Beyond Borders the Criminal Minds spin-off is a fail
By Mumbua Nzula Nzyoka.
There is a recurring theme that runs in American TV and movies; that theme is rooted in America’s greatness. I don’t blame them for that; it’s their show so they can put the American flag in every scene if they want to. But it’s one thing to watch Captain America battle an enemy that is threatening his country, and it’s another when the threat is not a person or organization but a culture different from his own. And that’s where Beyond Borders missed the mark!
Beyond Border’s first episode is a PowerPoint presentation of all the xenophobic comments Donald Trump has been spewing since the presidential race begun. In its premiere episode, two American girls are kidnapped from a farm in Thailand and FBI’s international Response Team is sent in to investigate. Fair enough, but as the episode progressed, the show goes as far as to suggest that the local police won’t find the girls without their help because they’re too backward or incompetent to do the job. Because guess what, the only people who are competent enough to do anything are Americans! Go team America! *Side eyes* Please! I can live with a lot but comments such as “…young, healthy, American, they’ll get top dollar,” I can live without. Newsflash! Americans are not the only people who are kidnapped and sold for money or top dollar for that matter.
I thought when CBS decided to do Beyond Borders we would get a show where the American team would work side by side with the other country’s team and not come and take over or make snide comments about the country’s culture. You know, something like what Sense 8 did with all its foreign characters. The whole premise of this show is that Americans are not safe outside their own country. This show is basically saying that any culture that is not American is uncivilised and not to be trusted. That’s just wrong!
After listening to Trump’s comments about people who are not American and seeing the xenophobia attacks in South Africa last year, I can’t condone xenophobia in any form, even in entertainment.
It was good to see Gary Sinise again but there are things I can live without, one of them is Trump and unfortunately, the other is Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
