The first episode of Season 2 was a continuation of the finale of Season 1. That's too many months inbetween episodes. I lost too much of my emotional investment in the story, and this episode felt a little flat for me.
The second episode was a crackling good story about a young pedophile victim put up for auction on the internet. As usual, for CM and many other crime shows, it's a race against the clock -- literally -- there's a clock counting down to the end of the auction. This one worked for me.
Anyone else an admirer of Jodi Lynn O'Keefe? She shows up in a few brief scenes. (Too bad she wasn't in that plastic blonde's role in JERICHO.)
Coming directly after the tense second episode of JERICHO, this made for an exciting 2 hours of viewing.
CRIMINAL MINDS seems to have found its level. It's run along a plateau -- watchable, almost predictable.
As I said above, I liked the 2nd episode especially well. Now, Ep 2.09 joins it. It's the one about the two serial killers working in the same city. This moves toward to a slightly different ending than usual.
**** SPOILER
Ignore this gibberish. It's just here to hide the spoilage. There's a surprise change in the cast. This is gibberish too.
**** END SPOILER
Ep 2.10 "Lessons Learned" has been the most realistic show I've seen dealing with a possible terrorist action. Written by a real-life FBI profiler, the BAU learns of a terrorist cell with a plan to set off a bomb in 48 hours. Gideon confronts a ringleader at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (demonstrating the edgy relationship between the domestic-operating FBI and the foreign-operating CIA). Superb stuff for which Mandy Pantinkin is well suited. Credit must also go to Anthony Azizi as the knowing and very dangerous Arab.
Too bad the show had to end on the race-against-the clock heroics. It cheapened an excellent story.
CRIMINAL MINDS has been flying high in the ratings and in the story concepts. Ep 2.11 (about a killer of prostitutes in Wash DC) is no exception. Now if those writers ever learn to avoid the cliches...
