With 'Criminal Minds', some seasons are better than others and every season has a mixture of outstanding, great, very good, good, average, mediocre and bad episodes. This said, lesser episodes of Seasons 1-4 (with possible exception of "Machismo") are better than the lesser episodes of Season 6 onward.
Season 9 generally is one of the weakest 'Criminal Minds' seasons, and due to a wider divide between the best and worst episodes one of the show's most inconsistent. There are some good/great episodes like "Gabby", "The Caller", "Angels"/"Demons", and also underwhelming ones such as "Mr and Mrs Anderson", "The Inspiration" (the show's worst season premiere)/"The Inspired" and two of the show's low-points "200" and "The Black Queen".
"Rabid", while not an outstanding 'Criminal Minds' episode, is one of the better episodes of Season 9 to me. Not perfect. Hotch and Blake are practically invisible, a shame because when Hotch was used well like in the earlier seasons there were some brilliant scenes and interactions with him while Blake after a shaky Season 8 for her was growing on me, it just felt wrong for them to be barely in it and with no standout scenes.
Haven't always been crazy about JJ since she returned after AJ Cook was initially fired, in later seasons she could be overused and out of character and Season 9 especially saw her as particularly unlikeable, like her perhaps intended to be witty but turned out condescending response to Morgan talking about the amount of time it would take to get somewhere. Rossi is also underused, but unlike Hotch and Blake still boasts a couple of great moments like "large cap, extra foam" and his rabid fox story.
On the other hand, loved the fitness subplot with Garcia, Reid (with a lot to do and not neglected) and Morgan, the dialogue sparkles in wit and it is difficult to resist the chemistry between the three. Other standout team scenes are Reid's explanation of rabies, which was informative and stomach-churning, and the immensely satisfying take-down of the unsub, also liked that Reid's role was more than just spouting facts and statistics.
The case itself is significantly stronger than most cases from Season 9. Sure there is more of a horror element than a psychological one (the latter being where the show excels much more, the former when done wrong could be done gratuitously), but in a way that's atmospherically unsettling and not overdone or gratuitous. It's a story that's both traditional and different, and also extremely disturbing and morbid, especially with the close-in shots of the victims being recorded by the unsub, a very creepy first ten minutes and the fate of Liz, the latter of which so freaky it stays with one forever.
Visually, the production values in "Rabid" are without complaint. It's very well shot and lit and is overall stylish, gritty, classy and atmospheric. The music is moody in the haunting and melancholic sense and fits well, without either enhancing or distracting from the atmosphere. The direction keeps the momentum going but lets the case breathe. The script is very thought-provoking and often leaves one moved and repulsed.
All the acting from the leads is very good, Matthew Gray Gubler and Kirsten Vangsness shining most, and the supporting acting is more than up to the leads' level. Tammy Lauren makes for one scary and affecting victim, especially when the rabies is in its latter stages, Chris Coy has a character that one roots for immediately to not suffer the same fate and Steve Monroe makes the skin crawl as a particularly sickening unsub.
Overall, a very well done episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Season 9 generally is one of the weakest 'Criminal Minds' seasons, and due to a wider divide between the best and worst episodes one of the show's most inconsistent. There are some good/great episodes like "Gabby", "The Caller", "Angels"/"Demons", and also underwhelming ones such as "Mr and Mrs Anderson", "The Inspiration" (the show's worst season premiere)/"The Inspired" and two of the show's low-points "200" and "The Black Queen".
"Rabid", while not an outstanding 'Criminal Minds' episode, is one of the better episodes of Season 9 to me. Not perfect. Hotch and Blake are practically invisible, a shame because when Hotch was used well like in the earlier seasons there were some brilliant scenes and interactions with him while Blake after a shaky Season 8 for her was growing on me, it just felt wrong for them to be barely in it and with no standout scenes.
Haven't always been crazy about JJ since she returned after AJ Cook was initially fired, in later seasons she could be overused and out of character and Season 9 especially saw her as particularly unlikeable, like her perhaps intended to be witty but turned out condescending response to Morgan talking about the amount of time it would take to get somewhere. Rossi is also underused, but unlike Hotch and Blake still boasts a couple of great moments like "large cap, extra foam" and his rabid fox story.
On the other hand, loved the fitness subplot with Garcia, Reid (with a lot to do and not neglected) and Morgan, the dialogue sparkles in wit and it is difficult to resist the chemistry between the three. Other standout team scenes are Reid's explanation of rabies, which was informative and stomach-churning, and the immensely satisfying take-down of the unsub, also liked that Reid's role was more than just spouting facts and statistics.
The case itself is significantly stronger than most cases from Season 9. Sure there is more of a horror element than a psychological one (the latter being where the show excels much more, the former when done wrong could be done gratuitously), but in a way that's atmospherically unsettling and not overdone or gratuitous. It's a story that's both traditional and different, and also extremely disturbing and morbid, especially with the close-in shots of the victims being recorded by the unsub, a very creepy first ten minutes and the fate of Liz, the latter of which so freaky it stays with one forever.
Visually, the production values in "Rabid" are without complaint. It's very well shot and lit and is overall stylish, gritty, classy and atmospheric. The music is moody in the haunting and melancholic sense and fits well, without either enhancing or distracting from the atmosphere. The direction keeps the momentum going but lets the case breathe. The script is very thought-provoking and often leaves one moved and repulsed.
All the acting from the leads is very good, Matthew Gray Gubler and Kirsten Vangsness shining most, and the supporting acting is more than up to the leads' level. Tammy Lauren makes for one scary and affecting victim, especially when the rabies is in its latter stages, Chris Coy has a character that one roots for immediately to not suffer the same fate and Steve Monroe makes the skin crawl as a particularly sickening unsub.
Overall, a very well done episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox
