Criminal Minds 7x10: The Bittersweet Science

Original Air Date: 14 December 2011

Storyline: The BAU is called to Philadelphia to investigate a series of brutal murders and is led to the city's boxing scene in search of the killer. Meanwhile, Hotch meets an attractive runner as they both train for a triathlon.Trivia: Toward the timeline of the show: at one point, Reid mentions that Hotch has been widowed for 2 years, 19 days. 

The title of this episode was a modification of the boxing term, "sweet science." The change was made because the story was so sad. 

Best Quote:

Morgan: Penelope, how's the greatest computer tech this side of the Mississippi?
Garcia: Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee, Garcia's going to find what only her screens can see, what do you need?

Intro: "Everybody wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die." Joe Louis (Hotch)Outro: Hermann Hesse wrote, "Some of us think holding on makes us strong. But sometimes it is letting go." (Hotch)Reid's Facts: You know, statistically, widowed men start dating much faster than females, but Hotch is refuting the data. It's been two years and 19 days. Review: One of saddest episodes of Criminal Minds concluded with an even sadder line from one of my favorite authors, Hermann Hesse. One with which I don't agree. We should never let go, at least never let go of life, because we only have one.

While I don't particularly appreciate the philosophy behind the painful ending of this last installment before the holidays (and even less because it's right before the holidays), not do I appreciate the forced tear that ran down Hotch's cheek, the case was in the boundaries established by this show in its seven season run. It followed a series of brutal murders clearly committed by someone physically fit and with a blood lust. I kept wondering, every time I was confronted with watching boxing (which is one of the few sports I don't enjoy - if you can even call all that violence a sport) if not all the fighters have some kind of blood lust and this week's killer's was just more emphasized due to the unfortunate events that marked his life, from the troubled childhood to the terminal illness of his son.
There's one thing that Criminal Minds does better than any other procedural show on TV: it gets into the UnSubs' heads like none other and helps explain, more than other shows do, why someone is capable of so much violence. And, of course, its episodes almost never end with a stupid confession, so the realism factor is more poignant. But then again, no other crime procedural is as dark as this one.
But I digress. Returning to this week's transgressor, he was brilliantly portrayed by Shawn Hatosy, who is a well known name in the TV scene. Not only did he do a great job in bringing to life the struggles of a father who is forced to see his son dying from a ruthless disease, but whoever had the idea of showing us his flashes - explaining thus his mental state - deserves at least half of the credit in creating the character. It's not often that I actually feel sympathy for one of this show's UnSubs.
And if the case was not enough to make this episode great, Hotch getting out of his dating hiatus made it all the more enjoyable to watch. First of all, Beth (the very cute Bellamy Young) looks fun; secondly, seeing Hotch crack a smile is so rare, that every moment needs to be cherished. And I'm with Garcia on this: the guys should get weekends off!
My only complain is that we didn't get to see enough of Reid and Prentiss in this episode, and JJ is not getting as much air time as she used to back when she was the media liaison for the team. But Reid's bicycle comment and Garcia asking Rossi about their boss' dating with Hotch standing right there were both hilarious scenes that made up for all that, at least in part.Criminal Minds 7x09: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Back to Season 7