The main story didn't catch my attention much on this one. And maybe that's because the subplot with Penelope stood above it head and shoulders. At first I was a little confused with why she felt so passionately about doing what she was doing against what everyone else thought but in the end that's who she is. She is the purest of heart and the best of humans. Not going to lie, the ending scene with Derek and the pure emotion she shows as she lets go made my heart absolutely break. If nothing else, this episode goes deep to showing who Penelope Garcia is.
8 Reviews
The subplot is outstanding, the case....eh
joeyg-149-9944430 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is on of those rare episodes where the subplot totally overshadows the case. And I think it was intended that way. I believe they wanted an episode dedicated to Garcia and this one delivered on that. I was glued to the story around her and the man who tried to kill her (and Spencer) at the end of the previous season...but when it cut back to the team and the case...not so much. The Dante's Inferno killer could have been better but it seemed too throw away for me. This is why I gave it a 7.
All due to Penelope
slevine29212 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The story line itself was not the most interesting. Obviously it's something we've seen before. Man abused by his dad inflicts pain on others. For the story, I give it a 5.
The reason I gave this 9 stars was because of Penelope. She was the port in a sad man's storm. No one else in the show would likely do what she did. For her to witness what she did after what she went through, well that makes her a truly unique woman.
I did draw a parallel though between the primary story and Penelope's. When the prisoner was executed I feel as though he didn't want to die alone because he was worried about entering heaven or hell. With the primary story being wrapped around Dante's Inferno, I believe (solely my opinion) Garcia witnessing the execution saved the man a life in hell even after all the terrible things he'd done.
Penelope is pure heart. It is that simple.
The reason I gave this 9 stars was because of Penelope. She was the port in a sad man's storm. No one else in the show would likely do what she did. For her to witness what she did after what she went through, well that makes her a truly unique woman.
I did draw a parallel though between the primary story and Penelope's. When the prisoner was executed I feel as though he didn't want to die alone because he was worried about entering heaven or hell. With the primary story being wrapped around Dante's Inferno, I believe (solely my opinion) Garcia witnessing the execution saved the man a life in hell even after all the terrible things he'd done.
Penelope is pure heart. It is that simple.
Had all the makings of an intriguing episode...
TheLittleSongbird16 September 2016
It is a real shame that it is botched by very wanting execution. 'Criminal Minds' generally is a favourite of mine, but the general consensus is that it has become hit and miss Season 6 onwards with a mostly underwhelming Season 11, a consensus personally agreed with.
Of the inconsistent Season 10, the only outstanding episodes, though some of the season needs a re-watch, are the poignant "Nelson's Sparrow" and the absolutely terrifying "Mr Scratch", two of the best episodes of the show in years. "Burn" is not quite one of the worst of that season (a very strange-and-in-a-bad-way "If the Shoe Fits" is a contender for that), and there are worse episodes of the show too, especially the worst of Seasons 9 and 11. However it is close and one of the biggest wastes of potential in the latter seasons. It could have been intriguing but was left severely wanting.
Garcia's subplot is the biggest flaw to me. It takes up far too much of the story, and is far too overwrought and melodramatic as well as feeling completely disconnected from the rest of the episode. What saves it from being a disaster are good performances from Nicholas Brendan, as the most sympathetic character in the episode, and Potsch Boyd, especially at the end. Kirsten Vangsness also does her best, but Garcia has had a tendency to be a pale and annoying caricature in the later seasons and it is the case here, and the material is too over the top, Garcia's feelings and obsession with making amends not feeling natural within the story. Other flaws with this subplot are the implausibly fast execution date (may be British but you don't have to be American to know that not only are death row inmates in almost all case are on death row for at least a decade but also cases often take several months/a year or more to go to trial) and Morgan being an out of character jerk towards Garcia (it's not his strong feelings about her decision that is the issue, it was how he worded his reaction and he didn't have to be so cold, it would have been much more justified if it was Reid seeing as it was not Morgan who was affected by Baylor's actions).
The case/mystery itself could have been stronger, though of the two stories it was the far superior of the two. It does have tension and suspense, with shocking murders based on an intriguing modus operandi and a victimology that made one sort of understand why the unsub killed. CS Lee is also both chilling and moving, even with material that didn't give him much to do. The actor playing his father is also spine-tingling and you actually hate him more than the unsub. What wasn't so good was that the murders were so cruel that sympathy towards the unsub does diminish. This was a shame, as his childhood scenes were really harrowing and made it very obvious as to how he came to be that way, there were shades where it was easy to feel sorry for him but not to a fully-realised degree.
Writing is not as tight as it could be, with the best lines of "Burn" quite easily being given to Rossi (particularly the line about the love child which brought a nice if brief humorous edge), and there was often too much of a melodramatic and unnaturally over-the-top tone. Pacing is erratic, the actual case is paced reasonably and doesn't feel rushed or convoluted at all but Garcia's subplot often drags and bogs down the story considerably. The music is sometimes haunting but when it's very dramatic or melancholic it goes overboard and gets overbearing and sentimentalised.
Despite the criticisms, there are things that salvage "Burn". It is very high in the production values, some of the case is intriguing and the performances are very good, with the exception of a dull and out of place Jennifer Love Hewitt, looking too young and somewhat delicate-looking for such a stressful job. The ending is also very poignant, and along with the childhood flashbacks and Rossi's love-child line is the highlight scene.
All in all, had all the makings of an intriguing episode but "Burn" mostly squanders its potential. 4/10 Bethany Cox
Of the inconsistent Season 10, the only outstanding episodes, though some of the season needs a re-watch, are the poignant "Nelson's Sparrow" and the absolutely terrifying "Mr Scratch", two of the best episodes of the show in years. "Burn" is not quite one of the worst of that season (a very strange-and-in-a-bad-way "If the Shoe Fits" is a contender for that), and there are worse episodes of the show too, especially the worst of Seasons 9 and 11. However it is close and one of the biggest wastes of potential in the latter seasons. It could have been intriguing but was left severely wanting.
Garcia's subplot is the biggest flaw to me. It takes up far too much of the story, and is far too overwrought and melodramatic as well as feeling completely disconnected from the rest of the episode. What saves it from being a disaster are good performances from Nicholas Brendan, as the most sympathetic character in the episode, and Potsch Boyd, especially at the end. Kirsten Vangsness also does her best, but Garcia has had a tendency to be a pale and annoying caricature in the later seasons and it is the case here, and the material is too over the top, Garcia's feelings and obsession with making amends not feeling natural within the story. Other flaws with this subplot are the implausibly fast execution date (may be British but you don't have to be American to know that not only are death row inmates in almost all case are on death row for at least a decade but also cases often take several months/a year or more to go to trial) and Morgan being an out of character jerk towards Garcia (it's not his strong feelings about her decision that is the issue, it was how he worded his reaction and he didn't have to be so cold, it would have been much more justified if it was Reid seeing as it was not Morgan who was affected by Baylor's actions).
The case/mystery itself could have been stronger, though of the two stories it was the far superior of the two. It does have tension and suspense, with shocking murders based on an intriguing modus operandi and a victimology that made one sort of understand why the unsub killed. CS Lee is also both chilling and moving, even with material that didn't give him much to do. The actor playing his father is also spine-tingling and you actually hate him more than the unsub. What wasn't so good was that the murders were so cruel that sympathy towards the unsub does diminish. This was a shame, as his childhood scenes were really harrowing and made it very obvious as to how he came to be that way, there were shades where it was easy to feel sorry for him but not to a fully-realised degree.
Writing is not as tight as it could be, with the best lines of "Burn" quite easily being given to Rossi (particularly the line about the love child which brought a nice if brief humorous edge), and there was often too much of a melodramatic and unnaturally over-the-top tone. Pacing is erratic, the actual case is paced reasonably and doesn't feel rushed or convoluted at all but Garcia's subplot often drags and bogs down the story considerably. The music is sometimes haunting but when it's very dramatic or melancholic it goes overboard and gets overbearing and sentimentalised.
Despite the criticisms, there are things that salvage "Burn". It is very high in the production values, some of the case is intriguing and the performances are very good, with the exception of a dull and out of place Jennifer Love Hewitt, looking too young and somewhat delicate-looking for such a stressful job. The ending is also very poignant, and along with the childhood flashbacks and Rossi's love-child line is the highlight scene.
All in all, had all the makings of an intriguing episode but "Burn" mostly squanders its potential. 4/10 Bethany Cox
Forgettable episode...except
michael-570-91755012 February 2022
This episode is mediocre at best. The crimes and criminal are by-the-numbers police procedural. Don't come into this episode expecting anything new on the most recent addition to the team, Kate Callahan.
However, if you're going to watch this episode feel free to fast forward except for the scenes with Penelope Garcia. This subplot does a fine job of further expending Penelope as a character. Even after 10 seasons, this character is provided some more depth. While her actions are not surprising, her willingness to move forward without the rest of the team (or even support from Derek) is a wonderful change of pace. It proves that Penelope is a better human than most of us, especially her co-workers.
However, if you're going to watch this episode feel free to fast forward except for the scenes with Penelope Garcia. This subplot does a fine job of further expending Penelope as a character. Even after 10 seasons, this character is provided some more depth. While her actions are not surprising, her willingness to move forward without the rest of the team (or even support from Derek) is a wonderful change of pace. It proves that Penelope is a better human than most of us, especially her co-workers.
Profiling or Stereotyoing?
thomaserachael6 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
When you get to season 10 and the first Asian unsub appears, you're excited to see a little representation. Yeah, Asians can be serial killers, too! I understand stats show fewer instances of POC committing serial murders but still, if you are going to include an Asian man as your unsub of the day, how could you reduce their villain origin story to a stereotype of a child being pressured by parents about a B grade? This seems more in line with a stand up segment, not a drama centered around brutal murderers. Very disappointing, writers.
Not plausible
laraherrick8 November 2020
Not only is it unlikely for this case to have gone to trial in such a short time let alone already to an execution, there's the confusing factor that this character shares the same last name that the character used (James Colby Baylor) who tried to kill Penelope in season three. This actually is a more realistic timeline to have reached an execution, making this a ridiculous storyline to work into the character development of Penelope. And at this point I've spent far too long on it. The end.
Makes no sense
atxdiamond-562918 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I couldn't for the life of me figure out who Garcia was visiting on death row. I thought it was the guy who shot her in front of her apartment. Then, after some internet searching, read that it was the guy in the hospital room who tried to put something in Reid's Intravenous line. Well, that happened just two episodes prior to this episode. Did this guy even have a name in that episode? He was just some no-name guy, some extra, they only showed for a few seconds. And we are supposed to believe that this guy has had a trial already, and is already getting executed? Really? Do the writers know anything about death row and how many years people sit there before, if ever, they are executed?
Like almost all other episodes, the writers are completely out of touch with reality. Maybe they never leave their apartments. I know they have never been to any small towns in rural America because most of their episodes portray this fact. It would be nice if writers of these hit shows actually left the state of California every once in a while so they could get some of their facts straight and scenes half way accurate and believable.
This side story of Garcia going to see this guy was just too confusing , unrealistic and unnecessary.
Like almost all other episodes, the writers are completely out of touch with reality. Maybe they never leave their apartments. I know they have never been to any small towns in rural America because most of their episodes portray this fact. It would be nice if writers of these hit shows actually left the state of California every once in a while so they could get some of their facts straight and scenes half way accurate and believable.
This side story of Garcia going to see this guy was just too confusing , unrealistic and unnecessary.
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