As we progress through the season, each member of the team has an episode or two that focuses on them, either exposing us to a snippet of their past or giving us insight into what motivates them. I really enjoyed this because I always want to see more background on the various team members. Pivotal episodes include one where Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) keeps having flashbacks about the murder of a young boy and during the course of an investigation, becomes reunited with his estranged father, only to discover a shocking family secret. Then there's the one surrounding Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), where a childhood friend of hers may have been murdered and she has to dig deep into the workings of the Roman Catholic Church to solve the mystery. One of the saddest episodes is one where a young criminal science student and fan of David Rossi's (Joe Mantegna) is murdered while revisiting a crime scene, shortly after he brushes her off when meeting her at his book signing. It shakes him up and makes him realize that he needs to come a bit more down to earth. Finally, J.J. (A.J. Cook) gives birth to her son and returns to work and Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) almost loses her relationship.
Interwoven throughout all of this team drama are some absolutely brilliant storylines and twisted killers. This season is chock-full of guest stars including Will Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation), C. Thomas Howell (E.T., Red Dawn), Luke Perry (90210), Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Alex O'Loughlin (Moonlight) and Jackson Rathbone (Twilight). I don't think I am blowing any surprises for anyone when I say this, but if you see a celebrity, they are more than likely the killer! Will Wheaton was especially creepy in his episode about a man who tortures and murders couples in his run-down roadside motel. It reminded me a lot of the movie Vacancy, but it was actually a lot more eerie. Jason Alexander actually directed the episode featuring Jackson Rathbone and that episode is really fantastic, but then again, most of them this season are.
The special features in this season were really short and really well done, two things I especially appreciate in my featurettes. On each disc, you'll find select deleted scenes and you can opt to watch the episode or the deleted scene. Then, once you have watched the episodes on that disc, you can click on special features where you'll find featurettes called Working the Scene, which are brief pieces (2 - 5 minutes each) on important scenes in some of the episodes you just viewed and how they were created. On the last disc, you'll find a gag reel and individual profiles of every character on the team. Again, these are no more than 5 minutes, which suits me just fine. I prefer my featurettes to be shorty and meaty, rather than long and full of pointless filler.
I found that this season, especially, had more episodes that really evoked a strong emotional response. I don't know how the writing team keeps coming up with new and creative ways to shock and surprise the audience, but they do it in spades with Criminal Minds: Season 4. If you have been following the show, you'll definitely not want to miss where it goes this season to prepare for the season premiere coming in just a few short weeks. After all, it ends with Hotch facing off against the Boston Reaper (from earlier in the season), then the screen goes black and we hear a gunshot. I told you it starts and ends with a bang.
