Criminal Minds Review: Bartenders and Badasses

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Well well well, look who can kick a little ass? The "Pennsylvania Petite" (to steal a line from Morgan) was on all cylinders this week, as JJ showed us all how fierce a female agent can really be. Especially one who's relatively new to the field agent thing - good work, JJ. Remind me to never get on your bad side.

It's nice to be back after having to miss last week (sorry all - won't happen again), and luckily for me "Closing Time" didn't disappoint. It wasn't the best episode this season, but it was pretty interesting. If nothing else, we got to see more about JJ and Hotch, and that can never be a bad thing.

JJ's battle royale with our UnSub at the end was an impressive way to show us that she can more than handle herself in the field. But - and I'm sure I'm going to catch Hell for saying this - the actual combat choreography seemed kind of awkward and forced. Maybe it was the camera angles, maybe it was just me being overly critical, but it wasn't exactly Criminal Minds' best work. That said, I'm still happy that JJ got to stretch her legs a little more. And her exchange with Morgan was a nice little moment, too.

JJ Does Battle

Speaking of Morgan, where has his purpose gone? Between his short scenes with JJ and reminding Hotch that it was Valentine's Day, he's pretty much been relegated into a surface level role. And don't even get me started on his fresh-out-of-the-shower scene last week. WTF! Look, Shemar Moore is exceptionally easy on the eyes - I don't deny that - but this is a show about profiling, and putting him in a towel with a glistening chest felt a little cheap.

If they'd done that to Prentiss or JJ we would've all scoffed at how gratuitous it was, so why is it okay to make Morgan man candy? But I digress, back to the action this week...

So Hotch is back on the romantic horse, good for him. I loved that he showed up with flowers, what a stand up guy. And Rossi's encouragement was adorable, as was his financial contribution last week (even if Reid did get to play casino Rain Man in the end). I hope his relationship continues. Again, they keep reminding us how unpredictable the team's schedules are and how hard it is for them to have a normal life around the BAU hours - not a bad thing.

As for the actual storyline, there was some intrigue as they tried to figure out the nature of the relationship between the UnSub and his varied victims. The bartender thing didn't come out until the end, even if we'd been in on it for most of the episode. I'm usually a fan of more mystery, but the man getting demolished along with the car definitely kept it from being boring. As did the genital mutilation - yikes. There was a solid amount of profiling in this episode, so those of you who crave more should be pleased about that.

As always I'd like to see more Reid, since he always gets a smile out of me, but this time I'll add Morgan to that list (and Prentiss, for that matter). What did all of you think about the idea this week that those who cheated were deserving of some punishment? And that those who are wronged needed to be put out of their misery? Heavy stuff. I'm sure the opinions on that will be varied (as will the comments on Morgan's glistening appearance last week).

Happy to be back in the fold to hear what our readers have to say. Ready, set, discuss!

Closing Time Review

Editor Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
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Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 (96 Votes)
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Criminal Minds Season 7 Episode 14 Quotes

Agent Prentiss: He's castrating his victims post mortem, so torture isn't his game.
Agent Morgan: A shot to the head is efficient, I don't think he wants his victims to suffer.
Agent Hotchner: A quick kill isn't personal, and it lacks the thrill on which a lot of UnSubs thrive.
Morgan: But the castration is very personal. He probably knew his victims.
JJ: Or he could be impotent. The UnSub feels emasculated so he wants this victims to feel the same way.

Agent Rossi: You know, race day is almost here. You'll need a new excuse to see her.
Agent Hotchner: It's been handled.
Rossi: Attaboy. When?
Hotch: Friday.
Rossi: Come hell or high water, Aaron, I will get us back by Friday.