The children of Hamelin are disappearing in the night. JJ's mother comes to visit.The children of Hamelin are disappearing in the night. JJ's mother comes to visit.The children of Hamelin are disappearing in the night. JJ's mother comes to visit.
Liam James Ramos
- Joey Pryor
- (as Liam Ramos)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaCARD is short for Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team.
- GoofsOne of the main reasons Garcia suggests Arthur Brodie as a suspect is because he owns a white cargo van like the one in the surveillance video. However when the video zooms in it can clearly be seen that the van the abductor was driving is a Ford, whereas the van Brodie owned is a Chevy. Garcia has helped the BAU track down enough vehicles over the years that she should be able to tell the difference between a Ford and a Chevy by looking at them.
- Quotes
David Rossi: What's that abrasion on his forehead?
Emily Prentiss: Apparently he gave Lewis a shove and Reid went a little cellblock D on him
David Rossi: Nice
- ConnectionsReferences Criminal Minds: The Tall Man (2018)
Featured review
The Piper walks past the pond: Good direction undermined by subpar writing.
With a nod to creepy child-based horror tropes, "Hamelin" starts off thrillingly. Even with the urgency usually felt in episodes involving child abductions, this particular one manages to up the creep factor unexpectedly, and for the direction I give props.
Unfortunately, the writing doesn't quite do the case justice. The premise behind the method used by the UnSub is an interesting one, but it is underdeveloped. You don't quite get a clear picture of the How and the episode skates past that connection to finding the UnSub. Too much information about the UnSub's motives and trigger is revealed in too short a frame, and the pieces don't fit together as organically as the show has proven to be capable of. The direction is undermined by the shoddiness of the story, and you're left feeling quite unsatisfied at the end of the case.
An element of Criminal Minds that I greatly enjoy is the look into the team's lives beyond their work. It has driven some of the best episodes of the show overall, and provides a much needed regular dose of levity through the seasons. While the subplots that revolve around either the team as a whole or members individually/in sub-units are a welcome window into their personal lives, a common criticism of the later seasons remains that far too much focus is given on a particular member. "Hamelin" thankfully, stays truer to form. It's an emotional look at JJ's personal trauma and how that impacts her relationship with her mother, and AJ Cook puts thought into her work: the attention paid to body language is clever. The sub-plot doesn't overwhelm but that might be more because it is the only well written portion of the episode.
Given that this season has been pretty Reid-starved, I liked that he got to show off a little physical skill for once. It tips a hat to his character development over the course of the show, and is a nice touch for a traditionally nerdy character!
Unfortunately, the writing doesn't quite do the case justice. The premise behind the method used by the UnSub is an interesting one, but it is underdeveloped. You don't quite get a clear picture of the How and the episode skates past that connection to finding the UnSub. Too much information about the UnSub's motives and trigger is revealed in too short a frame, and the pieces don't fit together as organically as the show has proven to be capable of. The direction is undermined by the shoddiness of the story, and you're left feeling quite unsatisfied at the end of the case.
An element of Criminal Minds that I greatly enjoy is the look into the team's lives beyond their work. It has driven some of the best episodes of the show overall, and provides a much needed regular dose of levity through the seasons. While the subplots that revolve around either the team as a whole or members individually/in sub-units are a welcome window into their personal lives, a common criticism of the later seasons remains that far too much focus is given on a particular member. "Hamelin" thankfully, stays truer to form. It's an emotional look at JJ's personal trauma and how that impacts her relationship with her mother, and AJ Cook puts thought into her work: the attention paid to body language is clever. The sub-plot doesn't overwhelm but that might be more because it is the only well written portion of the episode.
Given that this season has been pretty Reid-starved, I liked that he got to show off a little physical skill for once. It tips a hat to his character development over the course of the show, and is a nice touch for a traditionally nerdy character!
helpful•30
- Washi_Washi
- Jan 26, 2021
Details
- Runtime43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content