Criminal Minds Season 6 Opener "The Longest Night"

Tim Curry guest starred as Billy Flynn, The Prince of Darkness, in the season 6 opener of Criminal Minds, The Longest Night, which is the conclusion of the creepily eerie season 5 cliffhanger Our Darkest Hour.  I really enjoyed the cliffhanger, but I am a bit ambivalent about the conclusion.  Erica Messer, who wrote Our Darkest Hour, created a wonderful story, atmosphere and UNSUB and I really wish she could have written the conclusion to the story.

There were many elements of The Longest Night that I really liked, but I felt that the stand down between Billy Flynn and Morgan was too easy, too pat.  It was disappointing and I guess that could be contributed to the high expectations I had for the episode and the fact that it wasn't written by the same person, it just didn't have the same feeling.

I liked the imagery of Flynn's daydream of dancing with his mother as a young boy, especially when you see Flynn as a young boy smile and he has those nasty teeth!  The whole episode had beautiful cinematography and was well directed.

Tim Curry was absolutely amazing and I adore him and his work.  He was completely believable from beginning to end.  I certainly hope he submits his work for Emmy consideration because it was completely worthy. 

AJ Cook was also amazing in a part that had to be very difficult for her, her penultimate episode on CM.  Her soliloquy, talking to Billy over the emergency band radio, was masterful.  Every beat, every word rang true for her character.  I loved the cuts between Hotch listening to her and her talking.  Even more than missing the scenes between AJ, Emily and Garcia, I will miss the scenes between JJ and Hotch.  Their rapport, respect and affection for one another is readily apparent every time they interact, more so than any of the other characters. 

Garcia, Hotch, Prentiss, Reid and Rossi were all very good as well.  Hotch and JJ had some lovely scenes that they both do so well.

This episode to me had two objectives:  to foreshadow JJ's leaving the team and to showcase Morgan, oh and I guess the third objective was to close the case.  JJ's foreshadowing was nicely done, but totally transparent.  Morgan was a total ass in this episode.  He is my least favorite character and even though he isn't the team leader, and despite the temporary promotion last year, never has really been the team leader.  He continually goes his own way, despite Hotch's orders or directions, just as he continually questioned Gideon's actions.  In my mind he is a Doubting Thomas.  Questioning decisions or authority isn't necessarily a bad thing, but to continually do so because that decision it isn't what you want to do is annoying and a waste of time.  Snapping at Garcia and saying she needed to be more professional and throwing what happened to Hotch and his family last year in Hotch's face when he was trying to get his way was completely uncalled for.  He was only partially redeemed because he apologized to Garcia.  To my mind, we could lose his character and it would make absolutely no difference at all.  He is superfluous.

The thing that really bothered me about this episode was the character of Ellie, the 8-year old daughter of Detective Spicer, who Billy murders in front of her, and then kidnaps her at the end of Our Darkest Hour.  This is an 8-year old. a second or third grader, who just experienced witnessing not only the beating and raping of her aunt, but the murder of her father and being abducted by his murderer, and she is cool as a cucumber?  She was so mature and cunning, constantly taunting Flynn, being the fly in the ointment to his grand plans.  She was so composed, even at the end when they show her with a tear running down her cheek and hugging Morgan.  It kind of creeped me out.  Someone said that it was like she was a serial killer in training, and I kind of have to agree.  Either that or she will become a vigilante.

All in all, it was a good start to the season, and it sets the bar for what I hope will be a great season for Criminal Minds.