It Takes a Village

Season 5, Episode 8, Aired

Episode Summary

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9.3
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128 votes
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When the body of a newly missing boy is found in a cargo container along with the remains of three other victims who vanished in 1999-2003, the team realizes they're dealing with a serial killer.
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Fan Episode Reviews (7)

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  • This is an extremely tragic episode. My eyes were glued to the television throughout. It was clearly evident in Lilly's eyes that she herself had experienced pain and there are times when there is nothing in which can make it any better.moreless

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By Rennie00, Nov 16, 2007
    Malik is an example of the damage in which can be difficult to undo in someone who was tortured and violated. His revenge came at the cost of children who reminded him of the peers who abused him when he was a child. He was torn mentally and I guess it's safe to say that he never really grew up, regardless of the fact that he was an adult by the time he started committing the murders. His tragic end was inevitable and the counselor should've paid for what he did. Malik didn't deserve what he put him through. I understand children can be quite rebellious at times but the counselor himself was a very twisted and sadistic individual and also should've had his duties banished. But in reality, some get away with it. It's unfair but true.moreless

  • Reminded me of the Jeffrey Dahmer case.

    9.6
    "Superb"
    By JPPT1974, Nov 15, 2007
    A serial killer goes after his victims and has been going after his victims usually in a poor neighborhood and targetting African-Amercan young people. As this brought back the Jeffrey Dahmer case. Glad that it has gotten back to the old days as I am with one reviewer on this. As I really don't like it when law enforcement overlooks those that are poor and less fortunate. And come from backgrounds that are with drugs, alcohol, and violence more. The killer may go after the team. As the killer seems to be targetting the team as well. Really good storyline and hope that they can stick with it!moreless

  • What revenge and "justice" make a person do to others

    10
    "Perfect"
    By karatiz, Nov 15, 2007
    This involve a pretty recent case. A missing boy is found dead in a cargo container. Then in no time, they discover three more bodies in other containers under the same name.
    This is a serial killer...

    It must be hard! You have a son, a brother, a cousin, that gone missing. There is always that hope that he will return home safely but when he doesn't...

    I think those parents were right, specially Shemar Reynolds' grandmother. There are always a bunch of ifs. If they had seen there, if they cared... And some of them are true.
    There are so many kids disappearing these days and the police can't seem to find them.
    Even the media, they only care for the pretty ones or the rich ones, I think that's really sad. A kid is a kid...

    I got a glimpse of Lily's feelings when she was shot, in the scene when she is watching the tape and talking to Scotty, the second one.

    An everything was about revenge, was about make them pay, make those boys that hurt him pay for what they did. And this happens a lot. A kid is being bullied at school and later he shots his colleagues.

    I enjoyed seen this one because he retracts reality. That last song represents what people should believe: Your gonna make it Yes your gonna make it Don't you worry about a thing that's happened in your life Your gonna make it Yes your gonna make it Don't you worry about a thing it's gonna be alrightmoreless

  • A serial killer whose victims are african american boys who play one certain type of video game is tracked down by the team.

    8.6
    "Great"
    By animalgrace, Nov 14, 2007
    This episode was more like Cold Case in the old days. Not focusing on personal problems of the team members. Not a lot of silly banter.
    The story line was a well crafted one, if not a bit far fetched. But the serial killer thing is always a hard thing to pull off on television shows. However, bridging the topic of poor neighbourhoods and people getting less protection and attention from the police and law officials is an important and controversial subject. To me, this series could never make a bad episode. However, there are the memorable ones, and the not very memorable ones. And this one is defintely not all that memorable.moreless

  • As an adult, you can make or break a child.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By irriewel1402, Nov 14, 2007
    This happens every day, everywhere! Someone goes missing, and the cops don't really pay attention, because of a preconceived idea about the case. And don't get me wrong - I'm not trashing cops. They are just human, and all humans make mistakes.
    I was a little surprised that the writers tackled this very "sticky" situation. But I have to admit that they did it very well. The grandmother of the one missing boy was very grieved by the fact that the police didn't do enough to find her grandson after he was reported missing, and she didn't hide her feelings in the initial interview with the Cold Case squad. But when she realised that the squad was really working on solving the case, she relented and asked them for help - she didn't hold a grudge against the police per se. She was still looking to them for help and support. The squad's horror and shock was well portrayed. The facial expressions as they discovered the bodies in the freezers showed real shock. The whole sequence showing the team opening each of the freezers was well done. It added to the atmosphere of shock and despair at not being able to save them.
    The final scene with the killer giving up the hostage lacked "something" in my opinion. It started off well, with him being angry and fierce. But I thought they could have done a little more where he saw himself in the mirror being a bully - that, in essence, what he was trying to kill. I would have liked a little more shock on his part, a little more disbelieve after realizing he became the bully. But that didn't distract from the message I got from this episode: an adult has the power to make or break a child (Yes, I know it's a cliche, but isn't it a cliche just because it's so true?). All in all, a good one.moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • TRIVIA (4)

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    • Nitpick: At the end of the episode, the various victims' families are shown watching the killer's body being rolled on a gurney. Presumably, this was only a few minutes after the situation was resolved. How did they know where to go to watch this? Even if the media got a hold of it, how would all these people be able to get so quickly?

    • Nitpick: At the end of the episode, Tyrell is shown being walked out of the bathroom where he was being tortured by the killer, after the killer's body is rolled out. Shouldn't the EMTs take a living tortured and traumatized victim away before worrying about removing a dead body? The living would have a higher priority.

    • In the beginning of the episode, Lt. Stillman shows Shemar's earring to Lilly. Curiously, the evidence bag is dated 11/14/07, making the events in the episode take place three days in the future compared to real time (11/11/2007).

    • There were four victims in this episode: #1, DeMont Henderson, went missing in October 1999 #2, Kendyck Malone, missing since July 2001 #3, Marcus Hollister, missing since March 27, 2003 #4, Shemar Reynolds, missing since August 23, 2007

  • QUOTES (1)

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  • NOTES (2)

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  • ALLUSIONS (2)

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    • Theseus In the Greek mythology, Theseus was a legendary king of Athens who was half-human, half-immortal on account of him having two fathers (Aegeus, the king of Athens, and Poseidon, the god of sea). Contrary to what the episode claims, Theseus wasn't sent by his father to revenge the deeds of bad guys -- at least, not directly. Instead, he encountered these enemies on his way from his mother's land to Athens to claim his birthright as the king.

    • Title: It Takes a Village Shemar's grandmother refers to the saying the episode title is taken from: "It takes a village to raise a child." The saying has been attributed to an old African proverb although its origins have not been verified. The same proverb has also been used by Hillary Rodham Clinton in the title of her 1996 book It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us.

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