Season 9 of 'Criminal Minds' has been one of the show's most inconsistent.
When it was good, like the outstanding "Gabby" (one of the best examples of an idea- child abduction- often revisited), it was really good and among the best of the latter seasons. When it was bad however, like "200" (when you think of episodes that don't feel like 'Criminal Minds', that is one of the prime examples along with Season 6's "The Thirteenth Step") and "The Black Queen" (far too heavy on the Garcia story line which is filled with continuity errors that suggest writers that had forgotten about the earlier seasons and far too little of the disjointed and dull case that feels like an afterthought), the episodes in question were among the show's worst.
"Blood Relations" doesn't fit in either extreme. It definitely could have been better, and it is a long way from the show's best (also think that Matthew Gray Gubler has directed much better episodes for the show, "Mosley Lane" and especially "Mr Scratch" immediately spring to mind). It is also nowhere near as bad as the worst of Seasons 9 and 11, the latter being the worst season.
As aforementioned, "Blood Relations" could have been better. Can definitely understand why people have taken offence at the portrayal of the location and population of Wheeling, have a friend at the Conservatoire from Wheeling and while British it was obvious to me that the portrayal was geographically inaccurate when it comes to the location (admittedly though this is not the first time that the show has made geographical errors, and this is coming from a fan) and the supporting characters are painted very stereotypically and in a way that's not very flattering and somewhat misleading.
There are a couple of other flaws other than this issue too. The part of the climax where the FBI split up does feel a bit Scooby Doo-ish and does go against FBI procedure, which is weird for a very much procedural show. Am aware that people will say that one shouldn't look for realism in shows not fictional, but when there have been episodes in the show that have had scenes that have felt very real and hit close to home (notable examples being Season 3's "Elephant's Memory", Season 4's "Zoe's Reprise" and Season 1's "What Fresh Hell") this was not easy to ignore for me. The twist/cliff-hanger ending has proved to be controversial, was split personally on this one. There is no denying that it is very freaky and completely unexpected in a case full of surprises, but it just went against what happened in the climax (which is very exciting and suspenseful) where the fate of the unsub just felt so certain and more realistic and plausible, so it would have made sense if they had finished before the cliff-hanger.
For all the problems however, there was also a lot good about "Blood Relations". Gubler does a great job directing, with his distinctive horror-genre-influenced style shining through to often frightening effect, starting with a particularly shocking murder and the third murder was even more brutal. There was a really wonderful macabre atmosphere to the story, which was not one of the show's most inventive but had enough twists and turns to keep one surprised and entertained. The reveal and identity of the unsub is one you don't see coming, having seen a couple of Season 1 episodes lately where the unsub identities were extremely predictable and not particularly well-done this was refreshing.
The horror-genre-influenced style in the directing translates also in the production values. The setting does lack authenticity, but the style and atmosphere the episode is shot and lit in is really striking. The music is haunting and melancholic, while the script is thought-provoking enough and the team dynamic is more balanced than other Season 9 episodes, again too much JJ but the more interesting characters like Rossi and Reid shine and Blake has become more interesting and less cold than she was in Season 8.
Acting is very good. The regulars do their usual stellar work, while Adrienne Barbeau and Tobin Bell are excellent support. While there are more interesting unsubs development-wise, he is still a genuine creep (you do expect considering his background to feel a small pang of sympathy, but taking into account how mercilessly cruel his crimes were he is actually rather evil with not a redemptive quality in his body). Bill Oberst Jnr. even with not much screen time captures all that perfectly.
Overall, Season 9 at its most macabre and while heavily flawed it was not that bad an episode. 7/10 Bethany Cox
