DVD Review: Criminal Minds: The Complete Third Season

TV Show Info:
Writer: Various
Director: Various
Cast: Thomas Gibson, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Paget Brewster, Joe Mantegna
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: CBS

Release Info:
Original Air Dates: September 22, 2005-Present
DVD Box Set Release Date: September 16, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon

I have a love/hate relationship with Criminal Minds. I love watching the show and seeing the interaction between all of the excellent actors that the show employs. I hate when the show ends and I have to wait for the new season to begin. All in all, I suppose that’s the best kind of love/hate relationship that there is.

I was introduced to Criminal Minds last year with the review that we did for Season Two. It was then that I knew I would continue watching. I recall sitting through the ending and being unable to wait until season three began. With the writer’s strike going on I missed some episodes along the way, but I did see the first few. With that in mind, I was excited to see the rest of season threes episodes…at least until I saw the ending cliffhanger at the end of this DVD set.

Using smart writing, compelling storylines and excellent actors, this show has everything needed to run for at least a few more years. As I sit here writing this it is honestly hard to say who I like and who I don’t on the show. Normally I play favorites, but all of these characters have grown on me. I do know who my absolute favorites are and I am certain that I am not alone when I say that they are Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), although Morgan (Shemar Moore) and Prentiss (Paget Brewster) are also pretty high up on the list, and Hotch (Thomas Gibson) is as necessary and familiar as that old shirt you can’t seem to part with. I have to say I’d be hard pressed to find another show with better casting.

Season Three brings on some pretty amazing storylines. This show goes above and beyond the typical fare that you will find on criminal shows these days. One episode, “True Night” stands out, in particular, as it blends comic book styles with phenomenal writing and the wonderful acting of the normal cast with guest star Frankie Muniz. However, if there is any one episode that will leave your heart pounding and your senses begging for more, it is the final episode.

Prior to this review, I had not seen the cliffhanger episode that left me in shock. I am anxiously awaiting the upcoming fourth season, which starts on September 24, 2008. In fact, it cannot get here fast enough. Until that day comes though, I have this set to keep me company. Like most criminal dramas, this is a show that you can begin to pick up easily if you are a new viewer. However, if you’re going to be new to the show I highly recommend starting from season one. I began watching during the second season and while I am well versed in the show, I still plan to pick up that first season because I am interested in seeing how the show has progressed.

The Criminal Minds: The Complete Third Season Plot
The third season of Criminal Minds features a number of excellent plots and many dynamic and interesting killers. It would be hard to pick a favorite because I would end up with more than one, but a couple of good episodes to look out for include “True Night,” “Elephant’s Memory,” “Lo-Fi,” and “In Birth and Death.” A list of episodes and a synopsis of each is included below.

“Doubt”: The team heads to a college in Flagstaff, Arizona to investigate a serial killer that has been murdering brunette females on a small college campus. The suspected killer is caught only for questions to arise when another murder is committed while the suspect is in custody.

“In Birth and Death”: Gideon is still missing, Hotch is awaiting a transfer because of his wife’s insistence, and Prentiss decides to quit, leaving more work for the rest of the team as they head to Milwaukee to track one of their most difficult criminals. The unsub (unidentified suspect) is using his young son to lure unsuspecting women to their death.

“Scared to Death”: In Portland, Oregon people that are new to the city are going missing. It becomes hard to determine how long they have been missing as they generally have no ties to anyone else in the city. While all the murders appear to be random, all signs begin to point to a psychiatrist that is killing off his patients using their worst fears to cause their deaths.

“Children of the Dark”: The BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) is brought in to solve a case concerning a number of home invasions where the entire family of the invasion is murdered, including pets. While there are little leads to go on the unsub profile points the team towards a pair of criminals that may have both been abused as children.

“Seven Seconds”: A series of child abductions play center stage for the BAU that lead them to Potomac Mills, Virginia. Six year old Katie is one of a string of recently abducted children. However, the team soon realizes that young Katie is not like the other abductions and the sinister plot to harm this child may have occurred a lot closer to home than original anticipated.

“About Face”: David Rossi returns to the BAU as a FBI rock star with a reputation that everyone has heard of whether they know him or not. The first case back leads him and the others to Dallas, TX where a serial killer terrifies his victims by placing missing flyers up so that the soon to be abducted person will know they are next.

“Identity”: The team heads off to Montana to piece together the connection between three murdered females. While the search is on, a fourth victim is kidnapped and the team is racing against the clock. The search points in the direction of a pair of killers and could include one assuming the identity of the other.

“Lucky”: Bridgewater, Florida is home to a cannibalistic serial killer. The BAU heads to Florida to crack the case in one of the few two-part episodes for the show. Garcia meets the man that she thinks is her dream man, while Morgan, her sexy stud is away in Florida suffering from a crisis of faith thanks to a Satan worshiping killer that takes supreme pleasure in his work.

“Penelope”: The team returns home where they go on the hunt for an attacker that is targeting Penelope Garcia. She fights for her life as the attacker closes in and Morgan vows to protect her while the others find who is responsible in the end of this two-parter.

“True Night”: One of the most spectacular episodes of the season is based in between the real world and in comic book form. A graphic novelist falls apart at the seams while the BAU tracks numerous gang-related killings that lead to this one man and the books that are remarkably similar to the killings.

“Birthright”: Fredericksburg, Virginia is the site of a series of brutal, mutilation killings that has the BAU scrambling to find a copycat killer. The original crimes, which occurred over twenty years before, are nearly identical and lead to only a small number of people that could be involved.

“3rd Life”: Chula Vista is where a teenage girl was murdered and another, her best friend, has been kidnapped. It is up to the BAU to keep the parents in line and find the murderer before the other girl dies, too.

“Limelight”: The contents of a storage unit is sold in an auction in Philadelphia and the contents of the unit point to a homicidal sadist. The BAU is called in to find a killer that may not have even killed at this point, which leads the team to have to profile the storage unit and the man that owned it.

“Damaged”: Rossi goes to Indiana on the anniversary of a case that he never solved. Half of the team joins him in hopes of helping him. Meanwhile, Hotch and Reid head to Connecticut to interview a dangerous, death row inmate.

“A Higher Power”: An Angel of Death seems to be working in a small community in Pittsburgh where a fire has struck the community and their children. The BAU is called in to investigate a series of suicides to determine if they were really suicides or if someone is taking matters into their own hands.

“Elephant’s Memory”: West Bune, Texas is a small town where nothing much ever happens. That is, until people start dropping dead like flies. A killing spree is occurring that leads to a tortured boy that has plenty in common with Dr. Reid and the teen’s girlfriend.

“In Heat”: The hot streets of Miami take center stage in another excellent episode. Sexual orientation is on the hot plate, when a serial killer is targeting gays and it looks like he is doing so because he’s ashamed of being gay himself. Meanwhile, JJ admits to having a relationship with a man in law enforcement.

“The Crossing”: Hotch and Rossi are in Boston where they are speaking about battered woman syndrome. While there they are asked to consult on a case. Meanwhile, the rest of the team works on a stalker case where the stalker has traveled across state lines to be with the one he “loves.”

“Tabula Rasa”: It’s been quite awhile since an accused serial killer fell into a coma and has since avoided persecution. When he wakes up and says that he has lost his memory and cannot remember the killings, it doesn’t stop the BAU from seeing if he is telling the truth, while digging into his past to ensure that the right man is tried for the crimes that he committed.

“Lo-Fi”: The explosive Criminal Minds season finale leads the gang to New York City to uncover the truth about some random shootings. The team needs to determine who is working on the crime, be it one man or a group. On another front, JJ reveals that she will be having a baby.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
The video for Criminal Minds looks absolutely fabulous. I did not notice a single flaw, though I am sure there was at least one. The point is that with the bright and brooding colors (depending on the moment of the program), the sharp, attention to detail and the strong overall quality anything negative would have been hard to notice. Criminal Minds looks great with the aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in anamorphic widescreen. It’s hard to imagine a nicer job could have come out of anything that isn’t Blu-Ray.

The audio options are fairly standard with Dolby Digital 5.1 and Closed Captioning. A lesser Dolby Digital Stereo track is also included, though I highly recommend the 5.1 if you’re going to choose between the two. The sound effects were dynamic, the music sounded strong, and the dialogue was perfectly clear and easy to understand at all times. I couldn’t have asked for more in a box set.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
Fans will have plenty to chew on when it comes to bonus features in this season three box set. You will receive all of your standard features such as “The Criminal Element: The Making of Criminal Minds, Season 3”, deleted scenes, and a gag reel plus more. The making of does a nice job at giving just the right amount of information, but nothing more. The thing I hate about some special features is that the information can be dry and the feature offers up too much. That isn’t the case here as all of these features are well done.

The gag reel is short, but worth watching. The deleted scenes were obviously not necessary in the show, but are worth watching on the side. There is a profile of Rossi/Mantegna, entitled “Profile: Rossi/Mantegna” that you should check out. Some fans aren’t fond of the switch from Gideon to Rossi, but at present I think he has managed to find his spot nicely. Other featurettes include “Killer Roles,” “Shemar Moore: Criminal Minds Wild Ride,” and my personal favorite “From Script to Screen: True Night.” If you only watch one of these special features watch the one about “True Night” as it will definitely give you plenty of insight into the making of this amazing episode.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
There is no way I could speak highly enough about Criminal Minds to do it justice. The show is amazing. If you haven’t seen it you need to go pick it up. At the very least you should rent it to prepare for the upcoming fourth season, which will air in just a few days on September 24, 2008. Criminal Minds offers everything that a criminal drama needs to succeed. With that in mind, it’s no surprise this show has made a fan out of me and millions of others.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Criminal Minds, Crime, BAU, FBI, Serial Murder, Dr. Reid, Matthew Gray Gubler, TV on DVD, DVD Box Set Review

If you like this site, Donate to help keep us going!

---------------------
Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.