A Thousand Suns
- Episode aired Oct 15, 2014
- TV-14
- 41m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
A terrorist hacks a passenger's tablet and uses it to take control of the auto pilot of a plane in order to crash it.A terrorist hacks a passenger's tablet and uses it to take control of the auto pilot of a plane in order to crash it.A terrorist hacks a passenger's tablet and uses it to take control of the auto pilot of a plane in order to crash it.
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAt the beginning, the woman complaining about the WiFi, is actually watching a Season 4 episode of Criminal Minds
- GoofsAt the site of the airliner crash, firefighters were attempting to put out the fires around the downed plane with water. Airplane crash fires are always attacked with fire-retardant foam, not water. Water would cause the burning jet fuel to spread out over a wider area and make the fire worse.
- Quotes
David Rossi: [closing quote] "We knew the world would not be the same: some people laugh, a few people cried, most people were silent" - J. Robert Oppenheimer
Featured review
The most unconventional 'Criminal Minds' episode ends up being one of the high-points of Season 10
Despite being really disappointed in episodes like "If the Shoe Fits", "Protection", "Hashtag", "The Boys of Sudworth Place" and "Scream", "A Thousand Suns" is proof that there are also great episodes from Season 10 (which for a season was not as wildly variable as Seasons 6 and 9 or as underwhelming as Season 11, but still very mixed in quality).
It is not quite as good as the terrifying "Mr Scratch", the poignant and harrowing "Nelson's Sparrow" and the creepy and powerful "The Forever People". However, as far as Season 10 episodes go, "A Thousand Suns" is up there in the season's top 5 best, alongside those three and "Rock Creek Park". It is a very unconventional episode, 'Criminal Minds' has done numerous attempts at changes of pace (some of them worked, others didn't) but "A Thousand Suns" is perhaps the most unconventional, but it is an example of different and unconventional being done very well and often brilliant.
There are things that stop "A Thousand Suns" from being a classic 'Criminal Minds' episode. Really didn't buy that the co-pilot survived such a catastrophic crash, let alone being significantly less injured than one would expect him to be, the explanation provided was just bogus. While the use of misdirection was mostly interesting and came off well, the earlier misdirection parts came over as unnecessary agreed and confused the story a little. The climax was too short and too rushed.
"A Thousand Suns" however sees a huge amount of sublime team interaction and character moments. Highlights being Reid's air flight explanation (reminding one strongly of why Reid is such a fan favourite), the touching conversation between Reid and Kate that said a lot and Rossi's hilariously sassy "Washington is like his Hiroshima" line. Liked the reference to The Replicator (with the helicopter) and Garcia's worst blind date line sounded like a reference to her being shot in "Lucky"/"Penelope". The conspiracy nut character was quite fun.
It's further advantaged by a terrific engrossing story, with not much action but a lot of information without feeling overcrowded or hasty. Tension and suspense levels are very high. One cannot mention "A Thousand Suns" without mentioning the opening plane crash and the carnage, anybody with a fear of planes will have their fear intensified and even those without this fear will be scared of going on a plane for a while (like "House of Fire" from Season 4 did for cinemas). The writing is thought-provoking and tautly structured.
Other episodes have admittedly achieved a better balance of team and unsub with this being a team-heavy episode. But this means better focus on profiling, psychology and team detective work rather than the viewer worrying constantly about seeing too much unsub revealed too early and being frustrated about knowing everything long before the team does (a big problem in some Season 8 episodes). The unsub is a little underdeveloped but still evokes a creepiness.
Visually, the production values are without complaint. It's very well shot and lit and is overall stylish, gritty, classy and atmospheric. The music is moody in the haunting and melancholic sense and fits well, without either enhancing or distracting from it. The direction keeps the momentum going but lets the case breathe, and most of the pacing is spot-on apart from the climax.
All the acting is very good, especially from Matthew Gray Gubler. Even Jennifer Love Hewitt who more often than not doesn't do it for me but she balances better with the team than in most Season 10 episodes and there is a vulnerability that is touching rather than the dull character Kate is for most of the season.
In conclusion, very good indeed and often great. 8/10 Bethany Cox
It is not quite as good as the terrifying "Mr Scratch", the poignant and harrowing "Nelson's Sparrow" and the creepy and powerful "The Forever People". However, as far as Season 10 episodes go, "A Thousand Suns" is up there in the season's top 5 best, alongside those three and "Rock Creek Park". It is a very unconventional episode, 'Criminal Minds' has done numerous attempts at changes of pace (some of them worked, others didn't) but "A Thousand Suns" is perhaps the most unconventional, but it is an example of different and unconventional being done very well and often brilliant.
There are things that stop "A Thousand Suns" from being a classic 'Criminal Minds' episode. Really didn't buy that the co-pilot survived such a catastrophic crash, let alone being significantly less injured than one would expect him to be, the explanation provided was just bogus. While the use of misdirection was mostly interesting and came off well, the earlier misdirection parts came over as unnecessary agreed and confused the story a little. The climax was too short and too rushed.
"A Thousand Suns" however sees a huge amount of sublime team interaction and character moments. Highlights being Reid's air flight explanation (reminding one strongly of why Reid is such a fan favourite), the touching conversation between Reid and Kate that said a lot and Rossi's hilariously sassy "Washington is like his Hiroshima" line. Liked the reference to The Replicator (with the helicopter) and Garcia's worst blind date line sounded like a reference to her being shot in "Lucky"/"Penelope". The conspiracy nut character was quite fun.
It's further advantaged by a terrific engrossing story, with not much action but a lot of information without feeling overcrowded or hasty. Tension and suspense levels are very high. One cannot mention "A Thousand Suns" without mentioning the opening plane crash and the carnage, anybody with a fear of planes will have their fear intensified and even those without this fear will be scared of going on a plane for a while (like "House of Fire" from Season 4 did for cinemas). The writing is thought-provoking and tautly structured.
Other episodes have admittedly achieved a better balance of team and unsub with this being a team-heavy episode. But this means better focus on profiling, psychology and team detective work rather than the viewer worrying constantly about seeing too much unsub revealed too early and being frustrated about knowing everything long before the team does (a big problem in some Season 8 episodes). The unsub is a little underdeveloped but still evokes a creepiness.
Visually, the production values are without complaint. It's very well shot and lit and is overall stylish, gritty, classy and atmospheric. The music is moody in the haunting and melancholic sense and fits well, without either enhancing or distracting from it. The direction keeps the momentum going but lets the case breathe, and most of the pacing is spot-on apart from the climax.
All the acting is very good, especially from Matthew Gray Gubler. Even Jennifer Love Hewitt who more often than not doesn't do it for me but she balances better with the team than in most Season 10 episodes and there is a vulnerability that is touching rather than the dull character Kate is for most of the season.
In conclusion, very good indeed and often great. 8/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 13, 2017
- Permalink
Details
- Runtime41 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD
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