Criminal Minds Review: Twenty Seven (Season 14 Episode 7)

On Criminal Minds Season 14 Episode 7, “Twenty Seven,” violent attacks in DC bring a case that takes place in near-real time.

We’ve gotten plenty of breathlessly fast-paced episodes of Criminal Minds. This one is the very definition of “hitting the ground running.”

By the time Emily and the rest of the BAU arrive on scene, a man has just been attacked, in public and in broad daylight, with a machete. He’s the third victim in the past hour, and soon, the first of those is dead.

Watching the clock obsessively during this episode, I see a couple of slip-ups in the fictional timeline, at least if the goal is to go for a fully real-time episode. Still, every moment feels like we are experiencing it as it happens.

While the pacing is frantic, we see that when it is the primary focus of an episode, it can be done very well. Even without slowing down, the episode gives each aspect the time it deserves.

The primary question is certainly why the unsubs are striking victims every twenty seven minutes. While we don’t truly learn the motive until the final act, we get a very similar lesson early on.

The moment Emily orders the public release of a suspect description—a vague image of a black man—we hear alarm bells in our heads. Still, we might not expect to see the actual consequences of those actions.

These scenes, woven into the rest of the action, do a great job of showing a fair view of something so problematic. Officials have no choice but to try to give people a chance to protect themselves, but an innocent man nearly pays for it with his life.

Even with the clear reference to racial profiling, we see the thinking of the vigilante who shoots him. He’s wearing a similar jacket. He’s holding an object that could be (but isn’t) the machete in question. The nod to gun control isn’t missed, either.

This perfect storm of good intentions influenced by bias places major social issues in the back of our mind well before we reveal motives. Those, too, are more examples of horrific actions in the name of a true and relevant cause.

There is no excuse for what these two brothers are doing to innocent people. Yet they are motivated not only by the loss of their younger sibling, but by the twenty seven minutes it takes an ambulance to arrive after he is stabbed.

The point is driven home by the multiple 911 calls they make as the young man dies in their arms. More importantly, it’s made by the very real issue of response times to poor neighborhoods compared to rich ones.

Emily’s final confrontation with one of the brothers is poignant, too. She quickly realizes that ignoring systematic points is the wrong approach. James has good reason to argue that said system is meant to work against him.

In the end, two men die for Marcus and James’s misplaced rage and grief, while others, including the man who was shot and an agent who trades himself for a hostage, live. All involved are forever changed.

Any opportunity for us to relate to what an unsub feels even when we hate what they do is an opportunity to think. This episode takes that to the nth, and is worth starting some important conversations.

Other Notes

• Does Luke taking out Marcus mean he’s officially off desk duty? He’s making a pretty good argument for that.
• Throwing that agent in as a love interest for Emily in the closing scenes seems quite sudden. Will we actually see him again?
• Reid’s determined but ultimately unsuccessful attempts to save one victim are reminiscent of other scenes with him in the past, and I’m curious if he’ll be affected as he was then.

 

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

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

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