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Criminal Minds

Psychodrama

Season 2, Episode 4, Aired Oct 11, 2006

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8.7

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The BAU is called to investigate a series of bank robberies in Los Angeles after it becomes evident the crimes are not based on money because the robber abuses his victims by forcing them to undress before he leaves the crime scene.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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GUEST STAR
Meredith Monroe

Haley Hotchner
GUEST STAR
Jason Wiles

Unsub Sheppard
GUEST STAR
Jean St. James

Claire Henderson

A.J. Cook

SSA Jennifer "JJ" Jareau
Kirsten Vangsness

Analyst Penelope Garcia
Thomas Gibson

Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner
Shemar Moore

SSA Derek Morgan
Matthew Gray Gubler

SSA Dr. Spencer Reid
Mandy Patinkin

Senior SSA Jason Gideon

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Fan Episode Reviews (13)

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Crank up the weirdness meter!

9.1

"Superb"

By Finnegan77, Feb 13, 2012

Sunny California: home to traffic-tangled freeways, easy shooting locations, and some weird-type therapy techniques. Where else will you find an unsub who starts off being a bank robber, segues to sex offenses, and ends up shooting children? This is a new one, even for our team of champions, and Hotch, for one, is getting rattled.

A good, twisted, hard to follow case, with an actual car chase - how many of those have we seen on CM? Okay, it's a lame one- mid-town traffic keeps us from squealing on two wheels around corners, but still. Everyone on the team is involved poring over files, checking out crime scenes, and the interaction among them is also good. The unsub is potentially the most creepifying yet, even though we only really see him at the end. It's always scarier when we can in no way understand what makes this guy tick.

We learn some things about the team, too. First, Elle's favorite word is "scumbag". New Yorkers may be high on sarcasm but low on vocabulary. Second, Reid can channel Mr. Spock on a moment's notice: "Remarkable. By utilizing a practical MO this unsub has stumbled into a psychological signature. Fascinating." (I am not making that up, it's word-for-word.) And Morgan would rather use his brawn than a key to open a door - but we already knew that.

Poor Hotch. First his wife arrives with a tractor-trailer sized load of guilt for missing his son's doctor's appointment. This starts our Captain America off on the wrong foot. Then the unsub starts targeting little boys. Nothing is more certain to get Hotch's blood boiling than any possible parallel between the violence of the case and his own family. And apparently the pay's crap, too.

Great scenes between Hotch and Gideon. These two have quite a bond.moreless
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Once again, the writers can not dissapoint! The drama, comedy, and all the acting! One of the best I have seen

10

"Perfect"

By enti342, Jan 20, 2011

Once again, the writers can not dissapoint! The drama, comedy, and all the acting! One of the best I have seen

The way that the episide flows so smoothly, the music that it in the background, the speciall effects. All of this contributes to one of the best episodes i have ever seen! The plot is so well written, the writer must be a genious. I am only half way through the episode and I am glued. When a guest walks into the room, they are stuck, fixated on the screen. There is no turning back when you have seen such a good episode!moreless
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Actually, this episode wasn't one of my favorites... But it still made for good entertainment...

8.0

"Great"

By Liria, Jan 20, 2011

Not a bad episode per se, but there was just something about how the investigation went that I kindda found myself not paying attention a few times... The idea was an interesting one, having a bank robbery disguising something else entirely different, and having the "unsub" almost not know what he was really doing either, hehe. All in all, despite my initial criticism, it was a great episode, but like I said, not one of my favorites. I thought it actually got better towards the ending, when they get more of a handle on the situation.... Maybe I was just having a "bad tv watching" day... ;)moreless
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A disturbing case with the worse kind of un-sub.

9.4

"Superb"

By BAUCTU, Jan 20, 2011

An episode which shows clearly how being a member of the BAU affects the teams personal lives. (if they've managed to have one!) To see the pain on Hotchs' face as he realised that he hadn't been there for his son was heartbreaking. Balancing work life and family is the toughest thing for anyone but especially in a job ike that. It was nice to see Gideon reach out to him, even though Hotch didn't actually talk about the problem, he must appreciate having someone there who he can talk to.

The case was disturbing, anything involving children is bound to be. But imagine being a child and being forced to hurt your mum. It's a parents worse nightmare not being able to protect them. The humilation the people in the bank must have felt having to undress is awful and the family of the bank manager must be in a living hell.

It often annoys me when shows have the case parallel in to the lives of the characters, but I liked the way they did it in this episode.moreless
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creepy...

8.9

"Great"

By Fwirrel, Jan 20, 2011

The BAU is called in to investigate a series of bank robberies where the gun man made the victums undress and do stuff...it was creepy. I was watching it at night and I was just creeped out. I hope their's no one like that in real life. The story was very interesting though. I liked the whole idea that the man just hated his mom and it took him so far to kill. It was good. The team was great, as usual, and there were some good and some funny moments. Overall, great episode with a great story and some great investigating.moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (3)
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- There is a blood stain on Hotch's shirt sleeve before he shoots and cuffs the unsub.
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- When the unsub is shot by Hotch, he has a small beard. In the ambulance in the next shot, he is clean shaven.
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- It is revealed in this episode that Hotch and Haley named their son Jack.
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QUOTES (16)
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- Elle: (reading the headline) Stripping Bandit. That's terrible. That makes it sound like the bandit's doing the stripping.
  Reid: What would you call him?
  JJ: Pervert.
  Elle: Scumbag.
  Morgan: I'd call him an ass.
  Hotchner: Hey, focus, please.
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- Elle: (handing key to Morgan outside Sheppard's locked motel room) Key?
  Morgan: (getting ready to kick down the door) No, I got one.
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- Elle: (via phone to Morgan inside JJ's Paradise) Hardcore or not, you've got the wrong scumbag.
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- Haley: (via phone discussing Jack's medical condition) At home with my mom. I didn't want him here while we were talking. Look, I know this job is important to you, but we're important, too.
  Hotchner: You don't have to tell me that.
  Haley: I don't want you to wake up some day in some random city and realize that you don't know your own son.
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- Hotchner: How are we doing?
  Agent Wallace: Five minutes.
  Hotchner: Make it three.
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- Garcia: (after removing her high-heeled shoes from her aching feet) Why must your beauty be so painful?
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- Reid: An unsub who may or may not have had inside help.
  Gideon: I think it's time to talk to the bank manager.
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- Gideon: Save one life, we save the world.
  Hotchner: Yeah. Well, there's one thing I didn't tell the trainees.
  Gideon: What's that?
  Hotchner: We do not get paid enough.
  Gideon: You got that right.
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- Hotchner: It doesn't make sense, they're children.
  Gideon: He's playing out a fantasy.
  Hotchner: Yes, but it's his fantasy and it's someone else's children.
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- Garcia: Uh, pals, don't be ticked, but I think I may have missed the sort of glaringly obvious here. How would you make yourself taller without being a different person entirely or having some sort of weird Chinese surgery?
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- Hotchner: It took you nine minutes to call 9-1-1.
  Bill Henderson: I was collecting the tapes.
  Hotchner: Before you called 9-1-1?
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- Garcia: 'kay. I got access to four bank robberies with security footage. What do I get to do with them?
  Hotchner: You know your digital perspective whatever software?
  Garcia: Digital Perspective Analysis Rendering?
  Hotchner: Yeah.
  Garcia: Honey, not only do I know it, I helped develop it.
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- Gideon: Ready?
  Morgan: Let's go rob a bank.
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- Hotchner: "The basis of shame is not some personal mistake of ours, but... that this humiliation is seen by everyone." Milan Kundera.
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- Garcia: (Hotchner asks her to look at surveillance footage) Honey, if he opens his mouth, I'll tell you the length of his teeth.
  Hotchner: Just keep it clean. And don't call me "honey."
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- Hotchner: "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth." Oscar Wilde
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NOTES (1)
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- The song playing at the children's party scene near the end of the episode was "Our Lips Are Sealed" by Hilary and Haylie Duff.
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ALLUSIONS (2)
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- Reid comments there was a pilot program using psychodrama in the mid 1990s in the San Luis Obispo jail. A psychodrama program was in place between 1997-1999 for inmates in the San Luis Obispo County Jail where Leonard Manzella, a licensed clinical social worker, worked with prisoners with violence and drug problems. Manzella has consulted with many law enforcement agencies, correctional facilities and universities as well as the CBS Network.
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- The title of this episode alludes to a psychotherapeutic technique in which people are assigned roles to be played spontaneously within a dramatic context devised by a therapist in order to understand the behavior of people with whom they have difficult interactions.
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