One of the traits that Criminal Minds has is to reveal the face of the unsub (unknown subject) in the first few scenes of the programme. It doesn’t always happen, but more often than not it does, especially in the later seasons.

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Personally, I prefer for this not to happen. The show becomes more of a “why done it” rather than a “whodunit,” and it’s only a matter of time before the BAU catches up with the suspect.

Take the season 8 opener, “The Silencer,” as an example. We saw pretty much straight away that the unsub was a male in his late thirties and forties who didn’t speak. For me, it slightly ruined my enjoyment of the programme. It takes away the intrigue and mystery as the BAU digs up clues and uncovers the truth about who committed the crime (usually a murder.)

The tension just isn’t there when they interview suspects, as you know the real antagonist is still out there. As a one off it’s ok, but after a while it gets rather repetitive. I still love the show though. The chemistry between the cast is good and the writing and storylines are always entertaining.

Of course, it’s always interesting to uncover why they’ve done something, and how the BAU put the pieces of the puzzle together to get to the criminal, but for me, it makes for a better programme when we’re left guessing to the very end.