Man I Remember Liking No Way Out A Lot More Than I Did. I Think My Issue Was That Yes, Frank Breitkopf

man i remember liking no way out a lot more than i did. i think my issue was that yes, frank breitkopf is scary. yes, his MO is horrifying. yes, the concept is disturbing. but the characters would not stop commenting on that. i dont have an issue with them being horrified, because obviously they would be, but it just felt excessive. we don't need a close-up on reid's horrified face as they enter frank's trailer and hotch saying "i thought i'd seen everything." i dont mind them establishing that this is the worst case they've had, or that "even these people, who deal a lot with things too fucked up and weird for local law enforcement, find this too fucked up and weird." my problem was that they kept establishing that every five seconds. like. okay. i get it.

i did really like the framing device/use of in media res, though. if you haven't seen it, the episode starts with gideon meeting frank in the diner, then it goes back to the beginning and continues in chronological order with occasional returns to the diner scene, continuing until we reach the diner scene itself and continue from there. i especially liked the way they repeated the beginning of the opening to establish that we were back where we started—i got excited when i saw that waitress again lol. i like it in general when cm plays with the formula.

Leave Out All The Rest [T] Chapter 9: Collateral Damage

Reid wakes up after an explosion and realises he’s lost the last 4 years of his memory. The team helps him to adapt, but he can’t help feeling like there’s something being kept from him.

— — —

He remembers Morgan lifting him clear off the round in a hug; bruised, alive, heart thundering against Reid’s chest. He remembers wanting to kiss him. He remembers the regret that he didn’t.

“Hey,” Morgan says. Reid looks up, not realising Morgan has gotten so close to him. “You okay?”

“I, um. I was remembering New York.”

— — —

You can find more of my fic on my blog tag or Ao3. also on Twitter or Discord (Quan Tea Co & Adoribull Holiday) if you want to hang out!

watching season 1 & 2 of criminal minds: why does morgan get so angry and emotionally involved when the case involves children

watching s2e12 crying your eyes out: oh ok

can everyone be normal about masculine presenting trans women. for the love of god can everyone please be fucking normal about masculine presenting trans women.

decided to try and transcribe the letter Buford (🤮) wrote to get Derek's record expunged and sealed:

To Whom It May Concern, My name is Carl Buford and I am writing this letter on behalf of Derek Morgan, who is now in your custody and faces criminal charges. I am in charge of a Youth Centre which helps keep boys like Derek off the streets, and away from the lures of the neighborhood he comes from. For the last few years I have had the pleasure of coaching and teaching Derek, not only in football and other sports, but in life as well. He is a smart kid with a lot of anger, which he sometimes directs into the wrong direction. However, this latest bout of trouble will, ultimately, prove to be a great learning experience which he can use to grow into a mature, responsible adult, if you allow him to stay out of prison. In prison he will have no one like me to guide him, to coach him, or to help him see the error in his judgement. While I am not his father, I feel he is a son to me. His father was murdered in front of him when he was ten years old. His mother is a strong woman who does her best, but in the neighborhood Derek comes from, as you know, Your Honor, the streets can be dominant influence. If Derek Morgan goes to prison, you will surely see him back front of you in no less than a year. If you help keep him out of jail, he can give back to the community from which he has taken. Derek may be the finest young man I've ever known. He has a considerable talent for football, which I believe he can use to get out of this neighborhood and earn an education. A criminal record may jeopardize potential scholarship offers, of which Derek will have many to choose from. I believe in my heart he will make you proud if you offer leniency.

I think there's at least another paragraph because Garcia reads something that's not onscreen ("stake my personal and professional reputation") but that's what's visible.

SARAH: Did he tell you Gordinski's been harassing him since he was a kid? REID: Why's that? SARAH: Well, you'd have to ask that bastard. FRAN: Oh, Sarah— DESIREE: It's true, Mom. DETECTIVE DENNISON: (sarcastic) Sure it is. SARAH: What are you even doing in my mother's house?! DETECTIVE DENNISON: They asked me. REID: Not really.

reid 😭for some reason i feel the need to mention that he's eating cake while he says that and it's not focused on at all he's just being an asshole in the background