Eleven seasons into a show’s run, it can be tough to keep things interesting sometimes. Shows can often struggle to find ways to keep viewers captivated and still willing to watch week in and week out.
Fortunately, the eleventh season of “Criminal Minds” doesn’t seem to have that problem. Not only is there (yet another!) new team member for us to get to know, but the season premiere involved an intense case that set up a very intriguing storyline for the show to explore in the coming season.
The Case:
“This guy doesn’t have ‘mommy issues’, and if he did, he’d probably be killing women.”
The case seems pretty innocuous at first, actually. Local cops discover a man deceased in a drug lab somewhere in Seattle, Washington – nothing too unusual or unexpected there.
Oh, except, of course, for the paint on his face, done up in the shape of a theater mask. That’s kind of strange. Rossi comes in to inform the local cops that another victim has been found in a similar state all the way over in Albany, New York, thus making these murders. That’s when we realize this isn’t just a simple case of a druggie succumbing to his vices.
As the episode goes on, we also find out that the face paint is supposed to be representative of the Italian art of Pulcinella, the “earliest form of the modern clown”, according to Reid (and, also, the earliest example of a mime, as Rossi points out later). It’s all supposed to symbolize the fact that this unsub, who we come to know as Giuseppe Montolo, literally cannot talk, due to a horrific incident with his jaw (which we got an oh-so-charming look at during various points throughout the episode – anyone else cringe when he tried to pry his stitches open, or was it just me being wimpy?).
We also learn that Montolo is a hit man, getting work wherever he can through the shady underground group known as Silk Road (which is and was a real life thing, by the way). The FBI took down Silk Road a couple years ago, but it seems a few rogue members are still out there and still making trouble, trying to reenergize the group.
Montolo seems to think that one of his many clients was somehow responsible for the injury to his jaw. As a result, he’s going back through and killing off all his clients, via a nasty injection into their bodies, in the hopes of finding the one responsible. His reason for the face paint? Just a friendly warning to his other clients that they’re next on his “seeking revenge” list. Dun dun dunnnn…
While all this is going on, we get to meet a mysterious woman who’s driving Montolo all around town and seems to be in cahoots with him somehow. She barely says much for most of the episode as well, making us wonder even further who she is. A lover? A friend? A relative?
None of the above, actually. Turns out her name is Betty Wilson, and her husband Phil is a local law enforcement official who decided to turn mole for Montolo and his gang, letting them know when the cops were hot on their trail so they could escape in time. Betty apparently does her best to try and get Montolo away from the crime scenes until all is clear – and she’s also the one who hired him in the first place! Once it was revealed she hired Montolo, I’d briefly wondered if she hired him to kill her husband, either at Montolo’s orders or of her own accord, because she and Montolo wanted to be together. I’m rather glad the show didn’t go that predictable route, however. The idea of her just getting sucked into her husband’s messed up business is much more sympathetic.
Eventually, Morgan and Reid find themselves hot on Montolo and Wilson’s trail, and finally manage to corner them. There’s a pretty good sequence involving a scuffle between Montolo and Morgan. In which Montolo actually put up quite a fight and got the upper hand on Morgan a couple times. Meanwhile, Reid is working on talking Phil Wilson out of killing himself for the sake of his wife, who could get leniency if he testifies at her trial. Fortunately, Montolo and Wilson are taken in without incident. Case done and over with, right? Just a brief lighthearted scene with the team and we can call the episode good.
“I don’t take kindly to being blown up. It actually pisses me off.”
Eh, not so fast. Morgan decides to pay Montolo a visit in the hospital. See, he’s feeling rather peeved about nearly being blown to bits by a grenade earlier, and rightly so. He states, in no uncertain terms, that he, along with his team, will do everything in their power to take down Montolo’s cronies, and that Montolo will help him “whether you want to or not”.
Montolo’s response? He asks for a pad of paper and a pen, and writes out a very short message: “The Dirty Dozen”. Seems there are quite a few more people remaining on his hit list. The message is clear: this is far from over.
Naturally, Morgan doesn’t receive this message well. His anger at this latest news, as well as his threat towards Montolo, only further indicates this is just the beginning of what looks to be a very suspenseful, pretty wild season-long storyline for him and the BAU in general. If that’s the case, it leaves me wondering – and worrying about – just what kinds of lengths the team will go to in order to finally take these people down for good.
The New Member:
Ah, yes. New year, new (female) team member. Seems pretty routine at this point, doesn’t it? This time it’s Tara Lewis who’s the new hire. She’s coming in to replace both Kate Callahan (who left at the end of last season to have a baby and spend time with her family) and JJ (who will be back eventually, but is currently out on maternity leave). In some ways, Tara’s introduction felt slightly hectic throughout, due, of course, in no small part to the fact that Hotch was trying to juggle interviewing her and working the case with his team.
And yet, I kind of liked the hectic nature of her debut, because I think her ability to handle the craziness around her gave us a good glimpse into her character. Whatever one’s feelings about the team members who’ve come in and out over the years, I do appreciate that the show has always found ways for them to make their entrance that seemed befitting of their characters. Either we just get right into them having settled in (Blake) or we see them ready to prove themselves (Callahan), or there’s a slightly awkward first meeting (hi, Prentiss!).
Lewis’ introduction is no exception. She clearly proved to have quite the patient, levelheaded temperament necessary for the job. Her interview was interrupted for 36 (!) hours and she was thrust into trying to talk down an unsub with little preparation. Yet throughout it all, she remained as cool as a cucumber, a trait which I think will be a nice balance to the other team members’ varied demeanors.
And she wasn’t thrown in the audience’s faces, either, which is something that has been an occasional complaint in the past amongst some fans regarding new members. The regular characters we all know and love still got plenty of the spotlight and attention throughout. Having Garcia’s stamp of approval at the end was a nice twist, too, considering she’s often the one most hesitant about newcomers into her “family”.
If there is one issue I had with Lewis, it was with her “mimicking a person” thing she did when talking with the unsub. It was a rather unique and creative tactic for the purposes of this case, but I’m not sure how convincing it would be, or how gimmicky it could get, depending on the case, if it became a thing with her. Aside from that, though, I think she’ll make for a fine resource for the team when needed.
The Team Focus:
That said, unlike all the other team members who’ve come and gone, Lewis is only a recurring character. The regular team members will still have to make do on their own for the time being until JJ’s return. Fortunately, the fact there were only five of them working together instead of the usual seven didn’t seem to hinder them one bit. The interaction felt a lot more tight-knit and involved, they were bouncing ideas and suggestions back and forth at a rapid, snappy pace, and they did well at picking up the slack when needed. Rossi had a great command of the team during the moments when Hotch was otherwise occupied, Morgan’s ability to calm Garcia down and help her through some of her search issues was a great example of why those two click so well, and Garcia being actively involved in helping figure out the profile was a really fun touch. I am all for her being more involved with the team in that way.
This episode was quite the showcase for Reid’s talents as well. Naturally, he would be knowledgeable about the history involved in painted faces, and Pulcinella, and it was fun to see him eagerly sharing that information with the team and tying that into the unsub’s personal issues. Later, we got to see his chemical knowledge put to use when suggesting to Rossi and Morgan how to remove the grenade from the hands of the poor man holding it.
And then there was the ending, when he talked Phil out of killing himself. Reid’s always been good at the compassionate talk downs, and that scene was a perfect example of that fact. I think Reid, Hotch, Rossi, Morgan, and Garcia will do just fine on their own for the time being.
It was also great to see a throwback to the “I’m the unsub”/”Insert team member into crime scene” moments of old that the show used to do regularly. We got to see what struck each team member’s eye and watch how their respective thought processes played out. It’s nice to know that the show hasn’t completely abandoned those little flairs that made them stand out from other procedurals over the years.
Meanwhile, on the personal front…:
“We do need you. Your family needs you more. Your job will be here when you’re ready.”
On the non-case related front, we got a lovely, sweet glimpse of JJ and her new baby boy! I quite liked her checking in with Hotch, wanting to see if he needed her back at work – ever dedicated to her job, as always. And Hotch telling her to “keep sending baby pictures” was too cute for words.
I certainly can’t blame her for hesitating to come back just yet, though. One look at her baby and it’s easy to see why she’s having a hard time pulling away right now. I look forward to her return a few episodes from now, but I’m glad we got to check in on her and know she and her family are doing okay, as well as getting in as much time together as they can. After all JJ’s been through within the last couple years, it was good to see her happy and at peace.
So that’s where we find ourselves as season 11 starts. JJ’s a new mom, there’s a new forensic psychologist aiding the team, and the team looks to have a new threat on the horizon with the hit man group. So many places those storylines could go, and I, for one, look forward to watching it all play out.
What did you think of the season premiere? Any theories or thoughts on this Silk Road gang and the potential threat they may pose to the team? How do you feel about Tara Lewis? Sound off in the comments!
