Criminal Minds Review of Episode 9×10, “The Caller”

Criminal Minds Review of Episode 9×10, “The Caller”

“I’m gonna get you…”

In this emotionally gripping episode, writer Sharon Lee Watson addresses several of the things fans have been bitching about, and does it in one fell swoop. Too much UnSub up front, you say? Fine, we won’t show him until the end, and guess what? He’ll be a whole new, previously unseen character! You want JJ back as media liaison? Fine, her and Reid will be the ones talking to the media. Not enough focus on the families? Howz about we make the entire episode focus on the families! The child always survives? Nope, not this time! I’m not saying the fans have anything to say about plot development or the way the story is told, although it’s great when the writers are flexible enough to try different things, especially in the 9th season of such a well-established show.

Everyone got something to do this time around (except really, for Hotchner, who was a cipher here), and Reid SAVES BLAKE’S LIFE, which I hope we’ll hear a sentence or two about, if not next episode, then soon. Our dear Doctor is becoming quite the heroic figure, and after seeing him as victim most of last season, this is freakin’ awesome. Don’t mistake me, I loved all we got of Reid last season, his character development was off the hook, surpassing even season 4, but it’s nice to see him be so – for lack of a better adjective at the moment – manly. He’s usually the brilliant little brother that the bigger, tougher teammates (Morgan, JJ, Hotch) look out for, but he’s really holding his own this year, and Gubler pulls it off with ease and finesse.

What we didn’t get in Hotch this week we got in JJ, in spades. She was compassionate with the families, succinct with the media, had Hotch’s back in the dark woods (a phobia of hers), sleuthed clues with Spencer at the victim’s home and the ButcherPimp’s (awesome character) store, and contributed heavily to the profiling.

YAY for all the hard-core profiling, too! That’s always welcome, when we get to see the team grind bones to get to the nitty-gritty instead of making huge, random leaps in logic, or having Garcia make all their legwork unnecessary. Speaking of Garcia, I noticed a couple of cute things; her mug that said ‘Miracle Worker’ in the briefing room, a sly nod to those fans that complain she does too much, and her exclaiming “Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot!” – a clever, uncensored way of saying WTF! She wasn’t overused this week, and that made it all the more welcome when she was on-screen. The sound people really need to stop with the clickety-clack of her keyboard, though. Unless she’s hammering on a Commodore 64, keyboards just don’t sound like that any more.

Let’s talk about the guest actors – wow! I was very impressed with Doug Savant! Having only seen him on Melrose and Desperate Housewives, I’d no idea he could actually emote so well! He was definitely the most compelling character in the episode, entirely believable and hugely sympathetic. I was glad that neither he or his wife (who was also tres naturelle and believable) were connected to the UnSub in any way, and that they remained what they were at the start, innocent victims. The first victim from 15 years ago was great, too. We usually see this guy as some hillbilly neighbor, but he was convincing as tragic and bereft, his life completely ruined by the UnSub, and I felt awful for him. Also interesting to note was that the actual UnSub never said one word the entire show.

The basic motivation for the killer wasn’t hugely original (forced to watch mom being tortured), but the combination of circumstances we hadn’t seen before, so it was unique enough to keep us engaged as the team found each piece of the puzzle. As Buffy says; “Every maladjust has his reasons…”, and this guy was no exception. Fortunately the only gore we were exposed to was some pig’s blood splashed on a front door, and it’s always a mark of quality to me when the writer can tell a compelling story without having to resort to gratuitous, gag-worthy shots. Kudos to Sharon Lee Watson for providing an engrossing hour of television without grossing us out.

Directed by Rob Bailey

Written by Sharon Lee Watson