I don't why this episode didn't grab me quite as much as last week. Maybe because being trapped and burned alive is one of the few things that actually terrifies me. That elevator scene..... just, no. I was actually relieved when it was revealed she hadn't been burned to death. Overheating to death is still horrible, but quicker and not quite as terrifying.
I think the other reason was I felt so bad for Mac. My poor boy. To see him struggle like that was absolutely heartwrenching
On the other hand, I do like how realistic they're being about the whole thing. I like too how Don noticed and was clearly wondering what the hell was going on but also much he obviously trusts Mac based on how he just essentially assumed everything was ultimately ok. And I have to say, I positively loved how it was Danny who was the first to express his concern that not everything is alright with Mac. It brings a great parallel between their experiences of dealing with being shot in the LOD (line of duty, for those who might not know the abbreviation) and being sensitive to little cues that the rest of the team might not necessarily pick up. Plus Mac and Danny have always had a father/son relationship in my opinion - from Mac seeing past the face value of Danny when he first hired him; to their confrontations from time to time; to Mac being there for him when Louie was beat up, when Danny expressed his fears of being a father, the obvious joy when Danny and Lindsey told Mac they were going to have a baby; and of course their was their scene in the finale last year. And while it's usually Mac looking out for Danny, a parent relationship works both ways, and it's great to see the "kid" looking out for the father figure. It made me want to hug them both. And the end with Mac walking by himself through the lab was so sad. He's had to deal with things all by himself for so long that he doesn't realize he's now got so many people who really are there 100% for him. Because the team as it currently exists is different than even back in s5 and 6, and not just because one person on it has changed.
I really liked how they brought back Jo's profiling background. I kind of wished her work had had more of a prominent showcase as it would have been a nice change from the norm of all the science-y stuff. Although that thing with cesium and water to make that guy burn from the inside out was really cool and highly disturbing. I know the show isn't
Criminal Minds or anything, but bringing in an added dimension of crime solving purely by using one of the character's expertise would be really nice more often.
I'm in the camp of liking the new character, Jaime Lavato. I think in a sense she's supposed to be like Angell if for no other reason than the love interest angle. But I do think she's a bit more like Aiden than Jess, if we're comparing past female characters. She's a bit more snarky with that dry sense of humor. I do hate the cliches though. Not all female cops grow up with all brothers
Having gone on about so much that I liked about the episode, it seems even odder that I wasn't really all that in to it. Maybe it was because of the overused backstory of Brooks. Yes, Rob Morrow did an amazing job, but between all the crime shows out there, Brooks' backstory felt very convenient and easy and anticlimactic.
So overall -
B+