Criminal Minds Review: Innocence (Season 14 Episode 4)

The BAU takes on complicated family dynamics both in their case and at home on Criminal Minds Season 14 Episode 4, “Innocence.”

As ever, mental health is a mixed bag on Criminal Minds. Some issues can be addressed to raise awareness and invoke sympathy. Others offer only vague associations between disturbed individuals and violence.

True, the show has openly acknowledged this a few times. I know Reid, touched by his mother’s schizophrenia, has criticized fear-mongering stereotypes, and I’m sure others have as well.

Still, in this episode, we veer into that vague territory with our case. A woman is killed in the woods, and, soon after, her sister is, too. In a somewhat rare twist, we get down to two suspects almost immediately.

There’s a lot going on before we get to a twist we know well: affairs, accusations of abuse, pastors taking advantage of married women. None of these things are too shocking for long-term viewers.

Neither is a husband—even one who has a host of other negative qualities—falsely confessing to save his son. Child killers appear on a semi-regular basis, but it’s always a risky territory to enter.

We are never given a clear assessment of what is actually wrong with this boy who can kill his own family members, except that he has violent tendencies that have alarmed others.  We barely see enough of him early on to make an assessment ourselves.

What is clear, at least, is what makes our young unsub snap. Learning he is not truly his mother’s son certainly counts as motive, and this much is portrayed effectively.

Less helpful is him yelling about sinners as he sets out to kill his own younger sister. Especially because of the homeschooling angle, this approach only sets some more cautionary stereotypes.

I have nothing against portraying killers as disturbed in general. For the most part, it goes with the territory. Still, it’s important to see these things fleshed out beyond rushed plot twists for shock value.

All of this aside, though, we actually do get a great deal of that fleshing out when it comes to problems that strike a lot closer to home. Garcia’s struggles are given weight and complexity, and we connect even more for it.

My only caveat here is that I wish the connection to her brother had been hinted at a bit before now. I absolutely accept how much their falling out has hurt her, but that had gone unmentioned for some time.

The conversation about long-term trauma is also important. Garcia is dealing with family grief on top of very recent PTSD, whose effects may be felt in an even more sharp and tangible way.

To truly take on all the issues of mental health that each members of this team has run into over the years, they should all be having the same talks that Emily and Garcia have—not only with each other, but with qualified therapists.

I think Criminal Minds has very good intentions when it comes to addressing mental health. When they devote time and care, as they do with Garcia, they engage audiences with important messages. I’d just like to see that same attention given to every case they take on.

What did you think of this episode of Criminal Minds? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Criminal Minds airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on CBS.

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