MovieChat Forums > Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (2016) Discussion > Borders vs Minds - a quick list of my pr...

Borders vs Minds - a quick list of my pros and cons for each show.

posted 9 years ago by jamie_flexman
3 replies | jump to latest

I've watched every episode of both shows, and last week randomly re watched several 'Minds' episodes from seasons 1-4 that perked my interest - so just a quick opinion of what each show does well (or not).

Minds - pros

- Continued emphasis on character development and depth.
- Cast chemistry.
- In-jokes without falling into parody.
- Hits the heights often enough to keep interest levels from waning.

Minds - cons

- Increasingly inconsistent quality on an episode by episode basis.
- Less drama/tension in later seasons, and more 'unsub by numbers'.
- Revolving door of new characters since the introduction of Rossi.
- Less character development and sense of purpose/future over the last year.

Borders - pros

- Great premise, mixture of locations and the novelty factor.
- Cop show/procedural veterans in Sinise and De Garza, so easy to watch.
- Unsubs and plots seem to have more depth than on Minds at the moment.
- Violence and gore resembles early Minds episodes and less watered down.

Borders - cons

- No character development, background or depth whatsoever. It still feels a bit like I'm watching the leads from CSI: NY and Forever in a parallel universe.
- Doesn't feel like an ensemble cast.
- A sense this show won't last.

Basically, I do find this a bit more entertaining than Minds at the moment, but I'm not convinced it's anything other than the novelty of a different country/location each week, rather than any quality.. so whether it will sustain my interest, we'll see.

I do feel however, the producers/network have missed a trick and haven't tried to copy the success CSI and NCIS have had with their brands. Both of those shows spawned 2 popular spinoffs. Borders (and the other one from a few years back) feel a bit like vanity projects rather than genuine attempts at a long term sidekick to the main show.

[–] eel2178 9 years ago

- Violence and gore resembles early Minds episodes and less watered down.

This is a con for me.

[–] simonxlong 9 years ago

Good list, though I actually like the revolving door of characters in Criminal Minds. It feels more like what would happen in life as people and careers change. One of the things that always takes me out of serious shows is the fact that the cast never moves much. Nobody gets promoted or moves on, and there is never any real danger that a character will get killed.

Another con for me on Criminal Minds is the number of times the cast is targeted by an unsub of some sort. After a while, it gets a little ridiculous.

On Beyond Borders, the cast hasn't congealed very well yet. Anne Funke's character seems awkward and poorly written. For example, on tonight's episode when she talks about almost getting married, that conversation was so awkward and forced, not to mention completely out of place for that particular moment.

[–] blackflag01609 9 years ago

Another con for me on Criminal Minds is the number of times the cast is targeted by an unsub of some sort. After a while, it gets a little ridiculous.

That one reason why I don't watch "Criminal Minds" any more. That and there's more cases that are personal to at least one agent on the team and you know damn well that if it was they wouldn't be on the case. It's getting more and more like "CSI" and not in a good way.

On Beyond Borders, the cast hasn't congealed very well yet. Anne Funke's character seems awkward and poorly written. For example, on tonight's episode when she talks about almost getting married, that conversation was so awkward and forced, not to mention completely out of place for that particular moment

Some of that may be intentional to show her characters inexperience in the field. Some my just be bad writing or bad editing. I found out on other CBS shows you either had to wait for other episodes to air that may explain things or try looking up backgrounds of the characters. There's a lot they can't add because of that 42 to 44 minute timeframe. I think they forget that we don't always know their detailed character backgrounds when they edit out some things for time.