3x05, "The Closet Monster"

[HebrewRose]

I would love to see a story with the team at the other end of the hall.  Just one.

I feel the same way about the Idlewood team (although obviously that would be a different kind of story).

This one was so, so, so good. For one thing, the way you built up the supernatural creepiness ("Are you suggesting a Nightmare on Elm Street scenario?") and then revealed it was all non-anomalous was chillingly brilliant... And I ended up hugging myself at the end because I couldn't get to Danny Brady.

[eschatonic]

And now I'm all paranoid about how Gray knew when Danny got back.

Gray could easily know somebody at the FAA who kept track of US government Gulfstreams. Or someone at the GSA, for that matter.

And, frankly, it wouldn't surprise me too much if Sol knew enough to tip Gray off. (There's no canonical evidence for that, of course. Yet. But I can easily see it.)

Pff. Or he called the front desk and identified himself as a State Department official, and can they please let him know when Agent Brady's unit returns? Thanks. Oh, what's it about? Um, what is your security clearance level? Oh. Well, sorry, I can't discuss it with you. Let me know when they're back though, right? Thanks.

Danny Brady was not in the habit of coming into the office to hide.

Chaz did, and Todd occasionally.

Just what exactly is Sol hiding from? My guess would be ennui, Sol projects a facade of relaxed guru-dom, but he's been in the thick of wherever the action is ever since Kent State. We know he has a life outside the office, and a maenad, but is that enough to fulfill him? Is it boredom that drives him into the office, hoping for that moment when Nikki pokes her head into his office to say 'Case' or El Jefe says 'Briefing Room'.

Really? I'd have a much longer list. Insomnia. Thinking about the kind of things you think about late at night when you can't sleep. Getting old. Dying. Dying without knowing the answers. Dead people. Dead people on the other end of his, Sol's, gun. Whatever country he wasn't in in Southeast Asia. Coulda woulda shoulda. Etc. Coming in at 5am gives him something useful and occupying to do, rather than think about things he can't help and can't help thinking about.

*I bet Gray and Duke would get along fabulously. Which from Brady's POV might be a bad thing.

[Felicia1066]

I would love to see a story with the team at the other end of the hall.  Just one.

BACKDOOR PILOT!

I second this, with applause for the concept in the SU universe.

Things seem to have been leading up to this, what with the frequent use of Pauley and the subtle introductions of Blaze and Lisa, and, of course, "Orientation Day"... 

I am perfectly satisfied with the show we've got! If, by "perfectly satisfied," one may mean rapt, challenged, terrified, friends with fictional characters, and addicted to ECR.

**protect the power of the ptb! Give a hoot- don't dilute! Or overwhelm. Or whatever. :]

Clearly, the backdoor pilot needs to take place two or three episodes from the Grand Finale, so that when *SPOILER!!11!* the entire WTF gets eaten by a grue in the last episode *END SPOILER* there's a new team ready to take over.

After all, our PTB need something to do when SU comes to an end. I'm sure nobody wants them to sit around wasting away with boredom - because we all know none of them have anything to do outside of creating SU for us.

Danny Brady was not in the habit of coming into the office to hide.

Chaz did, and Todd occasionally.

Just what exactly is Sol hiding from? My guess would be ennui, Sol projects a facade of relaxed guru-dom, but he's been in the thick of wherever the action is ever since Kent State. We know he has a life outside the office, and a maenad, but is that enough to fulfill him? Is it boredom that drives him into the office, hoping for that moment when Nikki pokes her head into his office to say 'Case' or El Jefe says 'Briefing Room'.

Really? I'd have a much longer list. Insomnia. Thinking about the kind of things you think about late at night when you can't sleep. Getting old. Dying. Dying without knowing the answers. Dead people. Dead people on the other end of his, Sol's, gun. Whatever country he wasn't in in Southeast Asia. Coulda woulda shoulda. Etc. Coming in at 5am gives him something useful and occupying to do, rather than think about things he can't help and can't help thinking about.

*I bet Gray and Duke would get along fabulously. Which from Brady's POV might be a bad thing.

This. I'd add that we also know he wonders why he's not in love with the maenad. Thoughts like that can drive someone from a warm cozy bed into work, I imagine. Which makes me wonder where he goes to "hide" after retirement... For a ride on the bike?


I have more to say about the episode, but I need to re-read it first to get it all straight in my head, and I just don't have time right now. Damn that Real Life for interdering with my SU reading time! In a couple days, maybe I can manage something coherent...

[antongarou]

I think that if he has status as consultant it allows him entrance to the WTF office, and I would bet Reyes will try his damned best to pull that one. Depends on what the regulations on consultants' pay are(can Todd volunteer and/or decide he works for a very measly sum?), as well as the leanness of the purse, I guess.But if he is, then this question is answered.

[Clarentine]

Pff. Or he called the front desk and identified himself as a State Department official, and can they please let him know when Agent Brady's unit returns? Thanks. Oh, what's it about? Um, what is your security clearance level? Oh. Well, sorry, I can't discuss it with you. Let me know when they're back though, right? Thanks.

That would get you in serious trouble very, very quickly, and probably lose you your security clearance, too.  No one who's forced to violate what they understand of security protocol by someone going over their head is going to fail to get their own back as forcefully as they can.  It's not something anyone I know in government service would consider except in the most dire circumstances.

[Felicia1066]

Pff. Or he called the front desk and identified himself as a State Department official, and can they please let him know when Agent Brady's unit returns? Thanks. Oh, what's it about? Um, what is your security clearance level? Oh. Well, sorry, I can't discuss it with you. Let me know when they're back though, right? Thanks.

That would get you in serious trouble very, very quickly, and probably lose you your security clearance, too.  No one who's forced to violate what they understand of security protocol by someone going over their head is going to fail to get their own back as forcefully as they can.  It's not something anyone I know in government service would consider except in the most dire circumstances.

Not even if they're characters in a TV show?

[Clarentine]

Not even if they're characters in a TV show?

That's for the PTB to determine, of course, but given that the SUniverse is nominally ours I'd think the rules and behavior that apply here probably apply there, as well.  And human nature applies wherever there are humans.      

(And a superb episode, BTW - I really enjoyed this one.)

[DavidG]

There's no need for the conspiracy theories about how Gray is doing this, http://flightaware.com/ will tell you where any private aircraft is if you know its tail number. It's unclear whether the FBI's aircraft would be listed, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that there is a government equivalent that does list it.

(And there is a law enforcement joint task force monitoring flights by tail number so the data is certainly out there -- they just screwed up by the numbers, missed that a tail number had been reassigned from an old stolen aircraft to a new one and managed to wrongly arrest a prominent aviation businessman)

[jimsmyth]

There's no need for the conspiracy theories about how Gray is doing this, http://flightaware.com/ will tell you where any private aircraft is if you know its tail number. It's unclear whether the FBI's aircraft would be listed, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that there is a government equivalent that does list it.

(And there is a law enforcement joint task force monitoring flights by tail number so the data is certainly out there -- they just screwed up by the numbers, missed that a tail number had been reassigned from an old stolen aircraft to a new one and managed to wrongly arrest a prominent aviation businessman)

Hm.  If we only had the tail number, we could play along at home...

Dammit, now I'm picturing us all checking flightaware.com obsessively, waiting for the new content to arrive.

My fandom knows how to blur the lines.

[eschatonic]

Pff. Or he called the front desk and identified himself as a State Department official, and can they please let him know when Agent Brady's unit returns? Thanks. Oh, what's it about? Um, what is your security clearance level? Oh. Well, sorry, I can't discuss it with you. Let me know when they're back though, right? Thanks.

That would get you in serious trouble very, very quickly, and probably lose you your security clearance, too.  No one who's forced to violate what they understand of security protocol by someone going over their head is going to fail to get their own back as forcefully as they can.  It's not something anyone I know in government service would consider except in the most dire circumstances.

You're right, and I realized that after I posted and couldn't come back to correct it (my internets are teh suck this week). It would be much less riskier, and not a great deal more trouble, to just show up in person and sweet-talk the security people. No cloak-and-dagger bit required, just say you are planning some kind of pleasant surprise and need to know when they're back. And present your ID so they feel safe in that they know who to come after if something goes wrong. Security people are bored. Enliven their day in a charming and non-threatening way and you may very well get what you want.

Alternatively you could look up the Gulfstream's tail number on that website which I didn't know existed. But if Gray is related to people who own/share/know people who own or share a private jet, he would know about it.

[Scedasticity]

Did it seem to anyone else like Daphne was a little cranky on the topic of kids?  I wonder whether that's normal feelings exacerbated by stress and fatigue (which I could understand, being slightly baby-phobic myself), or if something specific is going on to prompt it.  I can think of a couple of possibilities off the top of my head.  (Probably nothing in keeping with the parental theme, though.  I picture Daphne's father being only vaguely aware of the existence of small non-rational people.)

[HebrewRose]

I noticed that too... and Esther seemed to know something about it, although that could just be intuition.

[txanne]

Daphne's father might not care about having grandchildren, but that still leaves three potential sources of pressure. (More, if there have been divorces/remarriages. T's family is large, we know that, so there's probably some pressure on her.)

[Edmund Schweppe]

Daphne's father might not care about having grandchildren, but that still leaves three potential sources of pressure. (More, if there have been divorces/remarriages. T's family is large, we know that, so there's probably some pressure on her.)

Daphne's father is the only possible source of pressure I can think of on her side. Her mother died years ago, as we found out in "Ballistic":

So she said, "Yeah. Coming out to my dad was an experience. I think he blames my mom."

"She dressed you like a boy?" He was teasing. Teasing was good. It meant she hadn't blown the fragile connection.

"She died when I was in high school," Daphne said, because there were times for bald honesty.

[Edmund Schweppe]

Just statistically, this cannot be the first one sent to the ACTF that should've stayed with the BAU.

Digging through old LiveJournal posts for something else, I came upon this exchange. Hafs wrote:

Hee--I'm so glad you asked. No, it can all go back Down the Hall, and they can get all gumshoe over it. And there's enough to keep them busy until past football playoffs, so prepare for dirty looks as you walk by.

To which Chaz replied:

Like they don't dump everything on us whether it's ours or not. They have 33 people. We have eight.

(Between Sol's retirement and Hafs' confinement, Now They Are Six. Oh, pooh.)