Criminal Minds (TV Series) Scream (2015) User Reviews

The main plot is great, but we need to talk about the Meg situation

[tanitoons · 7/10 · 1 October 2017]

Listen.

You wanna tell me that a brilliant FBI agent who catches serial killers for a living and has worked with sex crimes (where human trafficking of underage women is prominent) didn't think to tell her child about the dangers of blindly trusting anyone on the internet, especially knowing there's pedophiles lurking on social media? How does it make sense that she would give her child a safe word in case anything life threatening were to happen BEFORE making sure that the child actually knows how to stay safe in the first place? Heck even my mum took classes on social media and supervised anything me and my siblings did online all the way back in 2010 yet an FBI agent does not? THIS WAS IN 2015 PEOPLE, WE'D ALL SEEN CATFISH BY THEN.

Also don't even get me started on the ignorance of these two kids chatting with a "hot senior" on the internet. If the fact that a senior wants to go out with 13 year old's doesn't strike them as odd in the first place they should at least take the time to think of how insanely disgusting it is that a nearly grown man wants to be with children.

Kate's husband deserves father of the year award and all the praise we can muster for protecting his daughter although she decided to act like an absolute sh*t about it. When this episode ended it became obvious to me why this sub plot was even happening. I instantly knew that Meg getting abducted would end up being the season finale. Still I wouldn't necessarily say that the Meg-plot was forced as much as it was unrealistic.

Some good things spoilt by the episode's writing being so unbalanced

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 12 January 2017]

When good, or even at its best, 'Criminal Minds' was one of my favourites, and it is still one of my most watched and re-watched shows.

Season 10 had a few great episodes like the terrifying "Mr Scratch", the poignant "Nelson's Sparrow", the powerful "The Forever People" (not a popular choice actually probably) and the tense "Rock Creek Park". "Lockdown" also was a solid episode. At the same there were also poor episodes such as "Breath Play" (harmed by too much emphasis on the Meg subplot and the case being somewhat uncompelling and the creepiness overdone to the point of unintentional weirdness), the very strange and not in a good way "If the Shoe Fit" and "Hashtag" and "The Boys of Sudworth Place" being wastes of quite good ideas. "Burn" was also spoilt by the far too melodramatic Garcia subplot.

There are some good things about "Scream". The production values are still very high in style and atmosphere. The music is moody and haunting, the use of music in the opening scene with the unsub, despite actually being a aria sung by a comedic character, proved to be an ominous fit, due to making the point that people and their lives are not what they seem. The episode does make a very good point about how much domestic violence affects mothers, children and any victim really, and puts it across well.

Some of the acting is good, AJ Cook and Jennifer Love Hewitt (surprisingly, usually have a problem with both her and the character Kate) are both fine and Matthew Gray Gubler does very well with what he has (which is sadly not a lot). In support a very creepy Brian Poth and sparkling Greg Grunberg are particularly note-worthy, and also appreciated having a victim that did much more than just acting hapless. The scene between JJ and Kate at the end is poignant, the opening scene with the unsub unnerving and surprisingly Kate's family issues were actually well-written, acted and despite fears that it would feature too much it is better balanced than the case itself and the team dynamic.

It is sad however that the case, apart from the odd creepy moment, doesn't have enough to properly compel. There is a lack of tension and suspense, due to having too much unsub too early, the OCD being shoved into our faces far too much with the subtlety of an axe, lack of proper profiling and team-work and having one too many scenes and things that are bothersome. Like when teachers and nurses disappear that their disappearances appear to not have been even noticed, questionable decision-making like entering a dangerous situation without back-up and having far too much JJ and Kate in favour of the male characters (all underused and underwritten). Didn't care for Meg either, too much of a brat and can't believe her carelessness over something as dangerous as social media.

Regarding the climactic fight scene, that was very badly choreographed, parts inducing unintentional humour and just screamed of give AJ Cook something to do as an apology to make up for firing her four seasons ago, meaning writing JJ in a way that is far removed from her role in the earlier seasons and in a way that is nowhere near as interesting or likable. Just when one thought that Season 10 was actually trying to get JJ closer to how she was before, they bring back the out of character personality she had for a while after she was brought back.

Underusing and underwriting Reid, Morgan, Rossi and Hotch was what was particularly disappointing about "Scream". Reid is the least affected, he has moments but does an unexplained disappearing act. Morgan is reduced to the odd comment/titbit about the case and nothing else and the only thing to the otherwise invisible Hotch is spouting lines that are so little, so non-specific and could be said and given by pretty much anybody. Even Rossi, "the King of Sass", is bland. Shemar Moore and Thomas Gibson, who have done great work numerous times on 'Criminal Minds' phone it in as a result, Joe Mantegna tries but his material is beneath him.

Overall, "Scream" has some good things but the writing and team dynamic being so unfocused and unbalanced was impossible to ignore. 4/10 Bethany Cox

Typically predictable

[CrimeDrama1 · 1/10 · 28 July 2022]

Two things are very predictable about this series. Just watch. When agents enter the suspect's home, why is J. J. the only agent downstairs? Doesn't the FBI work in pairs when searching for a suspect? No backup = bad things happen. As soon as I realized she was alone I knew she would be attacked but I'd bet money on her against this monster. Speaking of which, so many episodes have suspects who were abused in some way as children. Obviously the creators of this series wanted to highlight the issue. We get it. There isn't a lot of behavioral analysis needed when child abuse is at the heart of nearly every investigation. I kind of regret buying this series on DVD in a boxed set. It took two attempts as the shipper's packaging caused five discs to be damaged and it took another month to get individual seasons on DVD to make up for that at no cost.