"Criminal Minds" Nelson's Sparrow (TV Episode 2015) Poster

(TV Series)

(2015)

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8/10
Good Job Ben Savage...
Allen-Uncle-Mont-Williams18 June 2016
By now, I'm sure everybody knows how unhappy Mandy Patinkin was while being on Criminal Minds...But lets face it...He was still awesome when he played Jason Gideon...And I am very happy that the show creators brought back the character for this episode...

Ben Savage's performance was uncanny as young Gideon...He captured everything that was essential about the character...Everything from his expressions to his passion...The only reason I gave this episode an 8 out of 10 is because they didn't show him enough...

I really hope they make more episodes featuring Ben Savage...I would love to see the young duo of Gideon and Rossi again...My hope is that the next story takes place in Baltimore...This way they can bring back another iconic TV detective...

That being Detective Munch...That character has made appearances on many other shows on different networks including The X-Files...So him popping up on Criminal Minds would be true to form...

Imagine Richard Belzar reprising his character and then the episode goes into a flashback with Zack Braff playing the younger version of that character to team up with Gideon and Rossi...

That would be truly awesome...And that's all there is too it...
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9/10
One of the standout episodes of Season 10
TheLittleSongbird8 July 2016
The best of Season 10 for me is "Mr. Scratch", a contender for 'Criminal Minds' best episodes in a long time and is also one of the show's creepiest and most chilling.

"Nelson's Sparrow" is another one of the standout episodes, a close second best to "Mr. Scratch". While this reviewer understands why one may not be totally enamoured by "Nelson's Sparrow" but to me it was a beautifully done tribute to Gideon, and a worthier send off than "In Name and Blood". That did have a touching scene with the letter addressed to Reid, but Gideon's departure always did seem abrupt as a result of Mandy Patinkin's departure also being abrupt and unexpected and leaving on bad terms, so that was inevitable in a way.

It's not a completely perfect episode. It is agreed that the melancholic music score does get over-the-top at times (not usually a problem with 'Criminal Minds'). More problematic is the unsub's reasons for his crimes, they didn't make much sense, other than that the unsub was delusional, and seemed too disconnected from one another.

However, "Nelson's Sparrow" looks wonderful, stylish, beautifully filmed and with a lot of atmosphere. The theme tune is hypnotic and haunting. The script is tense, very emotionally affecting and tightly structured, and the story throughout is engrossing with a suspenseful shoot-out between Rossi and the unsub, there may have been a feeling of vengeance but it seemed to me that that was not the reason for the scene ended as it did and not a case of turning vigilante (trying not to give it away here), he was saving his own skin and saving himself from being yet another victim of the unsub (which it would have happened that way if Rossi hadn't reacted quickly).

What made "Nelson's Sparrow" so well done and satisfying were the many little character moments, like Reid's emotionally devastating grief, Hotch retelling a story that Gideon told him about the snowstorm (which saw a rare light-hearted side to the usual sober and serious Hotch), the numerous flashbacks revealing Gideon and Rossi's younger selves, Rossi telling Reid of the BAU being nicknamed the BS unit and trying not to laugh, the ugliness of the torture that the unsub put his victims through (who cannot fail to flinch at the sound of dislocating the legs of his last victim?) and the ending reference to the Euripedes quote initially said by Gideon in "Broken Mirror" repeated by Hotch.

Great acting also all round. Joe Mantegna and Matthew Gray Gubler particularly stood out of the regulars, fitting because they were the ones affected most by the situation. Ben Savage as younger Gideon was incredible, getting even the mannerisms spot on which must not have been an easy feat. Robin Dunne shines too, while the unsub is one of the most loathsome in a long time.

In conclusion, "Nelson's Sparrow" is one of the standout episodes of Season 10, close second best after "Mr. Scratch" and compares extremely favourably with the later seasons of the show. 9/10 Bethany Cox
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8/10
The balance between cuddly and sadism!
akicork18 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A top episode! Apart from Kirsten Vangsness's input to the storyline, I feel sure that her other persona as a member of the team enabled her to solidify the interaction with Garcia's (her) colleagues. Arye Gross's contribution was outstanding (as one might expect) and possibly confirms him as one of the greatest sadists in television, repeatedly dislocating and resetting his victims' hips. (No, he has other personas far more attractive and cuddly. Just keep your eyes open!)
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10/10
Nostalga
Jackbv1239 September 2019
For me there are three characters hat hooked me on this show. Gideon, Reid, and Hotch. Gideon left a while back, but we get to reminisce in this one. That's this episode's hook. Other than that, it didn't have to be great, but that doesn't matter.
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10/10
Gideon!!!!
pehopkins14 May 2019
As much as I would have loved to see Mandy back for an episode, I absolutely LOVED that they cast Corey Matthews (ahem, Ben Savage) as a young Jason. Matthews and Gideon were both very quirky so I was in 90s heaven when I watched this episode! They couldn't have picked a better actor for that role
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10/10
Actually very well done
Blondexilla29 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Jason Gideon is a very touchy subject in Criminal Minds. Mandy Patinkin has obviously expressed regret about doing the show and there really was no chance he'd ever return, even for a guest spot. I believe the writers (including the lovely Kirsten Vangsness) did a pretty great job incorporating him into the show, 8 years after the fact, and not even including the original actor. That's a tough feat to pull off, but the whole episode was handled nicely.

One of the things I noticed was the detail. They incorporated elements from the early seasons like Gideon's notebook, the letter he wrote to Reid, and even the things he liked in his cabin. Spencer driving up to the cabin was almost an exact visual of the last time he did it in 3x02. And the nod to earlier seasons wasn't the only thing that stuck out for me, as the guest actors were phenomenal too. Ben Savage absolutely killed it as young Gideon, it was almost creepy how well he played the roll.

The previous reviewer did not think this episode did justice to the character, but I disagree. CM has never killed a main character over the course of 10 years (Erin Strauss wasn't a BAU team member, and Emily Prentiss actually survived). For most TV shows these days, that is a rare thing to do. They even almost killed Gideon during his exit (suicide) but Mandy disagreed with the idea so they didn't. It's definitely in character of Jason Gideon to not let a case go, to the point where it would cost him his life. In the early seasons we saw how much he cared for the people he dealt with and always seemed to come back to the job in some way. I think Nelson's Sparrow was a good way to bring closure to such a major part of CM. Well done.
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10/10
Look back, look forward
kellielulu23 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The episode kills off the long departed Agent Gideon. In the process the team must solve his murder. It's actually an early case Gideon and Rossi worked on together as the BAU is just getting started. The team must trace the steps of that case . Flashbacks show a young Gideon and Rossi. They couldn't solve a young woman's disappearance but the mother gives Gideon her photo and he always kept it. He starts doing that. Decades later Gideon closes in on the unsub and the remaining BAU members must finish the job for him . Everyone is affected by Gideon's death especially Reid and Rossi. Excellent episode.
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6/10
Not how Gideon should've gone out
slevine29214 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Honestly, a character like Gideon deserved more than the this episode gave him. I felt the story line was weak, too predictable, and not at all something that would happen to Gideon.

I feel as though giving it 6 stars is generous. There are 2 reasons why. 1 Ben Savage. If you really watch him and listen, he really pulls off a young Gideon. 2. Reid. Reid's reaction to Gideon's death seemed very genuine. You could tell he was feeling the same pain he felt when Maeve died and it really drew me back to that episode.

Again, Gideon didn't get a "good" death/departure. He deserved way more, especially considering he and Rossi (revealed in this episode) started the BAU which I believe was also eluded in previous episodes.
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10/10
That casting!
ftrudel-2423023 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Many kudos to casting team. I searched cuz I was sure young Gideon was related to Patinkin. And we finally got to know why he was that much into birds. Reid is brilliant. And Hotch and Rossi telling that story in the end. Awesome episode and a great way to say goodbye to Gideon whom when he left the show almost got me to leave too.

I really thought the show would take a step down when Patinkin left but it kinda strengthen the team. I get that they're actors but I don't know, it looked like it bound them.

Anyhow, this was an awesome episode, following another awesome episode with the death of Sgt Scott.
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5/10
Cheap Death for a Great Character
dirtylemons29 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Jason Gideon had received a pretty perfect send-off, one that didn't involve the usual cliché of simply killing a character off. This episode pretty much renders said send-off null and void. Instead of giving Gideon the closest thing to a happy ending that he could have, we see that nothing changed, except his soul becoming even more tortured. He became completely married to his obsession, shutting out everyone from his life. Going this route might have been forgivable had they put more effort into the actual episode. But aside from an interesting antagonist and a well-made flashback, this is run-of-the-mill 'Criminal Minds.' The actors aren't even allowed to carry their scenes of grief alone, each time being drowned out by over-the-top melancholy music. Too much is crammed into a single episode, and hardly anything is allowed the proper time to breathe. As mentioned, the antagonist actually is a good one, but he isn't given much time to make an impact. Aside from the increasingly tired derivation of the Ted Bundy tactic (pretending to be incapacitated in order to lower a potential victim's defenses, popularized by 'The Silence of the Lambs'), he has a unique enough methodology. But its barely touched upon in this episode, just enough to move on to the next plot point. The flashbacks are probably the best part of this episode, but even they get too clever for their own good by the end. In the course of a single case that they barely do any work on, Rossi jokingly predicts that he will go on to write books on criminal profiling, the duo come up with 'signature' and 'profiler' as terms to be commonly used in their profession, and Gideon mentions that they could have a plane, which Rossi scoffs at. Any one of these things would have worked, but shoehorning them all into one short period of time is too much.

Overall, this series still has the potential to be great, but the laziness with which this storyline was handled doesn't bode well for the future, methinks.

EDIT: Just to clarify, when I mentioned the cliché of killing a character off, it was in reference to the television medium in general. Not 'Criminal Minds', specifically. It has neatly avoided the cliché up to this point, which made it more upsetting to me that they would drag in an old character just for the sake of killing them off.
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