Criminal Minds Review for Episode 9×12, “The Black Queen”
Criminal Minds Review for Episode 9×12, “The Black Queen”
“Happy Fun Meow Meow”
So we cold open with our Garcia… well now she really isn’t our Garcia because she’s all death goth steampunk Victorian… who actually knows what she was going for here, but she’s cuffed to the table and in strides a very young-looking Hotch (good job makeup/lighting/fx peeps! Bags all gone! Don’t get me wrong, I love his bags, but still – good job!) who throws the famous ultimatum right between her kohl-lined eyes. After a few snide, false bravado darts thrown back at Hotch, she acquiesces and we’ve got our Penelope (and thank you Breen for not forgetting the ‘pink stationery’!) This is also the first time that Morgan and Garcia breathe the same oxygen, and we get the impression that Derek is less than impressed with the criminal version of his almost baby girl.
Cut to a sexual harassment seminar inexplicably being held in the BAU bullpen, where examples of Morcia’s constant sexual flirtatious banter are flashed up on the screen in living color (Oh and here I must acknowledge the whiniest, most grating, most annoying voice I’ve ever heard coming from the woman conducting the seminar – I actually had to pull one earbud out just to continue listening). Derek shrugs it off but Penelope’s mortified and is relieved to get Hotch’s text to meet him at the elevator.
Wheels up. From here on we are launched into an intriguing and adroitly told tale of hackers and their world, and how sometimes using their powers for well-meaning attacks can be misguided at best, murderous at worst. The vulnerabilities to working within the online world are exposed to various degrees, be the venture legal or otherwise, and a real face is given to the Anonymouses of the online culture.
There are some groovy effects throughout this episode, but I found the character byplay the most interesting. Garcia’s Black Queen entrance to Destiny’s Child was awesome, and Blake got to show off her linguistic skills here, something I always enjoy. Hotch and JJ’s interrogation of the condemned Sam was calculated and effective, and appropriately tense. The KnownSub was a convincing guy at first, and I was believing him for a while, there. The UnSub was a real bastard, as they tend to be, but he was actually the one weakness for me in that I never really understood his motivation. Anyone want to help me out here you can leave it in the comments, but to me he just seemed all hatey and wanted… payback? For what, exactly? Use of his servers? And does anyone else hate it when doomed victims do that ‘crawl towards the door’ thing? Annoying.
I also liked Garcia’s ex. Punk that he was, he really wasn’t a horrible person, and I was glad Reid saved his life (YAY Reid, saving yet another person’s life! He’s going to win the toaster oven if this keeps up!). I also loved how Reid immediately asked the UnSub “How much did you give him?” without even waiting for the paramedics. His Dilaudid experience coming to the fore once again, he estimated and hurriedly calculated the right choice (is that an M.D. I see hovering in Spencer’s future?), not batting an eye when it came to stabbing the necessary meds into the guy’s chest. Good thing for hacker-boy.
We ended up pretty much where we started, with Penelope being grossly (read: awesomely) inappropriate with Derek once again as they get into the SUV to head back to the office. Thanks to Breen Frazier for sticking mostly to canon, and giving us a unique, enjoyable episode from Start to Game Over. Happy Fun Meow Meow, indeed.
Directed by: Tawnia McKiernan
Written by: Breen Frazier