Criminal Minds (TV Series) It Takes a Village (2011) User Reviews

Solid season opener

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 23 September 2016]

There are better episodes of 'Criminal Minds' around. At the same time there are far worse ones as well. "It Takes a Village" was a solid season opener, if not as good as the previous season premieres, and better than quite a lot of Season 6.

As ever, the production values are top-notch, with a great dark atmosphere evoked while still making out what's going on. The music is appropriately moody without being intrusive, while also having some poignancy. Both Prentiss and JJ make shock but very welcome returns, and neither feel too out of character even if JJ shows more of a motherly side than in the earlier seasons. Seaver, a character I actively disliked, is not missed at all.

"It Takes a Village's" writing is patchy but mostly good. The highlights are the scenes between Doyle and Morgan, which have great tension, and the scenes with the team being questioned by the senator that bookend the scenes involving the case told in intriguing and never over-complicated flashback structure. Reid putting the senator in his place was a classic Reid moment and Garcia's "You're alive?" was endearing and moving.

Not all of it works, especially Prentiss' over-the-top speech which felt out of place and heavy-handed. More development of the unsubs, only mentioned really in when the team figure it all out through the profiling, and providing a reason for Hotch being away would have been more welcome. The story is tense and suspenseful, with an adrenaline-filled and poignant, if rather over-familiar climax, good twists and turns (after being convinced that Doyle is behind it, the revelation that it was somebody else was a real surprise) and one actually feels bad for Doyle.

With the team dynamic, it is very believable and charming, their shock is very believably done. Less believable is the anger, there could have been much more considering the size of the lie they were told. The acting is fine, though Strauss continues to be as cold as ever. Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore and Matthew Gray Gubler shine of the regulars, while Joe Mantegna excels at smooth-talk. Timothy V. Murphy does excellently as Doyle, and the boy who plays Declan shows terror and grief very well.

All in all, a solid season opener and one of Season 7's better episodes. 7/10 Bethany Cox.

Just what was needed.

[akicork · 9/10 · 3 November 2021]

A good start to the season. It successfully brought JJ and Prentiss back into the cast, while setting up consequent minor story lines for the characters to work out around Prentiss's "death". It closed off the Ian Doyle story arc, leaving room in the future for Prentiss to interact with the child she had clearly come to care for. It emphasised the political influence that exists in the USA over law enforcement, and it gave us more hints as to Strauss's personal problems. Because of the time taken for the Senate hearing, it was slower paced than usual, and none the worse for that after the hyperactivity of the previous few episodes.

Nice to see you

[keysam-02610 · 7/10 · 3 May 2023]

Not one of CM's finest. The idea that Ashley Seaver just 'disappeared' though, which some people seem to have, is incorrect. When Prentiss and Jareau are in the corridor on their own just after Prentiss has been hugging the team, Prentiss asks about Ashley and Jennifer says 'She transferred to Andi Swann's team' to which Emily says 'Good for her'. Andi Swann runs the Domestic Trafficking Taskforce. So OK, Seaver doesn't get a goodbye episode, but she doesn't just disappear.

Anyway, on the surface this all seems very exciting but tbh it's all just window dressing to bring Emily and JJ back and shut down the Doyle storyline. That storyline was always rubbish and I wish they'd just saved the ink and kept JJ and Emily from the get-go. Having an idiot politician cross-questioning and second-guessing the team is just rubbish. Though seeing Reid hand the moron a kicking is nice and bloomin' Strauss shows some heart, so there's that.

So, that's that. Let's just get on with the series.

Reunited

[LoveIsAStateOfMind · 10/10 · 29 December 2015]

I can't think of any other fandom which has canon so heavily influenced by external events. The team used to keep each other at arms length with a few episodes of team bonding thrown in now and again and then this episode was all like GROUP HUG WE ARE A FAMILY, which is obviously how the cast is.

Morgan devoted months and months searching for Doyle to avenge Prentiss' death. MONTHS you guys, MONTHS all by himself for the most part! I actually found myself feeling sorry for Doyle there when he realised Declan had been abducted. And I was weirdly interested in the whole Prentiss/Doyle-ness.

That moment where Prentiss started apologising and hugging everyone? That surprised me. I think I always pictured her being kind of quiet and nervous and feeling awkward at being hugged rather than initiating it? And I thought that scene would be ~awkward silence~ and Garcia forcing her into a hug and basically full of awkwardness "hi guys, I know nothing I say will help you get over the shock" but it was actually more "let's hug it out! I love you guys!" And then the way that everyone managed to focus on the case again and park their feelings of shock and hurt and confusion? That is some serious compartmentalisation. But Morgan! Morgan! Did you see the way he was looking at her throughout that whole scene???? It was perfect you guys! And I never ever thought I would get a Morgan/Prentiss hug because in Prentiss' past-Criminal Minds life neither of them would ever initiate contact like that. I mean, dude, THEY HUGGED.

Speaking of which Prentiss/JJ being all bffy and the arm around each others shoulders? This is like Paget and AJ playing themselves rather than their characters? And this is in the middle of the investigation. Isn't Prentiss meant to be super worried that Declan has been abducted?! She risked everything for him!!! And, okay, JJ and Prentiss being like that isn't so weird considering she knew she was alive and apparently they kept in contact but what was weird? The very last moment and Morgan has him arm around JJ. Seriously, the only people who generally initiate touch in this show is Garcia and JJ and then every other situation/character it's like a ~big deal~. And especially since Morgan should have some serious issues with JJ (although it wasn't made clear whether everyone knew that JJ knew about Prentiss' fake death or not in the episode or whether they thought it was just Hotch who knew) I was seriously waiting for them all to group hug in that very last scene.

This may sound like I'm criticising but I'm not. I'm happy but surprised. Suddenly I'm watching a show where people hug and Prentiss calls Seaver "Ashley" even though they were never friends. It's just weird seeing Real Life morph into canon so much.

And the way that Prentiss was all business-like with Doyle, not even thinking about what happened the last time they met, and the fact that the writers didn't even go with that cliché *Prentiss is still in pain and clutches her abdomen as it twinged with pain and she thought back to everything she had gone through* deal.

Yes, I admit I did want to see Prentiss being weak and less girlpowery and showing signs of the trauma she's been through but I suppose we still have chance to explore more fallout later. It's still weird that this brought them together so much though – I mean there should be some sort of distance as the team get over the shock and remember everything that Prentiss did in her past life and the lies and everything she put them through. At least we had Morgan pulling away as everyone gathered round her photo. I'm expecting Morgan/Prentiss and Morgan/Hotch fallout and hopefully some JJ/Reid fallout. And some episodes of resentment and distance and then they can go back to being all best buddies.

Anyway, I liked the way everything storywise played out. Not having Doyle abduct Declan but rather have him abducted by someone who hates him who was actually working with his evil mother who wanted to hurt Doyle and earn some money was a nice twist when everyone must have gone into the episode thinking that Doyle would be the kidnapper. It was weird because we do remember that Doyle was this evil son-of-a-bitch who "killed" and tortured Emily, right? And yet throughout this episode he was this father who you weirdly wanted to be reunited with his son....

And then the ending! You know, for awhile I didn't actually think Doyle would end up dead but I was also wondering how they would do it without it being portrayed as a straight out revenge killing. Poor Declan having to see his mother and father killed in the same moment and the look on Prentiss' face <3.

And now the team is back together with no punishment? I mean, dude, after that investigation and the fact that they did break a lot of laws and get agents killed and then Strauss is like "well, okay, you can all be a happy family together again." I sort of expected more than that.

But I like Strauss. Not in an intense "she'll make my top female characters list" type of way but the fandom needs to cut her some slack.

Favourite moment: Prentiss starting at the photo of herself on the "wall of the dead" and Rossi trying to take the photo down. AND GARCIA HAS SERGIO. I am so so happy that we found out what happened to Prentiss' cat. And then the moment where Stauss says Prentiss can rejoin the team and Prentiss' "May I think about it …………. I'm in" and everyone smiling, even Hotch! And and Prentiss quoting the Oath and the end group hug scene.

I Miss Seaver

[blueoysterdvp · 10/10 · 23 December 2021]

Rachel Nichols wasn't a fan favorite in the beginning after AJ Cook was let go by CBS for budget reasons. Terrible bonehead move Network Execs. Seaver was a solid character who was blonde like JJ. Coincidence? With Prentiss and JJ returning there was no room for 2 blondes I guess. This episodes ties together and finishes Emily's secret Interpol life and almost death. Nothing beats the original team with Gideon and Elle. Rachel Nichols was a nice fill in. Too bad CBS couldn't make room for her.

Decent return

[kellielulu · 6/10 · 14 November 2022]

I am glad Emily wasn't dead and that she returned. I just never cared for the reason they set up for her exit and return . I didn't care for JJ and Hotch lying about it . I thought they should have had to answer a little more for it. It comes up some in a handful of episodes but is largely dropped . Maybe it's for the best since to move on but it's not the last to they try to do rewrites on the Emily / JJ departures .

I never liked Emily undercover in that way. Her involvement with Doyle makes the episodes with flashbacks hard to her watch. That said I do like the character of Emily Prentiss and glad they brought her bac.

Minefield

[ttapola · 4/10 · 26 March 2012]

After Prentiss' "death" in #6.18, "Lauren", the six remaining episodes managed 6/10 at best. They were lacking, in more ways than one. It was also troubling that Seaver (Rachel Nichols) was not even given a proper exit scene in the season finale. As of this episode, she's just gone. Prentiss (Brewster) and JJ (Cook, already present in Season 6 finale) are back, so all the writers need is to come up with a satisfying conclusion to the Doyle arc.

They fail. First of all, they reuse the hearing structure from #5.9, "100", the conclusion of the Reaper arc that did irreparable damage to the credibility of the series. It barely worked then, now it just doesn't. At start, we are told in the hearing that "two members of the team" are dead, yet we are shown JJ and Morgan alive, limiting the possible dead core members to Prentiss, Rossi, Reid and Hotch. Knowing that this is also Prentiss' return to fold, the stakes are effectively halved immediately.

It gets worse. Sooner than you can say "Redshirt", two nameless agents are revealed to be the dead ones. Way to keep up the suspension! The writers do, however, introduce a mystery to the flashbacks: someone had Declan, but it was not Doyle. A new player to mix up the game?

Then comes the heart of the episode: Hotch and JJ revealing to others that Prentiss' death was staged and the funeral merely a hoax. Conveniently, there is no time for Morgan to blow his fuse or Reid to point out to Hotch that the team leader betrayed his partners. Everyone must rush to find Declan.

Cue more retconning. Contrary to original status, Declan's mother isn't dead either! Doyle was only lying in Season 6. It's hard to believe the writers would have planned this when most of the stuff on this show is made up as they go along and retconning has become more common.

From thereon, it's all downhill. Sure, the climax stirs some adrenaline, but what the writers still haven't grasped is that for the audience, it is *really* hard to care about the fates of characters introduced in the same episode. Also, just like with Hotch totally losing it with the Reaper, the team breaking the strict rules and going all Jack Bauer, everyone is only chastised with a stern speak. They will be "closely" watched. Really? Seriously?

Ultimately, it's a combination of elements that are faulty already on their own - together they just make the whole episode collapse. Over-complicated plotting. Limited character moments. Lack of suspension of disbelief. Worst, once again the writers have forgotten that important rule of drama: "Without a sacrifice there is no heroism." It's also practically a safe bet that this show will *never* pull an "Amber Benson" on us like Joss Whedon infamously did in Buffy... This is a barely tolerable 4/10 and understandably I was ready give up hope, but surprisingly, the next episode, "Proof", is actually great!

Except for one moment

[Jackbv123 · 3/10 · 24 September 2019]

With the exception of Emily's appearance this episode was just stupid.

The Senate investigation is a lame device. It annoyingly interferes with the flow and the screen time could be better spent following the leads in the investigation. As it was, the search for Doyle and Declan was disjointed. To make it more annoying, almost everything said by the Senator was illogically stupid, but then what do you expect from politicians?

The final piece leading to the solution was too quick even for Garcia.

The final disposition of the team's status was overly dramatic, too simplistic, and just plain convenient.

The unexplained disappearance of Rachel Nichols is another examle of the show's careless juggling of characters.