Season 1 got off to a strong start. It did have a hit-and-miss patch after "The Fox" (one of the best-written episodes of 'Criminal Minds'), but still remained watchable. "Broken Mirror" is one of the early episodes and is a very good and often great episode.
'Criminal Minds' have generally had a good track record with their kidnapping episodes (with a few exceptions, in recent memory an example being "The Boys of Sudworth Place"), "Broken Mirror" is one of their better examples. The only strange scene is the team letting off steam in the kitchen, which couldn't have happened at a more inappropriate time and place.
That aside, "Broken Mirror", while taking a little time to tell the story (which with a lot of information to absorb works in its favour, is tense and suspenseful, the scene with Gideon cutting off the unsub in a scene lasting for three minutes was a highlight. That could have been a repetitive and dull scene but actually had some nail-biting tension and was brilliantly acted all round. Another great touch was hearing the characters' flaws coming from the mouth of the unsub, that was shocking and creepy.
"Broken Mirror" is saved from being predictable by having some very well-executed twists and turns, notably the unsub's real intentions and the scary revelation that the unsub was much closer than they thought the whole time. That was a surprise to me on first viewing, on repeat viewing the foreshadowing is more obvious due that only somebody intimately close to the case could have figured that much out of the characters unless they were a stalker, nevertheless it was a surprising revelation doing cleverly.
It is a very well-made episode too, with one of the best and most fitting music scores of the season. It's very tautly scripted, keeping things tight with nothing coming over as pointless. As said, the atmosphere is incredible here with great tension and suspense, from the eerie opening to a well-done if perhaps not particularly original climax. The acting is very good, where there is real urgency and desperation. Mandy Patinkin is particularly commanding, and this is one of not many episodes where Elle didn't annoy me.
Overall, very good episode indeed and one of Season 1's better ones. 9/10 Bethany Cox
'Criminal Minds' have generally had a good track record with their kidnapping episodes (with a few exceptions, in recent memory an example being "The Boys of Sudworth Place"), "Broken Mirror" is one of their better examples. The only strange scene is the team letting off steam in the kitchen, which couldn't have happened at a more inappropriate time and place.
That aside, "Broken Mirror", while taking a little time to tell the story (which with a lot of information to absorb works in its favour, is tense and suspenseful, the scene with Gideon cutting off the unsub in a scene lasting for three minutes was a highlight. That could have been a repetitive and dull scene but actually had some nail-biting tension and was brilliantly acted all round. Another great touch was hearing the characters' flaws coming from the mouth of the unsub, that was shocking and creepy.
"Broken Mirror" is saved from being predictable by having some very well-executed twists and turns, notably the unsub's real intentions and the scary revelation that the unsub was much closer than they thought the whole time. That was a surprise to me on first viewing, on repeat viewing the foreshadowing is more obvious due that only somebody intimately close to the case could have figured that much out of the characters unless they were a stalker, nevertheless it was a surprising revelation doing cleverly.
It is a very well-made episode too, with one of the best and most fitting music scores of the season. It's very tautly scripted, keeping things tight with nothing coming over as pointless. As said, the atmosphere is incredible here with great tension and suspense, from the eerie opening to a well-done if perhaps not particularly original climax. The acting is very good, where there is real urgency and desperation. Mandy Patinkin is particularly commanding, and this is one of not many episodes where Elle didn't annoy me.
Overall, very good episode indeed and one of Season 1's better ones. 9/10 Bethany Cox