The reviews I've seen for this episode aren't all too great, but in my opinion this was a pretty great episode. The directing style was quite nice and the acting was amazing as always. The storyline wasn't too unique, young girl in her early 20s is abducted and may be related to other cases. It ended the way I've come to expect many Criminal Minds episodes to end, with the team bursting in the door at the very last second and managing to save the victim and arrest the unsub. Which by all means, isn't bad, but it was quite predictable. But what made this episode really great was first off the return of J.J., as well as the moment shared between Rossi and his daughter, it was sentimental and showed some great character development. The ending of this episode also introduced a very new and promising plotline, with Garcia making the realization that she's a target for a group of hitmen the team is trying to track down. The fear portrayed by the actors was very good, and the plotline is unique and will hopefully utilize this uniqueness.
6 Reviews
This is a good episode, but...
iloveteach10 July 2018
I enjoy seeing Rossi the dad. I'm always glad when they catch the bad guys. My only question (and it's not just about this show) WHY don't they EVER call the local police? If Dave and JJ were 3 miles out, isn't it possible that some local cop was closer? I have the same question on Law & Order, NCIS...Just wondering?
Too many cooks spoil the broth
TheLittleSongbird5 August 2016
Much of Season 11 of 'Criminal Minds' has been very disappointing and a pale shadow of what the show once was. As said many times, at its best or when it was good (especially in Seasons 2-5) 'Criminal Minds' is one of my favourites.
"Target Rich" is one of the lesser episodes of the season and towards the bottom end of the whole show. There is worse in the season, for examples "Til Death Do Us Part", "The Bond" and "Awake", strong examples of what is so disappointing about the season, such as forgetting what made the show so great (the profiling, the pathology, the psychology and too little of the great little character moments), too much unsub often revealed too early and not enough BAU, lack of suspense, the stiff and disconnected character of Tara Lewis and tired plots that suggest that the show has run out of ideas.
In its favour however, there are good things in "Target Rich". 'Criminal Minds' has always been well-made, and "Target Rich", apart from the odd jumping around in the editing which affects the continuity, is no exception, being stylishly shot and atmospherically lit. The music is a good mix of the haunting and the melancholic, and this reviewer appreciated the understated and touching role of JJ and Lewis not being as prominent as she has been, so Aisha Tyler's stiffness and acting limitations don't stick out like a sore thumb as much.
A vast majority of the acting is fine, all the leads acquit themselves very well indeed as usual while Amber Stevens West and Robert L. Hughes are particularly good in support. Robert Neary however has little to do and doesn't bring the charisma and menace that he brought to "The Job", and Leif Steinert is particularly colourless of the unsubs (a rather predictable unsub and one where one is surprised that it takes the team so long to figure out, Hughes' character makes much more of an impression).
"Target Rich" suffers from pretty much all the problems that has made Season 11 disappointing on the whole, apart from Lewis not being as much as a liability and the execution of the story actually having a different problem. There are too many unsubs, which is worse actually than having too much of one who is revealed too early, and none of them are interesting or ones we feel anything for, either hate or sympathy. And there is too much crammed in, making the whole episode feel very rushed and confused with hardly any suspense, instead a very by-the-numbers quality. Not enough time is spent on anything explored so too much feels glossed over too. The most interesting part of the episode was regarding The Dirty Dozen, which was intriguing, but perhaps a little more time could have been devoted to it.
While one appreciates the characters being developed and having back story, it has to add something and not feel stale or feel like it's eating too much of the time up. The subplot with Rossi and his daughter just feels like filler and like a soap past its sell by date, there was little need for it and build up was little. The dialogue is not as taut or as thought-provoking as it is when 'Criminal Minds' is good or at its very best.
Overall, a lesser 'Criminal Minds' episode and a case of "too many cooks spoiling the broth", meaning not doing enough with too many ingredients. 4/10 Bethany Cox
"Target Rich" is one of the lesser episodes of the season and towards the bottom end of the whole show. There is worse in the season, for examples "Til Death Do Us Part", "The Bond" and "Awake", strong examples of what is so disappointing about the season, such as forgetting what made the show so great (the profiling, the pathology, the psychology and too little of the great little character moments), too much unsub often revealed too early and not enough BAU, lack of suspense, the stiff and disconnected character of Tara Lewis and tired plots that suggest that the show has run out of ideas.
In its favour however, there are good things in "Target Rich". 'Criminal Minds' has always been well-made, and "Target Rich", apart from the odd jumping around in the editing which affects the continuity, is no exception, being stylishly shot and atmospherically lit. The music is a good mix of the haunting and the melancholic, and this reviewer appreciated the understated and touching role of JJ and Lewis not being as prominent as she has been, so Aisha Tyler's stiffness and acting limitations don't stick out like a sore thumb as much.
A vast majority of the acting is fine, all the leads acquit themselves very well indeed as usual while Amber Stevens West and Robert L. Hughes are particularly good in support. Robert Neary however has little to do and doesn't bring the charisma and menace that he brought to "The Job", and Leif Steinert is particularly colourless of the unsubs (a rather predictable unsub and one where one is surprised that it takes the team so long to figure out, Hughes' character makes much more of an impression).
"Target Rich" suffers from pretty much all the problems that has made Season 11 disappointing on the whole, apart from Lewis not being as much as a liability and the execution of the story actually having a different problem. There are too many unsubs, which is worse actually than having too much of one who is revealed too early, and none of them are interesting or ones we feel anything for, either hate or sympathy. And there is too much crammed in, making the whole episode feel very rushed and confused with hardly any suspense, instead a very by-the-numbers quality. Not enough time is spent on anything explored so too much feels glossed over too. The most interesting part of the episode was regarding The Dirty Dozen, which was intriguing, but perhaps a little more time could have been devoted to it.
While one appreciates the characters being developed and having back story, it has to add something and not feel stale or feel like it's eating too much of the time up. The subplot with Rossi and his daughter just feels like filler and like a soap past its sell by date, there was little need for it and build up was little. The dialogue is not as taut or as thought-provoking as it is when 'Criminal Minds' is good or at its very best.
Overall, a lesser 'Criminal Minds' episode and a case of "too many cooks spoiling the broth", meaning not doing enough with too many ingredients. 4/10 Bethany Cox
Who is writing the college students?
khalbert-6492616 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I'm not even done with the episode but the writers of this show have the weirdest habit of writing college girls (and women in general) like idiots. They're usually presented as book smart and/or socially aware but they do the dumbest possible things. In this episode they left their phones in their rooms because there wasn't room in their outfits? In what universe? I have never met a woman in today's time who would leave their phone at home ESPECIALLY when going to a party and ESPECIALLY when they know they'll be drinking. No pockets? Bra, slipped into your boot, carry it in your hand; no one just leaves their phone. A couple of seasons before this there is a college girl taken because someone stopped their truck behind the car and both girls got out to talk to them in a dark parking lot. Have the writers been on the internet since 2005? Have they never had a conversation with a woman?
Good story, but...
fallencarpathia9 May 2021
The premise of the episode is fairly decent, but nothing new, something that has been done time and again. However, building the relationship between Joy and Rossi is pretty good, it's nice to see the whole daughter thing not being just a convenient plot-line for a one-of story.
Where it falls down though, is through some stunningly abysmal acting, especially on the part of Sameera Rock... There was nothing even remotely believable in her performance. But it wasn't only her, many of the principal cast seemed to be just phoning in their performances. Good episode, badly executed.
Where it falls down though, is through some stunningly abysmal acting, especially on the part of Sameera Rock... There was nothing even remotely believable in her performance. But it wasn't only her, many of the principal cast seemed to be just phoning in their performances. Good episode, badly executed.
Asinine Minds; Boring Minds; Predictable Minds
lynnwengland12 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
In my following of TV shows here on IMDb, I've found that as a series wanes in popularity, people do two things: trash the show with low ratings and/or stop writing reviews. With 11.7 we have both: no reviews (except mine), a whopping 6.2 rating and NO trivia or goofs. In short, people have ceased to care. I am sick and tired of the brave team rushing in at the last minute to find the victim being held at knife point/gun point/lighter point (after dosing with gasoline)/and anything else point to save the day usually by shooting the unsub squarely between the eyes. Having had to qualify on a 45 Colt semiautomatic, I can attest this is no small feat. Where is the episode arc that allows the viewer to learn the clues and seek out the unsub ALONG with the team? That format worked exceedingly well for TEN YEARS! Suddenly, now we know the bad guy/girl right from the start. Where's the mystery, the intrigue? More importantly, where's the directing and editing? for example: The victim's sister has a slight British accent, the victim a marked accent. Since they probably grew up in the same environment (I would surmise India), they would have similar speech patterns. Next, when the unsub is putting the dog collar on the victim, he puts the lock on the GUARD rather than threading the slot on the end of the collar through the obvious loop for it. This locked NOTHING! She could have easily just undone the collar and set her self free. I hope that Season 12 marks a return to tried and true formula. I don't blame Semar for leaving. I would have a long time ago.
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