Criminal Minds

I’m very excited - this is the first time I get to take my daughter trick-or-treating. I thought she was too young last year, so we handed out candy. She loved seeing all the costumes, which made me feel like the worst mother for not dressing her up. So this year, I asked her what she wanted to be, and she said a “friendly dragon.” Very cute.

Anyway, I’m also excited because tonight is Joe Mantegna’s first episode of Criminal Minds. In “About Face,” Agent David Rossi makes his first appearance. The story is about an unsub who taunts his victims by making missing posters of them before abducting and killing them.
Rossi is a veteren FBI agent who helped establish the BAU. He went on to lecture and write.
Joe Mantegna says of his character:

This is a guy who’s financially solid, so some of the mystery is the underlying reason he’s coming back. He explains it initially as just wanting to help, which is fine, but we may find out there are other motivations as well.

He’s also happy with the show’s writing.

They are spending a little more time getting into the personalities and stories of the individual members of the team. I’ve really liked the stuff they’ve done with Shemar Moore’s character, in terms of his having gone through abuse as a child, and Thomas Gibson’s character has had domestic problems. The writing staff is really dedicated, and for me, that’s where it starts.

One suggestion Joe had was to make his character Italinian-American. Known for his roles in Mafia-related movies (The Last Don, The Godfather III), he says, “I have no qualms about playing [mobsters], but given the opportunity to show it’s just as common for an Italian-American to be the cop as to be the robber, I’ll make that choice.”

The Chicago Tribune has an interesting article about Joe Mantegna and Criminal Minds today. Check it out.
Also, Erinn at Parenting Children has some tips for a good trick-or-treating experience tonight.