Somebody's Watching
- Episode aired Mar 29, 2006
- TV-PG
- 42m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
In town to conduct a seminar, Gideon and Reid become involved in a stalker case that has escalated to murder.In town to conduct a seminar, Gideon and Reid become involved in a stalker case that has escalated to murder.In town to conduct a seminar, Gideon and Reid become involved in a stalker case that has escalated to murder.
Valerie Anastasias
- BAU Special Agent Harrison
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIt is revealed that Gideon is a fan of contemporary art and that Reid was 12 years old when he graduated from high school.
- GoofsReid refers to the murderer "John Robert Bardo." This is incorrect; Bardo's name is actually Robert John Bardo.
- Quotes
Dr. Spencer Reid: Do I look twelve years old to you?
Jason Gideon: Fourteen?
- ConnectionsReferenced in Criminal Minds: The Performer (2009)
- SoundtracksHollywood Swinging
Written by Robert 'Kool' Bell, Ronald Bell, George 'Funky' Brown, Robert 'Spike' Mickens, Claydes Smith, Dennis D.T. Thomas & Ricky Westfield
Performed by Kool & The Gang featuring Jamiroquai
Featured review
Amber Heard and Katheryn Winnick Shone Together In An Interesting Tale Involving Obsession and Murder. Who Knew!?
I've seen some few episodes of this series in the past so I'm hardly a fan or an expert of it (nor of most crime/police procedural dramas). However, I think that even fans of the series would agree that this episode wasn't particularly remarkable in the context of the rest of the series. The narrative format is typical as so was the plot, the cinematography, the sound, and the performances by the main characters. As such, there's not much to say about the backbone of the episode except that it was just OK. Moreover, the racial and gender inequalities and negative stereotypes in the series as a whole are also reflected in this episode.
That said, it's the guest performers in this episode that, if anything or anyone, make it memorable. Most notable is Amber Heard who plays Lila Archer, a Hollywood actress that's being stalked by a mysterious killer with an erotomanic obsession over her. It's clear from Heard's parts in the episode that the writers and director were aiming for a Bimbo trope in Lila Archer that would serve to primarily sexually spice up the episode. While Heard plays this intended role well, one notices, from how Lila engages with Spencer in some scenes of them together, that Heard never allows Lila to be intimidated by Spencer's genius-level smartness - at least not visibly or audibly so. Indeed, even as the contrast between Lila's and Spencer's intelligence is written into the script to emphasize the Bimbo trope in Lila most times when the two characters interact, Heard gives Lila reactions to Spencer's intelligence - unimpressed, even "bored" with it, etc - that suggest to the viewer that there's a depth to Lila's intelligence than the writers and director were willing to show or that should have been willing to show. In this way, Heard, as is similarly evidenced in several of her performances in other movies/series where she plays heavily sexualized characters, fights against the reduction of Lila Archer to a mere sexual object, a Bimbo, for the entertainment of male viewers by giving her, within the limits of her powers, more agency and depth.
Also of note in Heard's performance is that her portrayal of a Lila that Spencer turns out to be particularly attracted to is as cute as it is heartwarming. One can't help but imagine, while watching the two together in several scenes (e.g. Lila's home scene, the pool scene, and the goodbye scene), how the two would be together. They'd definitely be an odd couple but the chemistry between them suggests that they'd fit each other as well as Lea and Shaun fit each other in the American version of the TV series The Good Doctor. By the time I was finishing watching this episode, I definitely wished that the two had gotten a relationship arc of their own. If they had, I'd definitely be watching more of the series from this episode onward right now. Sad that they didn't.
Another notable guest performer is Katheryn Winnick. Although she'd been in the industry for much longer than Heard had been by the shooting date of this episode, she got a relatively minor role compared to Heard's in the episode. Nevertheless, and without giving away spoilers, she does an amazing job portraying a caring but mentally disturbed friend and co-worker to Lila Archer named Maggie Lowe. I have to say though, I would never have thought that Heard and Winnick ever acted together until I came across this episode. And the two both shone through their parts. My only wish is that they could have been given more screen time together.
All in all, I'd have given this episode a 4 for its unremarkableness but the presence of Amber Heard and her magnificent performance raise this to a 7. Winnick's presence and performance raise this further to an 8. I strongly recommend this episode to any fans of Amber Heard or Kathryn Winnick and to fans of the series or crime procedural dramas generally. Even if you're not a fan of Amber's specifically, if you're interested in studying her work from the early years of her career, I recommend this one to you too. Beyond these audiences, few others would find much to enjoy in this episode.
That said, it's the guest performers in this episode that, if anything or anyone, make it memorable. Most notable is Amber Heard who plays Lila Archer, a Hollywood actress that's being stalked by a mysterious killer with an erotomanic obsession over her. It's clear from Heard's parts in the episode that the writers and director were aiming for a Bimbo trope in Lila Archer that would serve to primarily sexually spice up the episode. While Heard plays this intended role well, one notices, from how Lila engages with Spencer in some scenes of them together, that Heard never allows Lila to be intimidated by Spencer's genius-level smartness - at least not visibly or audibly so. Indeed, even as the contrast between Lila's and Spencer's intelligence is written into the script to emphasize the Bimbo trope in Lila most times when the two characters interact, Heard gives Lila reactions to Spencer's intelligence - unimpressed, even "bored" with it, etc - that suggest to the viewer that there's a depth to Lila's intelligence than the writers and director were willing to show or that should have been willing to show. In this way, Heard, as is similarly evidenced in several of her performances in other movies/series where she plays heavily sexualized characters, fights against the reduction of Lila Archer to a mere sexual object, a Bimbo, for the entertainment of male viewers by giving her, within the limits of her powers, more agency and depth.
Also of note in Heard's performance is that her portrayal of a Lila that Spencer turns out to be particularly attracted to is as cute as it is heartwarming. One can't help but imagine, while watching the two together in several scenes (e.g. Lila's home scene, the pool scene, and the goodbye scene), how the two would be together. They'd definitely be an odd couple but the chemistry between them suggests that they'd fit each other as well as Lea and Shaun fit each other in the American version of the TV series The Good Doctor. By the time I was finishing watching this episode, I definitely wished that the two had gotten a relationship arc of their own. If they had, I'd definitely be watching more of the series from this episode onward right now. Sad that they didn't.
Another notable guest performer is Katheryn Winnick. Although she'd been in the industry for much longer than Heard had been by the shooting date of this episode, she got a relatively minor role compared to Heard's in the episode. Nevertheless, and without giving away spoilers, she does an amazing job portraying a caring but mentally disturbed friend and co-worker to Lila Archer named Maggie Lowe. I have to say though, I would never have thought that Heard and Winnick ever acted together until I came across this episode. And the two both shone through their parts. My only wish is that they could have been given more screen time together.
All in all, I'd have given this episode a 4 for its unremarkableness but the presence of Amber Heard and her magnificent performance raise this to a 7. Winnick's presence and performance raise this further to an 8. I strongly recommend this episode to any fans of Amber Heard or Kathryn Winnick and to fans of the series or crime procedural dramas generally. Even if you're not a fan of Amber's specifically, if you're interested in studying her work from the early years of her career, I recommend this one to you too. Beyond these audiences, few others would find much to enjoy in this episode.
helpful•49
- dani_fz
- Aug 29, 2022
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- Runtime42 minutes
- Color
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- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
- 16:9 HD
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