A BIT OF ACTION "CRIMINAL MINDS"

I remember, once upon a time, having a profiler in the storyline of a cop-flic was an original idea… That must date back to the days when profilers were a new concept in the world of law-enforcement. It’s funny how something with so much potential became such a cliché so quickly… I personally find human psychology quite fascinating, especially the things that make it act in ways that are out of the ordinary (I’m not saying that as a handy handle into the series by the way, there genuinely was a time when I dreamt of training as a psychiatrist). I guess this is one of the reasons I like the series Criminal Minds so much. It’s definitely what puts it that little bit ahead in my eyes. But at the same time, Criminal Minds is a down to earth series with plot-twists to blow the mind of the most experienced… I don’t know what exactly you’re expecting, but you will get an adrenalin rush…
In a nut-shell, we follow the lives of the FBI’s profiling unit. They work the serious cases all around the country, serial killers, mass murderers, from Alaska to Arkansas, they deal with it, aiding the local authorities with the psychological profile of killers that may actually outsmart the law otherwise… Their job means that at any time they might need to hop on a plane and stay at the other end of the States for an indeterminate amount of time and that alone makes a private life impossible… However these men and women have no one but each other as they also struggle to maintain their sanity after having penetrated some of the most bizarre and horrifying minds in the world…
I know, the “talented but flawed police detective” is getting rather “old”. So much so that these kinds of gritty, more real characters are now a must of every police drama. But what I like about these guys is that they are not just “slightly” flawed to pay lip service to the phenomenon, they are actually seriously damaged goods. Dr. Reid, the youngest member of the team, a genius with an eidetic memory shows signs of mild autism. Aaron Hotchner, the leader of the team is a workaholic in the actual medical sense of the term and ends up driving his wife and baby son away irretrievably. All the characters have trouble holding on to their sanity, in much the same way we would in that situation… The second thing I like the most about this film is the plotlines. Now, I have watched A LOT of police dramas in my time. I have reached a point where I can pretty much guess where a plot is headed from the start. With Criminal Minds however, I am completely and utterly in the dark. Admittedly they are not for the faint of heart; at the time this article is being written I am a 28 year-old who is perfectly sound of mind and it has given ME nightmares… But if it’s the surprise factor you are after, if you want adrenaline and a REAL bona fide adventure, you came to the right place. I’m not just saying it because it’s my personal favorite, but you really need to see this one =)