#rucha's rambles

I guess my main advice would be to really study their mannerisms and the way they speak, as well as the vocabulary they use. so with Spencer, for instance, he's very verbose, because he's got a lot of information to get out as concisely as possible. So really tapping into his mannerisms help, and for that, you just have to be familiar with the source material.

i haven't liked jj since s1 tbh, but that could be me projecting but like... the thing that rubs me the wrong way is that for someone who doesn't bring a lot to the table, she's got so much attitude.

first off, they're having this interview IN PUBLIC outside her SCHOOL BUS and PEOPLE SHE KNOWS

do you remember being in high school? getting out of the bus at fucking 8am, you have class in like, a half-hour or something, these two fbi agents come up to you, asking if you remember a friend that was like a sister to you that went missing SEVEN YEARS AGO? i mean, never mind the ethics of these two talking to a minor without a legal guardian or a trusted adult present (cm has never cared about that).

they completely brush past her anxiety over this guy coming back. by the way, this is where you assure someone they aren't in danger (or if they are in danger, the necessary precautions are in place to protect them). look at her little face, that is FEAR. but instead of addressing that, they just dive right into their questions. also, maybe the writers have forgotten what high schoolers are like, but i assure you, they would be gawking right now.

and then they do the cm twist of empathy which is basically psychoanalysing someone to their face. now, don't get me wrong, everything emily says is actually really telling of her own struggles in the wake of doyle but it isn't ACTUALLY useful in this setting. and so hope responds in the same way ANYONE would. defensively.

and then the copy paste phrase. like it's just so ridiculous to me how clumsy this whole thing is. like a true clusterfuck of an interview. if cm had been a braver show, heather would have gone 'fuck you' to jj and emily and run off to class. but heather goes over the heartbreaking story of how she was kind to a stranger who wanted to play with them.

granted, jj's question of 'why didn't you tell anyone?' is definitely a line of questioning that was needed, because it's possible the unsub may have done something to pressure her into saying nothing. but it's too accusatory (it doesn't matter how much you tilt your head and say it softly), and it puts the onus on her. a better question would be 'what stopped you from telling someone?'.

and then you have the pat pat after this girl is crying over this being her fault, and granted, this is a show, they only have so much time, so they settle for the little pat-pat and the dramatic eye contact between jj and emily. but you know what's more important than that?

telling this 15 year old girl that it wasn't her fault that an older man took advantage of her trust. that is THE FIRST THING you do. these are BASIC microskills. which is why you have a trusted adult present, like a social worker, or the school counsellor. this should DEFINITELY have taken place in the counsellor's office, in a private space, with a trusted adult, maybe even a trusted teacher, or a parent present.