The team tracks down a highly obsessive-compulsive killer who targets blonde women and leaves messages to the police asking them to stop him.The team tracks down a highly obsessive-compulsive killer who targets blonde women and leaves messages to the police asking them to stop him.The team tracks down a highly obsessive-compulsive killer who targets blonde women and leaves messages to the police asking them to stop him.
Martha Madison
- Kate
- (as Martha Anne Madison)
Kyle Steven Templin
- Eric
- (as Kyle Templin)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaVincent's pea coat is a standard Navy issued pea coat.
- GoofsAt the beginning, a very tall palm tree can be seen reflected in the window of the vehicle driven by Vincent (Alex O'Loughlin). The case is set in Buffalo, New York, where the freezing winters would make it impossible to grow a palm tree, let alone one of that height.
- Quotes
Derek Morgan: [closing quotation, voiceover] "No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible." - George Chakiris.
- ConnectionsReferences Flashdance (1983)
Featured review
Best episode of Season 4?
A definite contender, absolutely. It has been said that it's the first unique episode of 'Criminal Minds' and the first masterpiece, and I cannot disagree that this is one of the most unique episodes and that is an outstanding episode in all aspects.
"The Big Wheel" to me is one of the few episodes of 'Criminal Minds' to achieve perfection, where everything works and everything serves a purpose and has the impact it should. And this reviewer says this as a big fan of the show, not afraid to admit that some episodes and seasons like with all shows are better than others but when an episode of 'Crimimal Minds' was good like "The Big Wheel" it made for riveting television.
It looks wonderful visually, 'Criminal Minds' always has been a well-made show but "The Big Wheel" is one of the more visually interesting and striking episodes, with some of it effectively stark, some of it melancholic and some of it claustrophobic but in a way that enhances the atmosphere. The climax is especially well done in this regard. The filming as always is stylish and slick, and it's all very atmospherically lit. The music is haunting and hypnotic, and while it always served the show well in a positive way without being extraordinary "The Big Wheel" is one of the few cases in the earlier seasons where the music when used really enhanced what was happening, especially the fairground music in the climax.
Here the writing is some of the tightest and thought-provoking of the show, not just the opening and closing bookend quotations but the procedural aspects and the delving into the mind of the unsub. Any humour doesn't feel out of place, the tense moments are nail-biting and the poignant moments are incredibly touching. The story is an interesting idea and brilliantly executed, with a genuine unsettling atmosphere and nothing feeling rushed or padded, as said everything feels necessary, well-explained and has real punch. The climax is both high in tension and emotion, with such a suspenseful build up to the outcome, which was quite heart-rending.
Direction throughout is more than solid, the tension and suspense doesn't slip, the characters are interesting and success is done getting good performances from all involved. The regular cast all do fine jobs, particularly Joe Mantegna, Matthew Gray Gubler and Paget Brewster but this is a case of the supporting roles making more of an impression. Much has been said about the performances of Alex O'Loughlin and Jake Cherry, and there is not much really to add. O'Loughlin magnificently brings both eeriness and anguish to an unsub that's both one that the viewer is frightened of and sympathetic towards (not many killers on 'Criminal Minds' fit that distinction, especially before this episode, but Vincent is one of the biggest examples). Cherry is remarkably affecting (reducing me to tears at the end) in a very difficult role, to the extent that one really does believe that he is blind, definitely one of the better child performances on the show.
To conclude, outstanding and a definite contender for the best episode of Season 4. 10/10 Bethany Cox
"The Big Wheel" to me is one of the few episodes of 'Criminal Minds' to achieve perfection, where everything works and everything serves a purpose and has the impact it should. And this reviewer says this as a big fan of the show, not afraid to admit that some episodes and seasons like with all shows are better than others but when an episode of 'Crimimal Minds' was good like "The Big Wheel" it made for riveting television.
It looks wonderful visually, 'Criminal Minds' always has been a well-made show but "The Big Wheel" is one of the more visually interesting and striking episodes, with some of it effectively stark, some of it melancholic and some of it claustrophobic but in a way that enhances the atmosphere. The climax is especially well done in this regard. The filming as always is stylish and slick, and it's all very atmospherically lit. The music is haunting and hypnotic, and while it always served the show well in a positive way without being extraordinary "The Big Wheel" is one of the few cases in the earlier seasons where the music when used really enhanced what was happening, especially the fairground music in the climax.
Here the writing is some of the tightest and thought-provoking of the show, not just the opening and closing bookend quotations but the procedural aspects and the delving into the mind of the unsub. Any humour doesn't feel out of place, the tense moments are nail-biting and the poignant moments are incredibly touching. The story is an interesting idea and brilliantly executed, with a genuine unsettling atmosphere and nothing feeling rushed or padded, as said everything feels necessary, well-explained and has real punch. The climax is both high in tension and emotion, with such a suspenseful build up to the outcome, which was quite heart-rending.
Direction throughout is more than solid, the tension and suspense doesn't slip, the characters are interesting and success is done getting good performances from all involved. The regular cast all do fine jobs, particularly Joe Mantegna, Matthew Gray Gubler and Paget Brewster but this is a case of the supporting roles making more of an impression. Much has been said about the performances of Alex O'Loughlin and Jake Cherry, and there is not much really to add. O'Loughlin magnificently brings both eeriness and anguish to an unsub that's both one that the viewer is frightened of and sympathetic towards (not many killers on 'Criminal Minds' fit that distinction, especially before this episode, but Vincent is one of the biggest examples). Cherry is remarkably affecting (reducing me to tears at the end) in a very difficult role, to the extent that one really does believe that he is blind, definitely one of the better child performances on the show.
To conclude, outstanding and a definite contender for the best episode of Season 4. 10/10 Bethany Cox
helpful•380
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jul 2, 2016
Details
- Runtime42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
- 16:9 HD
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content