When on form, and even better at its best, 'Criminal Minds' is one of my most watched and most re-watched shows and is a personal favourite. It is nowhere near as good now, but there are still good to great episodes made every now and then when the show doesn't forget what it's about, but Seasons 1-5 was its prime period.
Season 6 was when 'Criminal Minds' became wildly hit and miss, and generally is one of the show's weakest seasons. "Out of the Light" is one of Season 6's middling episodes, rather than being one of the best or worst. It isn't as good as "Middle Man", "Remembrance of Things Past", "The Longest Night", "Into the Woods" and "Hanley Waters", but it does fare far better than the likes of "Today I Do", "With Friends Like These", "25 to Life" and particularly "The Thirteenth Step".
The production values as always are very high in quality, being atmospheric and stylish, while the music has the right amount of the ominous touch and the pathos. The direction is alert and sympathetic and most of the script is thought-provoking with a good balance of mystery, bonding and humour, and there is more profiling than some other episodes of the season with less over-convenience and conclusion jumping.
Particularly great scenes were the whole soccer subplot with Hotch and Jack, the tense and emotional climax (that also had the benefit of being beautifully filmed) and the tautly written and edge of your seat interrogation scene with Talbot. Loved that Hotch was much closer to the character fans love him for rather than being side-lined to invisibility like he has been, and that Rossi also has a lot to do and his trademark sass comes through (you even learn a couple more things about him). Morgan's role in the climax was great.
Acting all round is very good, and the case has a gruesome grit, creepiness and emotion on the most part.
With that being said, the case also could have been better executed. The whole Talbot thing was too obvious too early a red herring, while also being obvious that he was hardly innocent. It is a shame because he was a creepy and interesting character and made much more impact than Bremmer. To me Bremmer was a little blandly developed and the connection/descent from the state of his family life with the abuse to the sexual sadism was confusingly handled, and what should have been creepy comes over as far-fetched thanks to some ridiculous inaccuracies regarding the crimes even by 'Criminal Minds' standards.
Really not a fan of Seaver still. In almost every single episode she featured in (the latter half of Season 6 from "What Happens at Home" to the season finale) her material has been a complete waste and the character is just dull, annoying, condescending, too inexperienced and prone to making dumb remarks.
Overall, decent middling Season 6 episode. 6/10 Bethany Cox
Season 6 was when 'Criminal Minds' became wildly hit and miss, and generally is one of the show's weakest seasons. "Out of the Light" is one of Season 6's middling episodes, rather than being one of the best or worst. It isn't as good as "Middle Man", "Remembrance of Things Past", "The Longest Night", "Into the Woods" and "Hanley Waters", but it does fare far better than the likes of "Today I Do", "With Friends Like These", "25 to Life" and particularly "The Thirteenth Step".
The production values as always are very high in quality, being atmospheric and stylish, while the music has the right amount of the ominous touch and the pathos. The direction is alert and sympathetic and most of the script is thought-provoking with a good balance of mystery, bonding and humour, and there is more profiling than some other episodes of the season with less over-convenience and conclusion jumping.
Particularly great scenes were the whole soccer subplot with Hotch and Jack, the tense and emotional climax (that also had the benefit of being beautifully filmed) and the tautly written and edge of your seat interrogation scene with Talbot. Loved that Hotch was much closer to the character fans love him for rather than being side-lined to invisibility like he has been, and that Rossi also has a lot to do and his trademark sass comes through (you even learn a couple more things about him). Morgan's role in the climax was great.
Acting all round is very good, and the case has a gruesome grit, creepiness and emotion on the most part.
With that being said, the case also could have been better executed. The whole Talbot thing was too obvious too early a red herring, while also being obvious that he was hardly innocent. It is a shame because he was a creepy and interesting character and made much more impact than Bremmer. To me Bremmer was a little blandly developed and the connection/descent from the state of his family life with the abuse to the sexual sadism was confusingly handled, and what should have been creepy comes over as far-fetched thanks to some ridiculous inaccuracies regarding the crimes even by 'Criminal Minds' standards.
Really not a fan of Seaver still. In almost every single episode she featured in (the latter half of Season 6 from "What Happens at Home" to the season finale) her material has been a complete waste and the character is just dull, annoying, condescending, too inexperienced and prone to making dumb remarks.
Overall, decent middling Season 6 episode. 6/10 Bethany Cox
