Season 7 of 'Criminal Minds' is very much a mixed bag, like most of the show from Season 6 onward (Seasons 6 and 9 being the most wildly variable seasons and the most underwhelming being Season 11).
There are great Season 7 episodes like "True Genius", "The Foundation", "Dorado Falls", "The Company" and "Self Fulfilling Prophecy", some good ones and a few in between mediocre and decent. Then there are lacking episodes like "I Love You Tommy Brown" and "There's No Place Like Home", and to a lesser extent "Closing Time". "The Bittersweet Science" is neither one of Season 7's best or worst, and is neither awful or great. Instead it's an above average episode where the team interaction delights and the case is lacking a little.
Visually, the production values are without complaint. 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 keeps the momentum going but lets the case breathe, there are some humorous and thought-provoking moments and some horrifying ones.
Really loved the bond between the team and there are some delightful moments of character and interaction. It was lovely to see Hotch happy, while Rossi is both sassy and adorable and Reid and Garcia bring some welcome humour, with Reid's bicycle comment and his spouting of facts and statistics (only he can know how much time exactly has gone since the death of Haley) and Garcia making fun of the final 'Rocky' film and the stuff on the plane.
The acting is very good from all the regulars (Thomas Gibson being marvellous, with great charm and sensitivity, really selling it in his chemistry with Hatosy), with not a weak link. Shawn Hatosy is gut-wrenching and Charles S. Dutton is fantastic particularly in his last scenes.
However, there isn't enough profiling or case solving, with too much conclusion jumping and banter. The case has its moments, like in the powerful climactic parts and one does feel sorry for the unsub, but the suspense is diluted by too much unsub revealed too early and occasional extraneous moments like the eye-bleeding vision.
While the team interaction delights, there could have been more of Reid and Prentiss is practically background. The case is decent though with not enough spark.
On the whole, above average episode without being great while being a long way from awful. 6/10 Bethany Cox
