Customer Reviews

Criminal Minds: The Third Season

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

i have to say i was leery about season three when i heard mandy patinkin was leaving. but my fears were for nothing. season three is probably my favorite yet. it has many strong episodes, tries new things (true night, one of my favorites) and gives us a peek into garcia's life in several riveting episodes.

i don't care about rossi the way i cared about gideon, but he's a good character and i'm glad he's not a carbon copy of jason. the team works together very well and season three shows that cm is more of an ensemble show now...which i very much enjoy.

as usual, cm has excellent supporting actors in every episode, riveting story lines, and makes fantastic use of background music choices. i can't wait to buy season three, and i'm looking forward to season 4. season three is especially worthwhile to see how much doctor spencer reid has changed and grown from season one. highly recommended.

imo, the best season 3 eps are:

in birth and death
scared to death
7 seconds
true night
lucky
penelope
third life
damage
higher power
elephant's memory
tabula rasa

Another cracking season of criminal minds, brilliant program.
Only 1 small criticism. The review on the website (and to be, fair the back of the dvd) state this dvd has English subtitles. I find sometimes the characters say things quickly or quietly and you miss important bits and have to repeatedly rewind. Don't be fooled. There are no subtitles on this dvd!!
Anyway, other than that, this season is excellent, with some interesting twists on the bad guys. Well worth the money.

I enjoyed very much the first two seasons. But when I read that Mandy Patinkin had left the show I was disappointed and thought that was the end of Criminal Minds. I was so wrong! And don't get me wrong, he was a great asset being the character they most turned to for advise in all areas of the psyque. Joe Mantegna is more likable -sorry Mandy- and though he was brought to the show almost abruptly, they show you how he adapts gradually to everybody and the new way things are done at the BAU since he had been part of it when it began. Throughout the season, Joe Mantegna integrates the team like a piece of a puzzle that didn't quite fit was removed and placed by the perfect one, and now I see that the show will not only survive it's leading character but will do better with the new one.

Now, the plot. Unfortunately, there are so many sick in this world that they will never run out of new ideas for a show. Every episode is good, has new twists, and some episodes are even better that what we would sometimes expect; you are guessing who is going to be the bad guy and how they are going to figure out, by his/her personality or behavior, who committed this or that murder. It's just so wonderfully made that sometimes I think I have a bit of a psychologist in me!

It never gets boring and even though it is about solving mostly murders, I always finish watching with a sense of satisfaction.

The only bad thing is that I watched it so fast that now I am tapping my fingers waiting for the fourth season. Don't miss this one!

CRIMINAL MINDS had established itself as a huge ratings hit. Over the first 2 seasons it had developed characters to care about who worked for the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) of the FBI. It broke the mold from other nighttime crime shows and was very unique in that it not only showed how the minds of serial killers and criminals worked but also how the FBI used profiling and other skills to unearth the pattern of each killer they were investigating. Season 2 saw some slight cast changes from season 1 but no one on the show saw what was coming at the beginning of season 3.

To view the season as an entity you see a series grow even further than it had before. You see what it means for a cast to truly work together and have each member be strong. The only thing noticable is the shortage of episodes and this is due to the writers strike and this was out of the shows hands. They still managed to come up with 20 mezmerizing episodes. But anyone who loved this show for the first two seasons saw Mandy Patinkin as the star and he is now gone. The writers and producers had to make it so that the viewers saw none of the drama that was going on behind the camera and what we get is a seamless story line introducing Joe Mantegnana who manages to bring an even stronger presence without eclipsing Patinkin. And the viewer can see the cast coming together. Episodes are given to each cast member providing the audience the unique opportunity to aquire knowledge of their personal lives which is often lost with such shows. It makes sense that it works so well on CRIMINAL MINDS for the storylines are often horrific and reach the fine line of what can be shown on televison. We get to see how the job and the cases effect the agents which helps ease the intensity for us the viewers.

I enjoy much nighttime television but don't purchase much for posterity. I find the quality in writing, acting and producing to be above reproach on CRIMINAL MINDS. The plots are inventive, engrossing and violence always serves a purpose. It is used in a realistic way and nver crosses the line. It gets intense but the subject here is very intense. The show also manages to inject quips of humour but bottom line is this is a show that continues to pull the viewer in and only gets better with season 3. True crime is a subject of huge popularity and this show follows in the same vein. If you are new to this superb series now as good a time as any to introduce yourself to one of tv's best.

While I understood very well why Mandy Patinkin had to leave and felt the writers did a great job in writing Jason Gideon's departure, I feel the show took a step down in losing such an amazing character and actor. The Jason Gideon character gave a very important level of balance to a show that is essentially about a hard look at the coldest and darkest side of humanity. Jason Gideon was a very believable character that even with so many years of being in the field and considered to be the very top in the field, still felt pain and compassion not only for the victims he worked tirelessly to save from that dark side but also for his team and in helping them through their fears and susceptabilities. Mandy Patinkin played that role with grace and class showing the vulnerabilities of the character with a very human light. The new character - Rossi has a harder edge - much like you would expect from a veteran but there's less to like and to identify with. Joe Mantegna does a wonderful job of making that character different from the previous lead and giving the other regular characters a chance to develop their human sides. The third and fourth seasons, were very good seasons (and in fact I first got hooked by an episode in the fourth season), but its definitely lost a bit of balance without Jason Gideon/Mandy Patinkin there.

There were a considerable amount of good and great episodes this season! I like most was kind of worried about Criminal Minds without Jason Gideon (writing him out could have been done a bit better. I personally think the events of the Season 2 Finale were enough to make anyone quit their job). I admit the episodes leading up to Joe Mantegna's appearance seemed to be just biding their time until a new guy stepped in but I like his character. The Season Finale is awesome as if the two-parter in which a team member gets shot. It seems as if the 1st Season was to have you qualify the BAU Crew, the 2nd was to show you that they are all human characters with the same worries, love and flaws as you and I and the 3rd, is to show that profiling doesn't solve everything and sometimes it goes wrong. I particularly liked how the end of the Season Opener leaves you in doubt about whether the suspect arrested was really the Un-Sub or not. Can't wait to see the 4th Season!

This was a fantastic series! Every episode is intensely smart, and the plots are fantastic. You will feel like you are actually learning how to profile serial killers as you watch this season, and you will fall in love with the characters.

The use of flashbacks (where they picture what the criminal might have done is very effective (though I was not a huge fan of them). The show also has many moments where a split decision can mean life or death, so it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Be warned! You will watch this show just like you watched '24', and you may try to watch the entire season in one sitting.

Enjoy!

CRIMINAL MINDS had established itself as a huge ratings hit. Over the first 2 seasons it had developed characters to care about who worked for the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) of the FBI. It broke the mold from other nighttime crime shows and was very unique in that it not only showed how the minds of serial killers and criminals worked but also how the FBI used profiling and other skills to unearth the pattern of each killer they were investigating. Season 2 saw some slight cast changes from season 1 but no one on the show saw what was coming at the beginning of season 3.

To view the season as an entity you see a series grow even further than it had before. You see what it means for a cast to truly work together and have each member be strong. The only thing noticable is the shortage of episodes and this is due to the writers strike and this was out of the shows hands. They still managed to come up with 20 mezmerizing episodes. But anyone who loved this show for the first two seasons saw Mandy Patinkin as the star and he is now gone. The writers and producers had to make it so that the viewers saw none of the drama that was going on behind the camera and what we get is a seamless story line introducing Joe Mantegnana who manages to bring an even stronger presence without eclipsing Patinkin. And the viewer can see the cast coming together. Episodes are given to each cast member providing the audience the unique opportunity to aquire knowledge of their personal lives which is often lost with such shows. It makes sense that it works so well on CRIMINAL MINDS for the storylines are often horrific and reach the fine line of what can be shown on televison. We get to see how the job and the cases effect the agents which helps ease the intensity for us the viewers.

I enjoy much nighttime television but don't purchase much for posterity. I find the quality in writing, acting and producing to be above reproach on CRIMINAL MINDS. The plots are inventive, engrossing and violence always serves a purpose. It is used in a realistic way and nver crosses the line. It gets intense but the subject here is very intense. The show also manages to inject quips of humour but bottom line is this is a show that continues to pull the viewer in and only gets better with season 3. True crime is a subject of huge popularity and this show follows in the same vein. If you are new to this superb series now as good a time as any to introduce yourself to one of tv's best.

I did not expect I would enjoy Criminal Minds. When I finished Season 2, I needed to know what would happen to Season 3. This is one of the best series especially the return of Jack. Jack, murdering one of the agent's friend caused him to leave the BAU and although this is upsetting, to some viewers, I am hoping for his return. The ending of Season 3 was indeed another suspense. I can't wait until we start watching Season 4 again.

Ever hear of horrible crime commited and wonder "What were they thinking", or "What could bring a person to do such a thing?!"....well this show answers those questions in a very slick, very captivating way. The characters are believable as they go about the business of not only solving the crime, but explaining, however brutal, WHY it happened. This show is not for the timid or easily shocked nor is it for the very young. The whole psychology behind some of the worst crimes against humanity is played out in every episode in not so much a visually graphic way, but moreso in the dialog and even more in what is not said, as your mind puts together the string of events that led up to the "unsub" as they are called in the show, meaning the unknown subject that did the horrible deed. Just as CSI goes into the physical science of solving crimes, this show goes into the psychology of solving crimes. What could make a person do such a thing? Watch this show and find out.
Oh, and I agree, I too miss Mandy! Joe Mantegna is "ok"...but I just don't find myself all that interested in what he has to say (in this show). He just seems too stuffy and blah. Everyone else though...their characters keep getting better and better!!