“Criminal Minds” review: an inside look at the investigation process

“Criminal Minds” is a crime drama television series that ran for fifteen years, and turned true crime cases into a form of entertainment. Although not all their episodes are based on real cases, some are and others seem just as real. Season one episode eight, “Natural Born Killer,” in particular stuck with me because of the cinematography and acting, along with the story behind it and the actual victims whose lives were lost in the process. It shows the darker and less humane side of life people don’t always bring to your attention. They give out this context in an interesting way that grabs my attention and makes me want to listen.

In “Natural Born Killer,” the Behavioral Analysis Unit team is investigating a series of murders happening in Quantico, Virginia. The episode draws inspiration from Richard “Iceman” Kuklinski, a real-life American serial killer who committed a series of murders from 1988 to 2003. “Criminal Minds” made their own character, Vincent Perotta, with a similar background in a couple of different ways. Encyclopedia Britannica states: “in a series of media interviews [Kuklinski] later confessed to having killed at least 100 more and to having worked as a hit man for the Mafia.” In “Criminal Minds, Perotta’s character is a hit man for a mafia, with a suspected kill count of over 100 people. Both men came from a physically abusive household, beaten by their parents. These are some of the overlapping elements that make fans speculate the episode was inspired by Kuklinski.

The actors create strong performances through their large range of emotions, squinting their eyes and hard stares that build tension so you know it’s an urgent scene and contribute to the intense rise of the plot. The series is overall pretty serious but there’s bits and pieces where you get to see into the character’s personal lives and get to see another side to them, which helps you get to know each character. It’s more vibrant and carefree, and it makes you feel more connected to the characters especially when they’ve been on the show for so long. When they are sad you also feel sad for them. In season eight episode twelve, “Zugzwang,” BAU member Spencer Reid is faced with a traumatic experience. Throughout the rest of the season you can see a shift from his usual gifted and independent persona, into an enclosed and dependent persona. The longer the show runs the more of a structure you can see built into each character.

The show’s cinematography is used to build suspense. In “Natural Born Killer” they would record the actors from behind objects, like a pair of stairs. The angle changes the mood to curiosity, fear and eagerness, and gives off the aura that they are being watched. With the show being made in the mid-2000s they had kind of tacky camera quality, but made up for it by how they take different shots and angles. Longer shots help you evaluate that the scene may be more important; they may even blur the background so you focus on one person. One of my favorite elements from the show is the slow fade in transitions where they would cut from one scene, like the BAU team finally finding out who the criminal is, to the criminal about to go in for one last kill.

All these ingredients coming together are the perfect recipe to create an amazing show that makes audiences feel like they are taking part in solving the investigations; all the mysteries and plot twists really get you wanting to find out for yourself what will happen next. The show leaves viewers wanting more, from how they embody and embrace their characters, the good plot twists and genuine friendships that you can come back to rewatch without getting bored. The development is the main reason it’s been able to run for so long, and why it’s coming back. The show did a good job addressing real world issues and giving information to the viewers watching while still being respectful to the real life victims. The show overall just gives us an inside scope into the behind the scenes of the process that goes into solving a criminal case– something the news and articles don’t really give us. It’s kinda like an inside scoop into the life of a BAU agent. The show really does a good job informing and entertaining its audience at the same time. It helps you become more self aware and know how to handle these kinds of problems, and may even inspire you to pursue a career where you can help people too.