Criminal Minds

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve had a growing interest about mysteries. It started when I was young, from Blue’s Clues to my more current obsession with Sherlock Holmes. I love the thrill of all the unexpected things that can occur, and when your hypothesis is proved right, the satisfaction is wonderful. That intrigue led me to a Mock Trial program through my middle school years, and now I think I’m interested in an actual career in law.

            My point is, I totally love shows like Law and Order, or NCIS, or CSI. I would always find a random rerun on T.V. on a lazy Saturday afternoon, and watch it despite not understanding any of the ridiculous amount of subplots. The mystery was enough to capture my attention, and when I began noticing that one crime show seemed to be on all the time, I decided to check it out.

Criminal Minds, the title read, and because I’ve also been considering a psychology degree in my later years of schooling, the thought of the show appealed to me. I flipped on a few episodes and realized that I actually enjoyed the characters as well. I wanted to know their back stories. Luckily, all of the past seasons are available on Netflix. (Nine whole seasons! There goes all my free time…) So far, I’ve only made it about two thirds of the way through the first season (I don’t actually have as much free time as I’d like, between school and work) but I am thoroughly enjoying it so far.

The characters have a depth to them that I really feel like I could relate to. They are in these extreme situations, but they all have a deep sense of humanity as well. They need to in order to understand the criminals they are constantly hunting down. Jason Gideon, for example, is the team leader, and he feels like every failure is his fault exclusively. He’ll do anything to solve a case, and while it is sometimes surprising the lengths he will go to, I find it admirable as well.

Most of the episodes follow a different plot line, which is different than other T.V. shows I’ve watched, but it’s also refreshing because I don’t get bored. There’s a great attention to detail within the show, which is fun for the viewers because they can try to solve the case right along with the rest of the characters. It makes you actually think about everything that’s going on, as well as question what happens in your own life. It’s crazy to think that something so bizarre could occur to anyone, anytime. There are truly crazy people out there…

I think the most heartening thing about the whole series is that there are just as many girls on the team as there are guys. Penelope, Elle, and Jennifer are strong and capable women that the team would not prosper without. It’s important for representation like that, especially to young girls like me who watch the show, because it proves that females can be successful in that field of work.

I am really looking forward to finishing the rest of the seasons this summer!