Mr & Mrs. Anderson isn't a big, heart wrenching episode like 100, 200, or a part 2 type of episode. But, it's great, take it from me (a Criminal Minds specialist).
3 Reviews
Bethany Wilcox Needs To Shut Up, Respectfully.
kaliyahtyanna23 November 2020
Wqy better than the weak "200" épisode
nicofreezer14 November 2021
The episode number 200 was a dissapointment but criminals Minds immediately do the things right with a strong standalone, the way it was directed was unique in criminals Minds History , the camera was moving and shoulder camera, great work from the director.
The worst Season 9 episode? No. One of the dullest? Yes.
TheLittleSongbird5 January 2017
Season 9 of 'Criminal Minds' has been a wildly variable and very much a lesser season. When it was good, like with "Gabby" and "The Caller", it was great, those two were two of the better later episodes. However when it was bad, like with "The Black Queen" and especially "200", there was very little good to say.
"Mr and Mrs Anderson" left me cold on my previous two viewings, and re-watching it my initial feelings have barely changed. It is not as bad as "200" and "The Black Queen", while it lacked a lot of what made the show so great especially, when at its best, it at least did not make anywhere near as big a mistake of not feeling like 'Criminal Minds'. However, it was still a very dull, strange and predictable episode.
There are things that are done well. As ever "Mr and Mrs Anderson is stylishly and atmospherically and hauntingly scored. The acting from all the regulars is very good and make the most of material that doesn't do enough for their talents and somewhat beneath them. The best thing about "Mr and Mrs Anderson" is the titular couple themselves. Now these are interesting and very unsettlingly creepy and loathsome unsubs, their relationship strange but twisted. Ned Bellamy and Mary Mara do truly great jobs in the roles. Wendy Davis is no liability either as one of the episode's more sympathetic episodes.
Also liked Reid and Rossi's exchange regarding Judith not budging, while Judith's interrogation does evoke some tension and the climax even more so.
However, the titular unsubs are revealed too early and are shown too much. Consequently there is not enough of the BAU, their chemistry and even less of the little character moments that one looks out for while watching 'Criminal Minds'. Profiling is too sporadic, and what there is is shaky due to little team work. It also sees a rare case of Reid being incorrect when referencing a case that the case here resembles, especially the number of murders committed by the couple he references and the mispronunciation.
Just as problematic is the gross overuse of JJ, which may not have been a problem if she wasn't a pale shadow of her former self, instead she is now nowhere near as likable, and furthermore being out of character, bland and condescending. After such traumatic events, you'd expect her to be more worse for wear and troubled, but it was almost as if "200" didn't happen. Garcia has also been much more endearing, instead of a ray of sunshine she is childish and annoying and her subplot was sappy and added little (in fact all the personal stuff tried too hard to be cutesy and touching but so overdone that it makes one cringe). There is too little of more interesting characters like Reid and Rossi, what there is of them is good though, and once again Hotch is woefully under-utilised to the point of invisibility. Morgan and Reid's involvement at the end was great this said.
Despite the interesting unsubs, the case is far too dull and predictable, with slack pacing and a done to death concept ('Natural Born Killers'-esque) that is too over-familiar and with little variation. It also really lacks tension and suspense, only really coming to life once Judith is arrested and interrogated. Judith's reactions and such didn't make much sense at this point either.
Overall, there are worse episodes of the season and of 'Criminal Minds' in general, but this was very dull and bland where the balance of the storytelling and who and what to focus on is way off. 4/10 Bethany Cox
"Mr and Mrs Anderson" left me cold on my previous two viewings, and re-watching it my initial feelings have barely changed. It is not as bad as "200" and "The Black Queen", while it lacked a lot of what made the show so great especially, when at its best, it at least did not make anywhere near as big a mistake of not feeling like 'Criminal Minds'. However, it was still a very dull, strange and predictable episode.
There are things that are done well. As ever "Mr and Mrs Anderson is stylishly and atmospherically and hauntingly scored. The acting from all the regulars is very good and make the most of material that doesn't do enough for their talents and somewhat beneath them. The best thing about "Mr and Mrs Anderson" is the titular couple themselves. Now these are interesting and very unsettlingly creepy and loathsome unsubs, their relationship strange but twisted. Ned Bellamy and Mary Mara do truly great jobs in the roles. Wendy Davis is no liability either as one of the episode's more sympathetic episodes.
Also liked Reid and Rossi's exchange regarding Judith not budging, while Judith's interrogation does evoke some tension and the climax even more so.
However, the titular unsubs are revealed too early and are shown too much. Consequently there is not enough of the BAU, their chemistry and even less of the little character moments that one looks out for while watching 'Criminal Minds'. Profiling is too sporadic, and what there is is shaky due to little team work. It also sees a rare case of Reid being incorrect when referencing a case that the case here resembles, especially the number of murders committed by the couple he references and the mispronunciation.
Just as problematic is the gross overuse of JJ, which may not have been a problem if she wasn't a pale shadow of her former self, instead she is now nowhere near as likable, and furthermore being out of character, bland and condescending. After such traumatic events, you'd expect her to be more worse for wear and troubled, but it was almost as if "200" didn't happen. Garcia has also been much more endearing, instead of a ray of sunshine she is childish and annoying and her subplot was sappy and added little (in fact all the personal stuff tried too hard to be cutesy and touching but so overdone that it makes one cringe). There is too little of more interesting characters like Reid and Rossi, what there is of them is good though, and once again Hotch is woefully under-utilised to the point of invisibility. Morgan and Reid's involvement at the end was great this said.
Despite the interesting unsubs, the case is far too dull and predictable, with slack pacing and a done to death concept ('Natural Born Killers'-esque) that is too over-familiar and with little variation. It also really lacks tension and suspense, only really coming to life once Judith is arrested and interrogated. Judith's reactions and such didn't make much sense at this point either.
Overall, there are worse episodes of the season and of 'Criminal Minds' in general, but this was very dull and bland where the balance of the storytelling and who and what to focus on is way off. 4/10 Bethany Cox
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
