Criminal Minds Season 4 Episode 20

SPOILERS



i could tell the woman at the beginning was being played by a man right away, so when we were introduced to jackson rathbone (a pretty guy) i knew who the unsub was.



otherwise, good episode. though, tbh, i was hoping that there'd be a positive trans character instead of a DID case. here's to hoping!

An unbelievably good episode from a soon-to-be-favorite group of CM newbies show us that there are still stories to be told, both about the evil that men do and about the characters of our profilers. It has been quite a while since a Reid-centric episode flashed across our screens, but this one was worth waiting for. The story was wonderfully current - this is Spring Break for many schools across the country including mine - and perfectly told. I love the "viewer is kept in the dark" storylines, myself, and, recently, there have been far too few of them.





While some of the scenes we've come to expect, and almost dread in their predictability were there - conference room, giving the profile to the local LEOs, the compulsory cornering of the unsub - the new scenes breathed with life. The bracketing scenes in the psych office with Dr. Reid hiding in the shadows, desperate to help this wounded man, were heart-rending. Yes, he'd met a man suffering from DID before, a very sick man who had tried, in his own way, to save Reid from himself, and, in Reid's own eyes, he'd failed him. This was his second chance.





I thought the direction and pacing of the episode were as good as I've seen on television lately. It is so difficult to keep something like this from the viewers, so hard to show them enough and yet not too much, but this crew pulled it off. Okay, I got it from the first time we saw Adam and his migraines, but I'm way too tuned in to abnormal behavior. Seriously - this scenario was handled better than I've ever seen it in episodic television. They gave the audience a chance to figure it out, but also gave us a reasonable suspect in Adam's friend at the hotel.





Reid's character has always been one of the most interesting for me - maybe because I've always been drawn to the geeks - the vulnerable, trusting, hoping for the best while expecting the worst for themselves types. His interrogation of Adam was beautifully written, directed, and acted. Reid was attempting to be tough enough even while he sympathized with Adam. And the eye contact between the two characters across the police station as Adam became Amanda right before our eyes was truly chilling.





Did anyone else notice the unbelievably great parallel to Tobias Hankel in Adam's room at the hotel? The mirrors he'd placed on the wall brought me immediately to the computer screens in Hankel's farm. And the episode just got better from there.





Jason Alexander's direction of the rooftop scene between Morgan and Reid was outstanding. Reid stands in the extreme foreground, facing the sun - his eyes squinting painfully. What a perfect way to show us that he is still completely open and vulnerable to everything he sees on this job before any words are even spoken? And behind him stands Morgan, sunglasses firmly in place to shield him from the sun, and from any observation we might make about what he's feeling. Closed. The voice of experience. The connection between these two characters as Reid briefly turns his back on the blinding sun and then faces it again is intense and real. Mega-kudos to all.





So these cases have an effect on our heroes - we've seen that to some extent in all of them. Sometimes it makes them angry, sometimes it makes them snide, or distrustful, but sometimes it makes them better profilers, and better people. Way to go, CM. I'm still a fan. (Oh, yeah!)

This was just pure genius. Seriously. The storyline was brilliant and the whole murder to who the unsub really is, was just suspense-filled.





The episode starts off fine, with the end being the beginning, then rewind 7 days and it begins with the discovery of the body by Adam. And when the BAU is called in and they discover they have a timeline since spring break is going to be over soon and the murderer might get away with the murders. The actor who played Adam/Amanda, Rathbone, plays his roles very well, you really cannot tell the difference because the he plays each completely different. They are really two different people. The voice, the behaviour, the way he acts..it's just genius. And how it's fit into the story, the whole two separate identities disorder, is brilliant. The team discover it's males who behave like alpha males that are being murdered and think at first it's a man, then think it's two people, a man and a woman working together. When they interview Adam, both Reid and Morgan have no idea he's the unsub. And even later, they still have a hard time believing it until Reid figures out the two personality disorder thing, which suddenly makes sense. I really had no idea and this revelation really creeped me out.





Reid also gets a bit attached to Adam, even visiting Amanda at the end telling Amanda he's looking for Adam. I thought that was nice, and felt sorry for Amanda who only emerges to protect Adam. And it ends.

Really we have been missing Reid as he doesn't seem to be the forefront these days. And that he is one of our favorite characters on the show. But lately he has been absent lately. But glad that, he was in this. As when he is at the forefront, he is good. The team try to figure out what is going on, with students that are vacationing on spring break. Are being killed. And why they are being targetted. The Adam/Amanda thing was really twisted. But also really confusing. Even though I have only seen bits and parts of Twilight, Jackson Rathborne, the guest star was convincing. He also kind of reminded Reid of himself. Without the killing though.

At the beginning of the episode, we see a young woman, in shadow, being interviwed by Dr. Reid. Reid tells the woman that he would 'like to talk about Adam', whom we learn is 'still missing.' Reid appears greatly troubled by this. The woman informs Reid that, in her opinion, 'Just because you caught me, doesn't mean you'll find him ... you're not that smart.'





We then read that it is 'Seven Days Earlier' and the traditional fun and frivolity of Spring Break on South Padre Island is overshadowed by a series of rapes and murders - of young men. The BAU are called in to help solve the crimes. After questioning Julie, the manager of the hotel where the second body was found, and ascertaining that she had not noticed anything unusual, Rossi,Morgan and Reid then question Adam Jackson, (played by Jackson Rathbone from 'Twilight') the young hotel employee who found the second body. Adam, like Julie, appears to know nothing.





Profiling the un-sub the next day,the team come to the conclusion that they may in fact be dealing with a 'killer couple' - a male and female, with the woman luring the victims and the male raping and murdering them. After learning more about Adam and Julie, and the fact that they both have a somewhat colourful past,the team feel they may have caught their killers, however, when they both pass lie detector tests, this belief is tested. As usual, it is Reid who sorts things out by theorizing that their 'two killers' scenario may be incorrect, that, in fact, Adam may be BOTH killers; a multiple personality with an alter-ego who committed the crimes.





Meanwhile,Julie finds some incriminating evidence which links Adam to the crimes, but when she goes to the hotel roof and presses him about it, she is confronted by 'Amanda', a 'woman' with a strong Texan accent, who is clearly the 'real' killer. Amanda is not at all pleased and pushes Julie off the roof. Barely breathing, she tells the BAU team what has happened when they arrive at the hotel. Reid correctly concludes that Adam/Amanda has gone to find the real source of the trouble - the abuser from his childhood. As the young killer holds a knife to the throat of his abuser, we learn that Adam was made to wear dresses and suffer other unimagineable abuse. 'Amanda' finally releases her hostage but refuses to allow Adam to come back. She has decided to protect him fromany further harm. This puts us right back where we were at the beginning of the episode, where Reid is again speaking not to a woman as we first thought, but to Adam, with 'Amanda'firmly in control and intending to stay that way.





This was a great episode, yet another one not to be missed with excellent performances by all, particularly Jackson Rathbone who did a very convincing job in the dual role.

In this episode of Criminal Minds, the following happens. We open with a prisoner, being questioned in a therapy session. We see that Reid is there and that he is looking for Adam, and needs the prisoners help as she knows where he is. We then see a Spring Break party happening, and a young man being tied up and killed by a female. The day the body is found, and we learn his name is Daniel. We learn that this is the 2nd killing in a week and all of the victims were killed in the same hotel. Soon the team believe that the killers are a male and a female, who are both working together. Soon another victim is found murdered, but this time at a different hotel. The team soon find evidence that the cleaning person who found the 2nd victim lied to the team and he had an altercation with the 1st victim the day before he was killed. Garcia soon learns that Adam was the victim of abuse when he was a child, done to him by his stepfather. So the team bring him in for questioning. When looking into his background the team learn that his boss, Julie, pays for his rent and has bailed him out of jail twice in the last 4 years. So they believe her to be the other killer. Just as she is leaving with another possible victim, the team turn up and take her in for questioning. Soon both of them are given a polygraph test. They both pass the test and so both of them are realised. Soon Reid believes that Adam, the cleaning person, has multiple personality disorder. They believe that there is 2 killers, but inside of 1 person. His boss goes into Adams room and finds a woman's dress and some rope. She confronts him about it and so "Amanda" appears and throws the boss off of the roof. The team go there and learns that Amanda has appeared and so they head off to dams stepfathers house, believing that he/she is there. When they get there they find Amanda holding a bag over the stepfathers head and has a knife to his throat. Reid starts to talk Amanda down and manages to do so, before anyone gets hurt. At the end of the episode, we see that it is Amanda who is the prisoner, who Reid is visiting, in order to try and get Adam to come back.

This episode was spooky and creepy in all the right ways. It was certainly a very week different one than we get each week, and I really enjoyed it. It was weird and unusual, and it was backed by an interesting concept.





The unsub was suspected as a team of a man and a woman, then it turned out to only be one... or did it! The multiple personality disorder thing was really cool and I think they executed that really well!





Keep it up, Criminal Minds! I can't wait to see some more really great episodes, and I would highly recommend this one! Great job, please keep it up!

I'm liking the trend lately of time shifts, present-past-present, I think it's helps the puzzle. One of the things I loved right off the bat was the challenge of the time window before the end of spring break. I was excited to see Reid in the forefront and watching his mind piece things together. I absolutely loved the twist of male victims and the implication of Julie as a partner. As the interviews play out it's reveal more pieces of a complex puzzle or in truth a complex personality. I loved Reid insight as to his guilt of not figuring it out sooner but even more so his efforts to find and save Adam.

The team is called to an Hotel full of college students during spring break. Two boys have died under similar circumstances. they first suspect of a male Unsub, then a couple, and it's not until the end and thanks to Reid, that they discover that is just one person that has multiple personalities. Great chapter. Amazing work from Jackson Rathbone. He looked great dressed as a woman! I really liked that they used Reid's experience with Tobias Henkle to explain about Adam and Amanda. Quite Reid centric, him and Adam could compete in a weird hair and big bags under their eyes!


Amazing chapter and great interpretations!:)

in my opinion, this was one of the best episodes of the season so far. SPOILERS ahead!!


when i found out that twilight hottie Jackson Rathbone is gonna play the unsub, i wasnt too pleased about it. he just doesnt look like your typical serial killer, but then again who knows what they look like? haha dont they say dont judge a book by its cover?


so being a devoted CM fan that i am, i wouldnt miss an episode, so i sat down to watch it. i have to say, after a few minutes i was hooked. i was surprised what a fantastic creepy guy Rathbone was, he totally had me convinced throughout the whole episode. i was amazed by him, and at the same time found him a bit scary. really nice twist towards the end, but dont wanna talk about that, go and see it!


i really liked the conversation between Reid and Morgan, talking about the time Reid was abducted by tobias hankel. how Reid shouldve seen the same signs in Adam (the character played by Jackson). all in all, an excellent episode. sorry if my review doesnt make any sense, but im still so exctied about the episode. :D





10/10

I gave a "10" to this episode mainly for two reasons:


1. The amazing quote from Terry Pratchett "Light thinks it travels faster than anything, but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always gotten there first, and is waiting for it." 2. My belief is that people are born "good"; the "world" (society, family, entourage) shapes our destiny, brings the best or the worst in us. Until the possibility of choosing for ourselves others decide our path; once in our power it is too difficult or painful to change that path. This episode has shown and proven this right.

That was the weirdest episode yet. The eyes man, the eyes said it all. I mean if you watch Twighlight, which sadly I have not but want to, Rathbone has this weird look he gets when he's Amanda and it's the same thing. Oh my god, he is like right under Reid now, no lie. Anyone else but me thought that there could have been some guy/guy/girl love with Reid/Adam?Amanda. There was some great eyes throughout the wholeepi. IT wasn't totally clear until that look after the interrigation between Reid and Amanda that sent shivers down my spine and then I knew,I knew man! God I've watched the episode over and over again. It's like a mini orgasim in the mind each time. We need more Reid.

Another great example of a very psychological episode!! From start to finish, it really had a great twist to it. Spencer Reid did an excellent job at cracking the case and getting the unsub, without Reid the unsub would have never been caught, this episode is a great because it's the second time they had someone as a guest star have a multi personality disorder!! Thanks to Reid to eventually catching on to the signs of it, they were able to catch the unsub, and the unsub went to a mental institution and is living as the alternate personality Amanda. What a great and twisted episode, CM has done it again!!

Truly great. Jackson Rathbone was mindblowing. Played his part wonderfully. Finally after several weeks being not as key a character, Reid was back to his amazing self. He really took charge this episode. Penelope had her adorable lines as always. The rest of the BAU was on top of their game. But this episode really was about Reid and Jackson's character. Although I was able to predict the twist long before it was revealed, I still loved it and was beeming with excitement. Part of me wishes that Jackson could return for another episode but I doubt that will happen. There was one key shot of Reid where he looked amazing. Glowing in the sun. Great episode, definitely one of my favourites.

Mm.. I do not know what to think.. I did like it - the ending was good - the controversy, old memories hunting Reid, the char interaction.. like the talk on the roof.. That I liked but I am not sure - maybe the episode was to cruel to me, if cruel is right word.. I mean.. in some way you start to feel sorry for that Adam - he had horrible childhood and he ends up like that.. it was just not a pleasant episode to watch but had a point, great story and good acting.. overall, all that just do not emerge as the bad and disturbing feeling is what I have left from this episode. Hoped more for Reid centered episode.. :(