Expectations admittedly were not high for "The Lonely Heart". The premise was interesting and one of the better ones of 'Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders' first season admittedly. The reason for the not so high expectations was because of not liking the previous four episodes at all, hated them in fact but still kept watching the show to be kind, hoping it would get better (with some shows having unsettled starts, usually not to this extent though, and it didn't really) and being a fan of the original 'Criminal Minds'.
The good news is that "The Lonely Heart" is the best of the five episodes up to this point of 'Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders', or should we say the least bad. There are a couple of things it does decently. The bad news is that to me it still isn't a very good episode at all, not really correcting a vast majority, almost all actually, of the problems that plagued the previous four episodes. This is not being said as someone trying to be horrible. Am saying this with regret, being a fan of mystery, detective and procedural shows, and really tried to give the show a chance.
Alana De La Garza tries at least though needs much better material to work with. The murders are among the most brutal and intriguing of at least the first season of the show, certainly of the first five episodes.
My favourite aspect of "The Lonely Heart" was actually the Commissaire. Finally a character that acts like a professional, isn't biased, is a good listener and isn't annoying, by far the most interesting and likeable character of the show up to this point.
However, it is a shame that the quality of the murders isn't matched by the story, the unsub and the motive. The story lacked suspense or any kind of atmosphere even and is pretty mundane with very few surprises, it was no surprise at all about how the episode was going to end. The unsub again is pretty ordinary, didn't get much menace, anything rootable or anything much interesting other than where they were before committing the murders. The motive is a derivative and very extreme one. Lets not get started by the truly sloppy and negative portrayal of the mental institution with its terrible security, which is not going to go down well with anybody in the medical profession. The dialogue continues to be very awkward and condescending.
Visuals again are choppy and obvious and the music is overbearing and could have done with being used less, it is also at odds with everything. One never really feels like they are in the setting, so much the lack of authenticity. Really don't care for the team interaction, which doesn't gel and is very stilted, little character moments are not there and the procedural element is just too conventional and could have been explored more. Still don't know, or lets rephrase to haven't got to know, any of the team members and don't care for any of them as well, especially the intensely unlikeable Mae. The acting is not good, apart from De La Garza and Lothaire Bluteau.
On the whole, weak but the least bad of the show up to this point. 3/10
The good news is that "The Lonely Heart" is the best of the five episodes up to this point of 'Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders', or should we say the least bad. There are a couple of things it does decently. The bad news is that to me it still isn't a very good episode at all, not really correcting a vast majority, almost all actually, of the problems that plagued the previous four episodes. This is not being said as someone trying to be horrible. Am saying this with regret, being a fan of mystery, detective and procedural shows, and really tried to give the show a chance.
Alana De La Garza tries at least though needs much better material to work with. The murders are among the most brutal and intriguing of at least the first season of the show, certainly of the first five episodes.
My favourite aspect of "The Lonely Heart" was actually the Commissaire. Finally a character that acts like a professional, isn't biased, is a good listener and isn't annoying, by far the most interesting and likeable character of the show up to this point.
However, it is a shame that the quality of the murders isn't matched by the story, the unsub and the motive. The story lacked suspense or any kind of atmosphere even and is pretty mundane with very few surprises, it was no surprise at all about how the episode was going to end. The unsub again is pretty ordinary, didn't get much menace, anything rootable or anything much interesting other than where they were before committing the murders. The motive is a derivative and very extreme one. Lets not get started by the truly sloppy and negative portrayal of the mental institution with its terrible security, which is not going to go down well with anybody in the medical profession. The dialogue continues to be very awkward and condescending.
Visuals again are choppy and obvious and the music is overbearing and could have done with being used less, it is also at odds with everything. One never really feels like they are in the setting, so much the lack of authenticity. Really don't care for the team interaction, which doesn't gel and is very stilted, little character moments are not there and the procedural element is just too conventional and could have been explored more. Still don't know, or lets rephrase to haven't got to know, any of the team members and don't care for any of them as well, especially the intensely unlikeable Mae. The acting is not good, apart from De La Garza and Lothaire Bluteau.
On the whole, weak but the least bad of the show up to this point. 3/10
