Criminal Minds

Witch Hotch back at the helm of the BAU, the team have to deal with a fugitive who escapes from custody in New York whilst being moved to another location. Prentiss gets injured and it's obvious that the escapee had some assistance as his flight from the law went far too smoothly. The escapee, Dale Schrader, was a bank robber who had been in prison for those crimes. The police officer assisting Prentiss is murdered and what follows is a convoluted situation where we have a murder, a kidnapping and a BAU who seem to have forgotten how to profile or even function properly.



I won't be doing a re-watch of this one anytime soon.

I did not particularly enjoy this episode.. at all. Opening: the "bad guy's" escape.. He's riding with Prentiss and A. Martinez?? Why?? Where was the escort/backup? Morgan was busy getting groceries or something?



The unsub's partner.. He's from the 'normal' Police (we know because during the raid, he wears 'Police' whereas the regular cast members wear 'FBI') and is being made to do things against his will because his family has been kidnapped. He watches the guy kill the Stacy chick, seriously? And he's a cop? How did he think this would end? When the guy's done he'd just tell him where his kidnapped family is and they'd go their separate ways?



When the guy's actually caught, the dude runs a truck head-on into a police car to set him free?

The guy's been apprehended, what, normal 'Police' guys aren't aware of any means to make criminals talk?

The best thing he can think of is to set him free to carry on his killing spree?

That's worse than the typical impotent father syndrome we see in some asian movies.

Then again, in every other episode 'FBI' are the level-headed cool ones whereas 'Police'

are trigger-happy bozos who just rush ahead on the least lead and gladly oblige criminals' suicide-by-cops.



How did the unsub know when and where the guy would run his truck into the police car to set him free? I must have missed that part.

This "Criminal Minds" is a superior episode. The opening was novel, where we (the team and viewers) know early on who is the suspect. The middle provided its own unique perspective, keeping us on our seat with several questions, especially why & how we got here, who is helping him, and other lines of thought. The ending not just ends the episode on a positive note for those harmed, but also for those of us who feel Hotchner hasn't been given a fair deal since last season.



The opening was unique, since I started watching "Criminal Minds." I loved the change of pace and the writer's willingness to look at alternative beginnings. Missing and troubling (at least for me) was why was the team already there?



Typically, a team chooses a site based upon local law enforcement requests (from many they choose the one most needing). Local Police don't normally invite the BAU to their jurisdiction, until they figure they need the help. Based upon other cases, an invitation doesn't occur after the first death of a prostitute or kidnapping of a child by her own Dad. Instead the local police would wait for several deaths before calling the FBI / BAU. As for the kidnapping or custodial interference one would think the local police and/or upper NY state FBI would work this case before calling the FBI. Yet, the time frame from the prostitute's death, his daughter' kidnapping, and his first capture seems to be under a maybe two days at most.



My suggestions to the writer is to attempt this opening again, but to provide it more front time / information. I know it is only 40-45 minutes long and something has to go. One suggestion would be to start this episode during the last 1/3 or 1/4 of the previous episode. Not a full two hours over two episodes, but something less. It could go as follows:



Towards the end of episode 1:

The Criminal Mind team is in the area on some case, which starts out normal. As that case winds up, the local chief ask them to take a look at something and make some suggestions on how to handle it after they leave. While looking at the case, they figure out who it is, find out he took his daughter, etc. The go out to find him.

End of episode 1:



Start of episode 2: Episode starts where they arrive and take him down.



As for the middle, again it was very well done for the first attempt of a new story template. My main issue with this story style is how quickly stuff went by me. Many of us are used to the current template and so we can keep up or actually feel were ahead and know what's coming. I found it difficult to keep up and I suspect the writers struggled with writing it with doing too much within the normal allocation (but then may not). In any case, looking at it from a viewer's perspective, I'm saying splitting the episode will give the middle more time for proper development.



Finally, the ending did seem a little unexpected. Here is Joe in a police uniform and carrying a fully loaded gun. I'm at least surprise, if not shocked, to see them allowing him to come along after the possible charges with which the local DA could charge him.



Please don't get me wrong, I want Joe to be free and clear on all charges. But he did help a known murderer and kidnapper (or a case of custodial interference), with escape, another murder, robbery from a police evidence locker, etc. I'm to take it the local DA decided that quickly not to file any charges because Dale took Joe's family? I just wished life and other TV series worked as quickly for the good guy!



In this vein, I must say I love the camera on Hotchner's face when he heard the voice mail recording!! You could see the real pain and realize the man is now more than ever in touch with his humanity.



The final scene between Hotchner and Derek Morgan is heartfelt and warmed me throughout. I took from Derek's offer that the team (or maybe it just Morgan) will help Hotchner raise his Son. I also love how it was Derek who was the one saying here is your job back & let me help you with it.



Personally, I can't wait for a Criminal Minds Spin-Off. It has been and continues to be long overdue. In a way, I was hoping Derek would take one team and Hotchner the other, but now I'm not sure as this assistance would greatly help Hotchner and his Son.

I thought the start of this episode was sensational and perfectly executed, and I highly enjoyed the concept behind it. However, I felt that the storyline(r became a little tiresome after a certain point.



I thought the episode did introduce goo variety, and the structure to this episode was very different to most other episodes, which is a positive, in my opinion.



I did, however, find the case to be below average, and that was my only disappointment with this episode.



I would recommend this as it is a great show, but in my opinion, this is not one of the better episodes, and although it is worthwhile, I would recommend other episodes instead of this.

After the last two episodes that were so packed with emotion this episode left me me cold. I love Tim Guinee, but even he didn't impress me in this episode.



For one, I couldn't figure out the logic of Emily and the local LEO driving the guy to the station, sure, I buy that. But then the LEO pulls over? That's just asking for trouble. Also, how were Emily and the LEO not able to notice Schraeder working his hands,which are supposed to be cuffed behind his back, under his body and down over his legs so that his hands are in front of him?



For another, there's no way Emily would be released from the hospital so quickly after the accident. The car rolled down an embankment, for crying out loud. Yet less than four hours after the accident the biggest problem she seems to have is that the dark circles under her eyes are more raccoon-y than anything. I've been in less severe car accidents and come out looking worse than that--I've looked worse than that after vaccumming the living room around two dogs and a rabbit that all like chasing the vaccum.



Also, I understand that MGG actually hurt himself over the hiatus, which is why his injuries have stretched on so long into the season, but even so Reid is really being underused. He's not the kicking down doors guy, which is part of what I like about him, but lately he's not even being his former quirky statistic-quoting self.

Oh My God absolute brilliance in an episode, i loved the way we watched it from the middle to the end in stead on from the start i thought that was great, the characters all preformed well there are a couple of idiocincracys i will adress a bit after though.



Great acting from the entire cast shows the way the show will be going for the rest of the season, some great really cute team moments, that i thought gave the episode a little realism, loved the scenes where prentiss was in the hospital with shock absolutly great and her and Morgan little dialogue (quoted below) was super cute and gave credince to what the writer said about if they had to write any one in the team together it would be those too (sorry H/P lovers), would of liked to see a bit more JJ and Reid but that's ok, an over all very good episode with a bit of a dilema in it as well when Prentiss shot the Unsub was it right to do that as her job when she may have killed that man's family.



Now for a couple of idiocincracy's the bank robber told the man where the money was but we didn't see him tell the fbi where it was do you think he kept it for himself. Also Prentiss just walking out of a car crash that big would be unlikely i think she would of been hurt a bit more than just a concussion, and also the teams reaction to the crash they didn't seem super upset when they told them and even hotch who the writers have made close friends with prentiss over the last two season didn't even seemed to shocked (before JJ said it was minor.



Can't wait for the first episode next year Bella

This episode started out well - really liked the woods scene where someone is running away from someone else. The reveal as to who the pursuers were was nicely done. Things went a little downhill from there, literally and metaphorically. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy this episode, but there were a few head-scratchy moments that took away from the episode. For example: - No cage in the police car. Really?

- The scene where the suspect killers the other cop came off odd for me. It was very strange to see Emily kind dazed while the guy beside her is being killed and the killer is taking the cuff keys off of her. - Why were they letting the guy who'd been working with the unsub go into the warehouse with them, and why did they give him a gun????



A couple of these could have been okay if they'd acknowledged with some dialogue - maybe no other car was available. Maybe it was the detective's private vehicle or some such. And a scene where you see them coming to the decision to give the other guy a gun and a vest. But there were other scene choices that seemed strange, too. It's like they were trying to make a statement with some of the slow motion scenes, but what was trying to be said wasn't very clear. I don't know. I did like the episode, but the items that made me go 'hmmm' took me out of the story and lessened my enjoyment a little.

Loved all the guest star roles and the different atmosphere of the episode. The plot was genuinely perplexing (i.e. I don't think I followed it altogether) and so it kept interest. I'm not entirely sure that we aren't supposed to be confused and disorientated by its permutations.



It's as if there's a central disjunction, like the wiring's gone wrong. eg Death of bad guy > immediate response from Joe: 'You just killed my family'. Do you see what I mean? The 'good' action surfaces in an apparent bad. This happens all the way through the epi, even though a lot of the re-wirings get explained along the way. It's like fighting the Boss in Zuma when you get poisoned and you're working back-to-front.



In the car, EP announces she's a Federal agent only to find the 'helper' is an accomplice. The accomplice then pleads for Emily's life. The profile's out because the burglaries are another man's design. Even with the first scenes: you think the man is running away from an attacker until Morgan tackles him. There's the gap built into the plot where Prentiss's memory is on hold, and a sort of command vacuum between Hotch and Morgan. A lot of the main characters are out of sorts or not really recognisably there. It feels like (intentional) bad wiring, and that's interesting.



Slightly concerned by Prentiss's continuing tendency to taunt the unsubs. It could lead her into serious trouble. Inciting this guy wasn't too clever...



Many of the regular team felt out of range/unfamiliar. In fact that's true for a lot of this season. We're nearly halfway through and I don't think we've had anything like the best of Rossi, Reid or Garcia. In Reid's case, of course, that's understandable but it is starting to look as though the writers only care about Hotch, and that's a loss. Bring back the team.

I was very impressed with this episode, it kept delivering til the very end, it had it's twists and turns, but it also kept it at a more mellower pace. From apprehending the suspect, to his escape to the his partner they didn't know he had, why he was still hanging about. In this episode it was truly brain vs braun, and the brains won. It did get a bit emotional for the undercover cop who's family had been taken, and the undercover cop was this guys partner by force due to the fact the suspect kidnapped the undercover cop's family.

I usually do not like the episodes when we know from the start who the unsub is, but this one was very pleasant exception as even if we know from the start who the man is, there were tons of surprises and they came even before the opening sequence, so it was one very packed action-full episode, with great char moments, a lot of emotions and with the change of very different outcome.. So.. I really think, quite strong one. I specially loved the story - I mean, have so many twist.. the way how all the signs of the "real story" were there but not so clear and when the team figures it out.. it just...



Great one.. And I loved the original approach to telling the story