Criminal Minds 13x05 "Lucky Strikes" Review

“Lucky Strikes” brought back Agent Baby Girl, and for that, I am grateful.

The episode has two stories going on at once. First, a serial killer they had put in a mental hospital appears to be killing again, but they can’t figure out how to prove it. Second, when they first worked this case, this was when Garcia was shot, so her PTSD is triggered and she is snapping at everyone.

I’m glad they kept throwing in little references to the episode in question throughout this episode. I remembered Garcia getting shot, but not Floyd Ferell specifically, until Luke mentioned something about eating the chili he was serving. That made me shiver a bit! This was also an episode that is frustrating from an audience standpoint, because Ferell’s lawyer is arguing Ferell did not do it, any of it, even ten years ago; it was all someone else. They need to figure out if there was someone else or not. Ferell is a lot smarter than he is letting on. He has groomed another member of his Bible study to start killing again, using the exact details of his rituals, including some things never released to the public. When his current partner admits to doing everything before killing himself, the agents have no choice but to share it (though they know he is lying). I did like the twist ending they did. Once Ferell was pronounced a free man by the hospital staff, Rossi steps in with an order to X-ray his stomach…for the missing fingers. Ferell’s façade disappears. Case closed.

Garcia thinks she’s gotten over the events of ten years ago. It’s been ten years, more than enough time to heal physically and mentally, right? But she keeps flashing back to what happened and in trying to control herself ends up snapping at the rest of the team. JJ calls Morgan to come and talk to her. That is all she needs to feel better, for now. Obviously she still has some healing to do, but her quick fix for her current funk is from her best friend. I just love the relationship between the two of them so much and I’m glad they were able to bring him back, if only for two scenes.

This was an overall strong episode, bringing back characters from the past. There’s been a whole decade between that episode and this one. Time moves in their universe, same as here. I wonder if they’ll keeping bringing back old cases, or if this is a one-time thing. Halloween episode this week. Should be good. I’ll try to get a review up sooner than next week.

10/10

NCIS 15x05 "Fake It 'Til You Make It" Review

“Fake It ‘Til You Make It” was a really good episode. You know I love it when the central conflict revolves around one of the main characters and this one is no exception. Mr. Clayton Reeves was front and center.

The episode revolves around an elaborate game a fellow AA member is playing against everyone, but it’s not apparent until the very end. Melissa Goodman fakes a kidnapping, drugs and kills her boyfriend, and steals stolen government software in order to sell it, all while playing the poor, abused recovering alcoholic who killed her boyfriend out of self-defense and knew nothing about the laptop and software he stole. The title of the episode should have made me suspect Melissa all along, but I was too caught up in following Clay’s point of view that I didn’t even think to suspect her. I’m not sure how I feel about the whole “fake trauma” story; those always make me feel a little weird afterward.

I guessed towards the beginning that the episode would end with Clayton at a meeting and he would share something. It was kind of a weird ending, from a writing standpoint. It just seemed like the opening stinger of an episode, not really something for the end. Nevertheless, I really liked the looks we got into his character this episode. He is one of my favorites of the "new guys", and to see his stoic exterior crumble as one of his friends is in trouble was interesting.

The McGee meme was a little odd and seemed to come out of nowhere. But then it became relevant, sort of. As soon as McGee said the meme originated in Paris, I knew it had to be Tony. That was such a nice touch; I was hoping the whole meme storyline wasn’t a whole bunch of nothing. Nope, just a sweet little reminder of past friends, and McGee getting him back with his awkward high school photo was just perfect.

One more relevant tidbit we get out of the episode is Agent Jack Sloane is now a permanent cast member after only one episode. Having some psychology behind these cases will be an interesting twist, though hopefully not too much like Criminal Minds.

We’ve got a Halloween episode this week, and those never disappoint. Though several of these episodes have kind of felt like Halloween. Oh well. I will be watching excitedly, and hopefully will get my review up sooner than next week. (Life happens. You all get it.)

9/10

Criminal Minds 13x04 "Killer App" Review

SPOILERS

“Killer App” was a slightly different episode than usual, but I loved it. It was very emotionally gripping all the way through and really made me think.

The episode begins with a fun look into the relaxing area of a video game company that quickly turns to a brutal and chilling office shooting where no one can see who the shooter is. The team works to try and connect the victims when there is another shooting and four coders are killed. They discover the connection between them: they all were coders on a team which did drone operations for the military. And the unsub is the person who piloted the drone. We learn there’s something a little sketchy going on as the unsub, named Jake, startles and kidnaps a woman named Tori. There is much red tape as they try to get to the unsub and once they do, it’s too late. Tori killed him in escaping, but Peakstone had finished the job by hacking into the drone. They almost kill Tori as well, though both she and the leader of Peakstone are arrested for withholding evidence about the team’s last mission.

It’s not often that Criminal Minds dives into problems with the government or military or related areas. They stick to the unsubs, and that usually involves everyday situations. But this story, of there being a massive cover-up, of a supposed bombing of an insurrection camp turning out to be an elementary school? It’s no wonder the unsub Jake is so triggered by the letter, or why Tori is so squirrelly. This made me so uncomfortable to watch play out and it felt so different from other episodes. But I liked it. I liked that they took a risk. It was a different episode with a different story. I’m glad they didn’t turn it into someone with a recreational drone doing this, or it might have devolved into something involving the greater Internet and starting an argument.

Really, the only gripe I had with this episode is in the provided description it mentions it was an office shooting done by drone. The surprise is taken away. It would have been interesting to figure it out at the same time as them.

There wasn’t much going on by way of the main characters, but that’s fine. We’ve had enough over the last few episodes that we can start sinking into the everyday formula. There were the scenes at the beginning and end with Emily and Luke, going over the last details of the Mr. Scratch situation. I did like the ending, a slice of life, endless paperwork and midnight takeout.

10/10

NCIS 15x04 "Skeleton Crew" Review

SPOILERS

“Skeleton Crew” was a highly enjoyable episode, from the character moments to the Halloween-esque murder mystery.

The episode opens with a very real injured Marine stumbling around at a haunted house/masquerade thing while Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor plays in the background, the classic creepy Halloween music. On this same stormy night, Gibbs’ peaceful evening is interrupted by a stranded traveler and a call from Vance. It turns out his random visitor was not so random after all, and is actually a forensic psychologist there to observe him (I think. They’re not too clear on that part). The search for the Marine’s kidnapped wife leads Bishop and Torres to a ship in the middle of the hurricane, where Bishop’s high school bully is currently the XO. While originally one might think the intent of the kidnapping and attempted murder was jealousy, this is not Criminal Minds and the tag-team bad guys for the week were actually just after a whole lotta money.   

The episode crammed in so many references to modern events. The whole premise of the power being knocked out because of a hurricane would have been very realistic probably around the time this episode was in production. I enjoyed the references to Game of Thrones and Hamilton (though the writer must be a Jorah/Dany shipper and that I really can’t abide by).

We get so many great moments with our characters just having fun being their characters. Jimmy all excited for his first solo week by putting on a bowtie (and apparently singing “My Shot” over and over). Abby gifting the team zombie apocalypse emergency kits (and the beepers inside end up being how they let Bishop and Torres know, hey, you’re trapped on this ship with possibly the murderer). Torres getting his coffee and leaning back as Bishop and Buckner chat.

Vance brings SA Sloane to "meet" Gibbs.

The most interesting part of the episode is of course SA Jack Sloane (and Gibbs being Gibbs, but that was expected). The way she is inserted into the story, and especially with the episode ending with her, makes me think that she will be around a lot more. Perhaps she will sort of become an Abby-replacement once Pauley leaves at the end of the season? At any rate, her presence is a very intriguing one and I wonder how they will use her in the future (without the show turning into Criminal Minds, that is).

I guess the only thing that could have made it better would have been playing a little more on the theme of it being a masquerade and having to detain people and somehow the whole team was trapped in the haunted house. Though that might be a little too Scooby-Doo. The NCIS Halloween episodes rarely disappoint.

10/10

Criminal Minds 13x03 "Blue Angel" Review

SPOILERS

“Blue Angel” gave yet another unique unsub of the week while incorporating Matt Simmons in an episode that seemed to have a little something to say about the importance of family.

The episode starts to be about finding the link between two supposedly unrelated men, horribly tortured and captured all on tape, sent to the families. The link turns out to be an escort both of them used, and all of a sudden the episode is about her, Kimberly. The obvious idea for the unsub is a jealous ex-boyfriend or partner, but after a little digging it seems like a more probably solution is a family member. She doesn’t know anything, but it seems like her mother does. While the two women are kidnapped, the team figures out Kimberly’s biological father killed her biological mother and her “mother” is actually her aunt. Her father is now out of prison and is not happy about the way Kimberly’s life turned out, so he is going after the men she has had a connection with. The team finds where they are hiding and everyone gets away okay. Her father is arrested, and both Kimberly and her mother seem to be fine.

Agent Matt Simmons and his wife.

I really liked the scene at the beginning with Matt Simmons and his wife. I thought they were just doing a little character building to make him seem more real in our eyes, but it turns out there was a greater purpose there. While watching over Kimberly, she is a little suggestive but he turns her down, staying true to his wife, not hiding behind anything. She appreciates that, and we get to see what a loving family could be, should be, when compared to the mess that ended up being Kimberly’s family, with her father and her aunt/mother. The episode rewards us with a reunion with Matt and his wife and kids.

This episode kept me intrigued throughout. It was a different kind of story which sprinkled throughout little moments with the characters we love so much. The team is still sticking together, doing what they do best.

10/10

NCIS 15x03 "Exit Strategy" Review

SPOILERS

“Exit Strategy” was one of those episodes where I loved the buildup and hated the resolution.

Torres is on a joint stakeout with someone from the PD. He goes to apprehend their target and while away from the car his partner for the day has disappeared. He’s run off with a woman whom Detective Sergeant Sportelli is positive died ten years before. It turns out she had escaped the bomb that supposedly killed her and started over with a whole other life. There’s a whole bunch of digging up the past, discovering who the real father of her son is, who could possibly have kidnapped him, why they are still after the money she was looking for ten years ago. And it turns out…one of the dirty cops is Sportelli. They rescue the son and corner Sportelli, who, instead of surrendering, decides to commit suicide. There’s a happy ending for Michelle Lane and her son as she is able to put her crazy past behind her.

There’s also a very nice subplot carrying on from last episode with Ducky over in Scotland. He is giving a talk about his best cases, including the only instance of “Body in a Body”. A fellow alum rescues him from a barrage of fanboy questions and offers him a teaching residency for a semester at her college, John Jay. The episode ends with Ducky telling Palmer he is going to take the residency. He’s discovered he isn’t as needed as much as he thought.

Ducky gives a lecture.

This is an episode where there are “lasting consequences to the universe”. Sportelli has showed up in several episodes before. He was always a thorn in their side, like any non-NCIS law enforcement on the show. But to almost using him as a scapegoat and taking him out of the narrative permanently seemed like the easy way out instead of bringing in a new character. Also, Ducky transitioning out of the show is one I had not really been expecting. Here’s one more of the original characters moving out of the show.

I still don’t dislike the show, don’t get me wrong. So far it hasn’t seemed like they are running out of ideas for plots. But the characters are starting to get exhausted, and after 15 years, who wouldn’t?

9/10

Criminal Minds 13x02 "To a Better Place" Review

SPOILERS

“To A Better Place” was a nice warm-up kind of episode, not too over-the-top to get both the viewers and the team back into the swing of things. While not as heart-pounding as last week’s, there were still some moments I enjoyed.

The unsub this week is killing girls and leaving them in old suitcases, extremely influenced by his grandmother and his lack of a mother. He has been able to curb his violent impulses his whole life until his grandma suddenly dies and he is left alone. Yet he is still hearing her voice in his head and imagines she is still there. She is guiding his actions and decisions; he wants to ask out a fellow coffee shop worker, yet she disapproves. After he asks her out and takes her to meet his grandma, who is obviously not there, she wants to leave him. He snaps and tries to kill her, but Spence gets there in time to stop him. It’s revealed his mother never left him like he thought, and his grandma had killed her in trying to stop her from leaving.

It’s one of the episodes where you end up feeling a little bad for the unsub. His whole life has been built on the lie of a memory of something that never even happened. All he wants is a mother, someone stable, someone who won’t leave him. And even though he goes about it the wrong way, it’s still something a little bit different from many other unsubs.

Spence is back on the team.

Another big part of the episode is Spence getting reinstated into the team. He passes everything and is allowed back in, but only if for every 100 days he works, he takes 30 off. He doesn’t like that idea but he goes with it because otherwise he wouldn’t be allowed back at all. Emily helps him out a little too, by arranging for him to teach lectures on his month off. He is told that he will be watched carefully; the last time they let someone back in after a situation like his, he acted irrationally and dangerously in a hostage situation. I found it unsurprising, then, that at the end of the episode, Spence finds himself the lone agent in a hostage situation, where he has to diffuse the situation and get everyone out safely while waiting for the rest of the agents. He is able to keep calm, though, and everyone gets out safely. Spence reflects on his time in prison being a good thing. Germs don’t bother him as much now. He’s taking baby steps. So far, so good, in his recovery.

9/10

NCIS 15x02 "Twofer" Review

SPOILERS

“Twofer” was a good follow-up to the season premiere. It was a unique case of the week while not ignoring the ramifications of what transpired in the previous episode.

Let’s start with the case of the week and the other small storylines. While caskets are being moved, one is opened and two bodies fall out. How did Richard Coyne get in there? The case seems pretty open-and-shut as he disappeared a week before he was supposed to testify at a trial of a drug dealer. We get more Ducky and Palmer action this episode as Ducky is plagued by his (adorable) “Scotland the Brave” ringtone from the University of Edinburgh, and Palmer becomes delirious after inhaling something from Coyne’s body. There were drugs in his liver which crystallized when coming in contact with oxygen, as Abby hypothesized earlier, and the drugs were not the types of drugs the obvious suspect drug dealer dealt. Who could it possibly be? It wasn’t the wife, though she was currently seeing the guy who was there when he died, accidentally or not is up to you to decide. In order to hide the body, one of the friendly people from the graveyard was a buddy and hooked them up with a nice casket (though already occupied). The show got me there; I wasn’t really suspecting either of the graveyard workers. The only bit that annoyed me with the episode was Torres’ sudden concern with disturbing graves and how they were going to haunt them. That didn’t quite seem in character, and at first I just thought he was joking. I did like the ending, where it turns out Ducky is going to be recognized at a special weekend and get an honorary degree; he’s not simply being hounded for money.

Torres learns about disturbing burial sites.

The heart of the episode is of course Gibbs and McGee on their little road to recovery. They are all cleared to go back to work except they must pass a psych eval. Surprisingly, it’s not Gibbs who skips out on his appointment, but McGee. He goes to Gibbs’ house to talk because he can’t sleep, and Gibbs really isn’t having it. Eventually McGee goes to the doctor and tries to talk it out. He’s been worrying a lot since he’s come home, because there was no time to worry while in Paraguay. But he just might be better suited to deal with anything bad that comes his way because of this. Gibbs’ transformation was definitely curious. He’s sunnier, to use the doctor’s word. He was still affected by Paraguay, but he’s dealing as best he can. And he actually goes back for more therapy at the end of the episode. It will be very interesting to see where these two go throughout this season, or if this, for the most part, is the end of it.

9/10

Good title, btw. "Two-for-one"...in a coffin