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| | Criminal Minds - ArrghI told people I was taking a break from the Rossi thread, so I'm refraining from commenting there. (I meant a break in posting dissenting opinions - particularly since it was started by a pro Rossi person, so that means one less person to argue that Rossi sucks- mainly because I was fed up by the person who seemed to accuse me of wanting to shut her up. But, I didn't say anything about reading). Now, the thread is frustrating me in another way. Two connected ways, actually. First, the infantilizing of Reid continues, and with that, it's making me feel the urge to defend Rossi, which makes me want to hurl. What are you doing to me, people? People are talking about how Rossi didn't rush to defend Reid against the militia guy insulting him in Identity. First of all (to show I can be fair, even when I hate a guy) I thought Rossi handled the situation the way it should be *gag*. When the guy said he could snap Reid like a twig, Rossi simply came forward and let him know that Reid wasn't by himself. But, because he didn't defend Reid from the big bad man saying mean things about him, that's bad. Reid's a grown man! Yes, he's the youngest, and he's skinny, and he's a geek (all of which makes him so attractive). But, he's a trained field agent for the FBI. He has to be in situations where his life is endangered on a regular basis. He has to, and has, seen the worst of humanity. He's been blown up, beat up, drugged up, clinically *dead* and he keeps bouncing back. A little worse for the wear, but still he keeps coming back. The guy isn't a delicate flower. He's not a baby. And, how can any witness or suspect take him seriously if anytime someone says something mean, he's supposed to have his surrogate papa come in with guns blazing, saying "Don't you say nothing bad 'bout my baby boy!"? Plus, I don't think it's any great thing to become Rossi's friend (my bias showing), so if Rossi doesn't like him, who cares? I think Reid's learned how to handle people not liking him. And, he's got five other people who he's close to. Rossi won't make or break him. Reid is a generally nice guy, so I think he'd like to be on friendly terms, but mainly he just wants to learn from another legendary profiler. If Max Ryan (Rossi version 1) had been around for more than an episode, Reid probably would have been trying to pick his brains as well. And, Gideon was still there, so no one could accuse Reid of just trying to find a daddy figure.
And, on the daddy figure thing, I think people don't *want* Reid to grow up (someone said Rossi could help Reid grow up - last I checked, Reid was at least 26, which counts as grown up to me already). They want him to be this perpetual man-child. Minus the man, maybe. Reid has grown so much in three seasons (without the need of Rossi) and has matured -and did this from the starting point of being an adult- and he's still essentially the same guy. I think that's what people are scared of. That he won't be Reid if he matures. If he can stand on his own two feet, he won't be that sweet, geeky guy. But, that's not true. This is the guy who probably couldn't have handled trying to talk a hit man out of killing the guy who kidnapped his daughter two seasons ago. (Yes, he didn't succeed, but I mean his technique). That's growth. But, he's the same person who reacts the way he did when he was unable to stop him. This is the same guy who geeks out over factoids and doesn't realize when he's giving too much of an explanation (a little exaggerated to almost parody (shouldn't parodic be a word?) effect in the post Rossi episodes - watch it, writers) but who has become persistent when trying to get information and doesn't flinch when someone gets impatient. He's still a geek, he's still adorable, he still has the position of the "little brother" of the team. But, even little brothers grow up. So, please, acknowledge Reid for the man that he is (if he was so fragile, he couldn't have lasted his first ten years of life, let alone getting all the way to the BAU) and let him continue to grow and mature as that man. Stop trying to turn him into a baby and keep him that way.
| | | Posted 3/17/2008 10:20 PM - 0 comments
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