Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Serial killers, mysteries, Paget Brewster
Likes: Shemar Moore, Matt Gray Gubler, Kirsten Vangsness
Dislikes: Elle Greenaway
Hates: Cop shows

The Story So Far...
"Criminal Minds" follows a team of FBI profilers who tackle serial killers on a federal level or when invited by local authorities. Made up of a diverse group of agents, the team is led by veteran profiler Jason Gideon (Mandy Patankin) and FBI agent Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) as they attempt to paint a picture of the unknown criminal in order to catch him. The first season was released on DVD in November of 2006, and DVDTalk has a review here.

The Show
A solid freshman effort established the serial killer drama as a weekly destination for quality storytelling, and left the audience hanging with a finale that took full-advantage of the show's genre roots and pulp sensibilities. But what would it do for an encore, when expecations for a series are higher? Anyone who guessed what it would do is beat out "Lost" in the ratings to become one of TV's most-watched shows probably does pretty well at lottery too. After all, there are plenty of procedural series out there that tread similar ground. But what sets "Criminal Minds" apart from the pack are the creepy cases, terrific cast and genuine mysteries, all of which areratcheted up in season two.

With just one season of history, albeit an effective one in terms of establishing the characters, the series' creators felt comfortable shaking things up in terms of the team, and no one was safe, right off the bat, with the season premiere, the continuation of the previous season's cliffhanger finale. In fact, being part of the show's main cast is practically a guarantee of personal hardship. Each member of the main cast gets a chance to suffer, some more than other. One arc that puts Reid (Matt Gray Gubler) in danger, is particularly dark, though unfortunately without the hoped-for payoff, while "Profiler, Profiled" a story that casts Morgan (Shemar Moore) as the suspect, is particularly touching and emotional as he revisits his troubled childhood.

When the team isn't busy battling their demons, or each other, they track down some of the most evil villains seen on network TV. Though some felt a bit derivative, such as the Saw-like killers in "North Mammon" and "Legacy" or the Paul Bernardo-inspired murderer in "The Perfect Storm", they were almost all interesting and pretty well-developed in just 44 minutes (the only exception being the Eastern Promises precursor "Honor Among Thieves.") The show also dipped into "ripped from the headlines" territory with stories about Iraq, hate crimes, Hurricane Katrina and terrorism. But, aside from the disturbing murders in "Ashes and Dust," none of the bad guys were as intriguing as Frank (Keith Carradine.) Making two appearances this season, this soulless monster is the perfect foil for the team, as he aggressive confronts them, especially Gideon. A hero is frequently defined by his foe, and no one the profilers battle tells more about them than Frank, whom Carradine plays with the kind of subtle precision that keeps the character real and truly scary.

In watching these episodes, knowing that Patinkin has left the series, it's hard to picture the show without him, as he's such an integral part of the team, Whether it's his stoic attempt to understand a Muslim extremist in "Lessons Learned" or the quiet strength he shows in just about every episode, he gives the series an emotional core that will be hard to replicate. But then, adding Brewster to the team to fill an empty spot worked so well, that perhaps this change should be welcomed.

The DVDs
The 23 episodes in "Criminal Minds"' second season are spread over six discs (four on the first five, three on the sixth,) which are packed in three slipcased dual-hubbed clear ThinPaks, which have episode descriptions. The discs feature animated anamorphic widescreen menus, with options to select individual shows, adjust the set-up and check out special features (where applicable.) Language options include English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 tracks, and English closed captioning, though there are no subtitles. For those concerned about edited DVDs, there's a note on the packaging that says "Some episodes may be edited from their original network versions." What that means isn't exactly clear, but my best guess would be some music replacements. The thing is, the previous set noted music changes, not "edited" episodes.

The Quality
Once again, the anamorphic widescreen transfers in this set look terrific, with strong color and deep blacks, while maintaining a high level of detail. The image is extremely crisp, though darker scenes can get a bit "buzzy," suffering from some slight noise. There's no noticeable dirt or damage in the transfers, and no obvious digital artifacts,.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is very strong, using the surround speakers to boost the show's music, helping create atmosphere in a big way. The center channel gets the bulk of the dialogue and the majority of the sound effects, though there's some action in the sides and rear that impress.

The Extras
The number of audio commentaries rose by one to four this season, with tracks available on "The Fisher King, Part 2," "The Perfect Storm," "Profiler, Profiled" and "Revelatations." The participants are an interesting mix, with writers, directors and cast weighing in in small groups, including executive producer Edward Allen Bernero, Gubler and Moore. It would have been nice to hear from Brewster, but the four tracks are entertaining and informative, covering plenty of on-set stories and behind-the-scenes secrets. The commentary on "Profiler, Profiled" is probably the most interesting, due to the subject matter and Moore's opportunity to talk about about his character's part and his view of the process, while the inclusion of non-star actress Nicki Aycox is a nice (and unique) touch, but all of them offer something of interest to go with a jovial tone.

The tracks are:

• "The Fisher King, Part 2": Bernero and researcher/actress Amanda Bernero
• "The Perfect Storm": writers Erica Messer and Debra J. Fisher and actress Aycox
• "Profiler, Profiled": Bernero, Moore and director Glenn Kershaw
• "Revelations": Gubler and writer Chris Mundy

There are four featurettes on the final disc, and they are solid ones for the show's fans. First up is "Profilers, Profiled," a 13-minute look at the show's characters, which is a quality summation of the second-season's focus on the team's personal histories, starring the cast and crew. The 15-minute "The Physical Evidence" focuses on the making-of the series, with interviews with many of those involved in making the show. Using key episodes as checking-in points, the piece goes on the set frequently and covers most aspects of the production. It's an impressively deep featurette that's fortunately free of any fluff.

"The Behavioral Science of Criminal Minds" spends almost 18 minutes on the real-world's profilers, explaining how the job is done in reality and exploring the mindset of an unSub. It's easily the best part of the set because it's true and utterly fascinating. It's followed by the six-minute "Meet Kirsten Vangsness," which is similar to last season's featurette on Gubler, as you get to spend some time with the actress away from the show. A goofy girl, she's fun to hang out with and to find out more about.

For such a serious show, it sure looks like the cast and crew has a good time, if the 4:30 gag reel is any evidence. The main cast seems to be very silly, from Patinkin's manic fits to Brewster's goofball personality, and even the crew gets in on the fun. The gag reels on serious series normally let you see a different side of the stars, and this one is no exception.

The disc wraps with a pair of deleted scenes. The first one makes no real sense to me, but the second one includes a video intro from producer Gigi Coello-Bannon that puts the clip in context, which gives it some meaning, making it an interesting alternate take from the episode.

The Bottom Line
"Criminal Minds" is a unique series as it tells very compact, cinematic stories while unfurling a larger, more involved story about people confronting the darkness, yet never getting bogged down in the pacing issues that a serial series can get caught in. It also features a fantastic cast that has such chemistry that it survived a mid-season shake-up and came out stronger for it. There's some terrifically scary stories in the second season of the show, and some of the finest detective work seen on TV today. The DVDs look and sound great, and in terms of the extras, the set went further than before, improving on what they did well before. While this set builds on what happened in the first season, including the conclusion of the first-season finale, the second season stands on its own, getting into the characters' backgrounds and finding out why they are who they are, while telling some memorable stories. If you enjoy a good psychological drama or a well thought-out mystery, you will find what you like here.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.