Criminal Minds (TV Series) The Bunker (2017) User Reviews

Good old excentric cases but with a lot pf plotholes

[Gustavo_Valadares · 7/10 · 21 July 2020]

While is appreciated that Criminal Minds came back to the excentric cases where the serial killer or criminal have a whole ideal and structure behind his delusions a lot of this episode suffers from trying too much to focus on the concept and lacking structure to support it.

The most blatantly part of this episode is the huge plot inconsistencies and the lack of logic with BAU work being completely useless. The only profiling done in the whole episode is made by Reid figuing out the doomsday clock, all the rest happens without any effective thinking work of the team. The only work the team does is running here or there and speaking with people without substancially impacting the case. Rossi, Prentiss and Tara part in this episode is totally forgetable.

The inconsistencies are so prominent in this episode that I even need to list them:

• BAU don't even question theirselves during profiling in debriefing if the 3 women abductions with no bodies found could be sexual oriented.
• Mat Simmons tells Penelope to filter a list of 70 preppers (suspects) by asserting that the abductor would be steriotypically a mathematician or engineer because preppers are more likely to be have a technical profile... The guy basically tried to find a prepper inside a list of preppers, and even if this would be case, if preppers are more likely to be technical why just 1 name in 70 would be technical, doesn't make sense.
• BAU suddenly receive a video of the kidnapping rendering their whole profiling to figure out who the killer was and the vehicle used, useless.
• The video received is unexplicably shot by a random guy inside a stopped car BEFORE the guy even try to abduct one victim.
• The abductor totally ignores the fact that someone next to him in the other side of the street was filming him with a cell phone, while they stated the the guy was technical and avoided risk.
• The vehicle used had a license plate visible in the video, the vehicle belonged to the terapist, they just found out her involvement much later.
• By the time of abductions only Reid was able to figure the motivation behind the killer kidnappings being moved by the avoiding the Doomsday time which was 12:00 but when locked in his prison with a 4 digit code to be released he doesn't even try to rationalize and imediatly accepts that he can't figure the obvious code (1200).
• BAU finds out that the terapist is the one who feeds the killer with the victims information, participates in the kidnappings and owns the bunker but yet she gets suddenly get convinced to let everyone go after hearing Reid convincing the braiwashed people that the outside world was normal, which the girls didn't know but the terapist already knew even brainwashed.
• It's never explained what was the end goal of the killer (they just mixed the cultist archetype with the prepper), why he only kidnapped women, why the terapist was only mildly annoyed with the murder (when nether had killed before) and how the girls were brainwashed (the video they show to the victims doesn't convince any of them).
• Chrissy story was very bad explained, at the beggining they stated that she was very fascinated by "end of the world" subject like tv shows and websites while later it is slightly implied that she was kidnapped after consulting herself with the terapist which makes the ending a lot confusing. Was she abducted or convinced? If she was convinced to live there or abducted wasn't she still aware that her sister would keep searching for her? How anyone specially Chrissy have no the curiosity to know if their families were really dizimated or ok by the end of the world if they believe that there were survivors? If they accepted that the world had went into decay in radiation how the abductor could freely go in and out bringind new people inside? If the terapist believed in the same delusions that the other victims believed, going outside and kidnapping people without protection wouldn't be the proof that the world was normal?

Again, the episode is fun, I love seeing Criminal Mind taking concepts of elaborate crimes with gimmicks but it should be better dosed so the story and investigation flows well together otherwise you have what this episode displayed: Story driven episode with bad investigation work and not enough time to give a tight and coherent story.

Good quality has not done a bunk

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 7 May 2018]

'Criminal Minds' has always been one of my most-watched shows and was a personal favourite for a while. Seasons 1-5 was its best period, Season 4 was especially great. It did get hit and miss from Season 6 onwards, with a mix of good and more episodes and disappointing and less episodes. Season 11 was, apart from about 5 episodes, pretty weak. Season 12 was inconsistent but generally an improvement, its weakest episodes nowhere near as bad as the low-points of Seasons 6, 9 and especially 11.

Season 13 so far has not been too bad. It is already so much better than Season 11, which started off well actually but quickly went downhill, and has generally settled quicker than Season 12. As far as the previous Season 13 episodes go, "Wheels Up" and "Killer App" were particularly good. Up to this point, only "To a Better Place" was a little disappointing, with a lot of admirable qualities but also an over-familiar and not much special case.

"The Bunker" is another very solid episode. The case has some familiar elements where they were done before or reminiscent of, but also has enough nice and surprising turns to balance it all out. There is a good deal of suspense but also sympathetic emotion

The team work, the procedural aspects and how it's all solved evokes prime 'Criminal Minds', there is lots of each and it's all thought-provoking and delightful. It doesn't make the mistakes that many latter season episodes made (i.e. too much unsub, unsub revealed too early, problematically executed cases, too much reliance on convenience, lack of balance, too many soapy personal life subplots, team underuse and not enough procedural/delving into the criminal's mind). In fact, there is a sense that "The Bunker" didn't forget what made 'Criminal Minds' work so well in the first place. The twists keep coming and those towards the end are shocking.

Plenty of room for little character moments within the team, one of my favourite things about 'Criminal Minds' and something that lifts even the lesser episodes. Matt has settled well, is a likeable character and gels very well with the team, much more so than most new team members who either took a while to settle or never did anything for me.

Everybody does a great job with the acting, all the regulars are strong as ever, the unsubs intrigue and chills and the victims are some of the most sympathetic and interesting of the season, particularly Allie and Chrissy.

Visually, "The Bunker" is stylish and atmospheric, while the music is haunting without being over-bearing while having presence still, the script is taut with a touch of sweetness and poignancy here and there and the direction from Aisha Tyler (while not in the same league as Joe Mantagna, Thomas Gibson and particularly Matthew Gray Gubler when they've directed) is surprisingly credible, with some atmosphere enhancing shots in the hallway scenes.

However, although the reunion was heart-warming and touching, the climax ends too patly and was over too quickly. JJ and Reid's role in the climax, taking down on their own with no back-up, was just an idiotic and unrealistic decision considering what's happened in the past when that's happened.

Also felt that the personal life side story/subplot was under-developed and too brief, so much more could have been done with it.

Overall, solid episode. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The Bunker

[bobcobb301 · 7/10 · 19 December 2017]

Criminal Minds' ratings might be weak at this point, but the show is having a pretty solid season to this point. This was a really fun premise and while I doubt someone would build a sophisticated bunker like this, getting SNL vet Darrell Hammond to play the unsub made it even crazier.

Good episode, keep up the good work CM and maybe there is hope for Season 13.

JJ & Reid...

[laurenburridge-03718 · 6/10 · 15 February 2021]

As a whole I love Criminal Minds and I don't usually feel the need to leave a review but I have to ask what is it with JJ and Reid!? They always put themselves in a situation where they haven't told the rest of the team where they are or what their doing or even wait for back up... you'd think they'd know better by now.. eye roll.

Worst episode I have ever seen.

[saemlb · 2/10 · 6 April 2018]

This is the worst CM I have seen. The show has been getting progressively worse, but this one episode was a giant step down in quality. Cancel the series now.

Poor writing: normal shock turns are obvious

[jamesardron · 4/10 · 3 July 2021]

We've been watching and enjoying this show for ages! But this episode is a real massive drop off in quality and calibre. The normal twists and complicated turns are replaced with mindnumbingly obvious ones and silly questions a plenty.

Really hope this improves!