Criminal Minds (TV Series) Lauren (2011) User Reviews

Well I'd say it was one heck of an episode

[Blondexilla · 10/10 · 11 February 2015]

First of all I'd like to state that I cried SO HARD. SO FREAKING HARD. This was the first episode of Criminal Minds I ever saw and it was the reason I wanted to continue. I don't believe the last reviewer was right at all, especially comparing Lauren to similar, but lesser NCIS episodes.

Of course it has issues, but what amazes me is the fact that they were able to pull together a half season story arc that fit Emily Prentiss to a T with so little time. There was absolute chaos going on behind the scenes (with Paget and AJ being fired, and the loss of key writers) yet they managed to write a phenomenal 2-parter with great detail. Even better, Matthew Gray Gubler directed and that really made it for me. I never looked at the clock once while watching the 6 episodes in this storyline.

Paget Brewster deserves all the awards. She absolutely killed it (no pun intended) and it's strange to see her go from comedy to drama but she pulled this episode off marvelously, the woman has some serious talent. I think she deserves more credit because really, I have no words for how deep Valhalla/Lauren are. Well done everyone at CM. You had everything against you and still managed to create one of the highest rated Criminal Minds episodes ever.

Enigmatic, full of emotions, speechless

[amalianotyourhun · 10/10 · 9 March 2021]

Not only does this episode represent an epic, one of the best plot lines of this show, but it also presents the trauma of Emily Prentiss that she had to go through. The characters in this series are characterized by trauma and torment, but not enough is said about the power of Emily Prentiss, how she was abducted and how she fights for her life, having almost every episode an accident: car crash, an unsub to hit her or bleed. This episode left me crying, especially when Garcia sent Emily that voice message. I could feel the strong connection between Emily Prentiss and Derek Morgan when he came to save her. Paget Brewster's expressiveness is limitless, how she expresses her emotions, how she illustrates Emily Prentiss's trauma, how she cries, how she laughs, this whole process shows the humanization of the character and surprises us in each episode a part of Prentiss's good and enigmatic soul. who puts her team first. I also disregard the rules violated by FBI agents. We have to be realistic: such broken rules can lead to unpleasant situations in real life, but I will ignore this and focus on how good Paget Brewster is as an actress. It deserves more credit for the scenes in this episode, which left me speechless, which left me crying on the floor and made me wonder: Will Emily Prentiss manage to get over this trauma gained because of Ian Doyle? 10 stars for one of the best Criminal Minds episodes

Goodbye Prentiss (for now ...)

[LoveIsAStateOfMind · 10/10 · 29 December 2015]

I love that Prentiss's the final ever scene was with JJ. It was just so fitting that Paget and AJ should have their (possible) final ever scene on the show with each other and that both their leaving-the-show arcs were entwined.

I do hope that Paget comes back (especially since I am not won over by the sound of her Pilot) as she's my reason for loving the show PLUS it would be really interesting to see how they manage to get Prentiss back onto the team. However, if it's not in the cards then it was a fantastic exit. AJ's was great too, they were both amazing in their different ways and worthy of the characters' awesomeness.

So how do I feel about the episode/Prentiss' storyline as a whole?! Too much to process at the moment! I mean it's not like they've been building up to the big reveal of Prentiss' spy past for the past five years - it's all quite sudden. Then having to process the thought that Prentiss/Ian Doyle WENT THERE is kind of icky ..... and yet sort of believable? I don't know, in any other situation I would have been dead against that whole angle from the get go but the writing/actors made it work? Still icky. I think the inclusion of Doyle's son tipped me over.

I loved that the English guy wasn't the traitor after all. We don't know what happened to Doyle right? Presumably he escaped? Will the team try to catch him? And I thought that the scene in the hospital between JJ and Hotch where we didn't get to hear what they were saying might have been JJ telling Hotch the truth about Prentiss' fate (well, the scene was too short for her to be explaining it all then but I thought it was referring to it like "I think they bought it") but then I read an interview with Thomas Gibson where it sounds like that Hotch really does think that Prentiss is dead. That makes more sense as I don't think Hotch would have the clearance to know the truth but eh, I thought that scene was implying more than it was then. See during the funeral, there's this look that Hotch gives JJ that I also thought implied that - gah this is what happens when you over-interpret scenes! I loved the JJ/Reid scene that I longed for in "JJ". And I loved the whole Morgan/Prentiss arc. I think that was perfect and so true to their partnership. I mean over the years, it's been those two who have had the conversations about their trust issues, their past and coping with the job etc. Now of course I am going to have to rewatch the whole series just to confirm the fact that her being a spy hasn't always been part of her backstory but it was just made up to facilitate this whole !epic exist storyline. I am pretty sure that Prentiss' kickass-ness has always just been in the context of being a good FBI agent. What would have been interesting would be if they had the Prentiss-was-a-spy there from the beginning and given hints to the audience over the series ending with this big reveal that a team of FBI profilers couldn't even profile one of their own.

God so much happened in this episode. I can't even ... I'm going to miss Prentiss so much.

Edit: What happened to Prentiss' cat Sergio? Can it please go live with Garcia in her office at the BAU?

Emily's character is the best

[publicdomainartsv · 10/10 · 27 August 2023]

Can't believe they let her go for a mediocre new show, I think they regret it later.

Emily used to give strength and intelligence to the team, she was consistent and the definition of a smart and strong woman. I wish they could give her more happy moments though.

Didn't they consider that "saving money" wasn't worth it after this episode?

I don't know if she return in the next seasons, I hope she does, I don't know what to expect for the next episodes.

The character of the new actress seems to be a little bit lazy and dumb. A waste, because she doesn't add anything good to the show. So bad.

I wonder...

[isaiah-00234 · 10/10 · 14 October 2020]

Matthew Gray Gubler directed this episode and it's one of the highest rated for this season. I'm not sure if it's just me but I'm wondering if the fangirls have something to do with it. I was slightly upset with the "end" of Agent Prentiss, but good things neepver really end, so maybe we'll see her again soon.

Powerful and moving, but also frustrating

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 13 January 2017]

Although Season 6 was an inconsistent season, and of the show's weakest, neither "Valhalla" or "Lauren" are among the worst episodes of the season. To me, although neither are without flaws both are towards the better end of the spectrum for the season.

"Valhalla" was basically set up for what was going to happen in "Lauren", but it was still a very solidly crafted episode with some very touching team character moments and tension, poignancy and suspense. "Lauren" has more of an emotional impact and is every bit as tense and suspenseful, but frustrates more. It will floor a lot of fans but disappoint others, personally am somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.

"Lauren", starting with the good points, is stylishly and atmospherically made. The music is haunting and melancholic in equal measures when needed, never intrusive but always with a presence. Matthew Gray Gubler does a fine job with the directing, there are numerous flashbacks and constant time shifts but the storytelling still feels cohesive and rarely feels disjointed.

If anybody watches a 'Criminal Minds' episode for the team dynamic and character moments, "Lauren" does not disappoint, in fact they were what made the episode better. Garcia's voice mail message will have tears rolling down the cheeks, not just the most touching part of the episode or one of the most touching parts of the seasons, it's one of the most touching parts of the show and epitomises what the team is all about. Throughout it is very clear how the team care for each other and Prentiss, as well as the character strengths and flaws.

Further great things are a compellingly written Reid and Rossi-led interrogation scene, the truly disturbing scenes between Prentiss and Doyle and a contender for the most gut-wrenching, most suspenseful and heart-rending climax for any episode of 'Criminal Minds'. Also really liked how much was revealed about Prentiss' background which meant fewer loose ends. The acting is excellent all round, with Paget Brewster in particular knocking it out of the park.

Unfortunately, there were a few things that stopped me from rating "Lauren" higher. "Lauren" demonstrates exactly why Seaver is considered by me and many other 'Criminal Minds' fans as an insufferable dead-weight. As well as being bland, an awkward fit in the team due to vast inexperience and lack of chemistry, annoying and prone to making dumb assumptions and asking even dumber questions, Seaver is over-exposed but her presence also feels pointless. Rachel Nichols' acting does nothing to change my mind. This is particularly true with that very poorly written (cringe-inducing actually) scene between her, Rossi and Fahey, which should have been left on the editing room floor and cut to pieces.

Despite finding the climax very powerful, what happened after the equally moving subsequent hospital scene underwhelmed drastically. The funeral scene felt like such an anaemic send-off and out of place, while the scene in Paris just felt clumsy and unnecessary (also diminishing the impact of what happened in the climax and like a cheat) and the whole open-ended feel just makes the ending feel like an anti-climax.

All in all, "Lauren" is a powerful and moving episode, but at the same time it was frustrating. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Dumb criminals are the best

[knroc · 1/10 · 14 September 2019]

Man lowers woman into vat of bad stuff. FBI shows up. Bad man stops lowering woman and goes off to get himself killed. This whole series is full of cartoon-like bad guys. Does anyone else find themselves yelling at the TV saying to the bad guy: "just shut up and kill him/her"? Bad guys with machine guns fire 1,000 rounds at agents, missing everyone. Agent takes one shot and hits the bad guy.

A corporate executive is interrogated. Exec says the information is covered by multinational secrecy agreement. FBI agent threatens to ruin the company. Exec spills all the secrets. The agent could have saved time by just yelling "boo."

The ending to this episode is off the rails. Prentiss supposedly dies but then then is shown getting money and passports from JJ. The whole team is in the hospital waiting for an update. Would they not want to see the body of the person they all loved so much? Is there no funeral? Wouldn't they see thru an imposter if the body was switched?

The number of laws broken by this team and especially Garcia is beyond imagining. From warrantless searches to interviewing minors without parental consent to accessing student and patient records...the list is almost limitless. And half of what Garcia provides would be implausible if not impossible to obtain. In a rustic town of less than 1,000 we're supposed to believe the school has years of records computerized. And that it has a hospital and its records are computerized. And even though Garcia has to use a satellite uplink to get internet access, the school and hospital computers are online 24/7.

The acting is atrocious. Some reviewers have said Seaver's character has the personality of a broomstick. She's a shining light compared to some of the others. Hotchner would be better if he were drawn as a stick figure. The only thing he does well is scowl because it comes naturally to him. Vangsness should join overactors anonymous. Her overt sexual banter with Moore would get both of them fired after the first time Moore calls her "baby girl." And they've got to be sleeping together.

This show is like a train wreck. Jane Lynch, Jason Alexander and dozens more guest stars steal the show. That's what makes the show worth watching, in spite of the writing.

No Good Can Come of This

[ttapola · 6/10 · 1 January 2012]

I was cautiously optimistic about this episode: the ingredients for a brilliant mini-arc-ender were there, but would it deliver? It starts well, with the Prentiss' return to the bar where she was first introduced to Doyle by an intermediary, Jack Fahey. And we flashback to that meeting. Now we're getting to the meat of the story! Meanwhile, her team tries to figure out where she's gone. Prentiss lies in wait for Fahey and reveals her cold former agent persona by finishing questioning him with a shot in the back of his head - or that's what it seems from outside the car they are in. Immediately alarm bells ring: for those quick to leap into a conclusion, Fahey is dead, but for those who've been disappointed by Criminal Minds, he'll probably turn up later with only a flesh wound. Giving the viewers the impression that Prentiss killed Fahey is pointless unless he actually killed him. Well, we'll see...

The team logically reasons that Prentiss will take the fight to Doyle to protect them. They detain Clyde Easter and the fantastic Sebastian Roché is wasted by using him in only three scenes. More flashbacks reveal how Prentiss and Doyle became lovers. The most important question here drama-wise is, "Did she love him as he did her?" That would offer fantastic drama, since we already know from previous episodes that in the end, she betrayed him. Obviously things have changed, as Prentiss illegally ambushes Doyle and uses lethal force (it just happens that no-one is unlucky enough to die), but walks right into Doyle's trap for her. Cue scene with gratuitous cleavage ("Not that there is anything wrong with that!") when Doyle brands her breast. The BAU, meanwhile - OMG! - arrest Fahey, who is, indeed, still alive, albeit with a bandaged ear.

Predictable and familiar-feeling mind-games between Prentiss and Doyle and between Fahey and the BAU ensue. There is a scene with tremendous potential, but the show-runners take the safe route out. After six years, they still have not learned anything from their more successful competition - 24, CSI and NCIS, to name a few - first build main characters the audience cares about and then kill off one or more of them. Criminal Minds rarely has the courage to kill off even supporting characters.

Seaver and Easter (now there's a name for a spin-off!) bring fresh perspective to the rest of BAU. Another flashback reveals that Doyle's housekeeper had a son Doyle treated as his own. Doyle also wanted a child with Prentiss. And she offered to get him "out", but Doyle would not give up his calling. Doyle's thirst for revenge is revealed: he has seen the evidence the boy was killed. But Prentiss staged the evidence! Doyle's son lives! And the BAU somehow come to the conclusion that the only place Doyle would be holding Prentiss is where his son's death was staged. Except for the fact that Prentiss had to *manipulate* Doyle into taking her there. What a nice coincidence it all worked out and the BAU rushes to rescue with an assault team at the exact moment Prentiss gets free and gets into a fight with Doyle!

Both are wounded. Doyle disappears (so much for FBI's ability to establish a perimeter) and Emily apparently dies on the operating table. Except, after the none-more-clichéd TV funeral, we switch to Paris, where JJ gives a "mystery" woman three passports and generous amounts of money. We can hear it is Prentiss, but we do not see her face. What is the point of hiding her face? The knowledge that Prentiss will return after a summer-and-seven-episodes hiatus just makes matters worse. There is no closure. Nothing is resolved. American viewers had to wait for six months for Prentiss to return. What is the point of that? Especially in a series that tries very hard to offer easy entry into episodes for new and casual viewers. This is a mess. And somehow - though consistently when compared to the series history - manages to waste all the great ingredients with which it started. With a heavy sigh, I'll give this a 6/10 - it looks good and passes the time effortlessly, but in the end only manages to leave a hole in the show. A hole they had to refill six months later, whether planned or not. For memorable examples of how to do this better, watch NCIS #2.23, "Twilight" and #5.18 & 19, "Judgment Day". Compared to them, this is only average at best.