Criminal Minds: Review for Episode 9×02 “The Inspired”
Criminal Minds: Review for Episode 9×02 “The Inspired”
“Evil Twin, Eviler Twin”
Recovering nicely from a hysterically (albeit unintentionally) funny, uber-gory season premiere, writer Breen Frazier takes us to the edge of Shakespearean themes with the second offering in season 9. Murderous (twin!) brothers, a Medean mother, and a torturous twist of an ending made this one well-worth our time. Even though the guest stars were woefully miscast (Chip from Kate&Allie looks exactly the same and was incapable of projecting the menace needed for these brothers), one of the highlights of the episode was an interrogation scene between master of stoicism Aaron Hotchner and Carla Hines, played by the always excellent Camryn Manheim. The tension in that room was palpable as acted by these two capable, stellar veterans, and easily one of the best interrogation scenes of the past three seasons.
We were treated to a scene whereby the father of the UnSub, a known schizophrenic, was paid a visit by none other than “the sun and the moon” themselves, Agents Spencer Reid and Derek Morgan (who team up together far too rarely these days), who are able to dig up a little background on the UnSub while metaphorically holding their collective noses amidst the smelly artistic renderings of the occupant. When asked by Bill if they admire his art, Spencer replies “I do. Is that your feces?” Thereby uttering the most oft-repeated line of the entire episode.
Turns out the brothers were both whinging, murdering cads, and our team busts their collective asses, shows us some impressive profiling, and proves that Ma Barker Manheim was in on it all along. All in all, a very satisfying ending to an episode that could easily have been a massive waste of time, had it continued in the vein (no pun intended) of its predecessor – the awful “The Inspiration”. Standing on its own merits, this episode could easily become one of my favorite season openers. It bodes well for the rest of season 9. Wheels UP!