Criminal Minds (TV Series) Scared to Death (2007) User Reviews

Pretty good

[lottiemarshalllm · 7/10 · 18 August 2020]

Disclaimer:I am no expert reviewer, I just need a show to binge watch and I'm going to Write a review for every episode I watch.

There's definitely been better episodes of criminal minds but this episode was pretty good.

I thought the plot of a psychiatrist using his patients biggest fears against them was very scary and was a good direction for the episode. I think that the writers could've went a little farther into the past abuse instead of just some random flashbacks thrown in. But I thought the idea of the episode was a good one that could have been more developed.

I thought this episode did a very good job of addressing Gideon leaving and how it affected everybody but in particular Reid the most. I thought the conversation between Emily and Spencer was impactful but not too much. And I also liked Hotchner's and Morgan's conversation at the end. I assume will find out more in later episodes but I thought it was well handled for this episode.

Overall a pretty cut and dry episode with a kind of unexplored unsub but some good team moments.

Solid episode, if not one of the best

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 18 July 2016]

Season 3 started off strong with "Doubt", but the next couple of episodes (including, and especially this) suffered from having to work around Gideon's departure which caused a good deal of unsettlement behind the scenes and on screen, before returning to form with "Children of the Dark".

The third episode of the season "Scared to Death" is not among the best 'Criminal Minds' episodes, but is still a solidly done episode. It does feel somewhat rushed in places, as a result to tell a lot of story and cram a lot in which means that the mystery doesn't take time as it should do and parts could have done with more explanation.

Wasn't completely crazy about the ending either, which seemed melodramatic and anti-climactic with a rather too convenient comeuppance for the unsub. Lastly, this reviewer still hasn't warmed to Strauss, she is more tolerable and less bitchy than in the previous two episodes but she still isn't gelling and still comes over as a little cold.

It's in particular the character interaction that makes "Scared to Death" a solid and enjoyable episode, such as Reid struggling to come to terms with Gideon's departure being the most affected, the moment with Hotch at the start, the scene in the elevator between Reid and Morgan (which was a refreshingly humorous moment), the interaction between Prentiss and Reid and that of Hotch and Morgan at the end. The character moments and the interaction are always what makes 'Criminal Minds' such a pleasure, and "Scared to Death" doesn't let the viewer done.

As for the mystery, it is a decent one with some disturbing murders based on the victims' anxiety disorders which the unsub takes advantage of and preys on, and the way the team go about solving the case with the profiling and psychology is satisfying enough if more intelligently done and creative in other episodes. The unsub is not the most interesting or most well developed but he's still an effective creep and it's easy to hate him.

Visually, it's stylish, audacious, atmosphere and suitably moody, while the direction is solid and the music is haunting and fits with the mood well, while not enhancing the action it never distracts either. The script is thought-provoking and tight, and the acting from all the leads is very good and Michael O'Keefe is effectively creepy and does convey some menace.

On the whole, solid episode if a little disappointing at the same time. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Dear other reviewers, you missed this

[avivablumenthal · 8/10 · 27 March 2022]

I was not sure why all the negative reviews focused on how the last victim could have stepped out of the shaft, until I realized that you all missed the part where he gave her the drugged tea beforehand.

I really enjoyed the character interactions, and the mystery unfolds differently when, as in this episode you can see the unsub early on.

just so-so

[lathamv · 6/10 · 12 March 2019]

Not one of my favorites but not the worst either. fairly interesting unsub since hes not this super scary killer lurking in the dark. the crew is dealing with emotional issues of their own so it makes sense to have an unsub that plays on peoples psycological issues, which is where i think the writers were going with this story.

two problems i have with the methods of murder... 1. not sure the coffee table/box was airtight. while fear could have easily caused the person to hyperventilate and passout, i doubt the person would have suffocated or at least not in such short of time as indicated in the show. 2. (this one really annoys me everytime i watch it) the person being buried alive is standing on her feet, not tied up or otherwise incompacitated. even in her fear (maybe especially so), she could have easily climbed out on top of the dirt. granted, some people deal with fear by "freezing up" (ie: not speak or move) but in this case she was moving her arms and begging to be let out. fight or flight adrenalin would have caused her to start climbing and digging her way out. the dirt was dumped 1 small bag at a time, not with a dumpster. she wouldnt have just waited to die for what would have taken at least 30-60 min to fill up in that space with small bags of dirt.

One of the worst episodes thus far in the series.

[jared-467-4890 · 4/10 · 1 December 2018]

I have been binge watching Criminal Minds from S1:E1, and I have to say that this episode is absolutely the worst one thus far. With Gideon gone, you lack his brooding expertise and intellectualism. The unsub is not really unknown to the audience at all, so there's no mystery to who is doing the crimes. The only mystery is how many people he'll be able to kill in real time during the episode before he's caught, and whether his current victim will be the one rescued, or if they'll simply die before the team can catch him.

The "buried alive" woman is especially troubling. All she would have to do to survive and escape is to climb up on the dirt being poured on her ever-so-slowly. There's actually an old parable about a farmer whose donkey fell in a well... they couldn't get the donkey out with a rope, so the farmer decided to just bury the donkey in the well. He shoveled dirt in, and was amazed to see the donkey shake off the dirt, and then step up on the dirt as it continued to fill in the hole. Eventually the donkey was able to simply step out of the well. The parable is one of "using the things in your life that would bury you as a step up to overcome your difficulties"...

Overall the writing was poor. Seriously, the faulty elevator was so contrived...

One of the worst endings of episode

[huska-58097 · 4/10 · 28 March 2021]

Okay, all in all criminal minds is a fine show, every episode has it's charm. But the last victim that was afraid of being burried alive, gets tossed inside that box and poured dirt on like that? First of all the unsub would need like a 100 of those bags of dirt if not much more to fill in that box, and second of all everything that he pours is going down to the bottom so the victim could easily just step on the dirt as it comes and end up getting out of that pit. Even though it would take hours and hours of work for the doc to fill it in like that. Why would anyone stand still and wait for the dirt to cover them up. If you think about it it's actually silly way to kill someone, it would never ever work. LOL.

Scared To Death

[nebohr · 3/10 · 29 December 2021]

My mom always said: "If you keep making that face it will freeze and stay that way". Hotch. Gideon. Take note. Oh. Wait. Just you, Hotch.

CBS writers were never any good at creating characters that we could relate to.

I really don't believe we are going to spend an hour to critique a 45 minute show. But here we are.

If that shaft measures roughly 8 feet by 8 feet by 20 feet? It will take almost 1300 bags of dirt to fill it. And what's the point when someone below just has to lift their feet a few times a minute to stay above the level of the dirt? Wouldn't it be better to throw unopened bags instead?

You box wine reviewers should maybe try a different slew rate?