Review for Criminal Minds Episode 9×18, “Rabid”
Review for Criminal Minds Episode 9×18, “Rabid”
“Yikes.”
Rabies! Rabies? Holy crap. I’ve been petrified of that disease since I watched To Kill A Mockingbird on tv as a wee girl and saw that mad dog at the end of the road that Atticus had to put down. In nine years of the show there have been countless reasons why the Unsubs kill, and countless methods used, but using the most virulent disease known to man as a killing tool makes for a compelling and ultimately horrifying story.
In scanning the boards in the aftermath, a large number of fans have already proclaimed this their favorite episode of the season. Even though we haven’t seen what else they have in store for us, I have to agree. Writer Virgil Williams and director Doug Aarniokoski have worked together before, most recently on season eight’s Route 66, another fan favorite episode, and if this is any indication of the groove they’ve established? I’m all for it. There’s a deft balance of horror and humor in this episode, and it works really well.
Last week’s Persuasion was the perfect lead-in for this one, because after being ignored for a large chunk of this season, Reid came to the forefront in the best of ways, and that continued here, bigger and better. The writer has said he sometimes has a hard time with exposition; keeping it interesting while still conveying the necessary information isn’t easy, and was successful on all levels here. Reid’s delivery of the symptoms, effects, and ultimate end result of rabies was as succinct as it was horrifying, and the team reacted appropriately with just the right level of interest, and emotion.
The dialogue among our team was natural, realistic, and outright funny at times. The camera angles were different and creative, from uncomfortably close-in shots as the UnSub recorded his victims, ground level victim’s pov, to a high crane shot at the end with Garcia and Reid tackling Morgan, all were used to great effect.
The bookends of Spencer and Penelope working out in order to pass the company fitness test were priceless. The lines they tossed back and forth sparkled with wit and were true to the character’s personalities (“I’m just gonna have a heart attack real quick.”, “jerk walk”). I always love seeing our team out of their bullpen, and this was a great venue, setting up a prank from Morgan, and giving us a gander at Gubler’s gorgeous gams in the process. Rossi had some great lines too (“large cap, extra foam”), and the scene where he tells Reid and Morgan about his rabid fox attack felt true, and made you wonder exactly where Rossi would’ve gotten himself into that situation. “Yikes”, indeed.
The UnSub was interesting enough, and convincing as a true sicko (his funny little “Oh well” head tilt when he found out his female victim had escaped [by headbutting the window, no less!] was hilarious), but I have to hand it to the two main guest actors who played the victims. I’ve always liked Tammy Lauren, who played the doomed Liz Foley, and she was a real standout. Lurching and screaming, with moments of terrifying lucidity mixed with rage, all the while foaming at the mouth… she was incredibly scary as a person in the final stages of the disease, but my heart went out to her, too. Morgan made the call to incapacitate her by shooting her in the leg instead of taking the kill shot, and I like how it looked like he was wrestling with that decision. Would it have been more merciful to end her agony? Maybe, but instead, her family got to say their goodbyes.
And who didn’t love the lonely nerdy guy? They are going to have to bring back Chris Coy to play Russell Homes again because from what I’ve seen, viewers just fell in love with him. What a sweetie he was, taking care of his sick mom, and helping that little bus riding girl with her dropped package. We as an audience felt immediate affection for this guy, and were all glad when he wasn’t the UnSub like the beginning led us to believe. The end where he thanks our team for saving him was sincere and warm, and I liked how he noticed that Reid didn’t want to shake hands (nothing personal, Reid never likes to shake hands), and didn’t take offense, just went along good-naturedly with a little wave. We all wanted this guy to survive, and thank goodness our heroes rescued him in time for him to get medical treatment.
The takedown of the UnSub was awesome. Morgan getting cattle-prodded and smacked around while Reid tried to get a bead on the guy, then he tackled the killer instead, and got whacked in the head for his trouble. Love seeing Morgan and Reid work in tandem, it felt real, and their eventual subduing of the killer (he was one tough bastard!) was well-earned. Just wish they wouldn’t film these great fight scenes in the dark so often.
I always miss Hotch when they go light on him, and Blake wasn’t prominent here either but it’s okay. We got some great stuff from both Morgan and Reid, JJ was efficient and managed not to roll her eyes at anyone, and Garcia was adorably out of her element. Her “WE DON’T NEED HIM!” as she ran towards the bleachers was a highlight for me, I love how she just flings herself into things.
The team has opened up to each other and to us in the past two seasons, and although some fans bemoan the loss of the original tight format, I’m of the mind that the more we see of these people, the better. There’s been some bleeding actor into character, but I see that as a positive. People grow, change, and develop as they get older, and now that the show has been renewed for a tenth season, here’s hoping we’ll see much more of our team’s lives, both in and out of the BAU.
Fun Fact: Interviews with Virgil and Doug can be found on this very site! Go here for Virgil’s, and here for Doug’s. Happy reading!