User Reviews

Morgan is featured in this episode along with the witness, Daria, and the rest of the team has a far smaller role. Of course this makes sense since much of the story is Morgan interviewing Daria.

This is a difficult story. CM is nothing if not most often creepy and disturbing in showing the ways sadistic people treat other human beings. This episode finds a new way to emphasize that and in some ways it is more disturbing than usual. I would say memorably so.

Through most of the episode, things are moving along slowly and it looks like it will be a subpar one. Certainly Aasha Davis is doing a good job in a difficult role and as it progresses toward the end, the viewer becomes more and more appalled at her experience. And then there is a twist that ratchets everything up tenfold.

If you like disturbing, then this should be one of the best. For me it was too disturbing so I can't give it 10 stars..

There are better episodes in Season 9, namely "Gabby". There are also much worse, with "200" and "The Black Queen" being two of the worst 'Criminal Minds' episodes around. "The Edge of Winter" is not a classic, nor is it a low-point.

Instead it was one of the decent episodes, although some of the episode was pretty average. What made the episode better in particular were the shocking twist involving the unsub's partner, after the episode did well in making us think that they were another victim, and the ending which was tense to say the least. The acting also can't faulted, with great performances not just from all the regulars but also Aasha Davis and Taymour Ghazi.

Production values as always are high, with the photography having style and class, the editing is tight and the scenery very pleasant on the eye. The music score is not exactly action-enhancing but never does it distract, it is suitably moody in places while also inducing pathos in more emotional moments. The writing is quite good with good pathology, profiling and psychology (unlike "200" for example it at least feels like a 'Criminal Minds' episode), and really appreciated for once the lack of families/friends scenes that can veer on the fluffy and sappy side of things and also a more mature Garcia at a point in the show's history where she had become like a pale and annoying caricature.

However, while the team all did something relevant some of the team members (with Hotch for example barely existing) feel underused in favour of Morgan and JJ doing scenes that would have been more suited to Hotch or Rossi. There are more compelling characters in 'Criminal Minds' than Morgan, but at least the episode plays to his personality strengths. JJ however has been overused and out of character in the latter seasons, and it is the same here. The two characters' chemistry together doesn't really gel due to two different personalities, and some of Morgan's scenes go on for too long and there are too many.

Story was mixed. Things pick up significantly in the second half, which really picks up the pace and feels more tense and suspenseful. Some of "The Edge of Winter", particularly towards the start, is rather slowly paced and predictable, and while Ghazi does do a great job there are more interesting and better-developed unsubs.

All in all, decent episode elevated by picking up significantly with a great twist and ending. More of the team and their work together and less of focus on less interesting characters would have helped things. 6/10 Bethany Cox