‘Criminal Minds’ has been in the news recently, but it’s time for fans to re-live some of the ON-screen drama as Season 11 gets a packed DVD box-set…
It’s somewhat difficult to judge and review a shiny, newly-arrived DVD set of Criminal Minds and totally separate it from the news coming through, just a few hours earlier, of Thomas Gibson’s departure from the show under… less than ideal circumstances. Essentially, you are unexpectedly watching the last season of the show featuring that actor / character, a season which also leads to the loss of another regular by the time the final credits roll.
The show has been a hit for CBS, not perhaps enjoying quite the broad demographic appeal of the more upbeat NCIS franchise, but it has a large and loyal fanbase and deservedly so. Year after year it has ploughed on, knee-deep through the dark shadows of the psyches and crimes of the ‘Unsubs’ (Unknown Subjects’) that each case brings before the team. Their efforts to get inside the mind of killers and stop further crimes has been a successful template for eleven seasons and despite some cast-changes over the years, fans have warmed to the almost family-dynamics of the cast of characters – each bringing their own talents and experiences to the investigative table.
Ex-cast member Mandy Patinkin once complained that the remit of the series was too relentlessly dark and depressing and there is something of a nihilistic aspect if you were to binge-watch a season or more of episodes in one go. But the intensity is not so much on the graphic side (indeed, apart from the odd blood-splatter and crime photos etc, the team is usually dealing with the aftermath of a crime) as much as the relentless tone itself. If you pace yourself you’ll also note the flashes of humour and banter that the team has established and it often makes a very interesting ride.
The tenth season of the show had had mixed reviews amid the consequences of significant recent cast-changes and ex-Ghost Whisperer Jennifer Love Hewitt arriving on a depleted team never quite captured the same love as some of her predecessors. That being said, this eleventh run built up momentum with the ebb and flow of the changing team members (including some welcome some reappearances) and introductions to the like of forensic psychologist Dr. Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler).
The central remit continues in Season 11, with perhaps more of an emphasis on the way that technology has become an intricate part of twenty-first century life. The team find themselves encountering those who use the ‘dark web’ ie: the many unlisted parts of the internet that the general public are usually unaware of unless they go looking in such unseemly, dangerous corners. By now we know what to expect, but familiarity does not breed contempt and this run of 2015-2016 stories doesn’t disappoint.
The 6-disc, Region 1 box-set features all 22 episodes of the eleventh season and also comes with a set of welcome extras, including obligatory audio commentaries on select episodes and gag reel – though the additional featurettes, including a look inside the season’s final episode (directed by regular Matthew Gray Gubler and co-written by fellow star Kirsten Vangsness) will be of particular interest to die-hard fans as it traces the climax to the run and the departure of a favourite player.
All in all, a criminally-good package to investigate…
CRIMINAL MINDS – SEASON 11 BOX-SET (Region 1) is released 30th August by CBS DVD
