I’m disappointed that JJ is no longer on Criminal Minds. I am still watching the show, though I did get a little behind with the episodes because of an illness in my family. I’m getting caught up and just watched Remembrance of Things Past, the third episode in season six.
I will mention some things in discussing Remembrance of Things Past that will be spoilers for people who haven’t seen the episode, as well as the previous episode, JJ. Read at your own risk.
Beautiful young blonde woman are being murdered in a way that is like a case Rossi worked on about twenty years before. After starting their investigation, the team believes that a two person team is committing the new murders. As the team closes in, the killers seem to be spiraling out of control.
Remembrance of Things Past is focused on the team’s work on the investigation of the murders. It is normal for episodes of Criminal Minds to be focused on the current investigation without much else being dealt with. The case is interesting and intense at times, though it isn’t as extreme as some previous episodes. The mystery is decent, though it isn’t difficult to figure things out since the people responsible are first shown fairly early in the episode.
From the beginning of Criminal Minds, the episodes have featured crimes that are disturbing in some way. Different episodes have really freaked me out, but I continue to watch the show because it is entertaining overall. Because of the nature of the crimes used, the series isn’t going to appeal to everyone. The murders in Remembrance of Things Past are disturbing and could upset or disturb viewers. A little violence is included in a few scenes without making the show overly violent. For this episode, women are the only victims, and some of them are shown wearing very little. It does seem like women are the victims most of the time.
Remembrance of Things Past is the first episode of Criminal Minds after JJ left the unit. I still think that was a mistake. I really noticed JJ’s absence even though it really isn’t mentioned during the episode. There is just a tiny reference to her at beginning fo the episode when Penelope is looking into her empty office. JJ isn’t even mentioned and that just seems wrong to me. She has been an integral part of the team for years and her leaving was upsetting. It just seems like the characters would have at least mentioned her once or twice. Frankly, it bothers me that JJ isn’t mentioned. It is almost like they are trying to sweep her under the rug and forget she was ever a character. I did really notice the fact that JJ wasn’t around when watching the episode. That did distract me a bit. The episode still manages to be entertaining overall, but I do think that something is missing without JJ.
Over the years that Criminal Minds has been on, some episodes have shared more personal things for some of the members of the team. Remembrance of Things Past doesn’t do that. The episode doesn’t even try to show how the team is dealing with JJ being forced to take a new position, something that I think is a mistake. It would have seemed more believable to me if the team had talked about missing her or something. One thing connected to Derek is briefly touched on, and that is the only personal type of thing that comes up. I do think the episodes are stronger when there is more focus on the members of the team. Maybe a decision was made to focus on the investigation since JJ’s departure received so much attention in the previous episode.
Remembrance of Things Past is a good episode of Criminal Minds that fans may like. I do think that JJ being gone leaves a hole in the show that hasn’t been properly dealt with yet. JJ being gone will more than likely bother fans of the show.
References:
Criminal Minds IMDB.com page
