two sisters
One of the first egregious facts is how the connection to Max's family and the unsub Cat is lost on the BAU team coincidently with Cat's demands for a date night with Reid. With the background and search capabilities of Garcia there should have been a debrief before Reid went in to interrogate Cat including information about Cat's miscarriage so he was fully prepared. Perhaps this was to keep him in the dark (as later is revealed) in an attempt to uncover Cat's hidden agenda.
Then there is the whole story thread with Juliette, and yet the team is caught off guard as to her motives even after finding out her connection to Cat.
I gave this episode a 4 because it is clear that the writing has reached a point (as with the cast the staff writers knew the end of the series was coming) where there is no longer any plausible attempt for tight sub-story or back fill on the developments of the case, just a meandering of the story toward a conclusion, with an unexpected twist that has at most a subliminal explanation.
After 14 plus seasons the last dozen or so episodes of the series are all lacking in the high degree of sophistication and depth and insight into the minds of criminals (deranged or just plain profiled).
This episode continues the chance romance of Reid and Max, contrasted by Cat (a bit over-played by Aubrey Plaza). In the earlier season 15 episode we are introduced to Maxine, an aunt that is watching her nephew for her sister Michelle. Now in this episode we find that Max has another sister Eloise, one has to question why even on a third "non-date" (as Reid and other BAU team members amply exclaim) with Max one would think that siblings would have come up, Reid being an only child but Max having two sisters
One of the first egregious facts is how the connection to Max's family and the unsub Cat is lost on the BAU team coincidently with Cat's demands for a date night with Reid. With the background and search capabilities of Garcia there should have been a debrief before Reid went in to interrogate Cat including information about Cat's miscarriage so he was fully prepared. Perhaps this was to keep him in the dark (as later is revealed) in an attempt to uncover Cat's hidden agenda.
Then there is the whole story thread with Juliette, and yet the team is caught off guard as to her motives even after finding out her connection to Cat.
I gave this episode a 4 because it is clear that the writing has reached a point (as with the cast the staff writers knew the end of the series was coming) where there is no longer any plausible attempt for tight sub-story or back fill on the developments of the case, just a meandering of the story toward a conclusion, with an unexpected twist that has at most a subliminal explanation.