Today I shall begin on another category of reviews, still related to the entertainment industry but this time its on the TV series that we have. Generally they will all be US TV series that will come to Singapore sooner or later. I will start by giving a brief introduction of the series and then probably use the same criteria of the movie reviews to score and review the series. Advantages of seeing series is that once you get one entire season, you can have at least 10 hours of something to see unlike movies. Hence series provide good on the go entertainment which is basically what i put into my phone and its really good company from the work place and back and from anywhere else. You will never feel that you are wasting your time again ^_^
Of course in a series there will be moments of where the show storyline is bad, or the actors get killed and stuff like that which may affect particular seasons and episodes, but to be honest, I haven't found many series whereby i got totally bored by the story, EXCEPT Japanese anime. In my opinion most are still worth seeing even as their direction changes slightly or the storyline gets a bit more convoluted.
Without further Ado, here is some information about Criminal Minds
INFORMATION
Status: Currently On-going
Seasons : 7 as of 22th Oct 2011
Episodes per Season : ~22
Length of each episode : 45 Minutes
Genre : Crime Solving, Thriller, Psychology, Drama
INTRODUCTION
This show is basically touted to be the most closest to real life, meaning how true are the procedures done, that the cases that are shown in the show are actually pretty likely, and there are also many episodes that were modeled after true events. In fact during the show, the resident intelligent geek of the show actually sprouts out many statistics and details that are true. There are also many psychological conditions that are talked about during the show and these are true problems that people do face in the real world.
In fact, during one of my lectures in my university, a guest lecturer was invited from the psychological profiling department of the Police and he said that Criminal minds is one of the tv series that is most realistic and not just dramatized ala CSI.
Also, this show not only focuses on a single crime every episode, but it also develops the story and the backstory of each character hence giving each season another level of story. However this is generally more evident towards the last 10 episodes of the seasons. Most of the episodes follow a standard format, starting off with the crime being committed and it sometimes puts you into the perspective of the perpetrator. Then it goes on to the responding towards the crime and finally the conclusion whereby the perpetrator is caught and apprehended or something to that effect.
There is also the traditional profile giving in almost ever episode, whereby the behavioral unit actually describes the characteristics and profile of the perpetrator and for people who have particular interest in this field this might be a plus point as you can see how the conclusion was drawn from the crime scene and other factors.
Also, this show places quite a emphasis on the apprehending of the perpetrator part. So that's why there is a thriller and a bit of action element to the show. This aids in making the show less theoretical only by adding a touch of excitement to the show.
Plot
This is where the series scores extremely high, every episode has a generally unique storyline with a new type and kind of perpetrator. Some are inherently bad, some are actually good, and there are some who are merely just misunderstood. This allows for a variety of directions for the episode to take and hence it doesn't degenerate into a show whereby everything seems to just be repeated again and again.
It is done so well that there are some episodes whereby you yourself are actually scared at how this kind of situation may occur in the real world, and there are other episodes whereby you wonder how can anyone justify doing these things. And according to some testimonies from friends that I have, there are some episodes whereby you feel so much for the perpetrator that you cannot help but shed a tear. Of course I never cried seeing this show being the emotional less guy that i am but for the more human, this might really happen to the benefit of the show.
Add on to this the underlying story that involves the backgrounds of the characters in the show and you have a compelling show that is able to generate interest into the starring characters as well as episodic characters.
Character
Character development in this show is also very good, with all the starring characters having their own little section in some seasons whereby their backgrounds are elaborated upon and we start to be able to see how do they react on the personal level rather then imagining them to be some robotic police officers. There are romantic involvements, encouragements that put a more human touch into the show which helps us immerse and feel more for the character.
Note that this show is not afraid to kill off characters and put in the additional cruel moment that is important to show the viewers that this is the real world, and in the real world not everything comes out smoothly and happily.
Also given the way the episodes are shown, we also are able to feel for the episodic villains and victims reasonably well although this show tends to highlight more on the villains then the reaction of the victims. Still this gives them a bit more depth and results in a bit more emotional attachment to the characters which helps the premise of the show.
Cinematography
This show uses a variety of ways to help immerse the viewer into the show and to pretty good effect. We sometimes see things in the eyes of the victims, sometimes in the eyes of the villains and this extra touch adds to the feeling and atmosphere of the show. There are also more action orientated moments and this show does a pretty good job at bringing the thrill out.
Music
Music is alright in this show, no particular notice of anything too enhancing or too hindering. I guess there are some moments where there is some music assistance but to be honest the story is compelling enough already and hence it probably only helps in the subconscious.
Spectacle
Take a normal crime solving show, add in explanations about the psychology of the criminal and put in action into the apprehension. This is what Criminal mind sets off to do and it does this very well. It doesn't construct unrealistic stories and sometimes even uses real life crimes as a backing for what has happened. This show entertains as well as teaches us more about real life that we might not see everyday and that not all bad people want to be bad.
Longevity
This is a new addition to the rating system as I feel that there are series that really have many many seasons and spin offs till they tend to get boring. The ways to give longevity to the show include to hide many details and the beginning and elaborate on them as time goes by, like how Criminal minds introduces the characters backstory, and to also have a interesting overarching story. Criminal minds combines these two aspects together and 7 seasons down the road it is still going strong. However some crimes and their basis for happening has already been used in the past episodes and thus it is anyone's guess how much more they can twist and turn the story to still generate interest.
Killing off and reintroducing characters also do help to keep the show fresh and this show did it before but hasn't done it in the recent seasons
Overall
Plot : 4.5 (The premise is good and it is well carried out)
Character : 4.5 (Has many characters all which are elaborated on already and they show their distinct nature throughout the episodes)
Cinematography : 4.5 (Has a good way of immersing the viewers into the show)
Music : 3.5 (Really never noticed it but neither did it hinder the show)
Spectacle : 4.5 (Exemplifies the genre very well)
Longevity : 4.0 (As seasons have gone along it starts to seem slightly repeated, but it has the potential to go on strong)
Overall : 4.25 (If you like crime solving, you like to learn more, you like a bit of action and you really want to see what goes on in the minds of a perpetrator, this show is the show for you and you will be able to enjoy and feel for the characters of the show.)
To conclude this is the way I have chosen so far for my series review, please feedback if you think there could be any improvements.
i love criminal minddddsss! :) -monica
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