Criminal Minds

But, they did show her full body shot in Minimal Loss. First when she came to show Morgan the news story on the tv, and then later when they were outside the ranch listening to the reporter reveal that there was at least one FBI agent in there, they weren't hiding anything.But, since they managed to have her traveling with the team in The Angel Maker and shot it so her pregnancy wasn't visible, that contradicts what Ed Bernero said about needing to write it in because they couldn't hide it. So, it seems weird that her pregnancy hasn't been more of a story. Highlight here for spoiler, although probably not necessary to spoil, but playing it safe- Other than her giving birth in a later episode. Spoiler done. It seems like they didn't have to write the pregnancy in. They could have just kept it hidden for a few episodes and then found some other reason to explain the character's absence. So, since they did write it in, I would have thought the purpose was an actual story. A lot could be explored and I'm surprised they haven't done it. JJ's a career woman. Did or does she have any inner struggle about being a mom, and a single mom at that, since she and Will were working out kinks in the marriage question? Is she bothered at all by whatever restrictions to her field time the pregnancy brings (she's probably not going to go strapping on Kevlar and chasing down unsubs with her weapon drawn for a little while)? Does she feel guilty about being bothered by that? Those things wouldn't even need to be long scenes or a lot of screen time, so even if AJ didn't want to work a full load, they could still work those things in. Sometimes all it takes is one or two well written scenes.

Yeah, I know, but there was barely anything in Mayhem and Angel Maker, and her parts in all three have been incredibly short. I agree with 100% of that last paragraph. I understand that they would shorten the screen time, since it would probably be tough on A.J. to do a full work load, but a few quality scenes would be nice. Just make writing the pregnancy in mean something, you know. Right now it just looks like they are writing it in because they could, it was something to do (or maybe they just wanted an excuse to bring Josh Stewart back onto the show).

I still think Mayhem and The Angel Maker was because not enough time had passed for JJ to be showing as much as AJ would be. Especially Mayhem, since in real life, months passed between Lo-Fi and that episode, but in the show, Mayhem started a few seconds or minutes after Lo-Fi. The change would have been too much for that time frame. Waiting for another episode to pass could also make it less like she ballooned up all of a sudden (or hit the doughnut shops).

They shot Mayhem at the same time they shot Lo-Fi, didn't they? It would have been incredibly stupid not to. Everyone seems to think she ballooned up suddenly anyway. Apparently, I was one of the very few that noticed the baby bump before the end of season three. That was how I knew it wasn't JJ in the pictures of the injured blonde on the ground, too skiny. How did no one see it when they started having her run around with her shirts untucked? They kind of bulged out a little. I'm sure they only cut back on her scenes because she probably doesn't want to work that much with swollen ankles, frequent bathroom visits and an aching back. Who would, really? Fret not, she should be back to full time, in a lot of scenes, form when she comes back from maternity leave.

I was thinking that part of the reason the writers have minimalized the focus on her being pregnant except in certain episodes, might be due to the fans. Although we all seem to embrace her pregnancy, there may be viewers that feel that during her pregnancy having a job in the FBI don't mix well. You know, bad karma and the high stress thing, a general "all things ugly in humanity" exposure. Maybe the writers have learned over the years, in this type of show, it may not be so beneficial to the ratings to overly focus on pregnancy every episode. Drawing to much of the viewers attention to the impact and influence on a pregnant woman rather than the subject matter. Plus, as beautiful as JJ is, I can surely tell she is pregnant. And as she gets farther along we are likely to see less of her (no pun intended).

Well, I don't think a few scenes or even one scene where she talks about some problems or concerns about being pregnant- character development- is overly focusing on it every episode. And, if they were worried about the audience, why write it in at all? No matter what some people might feel she is pregnant in the FBI. So, if they feel it doesn't fit, then it's not fitting now. But, it exists. I'm not sure if I can be coherent. It just doesn't make sense to me to write something in that some people might not like, and then hardly mention it, because some people might not like it. Just keep her shooting her from the chest up or give her clothes to hide when they have to do full body shots and don't have JJ pregnant. And, even if some people could tell that the actress was pregnant, well those people would just have to exercise their understanding of the concept of fiction - that the actress may be pregnant, but the character isn't. And, then they wouldn't have to deal with the fall back at all. But, to write it in and then tip toe around it doesn't make sense.Plus, it's not like they're going to be showing long stretches of JJ at home eating pickles and her going out shopping for baby stuff. Character and plot have always gone together. And, I could do a whole rant on that, but I don't want to get sidetracked or too riled up, because I'm passionate about that issue. (Not at you, just the whole plot vs character debate which is on a lot of boards, is a pet peeve of mine) So, I just mean that it wouldn't take away from the subject, because we would see the majority of it on the job. It would tie in to JJ's feelings about the job (which isn't new for this show) and how it effects what she does, as an FBI agent in the BAU and her feelings about the cases, which would tie into the cases, which would be the subject matter. So, it wouldn't be instead of the subject matter, it would be the subject matter.Sorry if I come off strong.

The post about Mayhem being to early for her to be as pregnant as A.J. probably was at the time of filming makes a ton of sense, Bessie. I didn't think of it that way, but Mayhem was a continuation of last season's finale, where she was barely showing, and she would be showing a lot more in real-life after a couple months of vacation. So that explains why they hid it early on (yet to see if they will continue to hide it as much), but they could still give her more than a couple minutes in each show (of course, like JEm said, she might not feel that great physically right now, and understandably so). So, we have a theory for all of these lack of JJ episodes to start the season. What, then, do we think will be her part when she is ready for more screen time again? Any ideas?On a side note, doughnuts are good! I could go for one right now, but there doesn't seem to be any at my house.

Re: Bessie Mae's post:Okay... Well... where do I start? First, let me say, I unknowingly touched on area with more sensitivity to it than I expected. The comments I made were only alternative thoughts on the reasons for a lack of more episode interaction with JJ's pregnancy. And if I've pissed you off, I sincerly hope you can accept my apology.Secondly, I personally do think that the lack of on-screen attention to her pregnancy is very appropriate. And the reason I say this is because, in staying true to her character, JJ has made it very clear that she keeps her personal life separate from the job. We are made to believe that is what is absolutely expected in the FBI, as well as how she conducts herself and wants to be perceived by her peers. So in turn, with that in mind, since almost all the scenes are done as "working on the cases", how or why would it come up? Agent JJ does not want to be thought of as a pregnant agent with all that that implies, even though it is fact.I was hoping they were going to continue on with the storyline with Will. I liked him from when he was on FX's "Dirt". I know many on the boards here did not like his character. I did not have a problem with his character, as he loved her and thought it was mutual, and unlike some men he wanted to marry her and take care of her. Why is that a bad thing? On the flip side though, I believe if JJ would have said yes to his proposal, everything it would have changed too much in regards to the BAU team. And I like the way it is now. But, when she has her baby, they will have to address that. Probably with one or two episodes that are centered around JJ and the baby... and probably Will too. I really like the JJ character, but like all the team members, the amounts that they give us on their personal lives.... are tasty, teasing amounts. So at least we always left feeling that it is never enough, and we want more!

But since she is a pregnant agent, why not have her struggle with the fact that she doesn't want to be seen as a pregnant agent even though she is? I think that is what bothers people, the fact that we could really get some insight into how JJ would handle special circumstances, but we aren't getting the chance because they have more or less ignored the issue currently. Like you said, they can't ignore it forever, and Will is going to have to be mentioned again (the only time he was mentioned was in Mayhem, when they said that his plane was delayed or whatever). I don't have a problem with that, though, since I like Will's character and think that he wants the best for JJ. One thing that I didn't like about JJ last year (that's right, I'm actually going to admit a JJ flaw), was that she didn't really realize that. She almost blew a relationship with a guy that truly cares about her just because telling the team would make the relationship "real." And I don't blame Will for being upset by that (after all, she didn't really give an explanation at first, she was just acting stand-offish). To him, it probably seemed like JJ was ashamed to tell her friends/colleagues that they were seeing each other (I don't think that that was the case, but I could definitely see him, or any other guy for that matter, coming to that conclusion).I like the fact that they only give us tid bits of info. It does leave us looking forward to learning more, and it is never an overload (like some shows that focus more on personal lives than the true point of the show). They have a good balance going on when it comes to that, and I hope they keep it that way.

Falcon 121, point taken. I don't know, maybe her character has avoidance issues. What I mean is that maybe her lack of bringing her condition to the job is similar to her handling of her relationship with Will and sharing that with her friends/co-workers. Keeping the areas of her life separate can then make them a "non issue" while she is ie.. at work or at home. That is just a hypothetical thought, nothing more. I would like them to delve much deeper into what makes the individual team members who and how they are. Which is probably what makes me love this show... the profiling aspect. I want to know everything possible about the criminals, and more and more about the BAU team.My take on the Will and JJ thing was pretty much the same as yours. Including the "JJ flaw"... lol. Which really puzzled me at the time, I wondered if it was really because of her privacy thing... or not? I am anticipating the birth of her baby and picking back up on her and Will. But whatever they decide to do on that, I definitely want JJ's character to remain at least the same, and if possible, even more.I hope in the upcoming episodes and seasons, they bring more attention to JJ, Emily and Garcia. I want more, More, MORE!!! Also, I completely concure with you on the "overload" comment. That happens way too much in other shows. Too much like a soap, at least for my taste.To me another example of this: It's like when two main characters get together after seasons of innuendo, I personally LOVE the episode(s) when it happens... but alas, I get bored of it soon after. For me, the dynamic of that show has changed, and those characters, in essence, come to... kind of bore me. So maybe I was only enthralled with the "hunt"...

Did I read right? Or I just wanted to see that Falcon accepted a JJ flaw? LOL. But I think that that one would have been a big mistake. How weird like Jem said that at the end of season 3 she started to use the shirts untucked in and all of the time she had them. Hope she is fine and the baby too. Lots kodak moments with her family! I LOVE CM.what I think is that they should do something big for her. You know right know I am not thinking about JJ sorry. Have to go bye its almost time for CM!

The strangest thing is that she is fearless in front of the creepiest Unsubs, but she is afraid of a relationship. And, according to the new episode, the smell of Chinese food (like the eye roll when the cop gave her a hard time about that, but I got to agree with the cop, because I love Chinese food). I'm assuming the food was left out to long and smelled rank, because we have seen JJ and the rest of the team eat at a Chinese restaurant before (and because she turned her nose up when she smelt it). All in all, very happy with the amount of time that they gave her in this episode, thought that she had a very good part. It wasn't huge, but it is more of what I would expect, and I'm content with that. And of course, she was excellent. I liked the rest of the episode, too, especially the end with the Rossi/Hotch convo (hello, Hotch, you aren't the first to get fooled and you won't be the last). Did anyone notice that Paget has new pics in the opening credits, but no one else does? Found that strange (of course, they probably don't want to put up pregnant JJ pics, but that doesn't explain the others). And the Unsub reminded me way too much of Norman Bates (until the comment about being a "real man," that sounded more like Mr. T)! LOL!As for the avoidance issues, I kind of get what you are thinking, but could she have not just given the poor guy an explanation right then? They were inches away from him breaking up with her! And heck, Prentiss made it obvious that she knew all along (things like saying that he was quite a catch). Do the writers really want me to believe that JJ can't take that obvious of a hint? Aw well, at least they got through it (for now). Gives me something to talk about at least.And yes, hotchfan, I did admit a flaw. Shocking! lol I like her other flaws, makes her human and helps me relate to her character, but that one didn't make much sense to me.

My problem with Will is this: JJ is a very private person. He's been dating her for a year and he doesn't know this? Instead of pressuring her about their relationship, he should have been focused on making arraingements to get his friend's body home and let her do her job. The middle of an investigation is not the time for that discussion. Also, back to the privacy thing, he just showed up in NY and dragged her personal issues into the public forum. Does she not have the right to tell her friends what and when she wants? And again, she was working. He had no place inviting himself along on her business trip. I understand he was concerned and that's all well and good but at some point he has to trust her to know when she should step back from a case. To me all this comes across as a little controlling and disrespectful of her privacy. That's why I don't like him.Now, on to JJ. It was good to see so much of her tonight. I thought that thing about the food vs. the photos was kind of funny.

There were a lot of funny little scenes, like the subtle eyebrow twitch in response to Garcia's "furry friends" comment. The thing about A.J.'s acting style, and T.G.'s as well, is that most of their acting is very subtle and you have to pay attention to catch it. I like that kind of acting, though, because it doesn't seem forced, it isn't over the top, and they are just flat out good at it (A.J. and T.G. can make me laugh with the smallest gesture, or make me think about a point for days with one small line). I understand why you see Will that way, however I don't think there are many guys that would handle it much different. Someone said earlier that JJ is a career woman, and they are right. I'm sure he realized that she is private, but he probably also realized that she loves her career and maybe he thought that she was more concerned about getting the job done than their relationship. And I think half of what he did, at least in Mayhem, was about trying to keep her and the baby safe (and by then, most of her colleagues knew that they were dating). Maybe he thought that she told them about being pregnant (a lot of people would have, so that the team could plan on what they would do during her maternity leave), and said something about it without realizing that they didn't know yet. I don't see it as him trying to be controlling, though. I think it is more of him wanting her to send a message that she is serious about the relationship, that it isn't just a fling. Sure, he hasn't handled everything right, but how many guys do? Answer: None. I'm just glad that JJ got with a decent guy who really seems to care about her (unlike Sam on Without a Trace, who got pregnant during a one-night stand with some jerk). That makes sense with Sam's character, but it isn't JJ's style. Anyway, I got to go to bed (I got to get up at six o'clock), so I'll talk to you more later.

As I said, I understand he was concerned but he should not have shown up on her business trip. He has to trust her to know when it's enough. If he thought the team all ready knew about the pregnancy then why did he announce it? I've never known a guy to be so clingy. No one sticks with a fling for a year, the time investment should be message enough. No one gets everything right, not even women so it's not a matter of that. It's a matter of everytime we see him, he's pushing her toward things she might not be ready to do yet. You can't push people or you will push them away.