With each passing season of this series we witness some of
the most brutal and despicable crimes known to man. So why the fascination?
Well for one thing we’re safe in our homes watching something we only hear
about. There is also the fact that for the most part our heroes always catch
the bad guy or do him/her in. That’s a comforting feeling. For myself the best
part of this series is knowing that there actually is a BAU (Behavioral
Analysis Unit) out there doing their best to protect us.
When you couple this with a talented group of individuals
who make up a substantial whole the end result is an entertaining series that
both frightens us and draws us in. It frightens us because we’re afraid, and
should be afraid, of the types of criminals we see in the show. It draws us in
because we become familiar with the characters, our heroes, as if they are now
a part of the family. As time goes by and a series goes on, we get even closer
to these characters. This is season 10 of this show and by now we truly feel as
if we know these characters.
But as series tend to move forward, especially in an
ensemble cast, the occasional actor decides to leave. This series has had
several losses. The first was Mandy Patinkin whose character was eventually
killed off. Then Paget Brewster left, apparently dead but later found alive and
well and on the run. Two seasons ago the FBI head of the department Strauss was
killed. A new character was brought in with that year in the form of Alex Blake
(Jeanne Tripplehorn) but she left last year to be replaced this season by
Jennifer Love Hewitt as Kate Callahan, a decorated police officer recruited for
the unit. The cast may change but as a fan of the show I can tell you that the
loss of one of these characters always feels like a personal loss. The addition
of new members always feels like welcoming someone into the fold.
That’s perhaps the greatest thing about this series, the
interaction between the main characters with one another. They feel like one
big happy family. They have personal problems that they share with one another.
They care about what happens among themselves. When one of them is attacked
you’ve attacked the entire group. And the fans feel the same way. Attack one of
these characters and you’ve brought on the wrath of fans across the country. It
may seem odd but that’s how dedicated they’ve become.
This is all important to know when watching this season.
It’s not just about the killers or terrorists involved, it’s more about the
team and how they work together, how they watch each other’s backs. The
introduction of a new character like Kate Callahan is a tenuous situation at
best until we grow to welcome her into the fold. Thank goodness Hewitt was up
to the task and before the season ended we grew to think of her as one of the
family.
The season took on the usual casts of characters focusing
mostly on the serial killers or murderers that popped up across the country.
Social media was tackled this season.
Missing children was another case where the abducted children were held
for years. Religious cults were a topic. It’s the variety of cases, of suspects
that make this show continued watching for ten seasons. Had it remained focused
only on serial killers then it might have languished alongside other shows from
the past. By keeping it up to date, by drawing in topics of the day without
over politicizing them, it has made it a show worth watching from week to week,
year to year.
The personal touch also came to the front on several
episodes this year. We got to meet Rossi’s (Joe Mantegna) daughter. The season
ended with a storyline that had developed over the entire season involving
Kate’s niece who she adopted being abducted by sex traffickers using social
media to disguise themselves. It was a tense episode that also, hopefully,
brought to attention the fact that parents need to focus on their kids use of
social media and that even if they think they have it covered they need to dig
deeper.
As the season ended it just made the same thing happen that
happens at the end of each season of this series. It made us sit back, take a
breath and wonder when the next season would begin again. If you’re wondering
its September 30th. Until then we can sit back and enjoy the box set
of season 10. Better yet go back and start with season one to work your way
through to this point. The series still offers some of the best acting on
television as well as stories that will keep you guessing until the end credits
roll.
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