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After a bomb explodes an SUV in New York City that might be carrying a BAU member, the team goes into high gear to determine who might have been injured in the explosion and to apprehend the terrorists responsible for the mayhem.moreless
  • Pretty good episode-action packed, exciting till the end, but it left me confused at the end.

    7.5
    "Good"
    As far as this episode goes, I enjoyed every minute of it. However, there was 1 main problem. And it was a BIG problem.

    The problem was that i was confused at the end. Mainly, you never learn about the terrorists. You just see random guys dressed in black sweaters. Also, who was Secret Service protecting, and why did the terrorists want to kill him? We never learn these answers, Thomas Gibson just disregards Morgan's question at the end so the writers don't have to think of an explanation. compared to other 2 part episodes (the Fisher Kings, No Way Out & No Way Out II, etc.) i was disappointed. I did like the excitement, especially in the hospital and Morgan with the ambulance. I also liked his conversation with Garcia.

    For the record, Thomas Gibson is not a very good actor. I know his character is monotone and usually expressionless, but when his friend (who he really wants to ****) is dying, and, eventually dies, his expression stays the same. When he and the team face great danger, his expression never changes. Honestly, no wonder his wife divorced him.

    In the end, it was a fun epsiode to watch and i would strongly recommend it to any Criminal Minds fan. It could have been better, but 7.5 is about as good as i will give it. After the build up from part 1, i thought the second part disappointed.moreless
  • As Season Four kicks off we find out the answer to the question which has been bugging us all summer. Who was in the SUV that blew up and did they survive?moreless

    7.0
    "Good"
    There were some excellent moments in this episode, particularly the fine acting performance by Shemar Moore when Derek had the job of driving a bomb out of harms way and thus, saving a lot of lives.

    My problem with it was that before the episode even screened, we knew from press releases etc. that none of the cast was leaving the show, which meant that only Agent Joyner could have been the person whose vehicle blew up. That was disappointing, I like suspense even though I most definitely did NOT want any of the regular cast leaving the show.

    There were some touching moments between Hotch and Kate as she lay dying, unable to get the medical assistance required due to the blockade which kept the insiders in the area and the outsiders out. It was, unfortunately, also blatantly obvious that the young boy who showed such concern was the person they were looking for. (Or one of the many, anyway.)

    I'm not saying the episode was terrible because there were some excellent moments within it, but predictability annoys me, especially in a season opener or finale.moreless
  • After a long summer break from the Season 3 cliffhanger, "Mayhem" is a good episode, but far from perfect...

    7.0
    "Good"
    My biggest problem with this episode is that it just failed to deliver. We had the big tease over the summer that a BAU agent was in the exploding SUV -- But in true bait-and-switch fashion, a nobody character ended up dying. While this may seem acceptable to those who love the current cast - to create a cliffhanger like that only to say "GOTCHA!" is not a way to please fans. If this were a week or two week break-cliffhanger, then I'd say it is acceptable. A season finale cliffhanger however, should NEVER be a bait-and-switch. It's a slap in the face.

    My second biggest problem with this episode is all the logic gaps and information that was never really questioned or answered. It sure seemed really over-the-top for these terrorists to do all this distraction, just so they could get an ambulance with a bomb inside a hospital. First off, it's never answered how the terrorist knew of the surgery of -presumably the president- but why even bother. If the Hospital was going to be locked down, why not just drive it through the secret service barricade and explode once in the parking structure?

    Ah yes the bomb. It makes absolutely NO SENSE - so this terrorist arms his bomb, and instead of just blowing it up right then and there, he decides to go for a walk instead. WHY? If he's going to commit suicide, why would he even make a bomb with a phone as a trigger? Why not just explode it the second he armed it? Retarded. Fine, you can even say he was too stupid to realize this, and decided to go for a walk and kill some secret service instead. Once he sees that Morgan had stolen the bomb, why didn't he just rush up to the room where the surgery was and shoot his way to his target? Why just sit there pushing redial? Poor writing, that's why.

    Then they try to tease another BAU agent's death, only to reveal that Morgan is fine. I'm sorry, but if you're going to bait-and-switch BAU member's deaths twice in the same episode, that isn't "on the edge of my seat" - that's just annoying!

    Did I dislike it all? No, but those few things to me at least, really hurt this episode, and merely made it good instead of great.moreless
  • And all this, what was it for?

    6.0
    "Fair"
    It has already been underlined by others, but which was the point of all this? I liked the first part of this episodi, the end of Season 3 and I also, partially, liked this one: its rhythm, its tension and so on. But all what happened has not a sense and, worst of all, no explanation. Who were the terrorists? What did they do all this for? Who was the person who had to be attacked? Why did the terrorists know where he was? At the end, there were 4 agents in front of a terrorist armed with a knife, couldn't one of them shot him in the arm to prevent him to commit suicide? And in all this mess, Thomas Gibson's expression never changed, not even once, not even this time.moreless
  • As Season Four kicks off we find out the answer to the question which has been bugging us all summer. Who was in the SUV that blew up and did they survive?moreless

    7.0
    "Good"
    There were some excellent moments in this episode, particularly the fine acting performance by Shemar Moore when Derek had the job of driving a bomb out of harms way and thus, saving a lot of lives.

    My problem with it was that before the episode even screened, we knew from press releases etc. that none of the cast was leaving the show, which meant that only Agent Joyner could have been the person whose vehicle blew up. That was disappointing, I like suspense even though I most definitely did NOT want any of the regular cast leaving the show.

    There were some touching moments between Hotch and Kate as she lay dying, unable to get the medical assistance required due to the blockade which kept the insiders in the area and the outsiders out. It was, unfortunately, also blatantly obvious that the young boy who showed such concern was the person they were looking for. (Or one of the many, anyway.)

    I'm not saying the episode was terrible because there were some excellent moments within it, but predictability annoys me, especially in a season opener or finale.moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • TRIVIA (3)

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    • At the end of the episode, Hotch asks Morgan if he still wants to be stuck with him for three hours, referring to the amount of time they would be in a car together driving back from New York. However, it takes five hours in optimal conditions to drive to Washington, D.C., and Quantico is even further south in Virginia.

    • In the scene during which the medic applies the clamp to the open wound in Kate's back, there is a close-up of Hotch's arm holding her severed artery. The sleeve of his shirt is almost clean, although before and after it is drenched in blood.

    • When the unsub is leaning against the fence, there is a delivery truck in the background from "Bernero Hospital Linens" written on the side.

  • QUOTES (6)

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    • Morgan: I'm your ride.
      Hotchner: I thought Agent Davis was driving me.
      Morgan: She was. I had her reassigned.
      Hotchner: Don't you have something better to do?
      Morgan: (smirks) Than to annoy you for three hours? Hell, no.

    • Hotchner: Your actions, as incredibly brave as they were, were still the actions of an agent who doesn't truly trust anyone.
      Morgan: Hotch, I did it for this team.
      Hotchner: My opinion doesn't matter, the job's yours if you want it.
      Morgan: Hotch! Your opinion matters to me.
      Hotchner: My life matters to me, and I have, and always will, entrust you with it. Would you do the same for me?

    • Det. Cooper: Whoa, Whoa. Mets tickets? Most people assume I'm a Yankees fan.
      Prentiss: (smiling) I'm not most people. (walks away)
      Det. Cooper
      : Nope, no, that girl is not.

    • Reid: So far, these guys have accomplished nothing.
      Det. Brustin: Nothing? My partner was shot - Cooper? Eight innocent people were killed, two agents blown up, not to mention Emily's suicide-by-cop, is that not enough?
      Rossi: (gesturing towards a photograph of The Two Towers) That was memorable. This isn't.

    • Morgan: There's something I really want you to know, Garcia.
      Garcia: Save it, just get out!
      Morgan: No, no, no, I'm not quite there yet...
      Garcia: Morgan...
      Morgan: Just listen to me...
      Garcia: Morgan, please...
      Morgan: You know what you are, Garcia?
      Garcia: (bomb in ambulance explodes) Morgan! (pause) Derek?
      Morgan: Garcia? I'll tell you what you are to me. You're my God-given solace. Woman you promise me one thing - whatever happens, don't you ever stop talking to me.
      Garcia: I can't right now 'cause I'm mad at you.

    • Hotchner: "Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime." Ernest Hemingway

  • NOTES (1)

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  • ALLUSIONS (2)

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    • Rossi: The recently deceased Dr Azahari Husin, Asia's most wanted bomb maker. Authorities dubbed him the, um, Demolition Man..." Azahari bin Husin was a Malaysian and Islamic terrorist involved in attacks like the 2002 Bali bombings, the 2004 Jakarta Embassy bombing, and the 2005 Bali bombing. He was killed during a police raid November 9, 2005 in Indonesia.

    • Rossi: They learn from one campaign to the next how to stay off radar - like the London bombers. London Bombings - July 7, 2005. 52 people were killed and nearly 700 injured in coordinated attacks on the London Transportation system. Three bombs were placed on trains traveling under London and detonated at 8:51, 8:56 and 9:17 AM, while the fourth bomb was placed on a public bus and detonated at 9:47 AM.

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