It was nice to have a light hearted episode for once, sad they didn't do this more often. Criminal Minds is at times pretty dark, so it was good to have an episode off from all the murder and stuff. Good episode.
20 Reviews
One of my favorite episodes
organicoreo15 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I wholeheartedly have to disagree with many of the negative reviews for this episode. It's pretty obvious that this episode was meant to be a change of pace from a typical Criminal Minds episode. "Saturday" is a very light-hearted, casual episode about the BAU's "day off" and definitely has a goofier vibe to it. The "case" in this episode is a stalker case that isn't anything standout or interesting. I loved the interactions between Alvez and Garcia, and Prentiss was great in this episode. Rossi has a very sweet moment with Simmons, something we rarely see between these two. However, I feel like Prentiss in particular takes the cake here.
Prentiss is hilarious here, and it's fun seeing her goofier side. Prentiss' lawsuit was very amusing and Tara's involvement at the end was so enjoyable. Tara has definitely grown on me throughout her time at the BAU, and she was very funny when dealing with Ryan.
In this episode, the most standout was, of course, Reid and Max, who is going to be his new love interest. This wasn't really standout because their relationship was great, rather, it was very obvious the writers wanted to pair Reid with someone before the show ended. I didn't dislike Max but wouldn't say I was particularly drawn to her as a character. Like someone else said, she did feel a little like a Mary Sue, and their relationship wasn't immediately convincing. There was some nice chemistry between them but it felt a little bit forced. However, it was quite a nice change to see Reid interacting with someone outside of work. The outfit change was definitely a fun goofy part of the episode that I thought was cute.
Overall, this was a great episode, and a fantastic change of pace. The team and their little interactions are one of the great parts of this show, and I'm happy the writers dedicated an episode to seeing the more casual side of the team.
Prentiss is hilarious here, and it's fun seeing her goofier side. Prentiss' lawsuit was very amusing and Tara's involvement at the end was so enjoyable. Tara has definitely grown on me throughout her time at the BAU, and she was very funny when dealing with Ryan.
In this episode, the most standout was, of course, Reid and Max, who is going to be his new love interest. This wasn't really standout because their relationship was great, rather, it was very obvious the writers wanted to pair Reid with someone before the show ended. I didn't dislike Max but wouldn't say I was particularly drawn to her as a character. Like someone else said, she did feel a little like a Mary Sue, and their relationship wasn't immediately convincing. There was some nice chemistry between them but it felt a little bit forced. However, it was quite a nice change to see Reid interacting with someone outside of work. The outfit change was definitely a fun goofy part of the episode that I thought was cute.
Overall, this was a great episode, and a fantastic change of pace. The team and their little interactions are one of the great parts of this show, and I'm happy the writers dedicated an episode to seeing the more casual side of the team.
Wish they did more eps like this
justfreshh14 July 2021
Great change of focus
bmiller5924 January 2020
Don't buy into the low ratings and comments. I've been involved with Criminal Minds since the beginning, and am going to miss it terribly when this season ends.
This is an extraordinary episode because you get a glimpse of each character and their personal lives. We know things about each character as this series has progressed, but this episode shows each character and a slice of their life without having the stress of their job interfering. I always smile during each episode, but the smile is induced by a successful resolution of the story line.
The last scene (no spoiler here) was especially gratifying and was/is really needed when this show ends.
DO NOT buy in to the negative reviews. Get out of the box and enjoy this episode for how it is intended.
This is an extraordinary episode because you get a glimpse of each character and their personal lives. We know things about each character as this series has progressed, but this episode shows each character and a slice of their life without having the stress of their job interfering. I always smile during each episode, but the smile is induced by a successful resolution of the story line.
The last scene (no spoiler here) was especially gratifying and was/is really needed when this show ends.
DO NOT buy in to the negative reviews. Get out of the box and enjoy this episode for how it is intended.
Great change of pace
usafpabl23 January 2020
This was a wonderful surprise. The vast majority of episodes are very serious, dark and downright frightening at times. This episode explored the lighter side of the characters at the BAU. It delved deeper into the personal lives than a typical episode does. And it still found the time with four storylines juggled to find the creepy guy that is the center of every show.
Loved it
Lovely episode
kizzyduffeleer27 January 2020
Wow about all the haters on here. A show would be massively boring if it was just case after case. One of the best things about this show are the characters.
I absolutely loved seeing what they do on their day off, and I thoroughly enjoyed the combination of a case with their personal stories.
I feel genuinely sad that this show is coming to an end, but I am happy that we can see where everyone would be going after this.
Definitely an episode I will be rewatching.
I absolutely loved seeing what they do on their day off, and I thoroughly enjoyed the combination of a case with their personal stories.
I feel genuinely sad that this show is coming to an end, but I am happy that we can see where everyone would be going after this.
Definitely an episode I will be rewatching.
This episode is like a brownie that's all warm and gooey inside.
Washi_Washi27 January 2021
By Criminal Minds' standards, "Saturday" is a very laid back episode. There's multiple storylines with sub-units of the team and most of it is either heartwarming or funny.
The show doesn't take away from the mystery element however, and there's a very creepy stalker situation unfolding with Garcia at the helm. That being said, how the situation was resolved felt a little too convenient. But given that there were so many more casual team interactions, it flipped the script and brought a welcome change from all the drama and just poor writing of most of this season.
All in all, I liked that this episode detracted from the usual formula and I enjoyed it.
The show doesn't take away from the mystery element however, and there's a very creepy stalker situation unfolding with Garcia at the helm. That being said, how the situation was resolved felt a little too convenient. But given that there were so many more casual team interactions, it flipped the script and brought a welcome change from all the drama and just poor writing of most of this season.
All in all, I liked that this episode detracted from the usual formula and I enjoyed it.
change of pace
Reidfan26 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I loved this one. After fourteen years of dark and creepy, it was a lovely change of pace, highlighting our beloved team members' personal lives while still dealing with a creepy case. (interesting angle, the incel, given how prominent that very group has been in the news of late)
Unlike all those complaining about this episode, I thought it stayed remarkably in character for all of them, and gave us a chance to see the fun, silly sides of especially Prentiss and Reid. Emily Prentiss, the boss, with most of a bottle of red and seven doughnuts downed, still manages to help work out two separate issues (her own lawsuit, and Garcia's 'case'). And Reid, from whom we've seen glimpses of playful and fun in the past, gets to let loose and let down his hair and interact with someone who doesn't define him by his badge.
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode.
Unlike all those complaining about this episode, I thought it stayed remarkably in character for all of them, and gave us a chance to see the fun, silly sides of especially Prentiss and Reid. Emily Prentiss, the boss, with most of a bottle of red and seven doughnuts downed, still manages to help work out two separate issues (her own lawsuit, and Garcia's 'case'). And Reid, from whom we've seen glimpses of playful and fun in the past, gets to let loose and let down his hair and interact with someone who doesn't define him by his badge.
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode.
Good experiment
st-prm24 January 2020
Interesting idea. Some cool really funny jokes, unusual "case", some unrealistic stuff, but overall a very good episode for the last seasons. I don't understand some reiviews here.
It is finishing line, they want to create good ending with characters. It is logical. I mean, I personally think show became really overall bad (stories, plot, idea, messing with team etc) from season 10-11. I think they could be cancelled back then.
Ratings went down, but still a lot of people, incl. me, continued to watch it because they like characters, actors. It's main reason why they were on air for 14 years.
CBS gave them opportunity to do great farewell with 10 series. It is logical to create such episodes at the end of show. IMHO, they did a good experiment with this one.
It is finishing line, they want to create good ending with characters. It is logical. I mean, I personally think show became really overall bad (stories, plot, idea, messing with team etc) from season 10-11. I think they could be cancelled back then.
Ratings went down, but still a lot of people, incl. me, continued to watch it because they like characters, actors. It's main reason why they were on air for 14 years.
CBS gave them opportunity to do great farewell with 10 series. It is logical to create such episodes at the end of show. IMHO, they did a good experiment with this one.
Delightful break
cece310017 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I adored this episode. It felt similar enough to the typical structure with a less scary/intense case with no death, and it gave us the chance to see how everyone is completely outside of the workplace. I really enjoyed it I wish they had done episodes like this more often.
A day in the lives of the BAU
TheLittleSongbird26 January 2021
Changes of pace from the usual formula don't ususually bother me. Never have expected a show to be strict to any formula at any time. As long as any change of pace is done well and isn't done in too different a day, hopefully being interesting rather than cheesy. Was really hoping for an improvement when watching "Saturday" slowly working my way through Season 15, having been underwhelmed by the previous three episodes where the quality got worse with each episode.
Luckily, although the episode will and has divided fans, "Saturday" for me was a big improvement and not only the best Season 15 episode up to this early point (being the only above average one) but also one of the best episodes of the season, one of the few good ones even in my view. It is not perfect or one of the best episodes, but "Saturday" turned out to be a lot better than anticipated and is to me one of the few Season 15 episodes worth watching actually and a huge improvement over "Spectator Slowing". Being somebody who was overall rather disappointed in the season.
"Saturday" is not perfect and it is actually easy to see it is divisive. Would have liked to have seen more of the case, which was diverting enough with the standout scene being the very creepy opening but not focused upon enough.
Alexi's introduction was for my tastes too abrupt and doesn't add an awful lot. Also Simmons' subplot wasn't as interesting or as illuminating as the others and the writing in it is at times on the soapy side.
However, it was very interesting and refreshing to have a change of pace once in a while. People will, and do, feel that "Saturday" doesn't feel like a 'Criminal Minds' episode and feels like filler, but to me actually "Saturday" was a case of a change of pace done well, entertaining and affectionately. Loved what it did with the characters, who all shine in their own way and this is one of the few Season 15 episodes where all were nicely developed in a way that illuminated and almost as interesting as each other (only reservation is with Simmons).
Most of the subplots did work. The one that grabbed me the most and was the most emotionally investable was Reid's, closely followed by the humorous one of Prentiss which sees a different side to her. There are a lot of funny, thoughtful and heart-warming lines with some smile-worthy exchanges throughout. For example Rossi's line about conspiracy theorists, vintage Rossi, made me laugh out loud. It is a well made episode visually, with the music fitting well and all the lead performances are great.
Concluding, worth watching and for me, despite being a change of pace, it was one of the better episodes of a final season that didn't mostly do the show justice. 7/10
Luckily, although the episode will and has divided fans, "Saturday" for me was a big improvement and not only the best Season 15 episode up to this early point (being the only above average one) but also one of the best episodes of the season, one of the few good ones even in my view. It is not perfect or one of the best episodes, but "Saturday" turned out to be a lot better than anticipated and is to me one of the few Season 15 episodes worth watching actually and a huge improvement over "Spectator Slowing". Being somebody who was overall rather disappointed in the season.
"Saturday" is not perfect and it is actually easy to see it is divisive. Would have liked to have seen more of the case, which was diverting enough with the standout scene being the very creepy opening but not focused upon enough.
Alexi's introduction was for my tastes too abrupt and doesn't add an awful lot. Also Simmons' subplot wasn't as interesting or as illuminating as the others and the writing in it is at times on the soapy side.
However, it was very interesting and refreshing to have a change of pace once in a while. People will, and do, feel that "Saturday" doesn't feel like a 'Criminal Minds' episode and feels like filler, but to me actually "Saturday" was a case of a change of pace done well, entertaining and affectionately. Loved what it did with the characters, who all shine in their own way and this is one of the few Season 15 episodes where all were nicely developed in a way that illuminated and almost as interesting as each other (only reservation is with Simmons).
Most of the subplots did work. The one that grabbed me the most and was the most emotionally investable was Reid's, closely followed by the humorous one of Prentiss which sees a different side to her. There are a lot of funny, thoughtful and heart-warming lines with some smile-worthy exchanges throughout. For example Rossi's line about conspiracy theorists, vintage Rossi, made me laugh out loud. It is a well made episode visually, with the music fitting well and all the lead performances are great.
Concluding, worth watching and for me, despite being a change of pace, it was one of the better episodes of a final season that didn't mostly do the show justice. 7/10
Lost the plot?
danielkleverman23 January 2020
Loved this episode! 💗
llovespink30 January 2020
I loved this episode because it was a look at their normal life... which we all have...
People who don't have anything good to say should just not say anything.
I look forward to upcoming episodes to delight and scare us before ends!
Very cute
wqqvcyndf6 February 2024
Disregard the earlier reviews, especially by the incel ("nightswith-something) who was "insulted" by comments exactly doing what they were intended to do.
It's nice to get a lighter, funny episode in the midst of all the heaviness. It's especially nice to finally see Reid get a win in the like/love department.
I also enjoyed seeing Rossi form a new, or much stronger, bond with something else on the team by way of Simmons.
The only thing that still confuses me and have not seen a payoff for is the overly-machinated 'awkwardness' between Garcia and Alvez. After watching this contrived thing they've created between the two of them for a few seasons, it's getting old now.
All around refreshing change of pace!
It's nice to get a lighter, funny episode in the midst of all the heaviness. It's especially nice to finally see Reid get a win in the like/love department.
I also enjoyed seeing Rossi form a new, or much stronger, bond with something else on the team by way of Simmons.
The only thing that still confuses me and have not seen a payoff for is the overly-machinated 'awkwardness' between Garcia and Alvez. After watching this contrived thing they've created between the two of them for a few seasons, it's getting old now.
All around refreshing change of pace!
My most favourite episode
simpsoncail17 February 2024
I got Disney + and have been watching all seasons since November . Day in day out . So much death , so many dark scenes, so much pain . I was getting truly sick and tired of it and was gonna stop it but only continued cos I'm close to the end . I am obsessive like that. I can't stop something without reaching to the actual finish , even if I have lost interest . I ll force myself to . And I m so glad I did cos this is my most favourite episode . I laughed in almost every scene . Drunk Emily was my favourite . But everyone was enjoyable . Even Garcia who has been annoying me for many seasons now . Great break from the norm .
What bothers me most...
wmsrble-673-79959027 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I was ok with the red crib (the interactions between Prentis, Rossi, Matt and Kristy were fine).
I was less than ok with the hacker class (competition?) Garcia was teaching (they are at an FBI office where there is sensitive information all around). This could have been done at the FBI training Academy, since there are probably not going to be classes on a Saturday.
My biggest problem was with Max and her nephew Sammy. I get that he's supposed to be "unusual" (i.e. Similar to Spencer), but the kid comes off as annoying.
We first see Max yelling at Spencer, for her nephew being annoying TO HIM. A person who deals with an autistic child (as Sammy clearly is) would apologize to the person the child was bothering. Plus, she doesn't know how to handle his meltdown? Kudos to Spencer for handling it.
Obviously, she doesn't realize he probably annoys other people, which makes me wonder why the kid's mother would let her irresponsible sister take him on an outing. Does she know her sister left him alone? Did he wander off? Again, Max did a crappy job of looking out for him.
Then, she tries to get out of getting her car towed by saying she parked there "for 30 seconds" which was in actuality closer to, if not over five minutes, since Sammy had time to notice, approach, and annoy Spencer, who was minding his own business. She was probably conducting business inside the building. Then what? Realized she was supposed to be watching her nephew?
And why did she park at a curb right next to a no-parking sign, when there's a freaking parking garage across the street? It bugs me when people justify their illegal behavior to suit their needs, and then try to weasel out of the consequences. Clearly she cannot handle making adult decisions, like budgeting her money (she complains of having no money to get her car out of impound) keeping track of her nephew, parking, and accepting responsibility for her actions.
I blame the writers for this sloppy, contrived mess. There are plenty of other situations where Spencer could have a "normal" conversation". Spencer should have realized this woman was a mess and taken off running in the other direction.
I was less than ok with the hacker class (competition?) Garcia was teaching (they are at an FBI office where there is sensitive information all around). This could have been done at the FBI training Academy, since there are probably not going to be classes on a Saturday.
My biggest problem was with Max and her nephew Sammy. I get that he's supposed to be "unusual" (i.e. Similar to Spencer), but the kid comes off as annoying.
We first see Max yelling at Spencer, for her nephew being annoying TO HIM. A person who deals with an autistic child (as Sammy clearly is) would apologize to the person the child was bothering. Plus, she doesn't know how to handle his meltdown? Kudos to Spencer for handling it.
Obviously, she doesn't realize he probably annoys other people, which makes me wonder why the kid's mother would let her irresponsible sister take him on an outing. Does she know her sister left him alone? Did he wander off? Again, Max did a crappy job of looking out for him.
Then, she tries to get out of getting her car towed by saying she parked there "for 30 seconds" which was in actuality closer to, if not over five minutes, since Sammy had time to notice, approach, and annoy Spencer, who was minding his own business. She was probably conducting business inside the building. Then what? Realized she was supposed to be watching her nephew?
And why did she park at a curb right next to a no-parking sign, when there's a freaking parking garage across the street? It bugs me when people justify their illegal behavior to suit their needs, and then try to weasel out of the consequences. Clearly she cannot handle making adult decisions, like budgeting her money (she complains of having no money to get her car out of impound) keeping track of her nephew, parking, and accepting responsibility for her actions.
I blame the writers for this sloppy, contrived mess. There are plenty of other situations where Spencer could have a "normal" conversation". Spencer should have realized this woman was a mess and taken off running in the other direction.
Sitcom Minds
Gustavo_Valadares16 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Is this a joke? Why this is a sitcom episode with Criminal Minds characters in it? Nobody watch the show for that!
Quick summary of the "plots" this episode deals:
Do you see something missing here? Yes, the crime, the serial killer, I think the show writers were taking a vacation too. This episode totally throws in the trash the show format and purpose to rather focus in soap opera dramas, it feels like the screenwriters got bored of the show and decided to write anything else to pass time.
They also try too much to appeal to young people in a very condescending way: people making a lot sexual innuendos (deepthroat, swing, threesome ...), forced and uncharacteristical comedy. Pretiss quoting a meme (hold my beer), talking about incels, twitch streamers, gamers, homophobia and whatnot in a very shallow way and presenting a silly cartoonish character (Emily's neighbor).
In this episode everyone uses FBI building as their playground, they hold a innocent young guy in detention for fun because they didn't liked him, they use the FBI building as site to host a hackaton party and also uses as a place to have personal meetings. Reid try to use his badge to circumvent the law and turns into a 'robot who wants to find love'... anyway, there is so much stupid and irrelevant things going on in here that doesn't even worth the effort to point.
The thing is, Criminal Minds it's a long lasting show with a lot that was constructed to perfect the formula, it always been respectable, with a very dark and threatening tone, if you are going to pull a complete 180 and turn it into the opposite just end the show and make a spin-off of it but do not ruin the atmosphere and story buit, you know, what made it work so far. Criminal Minds was never meant to be a show about adults raising babies, meeting people in parks and messing around with cyber bullies, this works with Sitcoms... what it's going on here?
Like the real BAU would say: "This unsub it's shifting its MO I think he is devolving"
Quick summary of the "plots" this episode deals:
- Rossi and Matt talk about finances for Matt's new baby and the wife gives birth to the said baby,
- Prentiss try to convince a conspiracy theorist neighbor not to sue her,
- Reid decided goes to the park trying to be human (?) and the tin man finds love,
- Garcia tries to hunt one of the million people that harass other people online.
- Luke, Tara and JJ lounge in the BAU doing whatever when they feel like.
Do you see something missing here? Yes, the crime, the serial killer, I think the show writers were taking a vacation too. This episode totally throws in the trash the show format and purpose to rather focus in soap opera dramas, it feels like the screenwriters got bored of the show and decided to write anything else to pass time.
They also try too much to appeal to young people in a very condescending way: people making a lot sexual innuendos (deepthroat, swing, threesome ...), forced and uncharacteristical comedy. Pretiss quoting a meme (hold my beer), talking about incels, twitch streamers, gamers, homophobia and whatnot in a very shallow way and presenting a silly cartoonish character (Emily's neighbor).
In this episode everyone uses FBI building as their playground, they hold a innocent young guy in detention for fun because they didn't liked him, they use the FBI building as site to host a hackaton party and also uses as a place to have personal meetings. Reid try to use his badge to circumvent the law and turns into a 'robot who wants to find love'... anyway, there is so much stupid and irrelevant things going on in here that doesn't even worth the effort to point.
The thing is, Criminal Minds it's a long lasting show with a lot that was constructed to perfect the formula, it always been respectable, with a very dark and threatening tone, if you are going to pull a complete 180 and turn it into the opposite just end the show and make a spin-off of it but do not ruin the atmosphere and story buit, you know, what made it work so far. Criminal Minds was never meant to be a show about adults raising babies, meeting people in parks and messing around with cyber bullies, this works with Sitcoms... what it's going on here?
Like the real BAU would say: "This unsub it's shifting its MO I think he is devolving"
Cringe
nightwishouge13 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Is there anything more embarrassing than writers who don't understand comedy trying to write comedy? I had to pull up a game on my phone so I could devote only half my attention to the episode, that's the only way I could get through it.
I stopped watching Criminal Minds the previous season--too many cast changes, and the writing just got progressively thinner as the show went on. But I tuned in to this episode for Paget Brewster's reunion with her Thrilling Adventure Hour co-star Paul F. Tompkins. Well, Tompkins is on the show for all of five minutes in aggregate so I should have just found an edit of his scenes on YouTube. He handles the paper-thin caricature--a mockery of conspiracy theorists--with aplomb, but it's barely a footnote in the overall episode.
We get to see what the Criminal Minds writers think is funny--I mean beyond Garcia calling Morgan "sexual chocolate" or whatever. First we have Matt struggling to assemble a crib he bought online while his pregnant wife nags him for buying the wrong color. Then Garcia stumbles upon a stalker case and brings in the victim's ex-boyfriend so A. J. and Tara can interrogate him and snidely comment on what a loser he is. (The guy's alibi is that he was having a threesome and they're just like, "Ew, who'd wanna bone this guy?" Um, at least two women? They're not even good at bullying.) Then Prentiss finds out her crazy former neighbor is suing her and brings him into the station so she and Tara can comment on what a psycho loser he is and how out of his league his ex-wife was. Meanwhile, Reid meets a woman in the park who accuses him of being a creep after her unsupervised nephew wanders up to him and starts bothering him, and when the nephew insists Reid comes along while he plays, the woman continually rejects Reid before he even has a chance to open his mouth, telling him his dreams are boring and he's a loser for being out in the park trying to have a conversation with another human being--and this is AFTER he tries to get her out of a parking ticket she very much deserved to get. Noticing any kind of pattern here?
Tara, A. J., and Prentiss come across as shallow mean girls who use their positions of authority to harass and snipe. Both of the guys they mock behind their backs are complete victims--one of a stalker, another of his paranoid delusions. No compassion for either of them. It's treated as a joke that the stalker is a self-loathing homosexual--when they think he's after the woman, he's the biggest most threatening scum of the earth, but when it's revealed that he's actually after the ex-boyfriend the show is like, "Wakka wakka! Silly stalker!" Matt's "dopey husband who can't even assemble a crib!" shtick is worse than sitcom level writing. I don't even remember this character, but his wife sure sucks. Garcia abuses the privilege of utilizing the BAU office for her hacking workshop by blasting music to the point that it bothers everybody else in the building, and she doesn't appear to be a very encouraging teacher either, just walking by everybody's computer and berating them for not already being master-level hackers even though the reason they're there is presumably to learn from her. Everybody's either a jerk or an idiot and that's all the writers can think to do in this "humor"-filled episode. Well, except for referencing memes. My God, the cringe.
The episode deserves one star, but I gave it one more for the only genuinely funny exchange in the entire 40 minutes:
Max (annoying lady in the park who's mean to Reid the entire time for no reason until he falls for her): Remember when you were a kid, you could just get on your bike and just ride until you had to come home for dinner?
Reid: Conceptually yes, but practically, no.
If you think there's nothing funnier than that T shirt in your closet that reads, "I'm not as think as you drunk I am!", this episode is for you.
I stopped watching Criminal Minds the previous season--too many cast changes, and the writing just got progressively thinner as the show went on. But I tuned in to this episode for Paget Brewster's reunion with her Thrilling Adventure Hour co-star Paul F. Tompkins. Well, Tompkins is on the show for all of five minutes in aggregate so I should have just found an edit of his scenes on YouTube. He handles the paper-thin caricature--a mockery of conspiracy theorists--with aplomb, but it's barely a footnote in the overall episode.
We get to see what the Criminal Minds writers think is funny--I mean beyond Garcia calling Morgan "sexual chocolate" or whatever. First we have Matt struggling to assemble a crib he bought online while his pregnant wife nags him for buying the wrong color. Then Garcia stumbles upon a stalker case and brings in the victim's ex-boyfriend so A. J. and Tara can interrogate him and snidely comment on what a loser he is. (The guy's alibi is that he was having a threesome and they're just like, "Ew, who'd wanna bone this guy?" Um, at least two women? They're not even good at bullying.) Then Prentiss finds out her crazy former neighbor is suing her and brings him into the station so she and Tara can comment on what a psycho loser he is and how out of his league his ex-wife was. Meanwhile, Reid meets a woman in the park who accuses him of being a creep after her unsupervised nephew wanders up to him and starts bothering him, and when the nephew insists Reid comes along while he plays, the woman continually rejects Reid before he even has a chance to open his mouth, telling him his dreams are boring and he's a loser for being out in the park trying to have a conversation with another human being--and this is AFTER he tries to get her out of a parking ticket she very much deserved to get. Noticing any kind of pattern here?
Tara, A. J., and Prentiss come across as shallow mean girls who use their positions of authority to harass and snipe. Both of the guys they mock behind their backs are complete victims--one of a stalker, another of his paranoid delusions. No compassion for either of them. It's treated as a joke that the stalker is a self-loathing homosexual--when they think he's after the woman, he's the biggest most threatening scum of the earth, but when it's revealed that he's actually after the ex-boyfriend the show is like, "Wakka wakka! Silly stalker!" Matt's "dopey husband who can't even assemble a crib!" shtick is worse than sitcom level writing. I don't even remember this character, but his wife sure sucks. Garcia abuses the privilege of utilizing the BAU office for her hacking workshop by blasting music to the point that it bothers everybody else in the building, and she doesn't appear to be a very encouraging teacher either, just walking by everybody's computer and berating them for not already being master-level hackers even though the reason they're there is presumably to learn from her. Everybody's either a jerk or an idiot and that's all the writers can think to do in this "humor"-filled episode. Well, except for referencing memes. My God, the cringe.
The episode deserves one star, but I gave it one more for the only genuinely funny exchange in the entire 40 minutes:
Max (annoying lady in the park who's mean to Reid the entire time for no reason until he falls for her): Remember when you were a kid, you could just get on your bike and just ride until you had to come home for dinner?
Reid: Conceptually yes, but practically, no.
If you think there's nothing funnier than that T shirt in your closet that reads, "I'm not as think as you drunk I am!", this episode is for you.
See also
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