Criminal Minds: Season 10
Dec. 20th, 2015 07:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sawylHaving rushed through season ten of Criminal Minds ahead of going away, my feelings are rather mixed. Although it's definitely not as good as it used be in its glory days, Jennifer Love Hewitt proves a solid addition, while the better episodes stand comparison with the best of anything that has gone before.
Of the episodes the best is by far and away Mr Scratch, directed by Matthew Gray Gubler — responsible for some of the most disturbing episodes of previous seasons. The story concerns an unsub who seems to be able twist his victims into murdering their nearest and dearest, culminating in a nasty moment where Hotch rushes in, alone and without backup, only to find himself in the clutches of the manipulative mastermind behind the whole thing. Although everyone appears to come through the experience, the ending is ambiguous enough to leave unpleasantly lingering doubts.
Lockdown, an investigation into a series of murders in a private prison, is also rather good. Locked in, with limited connectivity to the outside world, and CCTV that never seems to show anything useful, the episode has a claustrophobic feel that emphasises the team's isolation and vulnerability. Honourable mentions also go to Breath Play and Rock Creek Park, both of which are pretty solid.
Special mention goes to Nelson's Sparrow, which finally rounds out Jason Gideon's story. I very much liked the attention to detail — Reid's car matching the one he used at the start of season three, for example — and I thought Ben Savage did a superb job as Jason in the flashback sequences — he'd obviously picked up on Mandy Patinkin's mannerisms but without turning them into a parody.
Of the episodes the best is by far and away Mr Scratch, directed by Matthew Gray Gubler — responsible for some of the most disturbing episodes of previous seasons. The story concerns an unsub who seems to be able twist his victims into murdering their nearest and dearest, culminating in a nasty moment where Hotch rushes in, alone and without backup, only to find himself in the clutches of the manipulative mastermind behind the whole thing. Although everyone appears to come through the experience, the ending is ambiguous enough to leave unpleasantly lingering doubts.
Lockdown, an investigation into a series of murders in a private prison, is also rather good. Locked in, with limited connectivity to the outside world, and CCTV that never seems to show anything useful, the episode has a claustrophobic feel that emphasises the team's isolation and vulnerability. Honourable mentions also go to Breath Play and Rock Creek Park, both of which are pretty solid.
Special mention goes to Nelson's Sparrow, which finally rounds out Jason Gideon's story. I very much liked the attention to detail — Reid's car matching the one he used at the start of season three, for example — and I thought Ben Savage did a superb job as Jason in the flashback sequences — he'd obviously picked up on Mandy Patinkin's mannerisms but without turning them into a parody.
