Criminal Minds (TV Series) To Hell... (2009) User Reviews

Great Finale!

[tkelly-24941 · 9/10 · 28 April 2021]

I loved this finale! Not for people who disgust easily, I'd rank this up there with the cannibal from season 3 for grossness but an intriguing plot!

As someone from Ontario, loved to see the OPP and RCMP rep. I don't know why people say this is a bad representation of Canadian law enforcement. Ngl it's quite accurate with my experience here, complete with the very quick border crossing.

Pig Farm?

[SpiritStandsStrong · 8/10 · 3 June 2009]

I'm starting to get nervous that Criminal Minds will follow CSI and make a turn for the worst, but so far I'm still holding onto my hopes. Regardless of that, I had a hard time focusing on this episode because it reminds me of a real serial killer in British Columbia, Canada who is a pig farmer that fed his victims to the pigs. It just so happens his victims were prostitutes. He hasn't been convicted yet, that's how fresh this case is. The similarities between this episode and what's really happened, even though the differences are significant, are too profound.It's too close to reality, which makes it a really great episode and a really terrible one.

Solid finale if not for the faint-hearted

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 30 November 2016]

On first viewing, not much about "To Hell and Back" leapt out at me, other than the character of Lucas, the shock value of the pigs and the cliff-hanger ending.

Having just recently re-watched the episode, there was much more to appreciate on this viewing with the case more than engrossing enough to distract me from things that "To Hell and Back" has been criticised for like geographical inaccuracy and disrespectful representation of the Canadian police force. For a 'Criminal Minds' episode, although it does overall share similarities with the real-life Pickton murders and the film 'Hannibal', "To Hell and Back" certainly stands out and it would be hard not to forget it.

Compared to first viewing, criticisms are few. As somebody who doubted Hightower's guilt very early on, it did take a little too long somewhat for the episode to establish that. The episode has also been criticised for being gratuitously gross, mostly the harrowing and brutal atmosphere was handled incredibly well and was very scary and disturbing but for me "To Hell and Back" did go a bit too far with the pigs. We got the point very quickly so well before the end of the first part, while frightening and leaving one feel unsettled, one did wish that they weren't used so much and so in your face.

Flaws aside, as always, the production values are very atmospheric and stylish, and the music suitably moody. The script is tight and thought-provoking, also with surprising complexity, like with Hightower's dedication to his sister and the lengths he'd go through, the rapport between Kelly and Lucas, that between Rossi and Mason, Prentiss' dry lines, the poignant prospect of homeless people being tracked down being impossible and the twist with Mason was unexpected.

While not one hundred percent perfect, the storytelling is very engrossing and gets better and better, the few issues were in the first half whereas the second was excellent. The episode is not for the faint-hearted but a vast majority of the time the shock value was harrowing and chilling without being excessive or over-the-top, only with the pigs in the first half did it come close. The discoveries on the farm will wrench the gut and bring tears to the eyes, while the climax is nail-biting suspense and the cliff-hanger ending is just another big and very well executed surprise in an episode full of them.

The characters of Mason and Lucas are very well written, one really feels sorry for Lucas while being repulsed by the much more deranged Mason, despite him not being physically able. One also feels sorry for Hightower and understands his point of view, while Kelly is a victim that is likable and easy to root for due to her compassion, which seems genuine, and also her feistiness and the strength and courage she shows in order to stay alive. The BAU still work wonders together and are interesting individually.

Acting is very good throughout, with Paul Rae particularly astounding as Lucas, a "human monster" sort of character, though it's Mason who's the monster through and through.

In conclusion, not one of Season 4's best episodes (one of the best 'Criminal Minds' seasons with so many good episodes, with "Demonology" and "Catching Out" being two of very few disappointments), but a solid finale if not for all tastes. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Where Have I Seen This Before?

[dunedain16 · 8/10 · 24 May 2009]

So, let me get this straight: The villain is a paralyzed psychopathic sadist named Mason who feeds people to his pigs? Throughout the episode I expected Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore to jump out from behind a tree. Nevertheless, I appreciated this episode. Some people will doubtless complain that it jumped around too much -- first from the streets of Detroit to the Canadian border, then into the Canadian backwoods, then back to Detroit -- but I am consistently impressed with the show's adherence to reality (that is, it comes close to trying, something that "CSI" gave up on eight seasons ago), and a real investigation can take profilers all over the country. Despite the obvious riffs along the theme of "Hannibal," there were enough unique elements in the episode to keep me interested, and the twist at the end promises another season. I can't wait to see what happens!

Too Close for Comfort

[Ciaobaby-Rides-Again · 7/10 · 16 March 2010]

Oddly enough, this episode's plot skated so close to the reality of the Pickton case in B.C. that it's where the writers deviated from real events with their own fictional flourishes (the paralysed doctor, the cognitively disabled brother, the distracting and otherwise unnecessary complication of the disabled vet, the - necessary for the show's premise - cross border involvement of the show's protagonists) that the real, dry-mouth horror of the murders in B.C. was watered down and sugar coated for the audience.

For the best, I think.

As much as I like this series, I'm not sure how I feel about raiding the headlines for story material when the headlines are this recent and families and communities who are still coming to terms with the shock of what happened to their children must also come to grips with the commodification of their personal tragedy for the purposes of making entertainment.

This isn't the first time CM has worked a high profile story from real life into its fictional world, and of course it won't be the last. I suspect what bugs me is that the Pickton murders happened so very recently that the newspaper ink is still wet and the real-time suffering of everyone involved is still pretty fresh and urgent.

I guess it wouldn't be fair to ask every sleuthing procedural to treat a topic like this the way that Da Vinci's Inquest did, but, as much as I do appreciate CM, I really hope it doesn't stray into this area very often.

Gross

[LoveIsAStateOfMind · 6/10 · 29 December 2015]

Holy crap, why didn't someone warn me about the graphic nature of this episode? The whole eating pigs who have been eating human flesh? Gross.

Have to admit that throughout the first half hour I was waiting for it to get good. Yes it was nice to open with the idea that the "perp" wasn't a perp at all but just someone who wanted to bring the victims to the FBI's attention but I feel like it dragged on for a bit too long .... actually coming to think of it, I think this whole episode would have worked better if it had been in a one-hour instalment instead of two-hours - it seems like that extra hour was just needed to flesh out (pardon the pun) the sick, graphic torture. Actually, I think the previous Anthrax episode, in spite of it being a little cliché, may have been better as a finale and because, as much as I hate to say it, terrorism does make exhilarating TV.

To be honest this episode was more horrifying than gripping (hard to match the Season 3 finale in that respect) ... when it came to the scene with the rabbit I had a kind of 'Of Mice and Men' throw back and was thinking 'oh God not the rabbit, please not the innocent rabbit ...' I found the fact that they were all so disheartened after finding that Turner was paralysed hard to believe. I mean wouldn't their minds immediately jump to the fact he must have an accomplice rather than "oh dear we've got the wrong guy despite the fact there's all the medical supplies and a table drenched in blood"?!?! You couldn't help but feel a little sorry for "Lenny" Lucas by the end but on the whole for an episode like this to really work I think you have to feel sympathy for the victim, something which I didn't quite have. I felt sorry for William Hightower but it never quite reached the caring stage (maybe if there'd been an additional scene with his mother after they found out what had happened to his sister?) and the build up to him shooting the perp was a little too obvious. Inside I was willing him to stop himself or be stopped at the last minute but alas it all just contributed to the unsatisfactory, depressing gloom.

And then the ending. Hotch. No! Yet, it's much less cliffhangery than the Season 3 finale. I mean Hotch is probably going to be roughed up a bit, possibly shot and kidnapped and survive or he's going to die (unlikely option). Last year it was the really clever way they filmed it so you didn't know WHO was in danger nor what the scope of the injuries would be.

Loved all of Prentiss' dry lines in this episode. I liked the fact that there was a lot of Morgan / Prentiss - I think they play off each other well. Needed more JJ.

Overall it was okay. I think the execution of the plot idea was brilliantly done .... but the plot lacked something to begin with. Definitely not one I'm going to feel the need to rewatch any time soon and in my opinion, the worst finale in the series so far but this is Criminal Minds so even the most mediocre episodes are more than watchable (even if I did spend a good proportion of this episode trying very hard not to watch....).

Thanks Criminal Minds for disturbing me for life. I don't think I can ever look at pigs/pork/ham/bacon/sausages in the same way again.

Worse case Ontario, your simple details are lacking

[punctualsloth · 21 September 2021]

Y'all know it's close to a 23 hour drive in one direction (6ish the other) from southern Ontario to the next provinces, right? "Every policeman in Ontario is on the way to this farm." Lol. No, no they aren't. Also, always amused that we are only our provinces. So many American shows say Ontario, Canada, like it's a city. It's the same as a state! Province = state! Just different words. Would you say they went to investigate in California, USA, without other specifics? So strange. California's huge. So is Ontario, Canada! Geography is useful and underrated!

Kinda gross...

[gertmeister · 2/10 · 27 May 2012]

Am a Law & Order fan. had this on while doing paperwork. Did not know it was going to rip-off Hannibal with the pig farm thing and be as foul as it was. Morally offensive. But, I was 42 minutes in by the time I found out how disgusting it was. Then, at the end of the show, I realized it would be yet ANOTHER hour before I got to the end of it. The representation of the Canadian police was disrespectful as well. I would not watch this series again or recommend it to others unless they were Horror movie fans, which I am definitely not. The degree of violence was gratuitous and the torture aspect was beneath that of a network show.

Reality - When You Die

[ttapola · 7/10 · 18 December 2010]

Well, this reviewer was not familiar with the real life events that inspired this episode, but now that has changed and it affects the vote. First, however, this was to be judged as just another *completely* fictional episode. So how does is stand up to scrutiny, especially since last season's ender "Lo-Fi" set the bar so high?

The beginning is full of promise. There is a sense of mystery, first with the seemingly irrational mayhem at the border crossing, which is pleasingly revealed to be completely rational - desperate times call for desperate measures. Also, the victims are of a promising type for a grandiose storyline: no one will miss the homeless, so the unsub must be minimizing the risks of attracting attention in order to carry out some heinous acts.

When we are shown an actual kidnapping of a victim, the first part starts to show the first cracks in what seemed destined to be another classic season ender. The pig farm, unfortunately, reminds pretty much everyone of Hannibal, and, when informed that a pig farm case took place in the real world, immediately lends this episode an uncomfortable feel of shameless, questionable sensationalism. Bad move, writers.

First, the unsub seems to be some kind of human monster, but when we arrive at the midpoint (or cliffhanger, depending of which version of this double-length episode you are watching), and the truth is revealed, disappointment is unavoidable. It is refreshing, though, that the BAU's profile is off - they *aren't* always right! This is almost groundbreaking in this series. But back to the midpoint. In double-length form this is not as frustrating as in a two-parter, since there is no wait for the conclusion. Either way, the truth not only disappoints, but also asks a lot of suspension of disbelief.

How exactly is a "retard" (as he is called in the episode) capable of not only pulling off the kidnappings, but to perform medical procedures on them without his brother being present? Well, since he's been doing it *a lot*, his brother *might* have been present at the first times and he could have learned the routine, but still it bugs the mind. Ironically, both actors in the roles of the brothers are great - and Garret Dillahunt is limited to using only his head! This man is seriously underrated.

In the end, the clichés pile on each other: the retard befriends the last victim but goes mental and is shot, then the civilian murders the other brother so no one in the law enforcement will destroy their life. To cap it off, we are treated with a Voice-over for Dummies, explaining what has just happened with absolutely nothing to add food for thought. Contrast this with the end of Se7en, for example, to see why that movie will disturb us forever, whereas this episode will just fade away.

"But what about THAT scene?" someone cries. Yeah, it *is* a surprise, but considering this series' history in regards to *these* kind of surprises, I wouldn't hold my breath in anticipation. In any case, THAT scene feels completely tacked on. Yes - they *almost* always do, in any series, *unless* you are watching The Wire, where they are done correctly. The writers of this series should study The Wire and learn from it.

What the hell were they thinking

[katrinalindsay-22904 · 1/10 · 26 September 2016]

This was a bad choice for a show because Picktons victims were still being found on that farm. I think that this should have never bend allowed to air. If I was a victims family member I would have sued them for this and not cared.maybe people should learn how to have a heart. I know it's just a show but it did hit to close to home for many people this was the worse killing spree in Canadian history to date. It's bad enough I have a report due on him and reading the cases and the victims names it hurts a lot to know that someone could do a show about him. Sure let's make him more famous then he already is. What if this happened to the directors family how would he feel about someone making a show of it. Yes some of the facts are fake as is the names but it's still the point we Canadians know who the show was about and it just shows us that the director the writer and the cast don't respect Canada because of it. Yes the women were prostitutes or drug addicts but not all of them were some of them had good jobs got off drugs and turned their lives around and they were still killed. I'm just glad one of his victims fought back and got away.

Geographically wrong and so much lost details.

[sassystacyholmes · 3/10 · 1 July 2019]

Guns, FBI, patches on uniform and so much inaccurate information that is a huge misrepresentation of Canada and it's law enforcement. Harder to view on this side of the border. Had to hide so many horrors that occurred because reality is, it was and is horrible. If only Pickton had the same defense that was portrayed in this episode... he'd still be free. Very disappointed.