Closing Time 

The BAU team hit choppy waters on the beaches of Southern California when they discover a series of bodies hidden in lifeguard towers along the coast.

Director:

Jesse Warn

Writers:

Jeff Davis (created by), Rick Dunkle

Stars:

Joe Mantegna, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Joe Mantegna	...	David Rossi
Paget Brewster	...	Emily Prentiss
Shemar Moore	...	Derek Morgan
Matthew Gray Gubler	...	Dr. Spencer Reid
A.J. Cook	...	Jennifer Jareau
Kirsten Vangsness	...	Penelope Garcia
Thomas Gibson	...	Aaron Hotchner
Geoffrey Blake	...	Michael
Rodney Rowland	...	Doug Summers (as Rod Rowland)
Tyler Neitzel	...	Hunter Wright
Chris Payne Gilbert	...	Agent Parker
Bellamy Young	...	Beth Clemmons
Maury Morgan	...	Andrea Wright
Herve Clermont	...	Dr. Brandon MacDonald (as Hervé Clermont)
Ryan Scott Greene	...	Jimmy

Storyline

The BAU is called to the Los Angeles area as three men were found dead in a lifeguard station closed for the season. Two were wrapped in plastic. All died a from a single gunshot wound to the head and were castrated postmortem. All three were not local, and had differing physical characteristics, differing socioeconomic backgrounds and differing sexual orientations. Other aspects of the deaths indicate that the unsub knew his victims. As subsequent victims emerge, the team learns that all were going through some sort of personal loss, which is why they were targeted since the unsub too probably experienced that same loss. The victims' missing vehicles, a female victim whose method of death was dissimilar to the males, toxicology reports and pin-pointing the common loss between all bring the team closer to finding the unsub, and who his ultimate targets are. Meanwhile, Rossi vows to complete this investigation by week's end so that Hotch can go on his first date since Haley's death.

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Plot Keywords:

bonfire | father son relationship | fbi agent | reference to william shakespeare | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 February 2012 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mark Gordon Company,CBS Television Studios,ABC Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

42 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

Error: Garcia's computer displays a medical examiner's report that shows a victim's blood alcohol level to be 81%. This is incredibly unlikely and practically impossible unless the victim's blood had actually been replaced with alcohol. BAC is usually calculated in hundredths or tenths of 1%. Fatal BAC levels are normally between 0.35-0.4%.

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Goofs

As they are discussing how the first female victim was handled Morgan says that she was not castrated. Since castration is the removal of testicles it would have been impossible for the female victim to be castrated. He should have said her genitals were not mutilated.

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Quotes

Aaron Hotchner: [knock, knock] Come in. Hey.
Derek Morgan: Hey. I thought I was the one supposed to be burning the midnight oil.
Aaron Hotchner: Well, with Strauss away, the director asked me to do a little extra. I'm actually looking forward to having her back.
Derek Morgan: Right. It's not the greatest way to spend Valentine's Day, now, is it? I forgot, too. Some of the singles were gonna go find a bar and grab a drink if you want to come along. I mean, unless there's someplace else you could be.
Aaron Hotchner: I think I'll pass, but thank you.
Derek Morgan: What about the ...
[...]

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Soundtracks

Supernumerary
Written by Vanaprasta
Performed by Vanaprasta

User Reviews

Very mixed feelings on this episode.

Season 7 has been an inconsistent season like most of the seasons from Season 6. With the worst episodes of the season, there are worse in the show's history but they are still lesser efforts.

With Season 7, there are some great episodes. Especially "Foundation", which bowled me over as to how good it was that it was difficult to believe that it was from a late 'Criminal Minds' season. There are also mediocre at best episodes, such as "I Love You Tommy Brown", which just made me feel uncomfortable and also really disliked Morgan and Garcia in the episode, and the strange and ridiculous "There's No Place Like Home".

"Closing Time" as far as Season 7 episodes go is somewhat middle of the road and feelings were very mixed. Not an awful episode (certainly nowhere near low-point category), but not a great one.

There are obvious good things here. "Closing Time", as pretty much always from 'Criminal Minds', looks great, very stylishly and atmospherically shot with an appropriate amount of grit in the production values in general. The music is both haunting and melancholic, without being intrusive, inappropriate or too much of one mood.

As for the case itself, it's pretty intriguing, with the right amount of tension and suspense, some decent profiling (not full of it but not neglected) and with a creepy unsub. Reid has a few nice moments, but should have been in the episode more. The acting is good too.

For all these good things, there were elements that were lacking, which were to do with a couple of badly done scenes and not enough little character moments in the team that one looks out for. Some may be excited by JJ's climactic fight scene, personally thought the excitement despite AJ Cook's valiant efforts was diminished by the combat being awkwardly choreographed and disorganised in editing, also feel JJ is too out of character when in action when she's much more likable as a liaison officer. The opening scene is draggy, forced and not particularly well acted.

Hotch's new romantic relationship could have brought some heart to the episode, if Bellamy Young as his new love interest wasn't such a dull actress, also although it is nice to see Hotch happy after so long the relationship just feels a little too hasty. Morgan is basically in the background, so much so that you question the point of him being there or his purpose in the episode.

Overall, very mixed on the episode. Not 'Criminal Minds' at its best, although there's much worse in the show too. 5/10 Bethany Cox