Criminal Minds

This episode contained all of the ingredients for a compelling pilot. The great characters were each introduced in a plausible way, and we got just enough of a hint about each one to make us want to know more. And the characters had dimensions, depths - they defied our abilities to stereotype them immediately into their respective labels. Gideon was troubled, but not so troubled that he was ineffective. Reid was a nerd, but not unable to relate to others. Hotch could have been a rat - sent to inform on a fellow officer - but he didn't turn out to be that either. The plot was riveting. Here was a race against the clock to figure "it" out before someone else died. This wasn't a standard police show or forensic science show - we weren't looking back on evidence, we were trying to predict behavior and save a life that was in imminent danger. Some patterns were laid out for the team's investigative methods without overwhelming the audience with technical details.



The moodiness of the characters and plot were well revealed by each shot. The pink umbrella among the sea of black ones emphasized that we were going to be focusing on the victim. The stuffy, cramped feel of Slessman's house showed us that he was too limited a character to be the brains behind these crimes. The delivery of each line was muted, quiet - no shouting or histrionics - so that when the drama of the climactic scene came, Gideon's changed demeanor distracted us along with the killer.



The cliffhanger ending was the icing on this rich, gooey, delicious cake. Isn't this what a pilot is supposed to do - make us want to know the rest of the story?

Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon has just returned to his job as the head of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit following a six month period of medical leave due to his involvement in the case of Adrian Bale, a bomber from Boston. Gideon and his team were on the case when he made a decision in tghe field which, in turn, lead to the deaths of six agents. Gideon suffered an extended depressive episode as a result but is asked to return to help track down a killer known as 'The Seattle Strangler'who kidnaps women and holds them prisoner before strangling them and dumping their bodies.



Gideon's second in command, SSA Aaron Hotchner, is asked to unobtrusively assess Gideon's fitness to perform his duties but meanwhile, the team still has a killer to find, and with four women already having fallen victim, they know there will be more to come.



This is an excellent first episode of what has become an amazing show. The incredibly talented actors and actresses, along with terrific scripts and a sense of realism to the characters as well as the events and the way the action unfolds make this show a 'must see'. If you watch this first episode and see the BAU team in action, you'll know why.



Top class television all the way!

I've been a fan of Criminal Minds for a long time but had not seen the pilot until this week. (I'm very thankful to have caught it on A&E.) Thus, I have the benefit of reviewing this episode after years of being a fan of this show. What makes this such an expert pilot is that it preview several important aspects of this series' plot. For starters, it gives a subtle yet revealing glimpse into the personality of each BAU member (and the soon-to-be member, Elle). The episode also shows not only what profiling is all about and how it is an effective criminal detection method, but it also shows (via the Gideon fighting PTSD subplot) how much of a toll profiling takes on the profiler.



Though I became hooked on Criminal Minds based on later episodes, I feel sure that had I seen this one on its opening night, I would have been immediately hooked.

I do so enjoy psychologically intensive TV shows and this one was every thing I enjoy with enough of a difference to make it stand out. The first time they used the photo to scene trick it was a bit of a shock but worked very well. The establishing scenes with showing small glimpses of life outside the unit were a good addition whilst the story built up slowly, gaining momentum to the all action finale. The facts are clearly stated to make sure the viewer knows what going on and each character was made slightly distinctive.



The sub plots about Gideon being fit for work and the woman wanting a job showed the viewer that the programme is willing to treat them as intelligent people rather than thrill seekers wanting to see gunfights. There were also light moments to take the edge off the situation. The scene in the classroom was a nice touch whilst the story was appropately tone setting for future episodes.

Yep, this is similar to other shows "Profiler", "NYPD Blue", " Hillstreet Blues", but it was

an ok pilot. Was I impressed? Both yes and No. They spun a bit of originality in this

one by having the character of Gideon be sort of poetic cop who likes to recite lines from Emerson,

Nietzsche " If you look too deeply into the abyss, the abyss will look into you." Gideon

is definitely out there.



His two partners Agent Aaron Hotch (Thomas Gibson), Special Agent Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) are the standard "by the book" geeks, who sometimes miss the obvious points in an investigation thus their recruitment to get back Gideon into the FBI/Priofiling field.

I did like the character of Elle Greenway (Lola Glaudini), she's tough and speaks her mind.She and Derek have this gender battle going which is funny. In the pilot, they are tracking killer who likes to keep his victims alive for seven days before killing them, thus exploiting them.

The killer is pretty clever, and eventually the team realizes that their profile (like most agents will tell ya) are wrong, and thus they start back to the drawing board.They hit paydirt with by tracking some geek who doesn't appear to be a killer but upon further inspection (he hasclippings of Gideon's past work as an agent and rubs it in), and thus the caseis broken wide open. However it's not over, Gideon doesn't think by the profile that this kid is as crazyas he seems and his right, he eventually comes up with a theory that they are two killers.The next couple of scenes are well executed, yet very familiar. They play the good cop/bad cop routine, and use the familiar, "your partner squealed on you bit" to bluff one idiot to reveal the whereabouts of the other. Yes I know it's standard stuffbut actually this is still part of the strategy of most profilers.



Overall it looks like an ok show. will it last? Well CBS is already filled with cop shows and investigations "Cold Case", "Without A Trace", "NCIS", "CSI", and it's crappy ,crappy imitation "CSI New York", so it may not last due to the fact that they're plate is full but I would give it a look.

I expected better from a series that stars Mandy Patinkin.



I'll start with the positive: The production values were good, there was some suspense, story was decent.



What didn't do it for me:



- Shemar Moore overacting.



- Awkward interactions between the ensemble cast



- Too many characters (the show would work well with just 2 or 3 agents plus Patinkin. I vote for Agents Hotch, Greenway, and Reid.



- Uninteresting backstory. I didn't once wonder what had happened to Patinkin in Boston.



- In this episode at least things were teetering too much between darkness and business as usual. Patinkin is really good at pensive, dark roles, the writers should allow him to go there.



- Knowing too quickly into the episode just who done it and how. They should take a hint from "Without A Trace" or "Cold Case." The reveal has to happen later in the hour to be good.



- Lots of psychobabble given to create a profile for the killer but then I didn't see the connection between it except in the most basic way and the actual perpetrators.

This is just what I love in this show already

Hotch can be a bit cold and doesn't warm up

Too easily but again he just needs character development IMO though

Love Gideon as he is the father figure in the team

Reid is also someone I love and will hopefully love during

How long the show lasts. Finally, a bad boy in the bureau in Derek. Hey who says all FBI types of stiff and cold??

What i can say a great start for a great tv series. I'm sad to say that here in Cyprus, Criminal Mind's episodes start appearing in tv screens before one month and in no order. Although i'm downloading any episodes of that serie trying to collect season 1&2. On this episode was really exciting to watch how five Special Agents put their minds together to get into the mind of the abductor to forecast his next move. Director achieved to show us a group of five Special Agents that each one of them has his own knowledge that will lead finally to the solve of the puzzle.

This is where it all started...the pilot episode. We are introduced to the team with Gideon, Hotchner, Reid, Morgan and Elle.



I liked all characters from the beginning. Gideon the father figure with a history, Hotch as boss of the team with family, Reid as the young strange Dr. and Morgan the detective type. I missed a bit more of Elle in this episode, but it will come later.



The case is very interesting and the episode led an open end at the gas station.



It was definetly the reason why I watched the next episode! I wanted to know what was going on there. After this first episode Hotchner was my favorite character, because I like leading persons.



So this is a really good start for the show and I love it until now! Will watch it again someday!

I just recently started to watch the show, about mid-first-season, when it started appearing on living(here in Britain), but know I went back to the roots and watched the first few episodes, and there awesome! Our introduction to Gideon comes in the form of an introduction to a mentally unstable genius, perfect for a lead role! THe first plotline - although not as clever as it becomes - is still gripping, with our introduction to Reid and Morgan also setting the scene for some highly interesting charachter developement later! Although this episode itself wasn't them most brilliant, byu introducing us to such great charachters and throwing us headfirst in to the show, it deserves a high, high rating!

I was very impressed! From the sneak preview ads, I presumed that Criminal Minds would be similar to other shows I enjoy. Although it is similar on some levels, it was a pleasant surprise that many levels were unique and exciting! The twist of the main character having some emotional difficulty, but working through it physically and emotionally was encouraging. His invisible tenderness and vulnerability makes me want to come back and make sure he is still standing strong. The wonderful casting of this team was well orchestrated. There is strength mixed with unmatched brilliance and good looks. I am truly looking forward to future episodes and already have my DVR set to record, just in case I am having to work late!

This show takes a well-used subject and breathes a lot of new life into it. The characters are interesting and have good interaction and the show eschews gimmicky or cliched elements in favor of very well written dialogue. This is the one new show I've seen this year that really makes me look forward to seeing it again...

Ok. Let's start with the obvious. This show is patterned after Grissom and Co. over there in Las Vegas. Both shows revolve around a sage who pilots younger agents to make quality conclusions. This is not a complaint, but I somehow expected the supporting characters in this show to be a little more off beat.

After having seen the episode, the best conclusion is the supporting characters are going to matter that much. This show is about Gideon as portrayed by Mandy Patinkin. He brings a drive and sense of purpose to the show.

The ending of the episode seemed out of step with the rest of the show. I suppose they went with the gimmicky ending in order to reel people into the new drama.

With the cancellation of the West Wing, I was getting depressed with the thought of not having a favourite show to watch. But depressed no more I am (as Yoda would say). My new favourite show is CRIMINAL MINDS!



What's good about it? It's intelligent, fast moving, suspenseful and the characters seem to be likable. I have always been interested in character profiling and criminal pyschology and so this is the perfect series for me. When you watch it, you get the feeling that the script writers respect the intelligence of the viewers so there's no talking down, no patronising and no cheesy cliches. Just good old rock-solid entertainment. Highly recommended!

ok, so considering that i have been studying criminal psychology for the last several years of my life, i was obviously interested in the idea behind this show. i enjoy other crime dramas, and thrillers, so why not this one? and let\'s face it, anything from the creators of c.s.i. deserves a chance! anyway, i wasn\'t disappointed. i like the mix of charectors, the insight, the way they play off each other, and actually thought this was a really good case to grab veiwer attention. who didn\'t like silence of the lambs, right? can\'t wait to see more!

amazing amazing amazing pilot episode... youire given a brief idea of what each main character is all about and what abilities and qualities they all have. The character of Special Agent Jason Gideon is strongly portrayed in this episode and Mandy Patinkin plays this role extremely well. It seems as though his history plays a major role in the character development of the enitre cast, but we will have to wait for the episodes unfold as the season progresses. The criminal minds that are investigated in this episode are so complex, that it is so obvious who they are in a twisted sort of way!

Like I said before, this was an amazing pilot episode and I cant wait until next Wednesday for episode 2; Compulsion!

Sounds INTERESTING!!!

This is a wonderful series, and you can tell just by watching this revealing episode! I loved it! I really think that CBS has found a great new way to fill Wednesday nights from nine o'clock to ten o'clock.



You can tell that you're dealing with some pretty interesting and complicated characters in this show. They each seem to have their own qualities, or quirks if you will, that seem to help them solve the case. I am telling you right now, Garcia is the most awesome person on Earth! She's hilarious. I love this series! It is awesome!

When you go to watch a crime drama the first thing that comes to mind doesnt tend to be Character Devolopment because it takes so much longer for you to get a handle on a characters personality and real-life in a crime drama style television show. Gideon seemed to be the main devolopment in this episode, learning about his past a little bit through word of mouth - hopefully soon we might see some flashes about the incident that he still seems to be haunted by. I thought the episode was good as it got going. Everyone needing to travel to another city to solve the case kind of made the first 25% of the episode go by kind of slow. The monolouge by Gideon once he had found the man on the dock was a very good scene, I liked the intensity and fast pace in his voice as he was trying to break the man. The ending is another thing that took me off guard as you dont normally see endings like that in a crime drama. Youre more used to seeing the case solved and then having a happy ending. I dont know what to make of this ending, with Gideon in real danger as the man is now pointing a gun at his head. I dont know if they will show us what happens with this situation next episode, but I certainly hope to see how he managaed to get himself out of this situation.

...all the things a great pilot needs. Having Gideon come back from 'medical leave' is a much better plot device than introducing a new character to what we're supposed to assume is an already formed team like most shows tend to. While I love Thomas Gibson and his acting I find it so much easier to love him here than on Darhma and Grey where he seemed to be constantly stretching to find the funny. In this episode Hotch got to crack a joke, with a smile, and show how hopeful he was before everything seemed to fall apart for him in later seasons.



I love the beginning and end parts where Hotch is talking baby names with Hailey and, later, with Gideon. Ironic that they named the baby Jack, since Hotch wanted to avoid serial killer names for his kid, 'cause, hello? Jack the Ripper. Quite an obvious connection to be made, if you ask me.



I was never a big fan of Elle, but I also didn't start watching the show until Paget Brewster had been on the show for a while so my dislike of Elle might be because she wasn't Emily.

well, this was my 3rd episode of CM! the first was that ripper one in season 4, and the 2nd was the season 5 premier!

those episodes were so good, that i decided to start watching CM from the beginning!!

the episode was GOOD....not great! cause i personally had bigger expectations..., but considering it was a pilot, i would say they did a pretty good job!

The Whole Gideon 'dark past' thing was interesting..! also the 2 killers thing was a surprise...i didn't see that coming!

i LOVED GARCIA.... even though she was just their for like 5 mins...i LOVED HER!! Elle was good (i kind of like Prentis more :/) and Reid......that whole 'i am genius' scene was sooo funny!! in all, as an episode, it was okay...but as a pilot...it was amazing! :)

Well, I started watching from season 5, and then 4, 3 etc. Finally, am down to the first episode. This episode was unique, and considering that it was the first episode, i would say that it was one of the better episodes. This episode starts with gideon getting back from medical leave following the Adrian Bale Bomber incident. Seems quite surprising that they focused so much attention on him yet they only have one episode on him (Wouldnt get fooled again)



You can see that at first, they only focused on one character (Gideon) instead of the chemistry of the group as a whole. Everyone else, from Elle to Hotch seemed to play second fiddle to Gideon. Interesting move, that could be seen from other shows as well (CSI). I really enjoyed the smooth transition between the different scenes (Gideon giving the profile and the scene shifts to him talking and we observing the unsub's movements).



Overall, great pilot and criminal minds season 6 should go back to the roots...

Not many shows can start out with a pilot as good as Criminal Minds did. I think that this was definately the best pilot that I have ever seen. The episode started off with the BAU being brought into Seattle after a fourth woman goes missing in four months, and they are asked to try to help find him before he kidnaps again. Meanwhile, Hotch is asked to secretly evaluate Gideon to determine if he is really ready to return to work again after returning from a six month leave of abscence. Overall, I think that this is one of the best pilot episodes ever. 9.5/10

"Criminal Minds" is one of many CBS crime procedurals, a fact that alienates many viewers right there, who are tired of the nearly all-crime lineup that CBS currently has. Yet "Criminal Minds" is now in its third season and is an official hit, getting over 14 million viewers, and it is in its third season. I finally started watching it this year and after watching many season three episodes decided to go back and watch it from the beginning.



"Extreme Aggressor" is a pretty good pilot. A lot of time is put into setting up the show and introducing the characters and it feels very pilot-y. It is not as dark as the show later gets but the subject matter is still quite darker than what the typical CBS viewer might have been used to.



I'm not sure how I feel about our hero, Gideon, as sometimes he seems to be a little too humorless. However, he is excellently played by Mandy Patinkin, who was last seen in the superb but prematurely canceled "Dead Like Me" from Showtime.



The main case was not as interesting to me as I would have hoped, although I've come to discover I rarely care for the case in crime pilots. Overall though it's a nicely done pilot and had I tuned in back when it premiered, I would have tuned in to see the second episode.

Up until last night, I had not seen the pilot episode. I started watching it beginning with Season 3. So, I was in for a real treat! It was amazing how young everyone looked! There were a few really cute moments and a couple of surprising ones, as well. We are introduced to FBI Behavior Analysis Unit Chief, Aaron Hotchner. He and his wife Hayley were discussing names for their baby. No matter what name Hayley threw out ther, Hotchner vetoed the choices. Of course, I didn't put two and two together until Hotch and Gideon were talking about baby names! I was very surprised to see that Hotchner didn't seem as uptight as he becomes in the later seasons. The first surprising and cute moment was seeing Hotchner smiling and almost laughing while he and Hayley discussing baby names.



Next up is Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan. He is in a bar drinking a few beers with some female FBI cadets. Morgan receives a telephone call and one of the cadets notice that it is from the BAU. She asks him if he worked with Senior Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon and if he was in Boston with him. Morgan tells her that he was supposed to be.



We meet Senior Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon who is conducting a behavior analysis lecture at the FBI Academy in Quantico. We learn that Gideon has been on 'medical leave' to recuperate from his last case in Boston. Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid enters the lecture hall and holds up a case file folder. Gideon excuses himself and goes into the hallway with Reid. They begin discussing the 'Seattle Strangler' case. Gideon tells Reid that he will look it over and call him with his input as soon as he could. During this exchange, Hotchner and Morgan enter Gideon's office. They inform Gideon that he has been directed to go with the BAU Team to Seattle.



When they arrive at the Seattle field office, Hotchner introduces the team members. We learn that Morgan's specialty is obsession crimes. Hotchner introduces SSA Reid and Gideon says, "Doctor Reid". Hotchner reveals that Reid's speciality is "everything" and that he had spent two years at the Seattle office. Cute moment number two is hearing Hotchner make a funny about Reid's speciality being "everything". I honestly do not remember seeing him smile in any of the episodes that I have seen prior to this!



We are introduced to Supervisory Special Agent Elle Greenaway and learn that she *really* wants to fill the vacant slot at the BAU.



We also get to meet FBI Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia. She is the FBI's "supreme genius". As the story unfolds, we learn about the behaviors and characteristics of the criminals and how they operate. There are quotes from various famous people interspersed throughout the episode. In this episode, Morgan comes across as arrogant. For me, this is surprising moment number two. It's surprising because he doesn't seem to be like that now. But, then again, I only just started watching in Season 3.



Cute moment number 3 is when Morgan called Garcia to get her help with the password protection on Richard Slessman's computer. Morgan tells her that the computer has the Deadbolt Defense system. Garcia tells Morgan that he had a problem and would need to get inside Slessman's head to get the password. Morgan says, "I thought I was calling the Office of Supreme Genius."



Garcia replies, "Well, Gorgeous, you've been rerouted to the Office of Too Friggin' Bad."



Cute moment number 4 is when Hotch and Reid go to Heather Woodland's apartment. They meet Heather's brother and her dog. The dog starts barking at Reid, startling him. Hotch says, "It's the Reid Effect. It happens with children, too."



Gideon asked Hotch if they had a name picked out for the baby, yet. Hotchner rattled off the various names that had been tossed about. Gideon supplied the last name of the serial killers that went with those names.



This episode is a great introduction into "criminal minds". I am glad that A&E has started to airing it. I look forward to learning more about the back-stories for the BAU team members!!

After seeing some episodes on tv, I decided to watch this one from the start as it really looked interesting. And I most say - I am really happy with that decision.



The episode starts with intriguing way - we see the way girl is tricked into car and then how one by one members of the team are called in - including man who had something in his past what makes others think that he can be reliability thread - and that char really caught the attention.. and also that young man too.. the genius one.. and I think they have really great team of chars around and much exciting storylines..



and the ending - wow.. Have to see next one.

This was a great start to 'Criminal Minds' an d it goes to show that this show was brilliant to begin with - it didn't become brilliant after a while.



The case in this episode was interesting. It really shows the dangers of getting in a car with someone you don't know, no matter how friendly they may seem!



The teasm was brilliant throughout the episode, and it was nice meeting the individual characters, who we will go on to love throughout future seasons.



The show is an amazing one, and I would highly recommend this episode, the very first, because it ais a great example of how good Criminal Minds is, even though it still manages to go on to bigger and better things in the future! Keep it up, Criminal Minds, and I look forward to more great episodes, just like this one!

I'm sure we've all watched pilots and thought 'it was good, but...'. With this pilot I had no major but, wasn't overly struck on the Morgan character, he wasn't bad just didn't stand out in such a storng ensemble cast. I don't as a general rule watch this type of show, on the 'you've seen one you've seen them all' theory. I watched this purely because Mandy Patinkin was in it. If he's in it it's a pretty good bet it will be a great show, and this is defintly a great show! It took me quite a while to realise where I knew Thomas Gibson from, and i think that speaks volumes for his performance. It was nice to see both sides of his character, the loving family man and the dedicated and slightly aloof FBI profiler. The basic storyline was strong enough, they fitted it well in to the limited time. 43 minutes doesn't go far when you're introducing new characters, getting Gideon back in the saddle and having a different case to end on. But it didn't feel like there was anything missing, the story played out, it was a little roughly done when it came to the prison guard. Oh look, the guy we're talking to just happens to be the unsub! That aside a good storyline to kick us off. The case we were introduced to at the beginning and then revisited at the end was interesting. I loved that if you took notice you knew what was happening at the end. I'm sure it passed a lot of people by, but for me it was great to not only end on a twist but on one that we could have seen coming. There was defintily more than enough in this episode to keep me watching, the characters are strong, this storyline was good and the attention to detail was impressive.

This was really great start for the show. Makes me want to watch the rest of the season. Will keep watching. I love all the cast members and the characters that they play. My favorites are Dr. Spencer Reid/ Matthew Gray Gubler and Derek Morgan/ Shemar Moore. There is Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/ AJ Cook who is the rookie and Aaron Hotchner/ Thomas Gibson and Jason Gideon/ Mandy Patinkin. Last but not least is Elle Greenaway/ Lola Glaudini. Penelope Garica is Kristen. These people work really great together. I love how Gideon comes back to work and saves the girl.

This was a reeally good start to the series. The characters were well introduced with some insight into their personalities.



We were first introduced to Aaron Hotchner (Hotch), who was discussing baby names with his wife Haley. He was making her laugh with his suggestions as he put the cradle together.



Next we met Derek Morgan, who was at a bar with some FBI trainees playing a drinking game in a quiz show type manner. He used information the trainees were learning in their classes as quiz questions.



Then we meet Jason Gideon as he is teaching a profiling class. He is discussing the "Footpath Killer", which was a case he worked with the Virginia PD on. He is explaining the profile that he gave the police telling them that he told them not be surprised that when they found him if he speaks with a stutter.



At this point, he is interrupted by the arrival of Dr. Spencer Reid, he explains the case to Gideon as they walk to his office. As Gideon tells Reid that he will have a profile ASAP, Hotch and Morgan walk in to tell Gideon that he wil be going with them to Seattle ASAP.



Later on in the episode, we are introduced to Elle Greenaway (whom is working in the Seattle office at the time) when she lures a suspect out of his house to avoid bringing SWAT in because there are little kids. She is hoping to get the opening available at the BAU.



Using all their skills combined, the team figures out who the unsub is, where the girl is being held, and take down the unsub and save her.