Criminal Minds or Deja Vu?
By: Kendra Wallace | Category: Show Review | 11/16/05 | 06:27 PM
 |  |  Grade: B- | Genre: Crime Drama
Summary: Trying to follow in the footsteps of movies like Silence of the Lambs, the new CBS television drama Criminal Minds follows a team of FBI agents as they create profiles, using them to catch criminals. Though at times it is reminiscent of other TV dramas, it still has lots of potential.
With a name like Criminal Minds, I was definitely intrigued. With all the puzzle-like drama shows that I am addicted to, I thought, why not take a gander at Criminal Minds. After I saw the 1991 hit Silence of the Lambs, I was hooked on anything having to do with the mind of serial killers. Based on the Thomas Harris novel of the same name, the film centers on rookie Detective Clarice Starling of the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit (BSU) quest to stop a serial killer by tapping into the mind of the nefarious Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Trying to follow in those footsteps is the CBS television drama Criminal Minds. Criminal Minds follows a team of BSU agents as they create profiles and trap the unlawful. My expectations were to get a glimpse of the inner workings of some very dubious characters, as well as the methods agents use to catch such characters. A lot of my expectations were met, but others fell short. |
First, this show is overrun with stereotypes. They become apparent almost immediately. In the pilot episode, we meet the lead detective, Special Agent Jason Gideon, who is recovering from a nervous breakdown due to a prior case. Well, I think I've seen that somewhere before. There is also the youngest character, Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid, who is your classic misunderstood genius.
 | | | Criminal Minds | | Starring: Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, Lola Glaudini, Shemar Moore, Mathew Gray Gubler |
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During this episode, the team is called to Seattle to stop a killer, who kidnaps, tortures and kills girls. Almost too quickly, the team realizes that the killer lures his victims by advertising a Datsun-Z series. Gideon explains that the murderer was using psychological tricks similar to those used by car salesmen to gain the trust of his victims. He'd get them alone by offering a test drive. Kudos on the psychological lesson about used car salesmen.
Suddenly, the show becomes very surreal when Gideon stares off into the abyss, fabricating the crime scene, while reconstructing the criminal's mindset, despite not having any basis for such images. Once out of his imaginary world, Gideon imparts a very detailed and absolute profile, despite the fact, that neither the audience nor his team is able to follow the logic because there doesn't appear to be any. It is as if he pulls it out of thin air. It would have been nice to see more of the evolution, starting at the point of a piece of evidence developing into the discovery of an accurate profile. How does one know that the suspect is normal looking, would blend in with a crowd, and has a problem talking to women solely from a car ad in the newspaper? These are the types of things you would expect to get from the show. However, they leave the audience hanging and, in an even more bizarre addition, the BSU team too. It would have been a little better if Gideon's team had acted like they got it, but they were just as in the dark as we were. It leads you to believe that there is no logic to it. Either it comes to you from outer space, divine intervention, or you can kiss your hopes of ever being a BSU profiler goodbye.
The show tries to gain credibility by quoting some classic philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Joseph Conrad and Winston Churchill, and let me not forget my all-time favorite, Yoda. The probelm is some of them were ill-timed and seemed a little forced. Criminal Minds may be too reminiscent of some recent hits such as CSI and Law and Order. You get the feeling that the producers and writers were big fans of those shows.
Despite these things, Criminal Minds is still an entertaining show. If you look past the poor escalation of the actual profile you could enjoy the show. They have weaved in some humor amongst the seriousness and its always fun to watch pretty boy Shemar Moore in action. I think with some relativity minor adjustment this show could hit the top of many viewers' list.
Checkout Criminal Minds on CBS Wednesdays at 9/e.
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