Twelve years in and this is still a highly watchable show. How do they do it? It is accomplished through interesting storylines and solid acting. You might think that they would run out of stories as they are restricted largely to ones dealing with the tracking of serial killers. Sadly due to the richness of human depravity the series mines for ideas for episodes it seems like they have a neverending pool.
For those who have lived under a rock, Criminal Minds is a series that focuses on a special division of the FBI called the BAU, the Behavior Analysis Unit, who work on cases involving serial killers. The team is made up of a group of people who are great at what they do. Most are experts in human behaviour while another is a computer whiz while another is just a genius. They travel around the country every time a serial killer surfaces to figure out who the killer is and to hunt them down.
In season 12 there are some new faces brought onto the team as well as some very familiar ones that reappear. With team leader Aaron Hotchner (played by Thomas Gibson) has to step away to protect his son and former team member Emily Prentiss (played by Paget Brewster) steps in to assume the leadership role. The team welcomes fugitive tracker Luke Alvez (played by Adam Rodriguez) and a little further on in the season SSA Stephen Walker (played by Damon Gupton).
A large ongoing storyline this season concerns Dr. Spencer Reid (played by Matthew Gray Gubler) and his mother (played by Jane Lynch), a woman with Alzheimer’s. Reid is wrongly accused of drug dealing and murder, ends up in jail and then facing off against a criminal from his past. Stayed tuned for how it all unravels.
Special Features:
-Deleted Scenes
-The Family Unit
-Director’s Chair
-Victimology
-The Prisoner
-Gag Reel
-4th Life
-Spencer Commentary by Kirsten Vengsness and Erica Messer
