This is a tricky episode to review, as I thought the writing was decent, the direction wasn't all bad (minus the slow-mo stuff) and the performances were solid. I think my issue is partly with the story, and partly with the execution. The simplest way to put it is that "Checkmate" is kind of boring. I was never a fan of the Checkmate story, and this episode may be the main reason why. If you're going to escalate a storyline this late in the season, and place the kind of stakes on it as they write here, the introductory episode needs to have an enormous hook to it. It needs to be kicked off with a bang. "Checkmate" just kind of drags. The pacing for a story like this should be much more exciting. There are moments in the story that demand more impact, but every major scene just falls flat. Maybe it is a direction issue, but the editing doesn't help matters either. Not the best of season 9, that's for sure.
