Criminal Minds Review: The Tall Man (Season 14 Episode 5)

On Criminal Minds Season 14 Episode 5, “The Tall Man,” a Halloween tale ends up being much more than just a fright fest (though it certainly is that, too.)

We have seen enough episodes of Criminal Minds directed by Matthew Gray Gubler to know that we’ll be in for something already akin to a horror movie. When such an episode airs on Halloween, well…

Even without terrifying promos, it’s hard not to associate the show’s invented Tall Man with the infamous tale of the Slender Man. It’s also hard not to make parallels to the very real case of a young girl attacked by her friends in Slender Man’s name.

Those parallels are embraced, along with just enough confusion among three young victims that we are unsure who may be targeting who. Like with Slender Man, Tall Man doesn’t need to exist to do damage.

That said, our terrifying figure is, technically, real. He exists in the form of a very human man wearing a mask, and his abilities to manipulate, while not the least bit supernatural, have devastating consequences.

We can dismiss a force beyond our imagination shaping a girl’s mind until she tricks and attacks her friends, even to the point of hurting herself. When that force is a normal-looking man, we have no much luxury.

There’s still plenty of nightmare fuel to go around in this hour. Illustrations of the Tall Man (many by Gubler himself) and images of him dreams are more than enough to make you want to sleep with the lights on.

Yet, overall, those images are just a story. The truth has much more impact, because we know how real it can be. A man, abusing his position for years, taking advantage of generations of girls.

And there, we get another example of how Criminal Minds can still pull off some truly impressive plot twists. One former victim is JJ’s sister, Rosalyn, lost to suicide as a teenager.

This twist, and what it reveals about the past of the Jareau family, is stomach-turning. Rosalyn’s death has haunted her younger sister, and the truth of what took an already depressed teenager fuels JJ’s rage.

There’s a brief period where I wonder where there will another twist revealing that Rosalyn never actually killed herself, but instead was murdered by her abuser. That does not happen.

While it would be an interesting angle, I appreciate how little changes about the facts JJ must live with. There is someone more to blame, but his impact goes beyond his own direct actions. We see just what humans can do to each other—and themselves.

As you may guess, AJ Cook is at the top of her game in this episode, particularly as JJ delves into her past with Rossi’s help. She shows her grief and range while remaining strong to the end.  In her own words:

 I guess I do like in this world now. But you know what? I also get to make a difference in it.

We also get to see her with her family, something that doesn’t happen nearly often enough. Will, Henry, and Michael all demonstrate where she gets her strength from.

So, no, this isn’t the “creepypasta come to life” some may first expect it to be. What is really is winds up being much better than that, and a very strong episode overall.

 

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

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

 

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

Follow us on Twitter @telltaleTV_

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

20 Favorite Halloween TV Episodes to Watch Again