Season 10 was very much mixed in quality, very like much of the period from Season 6 onward, but although there were less than good episodes there were also good and more ones. "Fate" fits in neither extreme of the best episodes of Season 10, at the same time it isn't one of the worst. It does lean towards among the lesser episodes however.
"Fate" is not as good as as the terrifying "Mr Scratch", the poignant and harrowing "Nelson's Sparrow", the creepy and powerful "The Forever People", the tense "Rock Creek Park" and the unconventional but extremely well done "A Thousand Suns". On the other hand, it's significantly better than the likes of the strange and not in a good way "If the Shoe Fits", the poor "Breath Play", the very unbalanced in writing "Protection", the wastes of good ideas "Hashtag", "The Boys of Sudworth Place", the disappointing "Beyond Borders" and the similarly unbalanced in writing "Scream".
It isn't a terrible episode, but it does feel bland and disjointed, though not without its bright spots and merits, as well as being unbalanced in who and what to focus on. Its merits are obvious, but so are its flaws.
Visually, as always, 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.
Most of the acting is very good. Joe Mantegna is a revelation here, giving some of the best acting he has ever done. He delivers Rossi's trademark sass with enormously entertaining glee but also delivers the emotions of the final scene in a way that's incredibly poignant. Another standout is Amber Stevens West as Joy, beautiful understated acting that matches Mantegna's perfectly. Rossi's story is far more interesting than the case itself, some may find it clichéd and a couple of the flashbacks corny, but emotionally it stayed with me for a long time and resonated hugely with me. Kirsten Vangsness is a sheer ray of sunshine delight.
Generally a much better job could have been done with the script, but there are some good moments. The best lines come from Rossi, who can't help his sassiness? There are some gems here, such as "Yesterday, when I saw that you were following me, I thought it had to be a coincidence, but by today, ooh, probably not." "It's a long story", "Well, I'm a writer. I hate the short ones" and "Now, most people would ask for the coffee back, but, being a gentleman, c'est la vie." Garcia's groupie/rock star and fan girl lines are just adorable.
Unfortunately, there are a number of things that let "Fate" down. Too much of the team are underused with very little to do, they don't work cohesively and there is far too little profiling which is lost in favour of baseless conclusion-jumping and over-reliance on Garcia's all too convenient computer.
There is also far too much of the unsub in a generic and disjointed case where too many of the scenes are pointless wastes, there is very little challenging, chilling or emotional here and little atmosphere. There are far more developed unsubs on the show, didn't feel any menace or sympathy for her (her remorse was not convincing at all) and that she was too clichéd and bland to be memorable. Her identity and motivations were much too obvious from the very start. Some may disagree but Tina Holmes didn't work for me, her performance for her liking was rather over-baked and came over as more irritating than menacing or affecting.
In summary, not awful but disappointing. While there are worse 'Criminal Minds' episodes (especially the worst of Season 6- with "The Thirteenth Step"-, Season 9- with "200" and "The Black Queen"- and Season 11-most of the season though about 6 or 7 are above average or more), despite the odd good, even great episode here and there generally the show is well past its glory days. 5/10 Bethany Cox
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