Criminal Minds 12x18 "Hell's Kitchen" Review

SPOILERS

“Hell's Kitchen” was a good episode. Reid's story keeps working towards an explosive resolution, and the unsub was more intriguing than usual.

I liked the unsub. Yes, he was a “bad guy” for kidnapping and killing those girls, but unlike many of them he thought he had a good reason to do it. The scenes with him were very creepy, mostly because of the darkness. He thought good blood would help him be in the sunlight; I loved the scene when he was sticking his hand in the sunlight and was counting the seconds. It was a nice little look into his mind and how he is thinking. I really enjoyed the contrasting shots of the busy, loud streets of New York City and the stark quiet and darkness of the unsub's underground place.

This felt like the episode was supposed to have an emphasis on Walker, but someone forgot to write a little bit extra for him. I liked the beginning and end with him calming himself (and Garcia and the unsub) with satanama, which is actually something I do with my fingers but as a nervous/unconscious habit as opposed to a way to keep myself calm (and I didn't realize it was a meditative technique). There were little hints into his background; he's been to Sri Lanka and apparently he has a daughter? And he was the one who tried to connect with the unsub after he hit him and shot him.

Reid makes a decision.

Reid had a lot to do in this episode. It is revealed to us that he has been keeping a journal and attending group therapy after the death of his friend Delgado. He is counting the days while he is in his cell. His voiceovers make it clear that he is struggling with his new life. At least we as an audience can assume and hope that this will all be over soon. I loved the look on his face when he saw Rossi. I'm so glad they showed another interaction between Reid and a member of the team.

I was excited to meet Malcolm until it seemed like Calvin didn't know him. And Calvin has been on a suspect list as someone who is not very trustworthy; I've been waiting for him to do something.

Maybe I missed something, but I'm not quite sure what Reid did. I guess he somehow poisoned the drugs, but I don't know with what. Whatever he did, it was spread to more than just the intended user, including his new acquaintance Malcolm and Calvin Shaw. I guess we'll find out next time.

9/10