Rite of Passage
- Episode aired Apr 14, 2010
- TV-14
- 42m
The BAU team heads to Texas to track a serial killer targeting illegal immigrants attempting to make safe passage into the U.S..The BAU team heads to Texas to track a serial killer targeting illegal immigrants attempting to make safe passage into the U.S..The BAU team heads to Texas to track a serial killer targeting illegal immigrants attempting to make safe passage into the U.S..
- Sheriff Ruiz
- (as Marlene Forté)
- Jose
- (as Joey Lvnproof Ray)
- Marion
- (as Elena Campbell-Martínez)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe sheriff tells the FBI St. Jude is the patron saint of the police department. In the Catholic faith, St. Jude is known as the Patron Saint of lost causes and desperate cases. This is why St. Jude has become more popularly known for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.
- GoofsTerlingua is described as having a large population. In fact, the population was less than 300 as of the 2000 census, and the entire population of the county was less than 9000 as of 2008.
- Quotes
Aaron 'Hotch' Hotchner: You alright?
Derek Morgan: Yeah.
Emily Prentiss: [shouts] No! Are you out of your mind? You blew out my eardrum!
Derek Morgan: What did you want me to do? He was coming right at us.
Emily Prentiss: I told you I had him!
Derek Morgan: He was shooting at us, Emily.
Emily Prentiss: Well, you could've given me a heads up!
Derek Morgan: What, a loaded MP5 and a shooting lunatic wasn't enough? Come on.
There are a few things that let it down, which makes "Rite of Passage" fall short of full potential. This is all personal opinion of course, but to me the unsub (a decent enough unsub but there have been far more interesting ones before and since) was revealed too early and it is far too obvious almost straight away.
Mike Doyle is also a little bland and somewhat too nice as Boyd, the role was in need of more intensity, sinister edge and charisma but despite the character's repulsive actions Doyle just lacked at times those things, though they do come through more later on. And there is not enough profiling, and when there is any it underwhelms compared to a lot of previous episodes.
However, there is nothing to complain about with the high quality production values, with great use of locale, or the efficient and suspenseful direction and the haunting music. The script has a lot of ingredients that makes 'Criminal Minds' so great in the first place with a nice balance of the then-new and the old. Love the light-hearted humour which is a refreshing change from the very emotional and intense George Foyet story arc, the close knit relationship within the team, Hotch's genuine empathy for the sheriff. Also loved what was done with Garcia, and Prentiss' fluency in languages angle is done far more subtly than with Elle in "Machismo" and actually serves a point.
Storytelling is engrossing, despite lacking profiling and a slightly disappointing unsub. There is enough tension and suspense which come off very believably, with pretty shocking murders (though they're more described than seen, couldn't have come up with a more horrendous way for the sheriff to die), high-voltage chases and a scintillating climax. The characters carry the story very well, and the acting is solid from the BAU, the locals and the sheriff, only Doyle this reviewer had reservations with.
In summary, above-average episode with some great things. 7/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jul 10, 2016
Details
- Runtime42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
- 16:9 HD