With 'Criminal Minds', some seasons are better than others and every season has a mixture of outstanding, great, very good, good, average, mediocre and bad episodes. This said, lesser episodes of Seasons 1-4 (with possible exception of "Machismo") are better than the lesser episodes of Season 6 onward.
Season 9 generally is one of the weakest 'Criminal Minds' seasons, and due to a wider divide between the best and worst episodes one of the show's most inconsistent. There are some good/great episodes like "Gabby", "The Caller", "Angels"/"Demons", and also underwhelming ones such as "Mr and Mrs Anderson", "The Inspiration" (the show's worst season premiere)/"The Inspired" and two of the show's low-points "200" and "The Black Queen".
Like was said with "Rabid", "Final Shot" is not quite an outstanding episode but is a very good. As far as Season 9 goes, it is one of the better episodes and is a huge improvement over "The Inspiration" and "The Inspired" that preceded it. Only a couple of things stop it from being even better.
Eva LaRue feels underused in an underwritten part, functioning seemingly mainly as serving the audience's purpose in the episode and asking the questions. "Final Shot" did take a somewhat strange turn at the end, to me the battered woman's shelter getting mixed up with a paramilitary group didn't make quite as much sense as it potentially could have done and felt like it was thrown in from another episode.
Much of "Final Shot" was incredibly well done. It was a very exciting and suspenseful case that reminds one of the early years, with lots of classic profiling, seeing a glimpse of the unsub but not their face and not knowing their identity and true motivations until much later on, delightful team interaction and character moments and even a scene where we're walked through the crime.
There are lots of surprises, twists, turns and misdirection without being too much or convoluted. A definite highlight was Morgan and JJ's prison interrogation with the vile racist inmate Adam Dawson (played with relish by Blake Gibbons). Rossi, Reid and Garcia all have some great lines.
Visually, the production values in "Final Shot" are without complaint. It's very well shot and lit and is overall stylish, gritty, classy and atmospheric. The music is moody in the haunting and melancholic sense and fits well, without either enhancing or distracting from the atmosphere. The direction keeps the momentum going but lets the case breathe. The script is very thought-provoking and often leaves one surprised and shocked.
All the acting from the leads is very good, and while Gibbons is the standout of the supporting turns one does feel sorry for Yetide Bedaki's character.
In summary, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Season 9 generally is one of the weakest 'Criminal Minds' seasons, and due to a wider divide between the best and worst episodes one of the show's most inconsistent. There are some good/great episodes like "Gabby", "The Caller", "Angels"/"Demons", and also underwhelming ones such as "Mr and Mrs Anderson", "The Inspiration" (the show's worst season premiere)/"The Inspired" and two of the show's low-points "200" and "The Black Queen".
Like was said with "Rabid", "Final Shot" is not quite an outstanding episode but is a very good. As far as Season 9 goes, it is one of the better episodes and is a huge improvement over "The Inspiration" and "The Inspired" that preceded it. Only a couple of things stop it from being even better.
Eva LaRue feels underused in an underwritten part, functioning seemingly mainly as serving the audience's purpose in the episode and asking the questions. "Final Shot" did take a somewhat strange turn at the end, to me the battered woman's shelter getting mixed up with a paramilitary group didn't make quite as much sense as it potentially could have done and felt like it was thrown in from another episode.
Much of "Final Shot" was incredibly well done. It was a very exciting and suspenseful case that reminds one of the early years, with lots of classic profiling, seeing a glimpse of the unsub but not their face and not knowing their identity and true motivations until much later on, delightful team interaction and character moments and even a scene where we're walked through the crime.
There are lots of surprises, twists, turns and misdirection without being too much or convoluted. A definite highlight was Morgan and JJ's prison interrogation with the vile racist inmate Adam Dawson (played with relish by Blake Gibbons). Rossi, Reid and Garcia all have some great lines.
Visually, the production values in "Final Shot" are without complaint. It's very well shot and lit and is overall stylish, gritty, classy and atmospheric. The music is moody in the haunting and melancholic sense and fits well, without either enhancing or distracting from the atmosphere. The direction keeps the momentum going but lets the case breathe. The script is very thought-provoking and often leaves one surprised and shocked.
All the acting from the leads is very good, and while Gibbons is the standout of the supporting turns one does feel sorry for Yetide Bedaki's character.
In summary, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox
