Review for Criminal Minds Ep 10×03, “A Thousand Suns”
Review for Criminal Minds Episode 10×03, “A Thousand Suns”
“Since we’re sharing…”
Okay so this might be a first. In cruising around all the TV and CM sites in the aftermath of this episode, I’m noticing something rare. Everyone agrees. In a fandom that finds very little to agree upon ever, and argues about everything from MGG’s hair length to who should pack it in or stay forever, it’s a dear thing indeed when everyone comes together.
This episode was an epic endeavor on many fundamental and logistic levels, and according to Executive Producer Harry Bring, a massive undertaking for the crew. Harry tells us: “The crash site was actually a hundred miles from LA, and took me an entire month to produce. We
had to find airplane parts a hundred miles away. The early heads up from Sharon gave us the lead time to make it happen. If we didn’t have that jump we never would have been able to make it happen, or at least not nearly as good as it turned out.”
Writer Sharon Lee Watson has given us moments throughout from our team that ring true and honest, and a compelling, tense, and smart story. I also appreciated her giving us more insight into Kate, the new team member, without bashing us over the head with her. The team ups were all effective and purposeful, and the cooperation with all factions, the FAA (NTSB?), the military, and the BAU were respectful and pro-active.
Reid’s admission to Kate about his own hard history was in character and very Reidy. Of course Spencer would be the one to understand, and to try to make her feel less alone in her own difficulty. The green screen of him explaining what actually happened to the plane was deftly shot and beautifully written and acted, a highlight of the episode. Sharon used it in last season’s “Final Shot” to much the same effect, and I love when they do that. It’s a definite harkening back to the early days of the show, and used sparingly, is always well-received. It’s also a great way to provide exposition and information to the audience without stating the obvious or talking down to us.
Here’s a few quotes from actual posters around the web regarding the episode:
Denise E.: “I found everything about this episode simply amazing! It reminded me a bit of when The Replicator took control of the helicopter Reid, Blake and Hotch were riding in. I also noticed Reid made mention of the helicopter. I was really nervous when those fighters had the plane locked in awaiting the command to fire…”
Prisoner of Reid’s Mind: “I really enjoyed it too. Great moments with Kate and Reid, revealing lots about her (we already knew it all, but most casual viewers obviously wouldn’t) without her being the focus of the episode.”
rockhotch31: “My review of this episode? Totally Awesome.”
the celt: “Loved it, very well done and not too much gore but lots of suspense. Nice scene with Reid and Kate, whom I like more and more, she has really settled in well with the team. Nice even screen time for all the characters too. Season 10 off to a good start…”
gubegirl: “Great episode…loved every one of the several Reid moments (finally we’re getting more of our mucho-missed Reid!!) especially the green screen bit – that was a throw back to the good ol’ days for sure, and is SO effective (when not over used – not every eppy.)… Thumbs up all the way around.”
LaShawna: “I liked the profiling the team went through to determine possible victimology, the unsub’s motivations and the psychology behind his actions. It was nice to see the unsub introduced late in the episode and very little time spent focused on what he was doing, and more on WHY he was doing it.”
It’s safe to say that the first three episodes of this season have been crowd pleasers, exciting and successful in embracing old and new fans alike. Kudos to director Rob Bailey, the entire crew and the behind-the-scenes team, as well as our actors who embody the characters we love, for bringing us this stellar offering, and such satisfying stories thus far in this, the tenth season of Criminal Minds. Salut!