I enjoyed the show a lot. I loved the 50s throwback and the idea of May, played by the ravishing Sally Kirkland,was a great touch. She played the part perfectly. The story was captivating. Except they showed Garcia too much. Other than that, great episode. As for Robert Knepper, he was a great psycho killer. His acting was intense and creepy and they cast the perfect person for this role. I am also pleased with the girl who played Penny. The way she deceived Robert was really entertaining, but expected. Seen too many movies and shows to not expect something like that.But overall,this episode, "Reflection of Desire" was fun, dark and mysterious. Go watch it.
8 Reviews
Step out of your comfort zone, why don't you? This is a good episode!
akicork12 February 2022
I think that this is an entertaining experiment and undeserving of low ratings. I suspect that all good series teams want to test their boundaries and see how far they can stretch. Look at Jos Whedon's musical effort in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6, Episode 7 (Once More With Feeling) - completely off the rails so far as the style of the rest of the series went, but for me it really worked - I thought it was one of the high points of all seven years of the series. For this to be presented in the style of 1940/50ish film noir with a melodramatic atmosphere is fine: it covers all the bases of a normal episode with a different slant on presentation.
Other reviewers complain of too much Garcia - why? Because the bean-counters screwed up and sacked A. J. Cook. Without the JJ character they tried using Garcia to fill in, so of course Garcia gets more screen time. (Well, they were probably trying to get Kirsten Vangsness to cover A. J. Cook's rôle at the same salary - that wouldn't have been right either!) That character extension explains why Garcia handles the press conference - she is (part-time) the official communications liaison for the Unit.
Over the past five years the team has been developed to become a family, of which JJ is an integral part, so I'm not surprised that the others of the family are upset at her departure. In the end, although I personally find Garcia very entertaining and don't mind seeing more of her, the bean-counters had to admit defeat and bring JJ back after a few episodes. I'd like to think that that was due to the popularity of JJ, rather than any lack of popularity of Garcia.
I thought that her play at the start was in keeping with the theme of the episode. I also thought it was good to see Garcia outside her lab or the local bar. As for other complaints, they found the suspect by logic and locating his mother's house, not by "driving around". In all these series we have instances where something happens or evidence is found and one of our heroes exclaims "This must mean..." when in fact "This might mean...". Conclusions are jumped to all over the place! These shows would not be nearly so entertaining if conclusions could not be jumped to and we had to undergo a long drawn out logical exposition of the same conclusion. The viewer is expected to infer or accept that the missing logical steps would have been accomplished were this not a dramatic performance. The audience also has to provide some intelligent thought. Here Garcia is presented with a monochrome photo and can deduce the eye makeup worn by the subject. Yes, of course! From the photo she is able to recognise the style of makeup and from her knowledge of the period she can say what constituents were used in the manufacture of the eye makeup in question. Being really pedantic, I believe that Garcia is an FBI agent, just not maybe field qualified. As we saw a couple of episodes back, she's certainly got the badge.
The bottom line is that I was entertained by this episode.
Other reviewers complain of too much Garcia - why? Because the bean-counters screwed up and sacked A. J. Cook. Without the JJ character they tried using Garcia to fill in, so of course Garcia gets more screen time. (Well, they were probably trying to get Kirsten Vangsness to cover A. J. Cook's rôle at the same salary - that wouldn't have been right either!) That character extension explains why Garcia handles the press conference - she is (part-time) the official communications liaison for the Unit.
Over the past five years the team has been developed to become a family, of which JJ is an integral part, so I'm not surprised that the others of the family are upset at her departure. In the end, although I personally find Garcia very entertaining and don't mind seeing more of her, the bean-counters had to admit defeat and bring JJ back after a few episodes. I'd like to think that that was due to the popularity of JJ, rather than any lack of popularity of Garcia.
I thought that her play at the start was in keeping with the theme of the episode. I also thought it was good to see Garcia outside her lab or the local bar. As for other complaints, they found the suspect by logic and locating his mother's house, not by "driving around". In all these series we have instances where something happens or evidence is found and one of our heroes exclaims "This must mean..." when in fact "This might mean...". Conclusions are jumped to all over the place! These shows would not be nearly so entertaining if conclusions could not be jumped to and we had to undergo a long drawn out logical exposition of the same conclusion. The viewer is expected to infer or accept that the missing logical steps would have been accomplished were this not a dramatic performance. The audience also has to provide some intelligent thought. Here Garcia is presented with a monochrome photo and can deduce the eye makeup worn by the subject. Yes, of course! From the photo she is able to recognise the style of makeup and from her knowledge of the period she can say what constituents were used in the manufacture of the eye makeup in question. Being really pedantic, I believe that Garcia is an FBI agent, just not maybe field qualified. As we saw a couple of episodes back, she's certainly got the badge.
The bottom line is that I was entertained by this episode.
Blood, Sweat, And Chloroform
amckee-640634 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This episode takes the romance and glamour of 50s movies, then puts it through the twisted lens of modern horror and crime. I liked that blend, especially when you combine the Psycho-esque at the end (the lips were a unique and fascinating touch; in your face, Norman!). The episode even manages to put a chilling note on what would rather be a heartwarming team-bonding moment at the end.
Along with the black-and-white imagery, antique decor, and costumes, the lighting and music for some of the scenes in the episode sounds like it was deliberately based from what you might hear in one of Rhett's precious films. If it was deliberate, then it was a nice touch. Overall, "Reflection of Desire" successfully blends modern with old-fashioned storytelling, creating an episode that is good as it is horrifying.
Along with the black-and-white imagery, antique decor, and costumes, the lighting and music for some of the scenes in the episode sounds like it was deliberately based from what you might hear in one of Rhett's precious films. If it was deliberate, then it was a nice touch. Overall, "Reflection of Desire" successfully blends modern with old-fashioned storytelling, creating an episode that is good as it is horrifying.
A Cross Between "Sunset Boulevard" and "Psycho"
highwaytourist17 March 2013
This is a farfecthed but entertaining episode of the popular series. Here, a missing young woman is found dead in the Georgetown section of D.C. and the unusual nature of her death puts the squad on the case. Here, the killer turns out to be a Norman Bates type with a mother fixation, the mother in this case being a glamorous but faded 1950's film noir siren, and he kidnaps young women to act out the mother's one leading film role. If they fail to make the cut, they get cut up. The squad must put the case together or the latest missing woman will be the next victim. Overall, this is a satisfactory episode, in spite of Garcia taking up too much of the screen time, and most fans should enjoy it. Suspension of disbelief will matter more here than in other episodes.
Very interesting premise if somewhat unbalanced
TheLittleSongbird10 January 2017
Season 6 generally is one of the weakest and wildly inconsistent seasons.
There are good episodes. "Remembrance of Things Past" may have had a confused and inconsistent portrayal of Alzheimers, but the relationship between the father and son unsubs is both terrifying and sad, the case is horrifying and affecting and Daniel J Travanti sent chills down the spine as much as the MOs. "Into the Woods" gave me the creeps and has one of the show's best, astonishingly natural, layered and moving, child performances. "Hanley Waters" was very moving and tense, and had one of the season's best unsub acting performances courtesy of Kelli Williams. The season premiere "The Longest Night" is somewhat of a divisive episode, but it was dark, creepy and suspenseful and an improvement over the still better-than-given-for previous season finale "Our Darkest Hour due to knowing the unsub more and why he did what he did, plus Tim Curry's terrifying performance makes Billy Flynn one of the show's most memorable unsubs.
At the same time, as well as a lot of the episodes ranging from average to decent, there are some not so good episodes. Particularly bad was "The Thirteenth Step", a huge misstep and didn't feel like 'Criminal Minds' at all. "Today I Do" was a bland episode and too derivative of 'Misery' but without the chills, horror, tension and suspense and too much of a disjointed feel, a strong reminder too of why I dislike Seaver so much. "25 to Life" started off well, but fell apart completely from the revelation of the real unsub onward. "Corazon" is yet another strong reminder of why Seaver is such a failure of a character and while it was an intriguing episode it got too obvious too early towards the end and the ending should have been more harrowing than the overwrought and over-the-top one the episode gave.
"Reflection of Desire", coming back on target, is neither among the best episodes of Season 6 or among the worst. Instead it is around high-middle, and had an interesting premise that would have been really good if the execution was more balanced. Many great things, but at the same time it was a little frustrating that "Reflection of Desire" could have been much better.
Commencing with the good things, as always with 'Criminal Minds' (though with the odd exception), the production values in "Reflection of Desire" are extremely well done. Love the contrast of the grittier and slick look of most of the episode and the glamorous and nostalgic look of the scenes between the unsub and his mother, which served as a nostalgic throwback to the 50s. The music refrains from being intrusive but still has presence and atmosphere, some parts having a Bernard Hermann influence.
Most of the script is thought-provoking with the right amount of intrigue, though more little character moments within the team would have been more welcome (seeing as it's the character moments that are a large part of the show's charm). The story does have tension, suspense and creepiness, and certainly not dull. Standout scenes being the quite nightmarish beginning, the equally creepy scene at the station (that would have been even better if it didn't end so abruptly) and the shocking twist. The scenes between the unsub and his mother are brilliantly twisted, fondly reminding the viewer of Hitchcock's masterpiece 'Psycho'. Also appreciated the focus of the psychological/mental than the physical, though this was something explored a sizeable amount in 'Criminal Minds' and better.
As can be expected the acting is very fine from all the regular leads. Robert Knepper was frighteningly unnerving and definitely sticks in the memory for a long time, though his character should have been better developed and his motivations given more explanation because they were pretty vague at times. Sally Kirkland brings glamour and class as well as chilling egotism. Whitney Able does a great job making Penny more interesting and less hapless than most victims.
However, "Reflection of Desire's" storytelling does suffer from not always being well balanced, with the focus on the wrong things. Did enjoy the atmosphere of the unsub/mother scenes, and how they were acted, but they featured far too heavily in the story and somewhat too derivative and clichéd. An attempt at doing something different and paying homage, but it just at times get in the way of everything else. Also overused is Garcia. She is too ill at ease in "JJ's role" that doesn't suit her, over-parts her actually, and saw the writing's weak spots. Especially the self-indulgent ending and the whole secret stuff, the secret itself was idiotic and the reveal of it forced.
Meaning that the rest of the team feel underused, meaning not enough little character moments and profiling, though what there is is interesting and with less conclusion jumping than some episodes of the season.
Overall, a very interesting premise that, due to imbalance and lack of focus, doesn't quite come together. 6/10 Bethany Cox
There are good episodes. "Remembrance of Things Past" may have had a confused and inconsistent portrayal of Alzheimers, but the relationship between the father and son unsubs is both terrifying and sad, the case is horrifying and affecting and Daniel J Travanti sent chills down the spine as much as the MOs. "Into the Woods" gave me the creeps and has one of the show's best, astonishingly natural, layered and moving, child performances. "Hanley Waters" was very moving and tense, and had one of the season's best unsub acting performances courtesy of Kelli Williams. The season premiere "The Longest Night" is somewhat of a divisive episode, but it was dark, creepy and suspenseful and an improvement over the still better-than-given-for previous season finale "Our Darkest Hour due to knowing the unsub more and why he did what he did, plus Tim Curry's terrifying performance makes Billy Flynn one of the show's most memorable unsubs.
At the same time, as well as a lot of the episodes ranging from average to decent, there are some not so good episodes. Particularly bad was "The Thirteenth Step", a huge misstep and didn't feel like 'Criminal Minds' at all. "Today I Do" was a bland episode and too derivative of 'Misery' but without the chills, horror, tension and suspense and too much of a disjointed feel, a strong reminder too of why I dislike Seaver so much. "25 to Life" started off well, but fell apart completely from the revelation of the real unsub onward. "Corazon" is yet another strong reminder of why Seaver is such a failure of a character and while it was an intriguing episode it got too obvious too early towards the end and the ending should have been more harrowing than the overwrought and over-the-top one the episode gave.
"Reflection of Desire", coming back on target, is neither among the best episodes of Season 6 or among the worst. Instead it is around high-middle, and had an interesting premise that would have been really good if the execution was more balanced. Many great things, but at the same time it was a little frustrating that "Reflection of Desire" could have been much better.
Commencing with the good things, as always with 'Criminal Minds' (though with the odd exception), the production values in "Reflection of Desire" are extremely well done. Love the contrast of the grittier and slick look of most of the episode and the glamorous and nostalgic look of the scenes between the unsub and his mother, which served as a nostalgic throwback to the 50s. The music refrains from being intrusive but still has presence and atmosphere, some parts having a Bernard Hermann influence.
Most of the script is thought-provoking with the right amount of intrigue, though more little character moments within the team would have been more welcome (seeing as it's the character moments that are a large part of the show's charm). The story does have tension, suspense and creepiness, and certainly not dull. Standout scenes being the quite nightmarish beginning, the equally creepy scene at the station (that would have been even better if it didn't end so abruptly) and the shocking twist. The scenes between the unsub and his mother are brilliantly twisted, fondly reminding the viewer of Hitchcock's masterpiece 'Psycho'. Also appreciated the focus of the psychological/mental than the physical, though this was something explored a sizeable amount in 'Criminal Minds' and better.
As can be expected the acting is very fine from all the regular leads. Robert Knepper was frighteningly unnerving and definitely sticks in the memory for a long time, though his character should have been better developed and his motivations given more explanation because they were pretty vague at times. Sally Kirkland brings glamour and class as well as chilling egotism. Whitney Able does a great job making Penny more interesting and less hapless than most victims.
However, "Reflection of Desire's" storytelling does suffer from not always being well balanced, with the focus on the wrong things. Did enjoy the atmosphere of the unsub/mother scenes, and how they were acted, but they featured far too heavily in the story and somewhat too derivative and clichéd. An attempt at doing something different and paying homage, but it just at times get in the way of everything else. Also overused is Garcia. She is too ill at ease in "JJ's role" that doesn't suit her, over-parts her actually, and saw the writing's weak spots. Especially the self-indulgent ending and the whole secret stuff, the secret itself was idiotic and the reveal of it forced.
Meaning that the rest of the team feel underused, meaning not enough little character moments and profiling, though what there is is interesting and with less conclusion jumping than some episodes of the season.
Overall, a very interesting premise that, due to imbalance and lack of focus, doesn't quite come together. 6/10 Bethany Cox
I have no idea what's happening in this episode. Whatsoever.
akshunhiro23 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
First of all, I'm dismayed at the sudden and drastic drop in quality for Criminal Minds in this season. It used to be a show that focused on the methods of criminal profilers and we could see each logical step the investigators took. Now, it seems like the team make these outrageously specific leaps of 'logic' in seconds that point directly to the people they're after, really obscure and illogical connections that would take a real life investigator years to realise, if they ever did. But no, Reid can look at a piece of paper and a photo and immediately infer that the unsub is obsessed with the 1950s, and Garcia can look at a black and white photo and tell how her makeup was done? That they used greenish powder? Come on!!
Couple that with the melodramatic background music, all the sobbing and boohooing of our main team of characters when JJ is reassigned (seriously??? The woman just got promoted to one of the most integral roles in the US government, that will give her more time with her family and better pay, and she wants to stick around and deal with mutilated corpses?? And the team act as if they'll never see her again!), plus the most utterly ridiculous episode plots and this has to be one of the worst seasons I've ever seen, with this episode the worst of the worst. And I don't say that lightly because I will give a TV show a lot of leeway before my criticism kicks in.
What a waste of a Robert Knepper appearance! Knepper is an incredible actor and an iconic bad guy. In this, they've made him a wet lettuce with bad lines.
Couple that with the melodramatic background music, all the sobbing and boohooing of our main team of characters when JJ is reassigned (seriously??? The woman just got promoted to one of the most integral roles in the US government, that will give her more time with her family and better pay, and she wants to stick around and deal with mutilated corpses?? And the team act as if they'll never see her again!), plus the most utterly ridiculous episode plots and this has to be one of the worst seasons I've ever seen, with this episode the worst of the worst. And I don't say that lightly because I will give a TV show a lot of leeway before my criticism kicks in.
What a waste of a Robert Knepper appearance! Knepper is an incredible actor and an iconic bad guy. In this, they've made him a wet lettuce with bad lines.
Way too much Garcia
vn_larsen111 August 2021
Worst Criminal Minds Ever
ericlandonmiller12 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
For starters, of course, WAY too much Garcia (as is par for the course this season--so ridiculous she's doing JJ's job). And the case wasn't even interesting at all. Why did they call him the Hill Ripper if he was killing in Georgetown?? A Senate Page at age 23?
Oh, that was bad....really bad. The show is usually at least somewhat grounded in reality, but that episode...I don't know I can't say enough bad things about it. The way it was shot, the story, the murders, the way they caught him "hey, I have an idea. We're in DC, the city with the most predictable and standardized streets, alleys, and side roads in the country, all right angles here! So we'll just drive around DC in a couple of SUVs....we'll find him." Not to mention the fact that they had to bring Garcia in from VA to do a job she's not in any way qualified for (in fact, if the girl, Penny, had died, I think I'd try to sign up a lawsuit with her angry father against the FBI since, you know, Garcia isn't even an FBI agent, just an analyst). Oh, someone dropped the ball. I'm going to go back and find out who wrote and directed that bullshit episode. Hopefully, it was a one off writer and we won't be burdened with that sort of mellow-dramatic, overwrought, one-step-away- from-breaking-into-song, nonsense.
It was so bad, that Bones seemed like a serious procedural, the case seemed plausible and the ability to retrieve complex scientific tests in 20 minutes seemed spot-on accurate.
Oh, that was bad....really bad. The show is usually at least somewhat grounded in reality, but that episode...I don't know I can't say enough bad things about it. The way it was shot, the story, the murders, the way they caught him "hey, I have an idea. We're in DC, the city with the most predictable and standardized streets, alleys, and side roads in the country, all right angles here! So we'll just drive around DC in a couple of SUVs....we'll find him." Not to mention the fact that they had to bring Garcia in from VA to do a job she's not in any way qualified for (in fact, if the girl, Penny, had died, I think I'd try to sign up a lawsuit with her angry father against the FBI since, you know, Garcia isn't even an FBI agent, just an analyst). Oh, someone dropped the ball. I'm going to go back and find out who wrote and directed that bullshit episode. Hopefully, it was a one off writer and we won't be burdened with that sort of mellow-dramatic, overwrought, one-step-away- from-breaking-into-song, nonsense.
It was so bad, that Bones seemed like a serious procedural, the case seemed plausible and the ability to retrieve complex scientific tests in 20 minutes seemed spot-on accurate.
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