CITIZEN QUARTZ CHRONOGRAPH

Criminal Minds: The Sixth Season

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 09/06/2011

If watching a season of Criminal Minds simply makes you just want to watch more, that is a sign of success. Season six is a strong one that focuses on the BAU team's secrets. Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) has a story arc that is the highlight and gives you some of her international-spy back story, as well as a new secret for J.J. (A.J. Cook) and Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) to share. Episodes that focus on Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) are always the bright spot of Criminal Minds, and it's hard not to wish that his secret weren't explored more in depth, but perhaps the creators are leaving that arc for season seven. We also get the introduction of a new character, Ashley Seaver (Rachel Nichols), whose father just happens to be a serial killer. David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) is a bit in the background for season six, but maybe it's because he's been at the center of previous seasons. Shemar Moore's Derek Morgan is always nice to look at, but remains the least interesting character in the cast--even his "secret" isn't very compelling--though it is always good to see him interacting with Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), who has an appropriately lighthearted secret of her own. Overall, this is a strong season--and even if you're not a longtime fan, it's an easy show to just jump into. Extras include deleted scenes and some fun behind-the-scenes looks at the Paget Brewster arc, the season as a whole, and how various crime scenes are created. You may think your next-door neighbor is a serial killer after watching a whole season, but that's just a delightful side effect of Criminal Minds. --Paige Newman

What if, just *what if*, Harold Camping had been right and May 21st HAD been a day of Rapture for those faithful Christians who weren't total and complete skeptics like me?

I'd like to think that if he HAD been right, THIS is what would have been left behind... I think that the sinners (and raptured) aren't always who we'd have expected...

Once in a while...ok, somewhat often, I can be a little naughty...especially when someone is looking who appreciates it. Nothing really special here as it was just about having some fun. Care to join me?

Criminal Minds revolves around an elite team of FBI profilers who analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again.

Viewers who feel they may have been C.S.I.'d, S.V.U.'d, or NCIS'd to death, should really keep an open mind concerning Criminal Minds, because this compelling procedural crime series brings fascinating new facets to this crowded genre. The always galvanizing Mandy Patinkin (Chicago Hope) makes a welcome return to the small screen as Jason Gideon, head of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, and sage mentor to his elite team of profilers, including compassionate Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson, of Dharma & Greg), Lola Gladini as sex-crimes expert Elle Greenway (since departed from the series), live-wire hunk Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), and genius-geek Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), who actually looks creepier than many of the perpetrators that the team races against time to apprehend. Before they can do that, they must establish psychological profiles of the criminals and think as they do. Given they have handles such as the "Seattle Strangler" and the "Keystone Killer," this can be psychologically taxing (in one episode, Spencer confides to Derek that the job is giving him nightmares). While cliffhangers frame this inaugural season, each episode (except the season finale) wraps up its cases in the allotted hour.
In addition to serial killers, the series unleashes a gallery of twisted and depraved specimens. "Trust me," Derek comments early on, "we cover the whole spectrum of psychos." This includes arsonists, rapists, child abductors, and even a cannibalistic killer. Anchoring the proceedings is Patinkin, who exudes authoritative gravitas, and who is always good for scenery feasting. He really comes to life when killers have Gideon at gunpoint and he taunts them into losing their already unsteady grip. Most episodes feature the voiceover of a team member reciting a pertinent quote from such varied sources as W.H. Auden ("Evil is always human") to actor Peter Ustinov, a literary conceit that could stand to be retired. Stylistic flourishes in the editing and camerawork are likewise more of a distraction when the cases themselves are so gripping, given that the victims are primarily women and children. "There's nothing I would rather do than put the bastards away," Greenway states at one point. And there's nothing we'd rather do than watch them do it, which has made Criminal Minds, initially Lost opposite that ratings juggernaut, one of television's solid hits. --Donald Liebenson