The Crimson King

'Criminal Minds' in its prime (Seasons 1-5, Season 4 is particularly good, and easily the most consistent season, and many of Season 2 and 3's episodes were great too). It did become inconsistent from Season 6 onward, though it was not immune to some good episodes here and there and even some great ones.

The season opener to Season 12 was met with in-trepidation due to most of Season 11 being so underwhelming. About 6 or 7 episodes ("The Job", "The Witness", "Hostage", "Devil's Backbone", "The Storm" and especially "Entropy", which was one of the show's best episodes in years, being the best). Far too much of Season 11 seemed to completely forget about what made 'Criminal Minds' so great, with too much unsub, far too little team interaction, various team members being underused, very little profiling, a lack of tension and suspense and the dead weight character of Tara Lewis (of the female lead characters only Ashley Seaver was worse). All the season's worst episodes (too many to list, we're talking about around half the season here) are show low-points.

However, considering that 'Criminal Minds' has had to deal with so much change this season (primarily no more Hotch due to Thomas Gibson's firing which was met with controversy from viewers, Prentiss returning full time, the new character of Luke Alvez and the on-going story arcs of Mr Scratch and Reid), "The Crimson King" is a pretty good season opener and does surprisingly well considering the circumstances. It's nowhere near "classic" 'Criminal Minds', at the same time it is hardly a show low point like the worst of Seasons 9 and 11.

"The Crimson King" is not without its faults. Was really infuriated by Garcia's behaviour towards Alvez, completely out of character and unnecessarily and unforgivably rude and cold. Sure she misses Morgan, but, considering that Alvez on the most part was not intending to try too hard to replace Morgan and didn't really, that is not an excuse. Garcia often was a ray of sunshine, here she was a caricature.

Also thought that there was too much of Tara Lewis and that her story could have been more interesting. The good news is that Lewis is nowhere near as much as a dead weight as she was in Season 11 and Aisha Tyler's acting has improved a lot here. Her subplot had some poignant moments, but Lewis is not quite interesting enough to be root-able so it was difficult to completely empathise with her predicament.

Wouldn't have said no to more Reid and Rossi and Hotch has very little to do. The Mr Scratch story line has potential but there is the worry as to whether it will be dragged out too much and feature too prominently in the season. Lastly, the ending is rather too abrupt.

On the other hand, the production values are without complaint as always. 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 it. The direction has momentum but also has instances where it allows things to breathe.

With the acting that is very good all round. All the performances of the main characters is solid enough, and Adam Rodriguez proves to be a worthy and welcome addition. Alvez is not fully developed or interesting yet and he doesn't quite fit with the rest of the team (then again this is only his first episode), but the potential is enormous.

Regarding the case, it is a truly disturbing one with some nice twists (especially the real identity of the unsub, did not see that coming at all and luckily doubting Cullen's guilt doesn't happen too early) that stop it from being too formulaic. Considering how disappointing most of Season 11 expectations were low on this factor. The opening scene is appropriately tense and Cullen is very strongly realised with impressive acting from Kraig Dane. Erik Stocklin also registers well as Brian.

Mr Scratch is still a formidable presence, while the writing on the most part is tight and thought-provoking, jarring only really with Garcia and the odd imbalance with team screen time. The interaction is good though, if a little lacking in the little character moments that one looks out for and loves, and the BAU work cohesively as a team.

In conclusion, pretty good but with something missing to make it even better. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Criminal Minds has slowly but surely lost its original premise and appeal and moved away from being a dark, gritty psychological procedural and became a cheesy action flick. The characters have become omnipotent, the criminals convoluted and the main antagonists supervillains straight out of a comic book.

Season after season the episodes have become more soulless, formulaic and rushed. The criminals have become boring and surface level. I miss the days of George Foyet, Tobias Hankel, Frank Breitkopf, Mason Turner or the Romani families. Mr. Scratch and Cat Adams are living proof that the CM writers have shifted their writing from compelling, complex antagonists to cheesy, whack-a-mole supervillains that will appear whenever they need a complication in the plot and they're too lazy to come up with a new antagonist.

For me, the show has been going down hill since season 6, when they made a whole mess out of Emily's story and jumped the shark for the first time to explain away the unceremonious firing and re-hiring of Paget Brewster (same goes for JJ in a later season). Since then the team has slowly gained more and more plot armor so when tragedy strikes I'm not as invested because they always save the day - nobody dies or loses anyone (except Reid which at this point has some sort of trauma p**n). I was hoping this would change in last season's episode "Derek", not because I would've liked for him to die but because this show needs to be put on solid ground again and to remind the audience the team are only human. But fans would riot if something like this ever happened to the core characters and he rode into the sunset to live happily ever after with Savannah.

Season 12 opens with "The Crimson King" which efficiently handles Criminal Minds' transitional growing pains while delivering a competent procedural thriller.

Adam Rodriguez slides into the Luke Alvez role with confident charm, bringing a more physical, manhunter energy that differentiates him from Shemar Moore's Derek Morgan without feeling like a replacement. The episode wisely focuses on his integration rather than dwelling on departures.

The case itself (tracking an escaped serial killer among 13 fugitives) provides solid stakes without overcomplicating the narrative. Kraig Dane delivers a memorably unhinged performance as Daniel Cullen, creating genuine menace through psychological manipulation rather than gore. The Tempe setting adds southwestern flavor that feels fresh for the series.

Glenn Kershaw's direction maintains the show's signature procedural rhythm while allowing character moments to breathe. The team dynamics feel natural despite the roster changes, with Kirsten Vangsness and Matthew Gray Gubler providing continuity through their established chemistry. Aisha Tyler's promotion to main cast feels earned after her strong Season 11 arc.

While the episode doesn't reinvent Criminal Minds' formula, it demonstrates the series' adaptability after eleven seasons. The psychological profiling remains sharp, the case resolution satisfying, and Rodriguez's debut promising.

For longtime fans, it's reassuring proof that the BAU can evolve without losing its core identity. A confident, but not awesome, season opener that respects the past while embracing change.

7.5/10 - Strong performances and smart writing make this transition episode work well, but I expected better from the season opener.