Tabula Rasa
- Episode aired May 14, 2008
- TV-14
- 42m
A suspected serial killer who's been in a coma since 2004 due to an accident when he was arrested wakes up 4 years later, with no memory of his past, not even his name. While he is tried in ... Read allA suspected serial killer who's been in a coma since 2004 due to an accident when he was arrested wakes up 4 years later, with no memory of his past, not even his name. While he is tried in court, in which Hotch is testifying against him, the rest of the team investigates his pas... Read allA suspected serial killer who's been in a coma since 2004 due to an accident when he was arrested wakes up 4 years later, with no memory of his past, not even his name. While he is tried in court, in which Hotch is testifying against him, the rest of the team investigates his past further.
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Did you know
- TriviaThe title, "Tabula Rasa," is a Latin term that literally means "scraped tablet", the modern equivalent being "clean slate".
- GoofsNative Americans can suffer from male pattern baldness, they have a resistance to hair loss, but some men do still show signs of Androgenic Alopecia. Also all we know is his mom is Native American not his dad.
- Quotes
[Hotch is on the stand being questioned by the defense attorney, Lester Serling]
Lester Serling: Fact is, behavioral analysis is really just intellectual guesswork. You probably couldn't tell me the color of my socks with any greater accuracy than a carnival psychic.
Cece Hillenbrand: [standing] Objection.
Lester Serling: Withdrawn.
[Not expecting an answer, Serling turns away from Hotch to head back to his seat]
Aaron 'Hotch' Hotchner: Charcoal gray.
[Serling, surprised that Hotch provided an answer, turns around and lifts his pants to reveal his socks, at which he points]
Lester Serling: [sarcastically] Well look at that. He got one right.
Aaron 'Hotch' Hotchner: You match them to the color of your suit to appear taller. You also wear lifts, and you've had the soles of your shoes replaced. One might think you're frugal, but in fact you're having financial difficulties. You wear a fake Rolex because you pawned the real one to pay your debts, my guess is to a bookie.
Lester Serling: I took this case pro bono. I am one of the most successful criminal attorneys in the state.
Aaron 'Hotch' Hotchner: Your vice is horses. Your BlackBerry's been buzzing on the table every twenty minutes, which happens to be the average time between posts from Colonial Downs. You're getting race results, and every time you do it affects your mood in court, and you're not having a very good day. That's because you pick horses the same way you practice law: by always taking the long shot.
Lester Serling: Well, you spin a very good yarn, agent, but as usual you've proven nothing.
Aaron 'Hotch' Hotchner: [looking at his watch] If I'm not mistaken, the results from the fifth race should be coming through any minute.
[Serling's BlackBerry on the table starts to buzz]
Aaron 'Hotch' Hotchner: Why don't you tell us if your luck has changed?
Lester Serling: Your Honor, this is...
Judge: What do you want me to do? Either show us your BlackBerry or cut him loose, counselor.
[Serling ponders the question for a second]
Lester Serling: Nothing further.
Judge: Wise decision.
- ConnectionsReferences 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- SoundtracksCriminal Minds Theme
Composed by Mark Mancina
Seasons 1-4 are mostly great and Season 5 had some high-points, before becoming hit and miss Season 6 onwards, with apart from three or four exceptions a particularly disappointing Season 11. There are many good to great episodes, as well as several outstanding ones, while others range from bad to average.
"Tabula Rasa" is one of my favourites from the early seasons, and one of Season 3's best episodes alongside the emotional and very relatable "Elephant's Memory" and the tense and non-stop suspenseful "Lo-Fi", also was really impressed by "True Night" and "Seven Seconds". Will even go so far to say that it's one of the best 'Criminal Minds' episodes.
The only minor complaint actually is the side-lining and under-use of Rossi, who was settling well at this point but he properly became interesting in "Damaged" and more so in Season 4 with "Masterpiece" and "Zoe's Reprise", but that is easily overlook-able because everything else is so masterfully done.
Particularly great here is the story and script. The story is riveting throughout, starting with an opening that is the very meaning of adrenaline-rush all the way to one of the show's most unforgettable and haunting endings. In between, there is some great profiling on Matloff. This sees the team working as a team and actually doing investigating, rather than conclusion-jumping or relying too conveniently on Garcia's computer to provide the answers, and Matloff is one of the show's most well developed and interesting criminals in my opinion, in struggling to understand who he was and what he did.
Also present are some nice little character moments within the team or with the supporting characters (the chemistry is brilliant), particularly loved the more mature and empathetic Reid's scenes with the vengeful father (one does understand his feelings here), as well as finding out more about how Reid joined the team and the first appearance of "baby girl", well before the flirtatious banter started getting too much. Other than the ending, the scenes with Matloff really resonated and the profiling-analysis scene in the courtroom with Hotch is one of the best ever scenes on 'Criminal Minds'.
Regarding the script, that was very cleverly structured, tightly paced and thought-provoking. Making one think and feel deeper than any episode before, especially with the whole questioning who Matloff is and is he guilty. The twist is one one doesn't see coming and is nail-biting. The production values are high in quality once again and the music suits the mood and tone of the episode well. Direction is solid.
Matthew Gray Gubler and Thomas Gibson especially stand out of the regular actors, due to their very strong scenes. Eric Lange is really quite brilliant as Matloff, one of those characters who one actually felt sorry for and for a while unsure about. Very different from the irredeemably evil unsubs often present on the show, and after seeing episodes that try to make one feel sympathy for the criminal but fail (mainly due to lack of development or their crimes being too awful and gratuitous) it was great to see an instance where it is done very well (one of the show's supremely successful attempts actually).
In conclusion, a 'Criminal Minds' classic and a Season 3 highlight. 10/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Nov 19, 2016
Details
- Runtime42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
- 16:9 HD