With Friends Like These
- Episode aired Mar 30, 2011
- TV-14
- 43m
The BAU travels to Portland to investigate a suspected gang of murderers targeting a new victim each night.The BAU travels to Portland to investigate a suspected gang of murderers targeting a new victim each night.The BAU travels to Portland to investigate a suspected gang of murderers targeting a new victim each night.
- Priest
- (as Hugh Holub)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaGreg Van Dyke, who plays the role of the bus driver, is also the transportation coordinator for the show.
- GoofsThe date of birth that Garcia pulls up for Ben shows that he was born in 2001, making Ben 10 years old at the date of the airing of the show, not mid-twenties that the profile suggests.
- Quotes
Ben Foster: The only way you can help me is if you kill me.
Dr. Spencer Reid: Ben, that's not true. Listen, the only way we can help you...
[Reid's image shimmers, indicating that the next thing Ben hears is in his head and not actually Reid's own words]
Dr. Spencer Reid: ... is if you take that knife, and you stab me in the neck with it.
Ben Foster: Are you sure that'll work?
Dr. Spencer Reid: [In Ben's hallucination] Oh, I'm absolutely sure, Ben.
[as himself]
Dr. Spencer Reid: Put that knife down, okay?
[In Ben's hallucination]
Dr. Spencer Reid: Take that knife, jam me in the neck with it, and all your problems will go away! Okay?
- SoundtracksNo Man is an Island
Written by Losers
Performed by Losers
Season 6 was when 'Criminal Minds' became wildly hit and miss, and generally is one of the show's weakest seasons. There are good episodes such as "Middle Man", "Remembrance of Things Past", "The Longest Night", "Into the Woods" and "Hanley Waters", but also some average or less episodes like "Today I Do", "25 to Life" and particularly "The Thirteenth Step" (which didn't feel like 'Criminal Minds' at all). "With Friends Like These" is towards the lower end of the season.
There are good things. The production values as always are very high in quality, being atmospheric and stylish, while the music has the right amount of the ominous touch and the pathos. There is some decent scripting, like the deduction of the patterns, Hotch's implication of a more experienced profiler coming back, everything with Reid (such as his scene with "protective big brother" Morgan) and some welcome humorous banter with Morgan and Garcia.
Acting is mostly very good, Matthew Gray Gubler being exceptional, with Reid's fear and dilemmas being powerfully written and acted.
However, the case itself is pretty bland and predictable, with the early reveal of the unsub diminishing the suspense levels and the unsub's motives and circumstances being obvious too early on, making it unbelievable that it takes so long for the team to figure it all out. The photo of Prentiss was a lovely touch quickly gone to waste by Garcia's relative lack of emotion, speaking of Garcia aside from some humorous banter with Morgan she doesn't make much of an impression especially in a type of role completely wrong for her.
It is true that Hotch is underused, and Rossi even more so, though Hotch does have a couple of good lines and has the one instance of classic profiling of the entire episode. There is far too little profiling, what there is is reached to all too conveniently and with too much conclusion jumping, only the stuff about the patterns convinces as good profiling. As well as there being far too much Seaver, again a badly mishandled character thrown too much in the viewer's face who continues to be a chronically dull, annoying and pointless presence with dumb, facepalm-worthy dialogue and a constant air of inexperience. Rachel Nichols' acting continues to be very limited.
Overall, watchable but pretty lacklustre. 5/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Mar 12, 2017
Details
- Runtime43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD