Criminal Minds (TV Series) A Thousand Suns (2014) User Reviews

Reid is bonding

[djquallspn · 9/10 · 16 November 2014]

There are some great elements of old style "Criminal Minds" in this episode. The main one is the scene where Reid walks through the design of the wings on the plane. This episode is a good one for focusing on the technique of the team.

While there are unsub scenes, they are rare. The focus is on the team. It has been awhile since the writers have really relied on the team to progress the case. Usually it is a mixture of the team figuring things out, and the viewers learning things through the unsub scenes. It is much more interesting to watch the team get there first.

The writers throw another unsub fake out by having a scene following around one of the suspects at the beginning of the episode. Yes, the writers are going for a twist, but the scenes are boring and confusing. Do you enjoy the unsub fake out scenes? They throw viewers in with random people that aren't connected to the crime at all. What were they doing in the woods with guns? No one knows. They just were, and it isn't intriguing or exciting.

There is just confusion.

Then, the writers include a scene with the actual unsub. Then absolutely nothing happens. He is in a creepy cabin working on some tech. Nothing is revealed that the viewers don't already know.

There really isn't a purpose to this scene other than to show that this guy is the real unsub.

A little more of Kate's history is revealed in this episode. It's not a lot, but it really doesn't have to be. The writers are slowly filling in more about Kate, and they answer the question regarding the young girl's identity. The moment where Reid tells her about the sad or tough moments in his life is great. Reid is bonding.

The most unconventional 'Criminal Minds' episode ends up being one of the high-points of Season 10

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 14 February 2017]

Despite being really disappointed in episodes like "If the Shoe Fits", "Protection", "Hashtag", "The Boys of Sudworth Place" and "Scream", "A Thousand Suns" is proof that there are also great episodes from Season 10 (which for a season was not as wildly variable as Seasons 6 and 9 or as underwhelming as Season 11, but still very mixed in quality).

It is not quite as good as the terrifying "Mr Scratch", the poignant and harrowing "Nelson's Sparrow" and the creepy and powerful "The Forever People". However, as far as Season 10 episodes go, "A Thousand Suns" is up there in the season's top 5 best, alongside those three and "Rock Creek Park". It is a very unconventional episode, 'Criminal Minds' has done numerous attempts at changes of pace (some of them worked, others didn't) but "A Thousand Suns" is perhaps the most unconventional, but it is an example of different and unconventional being done very well and often brilliant.

There are things that stop "A Thousand Suns" from being a classic 'Criminal Minds' episode. Really didn't buy that the co-pilot survived such a catastrophic crash, let alone being significantly less injured than one would expect him to be, the explanation provided was just bogus. While the use of misdirection was mostly interesting and came off well, the earlier misdirection parts came over as unnecessary agreed and confused the story a little. The climax was too short and too rushed.

"A Thousand Suns" however sees a huge amount of sublime team interaction and character moments. Highlights being Reid's air flight explanation (reminding one strongly of why Reid is such a fan favourite), the touching conversation between Reid and Kate that said a lot and Rossi's hilariously sassy "Washington is like his Hiroshima" line. Liked the reference to The Replicator (with the helicopter) and Garcia's worst blind date line sounded like a reference to her being shot in "Lucky"/"Penelope". The conspiracy nut character was quite fun.

It's further advantaged by a terrific engrossing story, with not much action but a lot of information without feeling overcrowded or hasty. Tension and suspense levels are very high. One cannot mention "A Thousand Suns" without mentioning the opening plane crash and the carnage, anybody with a fear of planes will have their fear intensified and even those without this fear will be scared of going on a plane for a while (like "House of Fire" from Season 4 did for cinemas). The writing is thought-provoking and tautly structured.

Other episodes have admittedly achieved a better balance of team and unsub with this being a team-heavy episode. But this means better focus on profiling, psychology and team detective work rather than the viewer worrying constantly about seeing too much unsub revealed too early and being frustrated about knowing everything long before the team does (a big problem in some Season 8 episodes). The unsub is a little underdeveloped but still evokes a creepiness.

Visually, the production values are without complaint. It's very well shot and lit and is overall stylish, gritty, classy and atmospheric. The music is moody in the haunting and melancholic sense and fits well, without either enhancing or distracting from it. The direction keeps the momentum going but lets the case breathe, and most of the pacing is spot-on apart from the climax.

All the acting is very good, especially from Matthew Gray Gubler. Even Jennifer Love Hewitt who more often than not doesn't do it for me but she balances better with the team than in most Season 10 episodes and there is a vulnerability that is touching rather than the dull character Kate is for most of the season.

In conclusion, very good indeed and often great. 8/10 Bethany Cox

If you have any knowledge as a pilot, do not watch.

[daemon-mythos · 1/10 · 20 September 2021]

I was screaming at the tv the whole episode, not because of the plot, but because of how much was wrong about the aviation/pilot side of the episode. Not sure if they were trying to be as inaccurate as possible, but they sure weren't making any effort to be accurate in any aspect.