Painless

'Criminal Minds' is not a show where all the seasons and episode are consistent, but there are enough great episodes and episodes to make it one of my favourites and compulsive viewing when it's on.

"Painless" is not one of the best of the show, an episode that is decent but not great, but there is still enough to make it worth watching.

The story in "Painless" is not one of 'Criminal Minds' most involving or absorbing, in fact one of the show's most formulaic and standard, some of the twists are tired, and shootings are a little melodramatic and lacking in suspense and with the exception of the unsub (which despite his awful actions one sort of relates to) the supporting characters are not very well established which makes it harder to sympathise with their situation.

However, the script is sometimes light-hearted and gritty and it is reasonably tight, though more in the leads rather than the supporting roles. What makes "Painless" watchable enough are the little character moments. The relationship between Jack and Hotch is incredibly touching and the scene between Reid and JJ has a sweet element to it. The highlight however of those character moments, and of the entire episode, is Morgan and Reid's prank war, Reid's reaction to Morgan's prank and Reid's hilarious retaliation makes for a contender for the funniest scene in the whole show.

Acting from the leads is very good, especially from Matthew Gray Gubler, the episode is stylishly and atmospherically made and solidly directed and the music fits well and never distracts if not quite enhancing.

In summary, decent but not great. The story could have been much better executed, but it is worth watching for the character moments and the prank war alone. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox