"Criminal Minds" Compulsion (2005)

Director:

Charles Haid

Writers:

Jeff Davis (creator)
Jeff Davis (writer)

TV Series:

"Criminal Minds" (2005)

Original Air Date:

28 September 2005 (Season 1, Episode 2)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

The team are called to an Arizona college when an arsonist who operates in a very unusual way kills a student.

Plot Keywords:

FBI Profiler | Serial Killer

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Jan. 8	9:00 PM	AETV	Compulsion	#1.2
Sat. Jan. 9	1:01 AM	AETV	Compulsion	#1.2

Cast

Mandy Patinkin	...	Jason Gideon
Thomas Gibson	...	Aaron Hotchner
Lola Glaudini	...	Elle Greenaway
Shemar Moore	...	Derek Morgan
Matthew Gray Gubler	...	Dr. Spencer Reid
A.J. Cook	...	Jennifer "JJ" Jareau
Lukas Haas	...	Clerk (The Footpath Killer)
J. Karen Thomas	...	College Admin Tuner
Jennifer Hall	...	Clara
Kirsten Vangsness	...	Penelope Garcia
Michael David Cheng	...	Arson Investigator
Evan Lee Dahl	...	Jeremy
Sage Mears	...	1st Chem Student
Kristen Caldwell	...	2nd Chem Student
Bob Jesser	...	Professor Wallace

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Certification:

USA:TV-14

Filming Locations:

Quixote Studios, 4585 Electronics Place, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Touchstone Television

Goofs:

Errors in geography: As the gas station clerk is walking outside you can clearly see the window cling showing you have to be 19 years of age. This window cling is showing the age for alcohol purchase in the province of British Columbia and is was supposed to be taking place in Dumfries, Virginia.

Quotes:

Jeremy: You can't pry them all the way open, it's a safety precaution.

Arsonists And The First Of The Show's Liberal Agendas

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This picks up where the end of the pilot show ended, with Gideon stopping at a rural gas station/convenience store in Virginia where he instantly recognizes a perfect profile of a killer that he mentioned in a speech. (The guy will be driving a truck, have a menial job, talk with a stutter, etc.) Gideon sees the whole profile right here with this guy. The clerk sees the gun on Gideon and as our leader walks away the man comes out with a shotgun aimed at him.

This is the "Footpath Killer," and Gideon just happened stumble across on him on this day. "Sometimes it's just dumb luck that captures these guys," he explains to his co-workers in a fast-forward retrospect scene (so at least we know he got out of this jam as this killer held him captive with that shotgun.)

The key question in this capture and story seems to be "Why does a person (the killer) stutter?" That question, BTW, is never answered.

Oddly, after that six-minute opening, the episode is all about catching a serial arsonist who is a college student setting fires which are killing people at Bradford College in Arizona. The ending of the episode then finished with this very short "story."

Anyway, as viewers we learn all about arsonists, such as who they usually are, their personalities, likely history and why they do what they do. Very interesting material and a dramatic show.

Unfortunately, the episode then turns so typical of secular Hollywood when they get their prejudices in against "religion" making the arsonist into God-believer-freak and an OCD case, to boot. Bizarre. That, and another plug for homosexuality. This kid tells Gideon he dumped his girlfriend. "What's her name," asks Gideon. "Brian," he says. "Well, that's a good reason (and he's sincere.) "My girlfriend said it's a sin." (Gideon smirks) It's at that point, of course, that the Bible-quoter must be the arsonist-killer....and sure enough! The left-wing entertainment business just cannot stop putting their agendas into our faces, ruining good crime shows with their hateful prejudices.