This week's Unsub probably had the worst case of self-esteem issues ever.  

For what reason? It's possible that having your ex-wife say you're weak, you've always been weak doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.  

To bolster his pride and his belief in his ability to protect their unborn child, he had to show he was strong - which he did by murdering anyone he saw as a threat to the tenants of the building in which he lived and worked.

In Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 7 we caught up to Rossi and Reid having some drinks at Rossi's favorite dive... only to discover that the bar was closing for good. 

Fortunately, they didn't have too much time to grieve the news, as they were quickly called to investigate a series of murders committed by a man who had lost his child to an accidental strangulation.

Some time after the boy's death, his wife had kicked him to the curb, and it was at that point that he flipped his wig and decided to transfer his paternal instincts to "protecting" his building's residents.  

As if that wasn't gruesome enough, he kept mementos from his victims to be mounted in his Addams Family scrapbook of horrors. He needed proof, you see, something to show to his unimpressed ex-wife that he was the alpha male she was looking for. He needed to build up this impressive trophy collection in time for the birth of their child or else she'd never take him back.

What is it with the Unsubs in these episodes? They're all so neck-deep into their own fantasies and worlds, which makes sense only to them. Deluded and confused, the whole lot of them. Someone should write a song.  

Just for once, it'd be nice to see an Unsub who's just in it for the money. Something which makes sense to most of the known world.  "Oh yeah - I know the guy. Always looking for an angle. Gambled all of his money away. You say he started shooting people for their cash? Yeah - I can see him doing that."  

I suppose that'd be boring, though. And maybe we wouldn't need the BAU to work their profiling magic.  

The momentary glimpses of genius which Reid occasionally displays acts as a counterbalance to the predictably bizarre and unrealistic psyches of the Unsubs:

Reid: His area of control, while relatively small includes a number of residential and commercial buildings. Factor in a three mile radius in a city with a population of 636,479 over 48.28 miles, we're looking at approximately 39,549.23 living in his comfort zone.
Morgan: How many of them male?
Reid: 18,944.08

• Permalink: 18,944.08
• Added: November 06, 2013

His dazzling intellect steals every scene.  

The other scene which made this episode fun was the final one, where the gang hangs out for one last party at Rossi's bar.  While the opening scene karaoke song abused all musical sensibilities (for which we have to give the guy credit - it's hard to deliberately go off-key like that), the final scene was just a pure joy.  

Man, when Hotch smiles, the entire room lights up, doesn't it?

Another interesting note about this episode was that it was directed by Matthew Gray Gubler, who did a great job.

One in particular stands out: the one where the Unsub is peeking at several of the apartments across from his window. It was reminiscent of the great Hitchcock film "Rear Window."

Another scene - involving the girl looking for information on the boy she had dated - brought back to mind... oh just about every horror film ever made. So classic: 

The girl ascends to a dusty storage room, isolated and alone. We pretty much knew it was curtains for her just as soon as she found the Unsub's trophy book. And in case any of us weren't sure, we heard his ominous words: I really wish you hadn't seen that.  

Their struggle and then her three-story dive was almost anticlimactic after that.

We have to note Reid's quick wit at the capture of the Unsub. That play he made when delivering the baby was brilliant. Pretending the baby was in trouble and that he needed a pair of scissors to cut the umbilical cord that was wrapped around his neck was perfectly executed and believable.  

And it played directly into the Unsub's psyche. You could almost hear his thought process: "Oh no. Another one of my children is about to die through strangulation!  Quick - take these scissors."

All in all, this was a fairly decent episode. But what did you think? Was "Piano Man" a good choice for Rossi and the gang to sing? Would you like to see more BAU parties like that? What are your thoughts on Tanner (the Unsub)?  

As usual, don't forget to check out the Criminal Minds quotes for this episode.

Criminal Minds Promo - "The Return"

Talk about some MAJOR self-esteem issues.

On Criminal Minds this week, the Unsub was often told by his wife that he's weak and had always been weak and he responded by… murdering anyone he believed to be a threat to the building in which he resided and worked.

We guess that's one solution.

Viewers also caught up with Rossi and Reid at the former's favorite establishment on Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 7, only to learn that the bar was closing for good. 

What else went down? Click on the photo below to watch the installment in full:

Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 7

On Criminal Minds this week, Morgan was a little bothered when a girl he's been seeing suddenly bugged out in the middle of the night to go to her job. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Kind of beside the point, wasn't it?  

How about: Morgan has a new main squeeze! Her name is Savannah, she's drop dead gorgeous and they've been seeing each other for a few months.

On Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 8, the BAU (including Derek Morgan, after he walked his girlfriend's pug) investigated the murders of a group of people at a diner, all shot by a young teen who was then himself killed by an off duty cop. Awhile later, another young teen blew himself up in a car in the middle of an intersection, killing a traffic cop in the process.  

The team eventually figured out there was a Pied Piper who was leading the cult of kidnapped kids and using them in a revenge plot against the Chicago PD. A long time prior, the Unsub and his partner had been kicked off of the force for brutalizing suspects when trying to get them to confess.  

They were turned in by a rookie cop named Reyes, who years later became the ultimate target for the Unsub.

The cult-like dynamic of the Unsub's group included a young woman who - after being kidnapped six years ago and brainwashed - entered the precinct wearing a suicide vest and holding a dead man's switch. In an amazing act of precision that can only be accomplished on a TV show, Morgan shot her dead while JJ tackled her and held the switch closed, thereby saving everyone.  

In real life, odds are that they'd all be decorating the walls of the precinct.  

As cases go, this one was milder and less of a wild dark fantasy than what we're used to seeing. As such, it was more believable (except for the dead man's switch deal) than the usual fare. 

On the plus side, it's important to note that the case itself was built upon the Patty Hearst event of 1974. Hearst was kidnapped and subsequently fell victim to what's known as the Stockholm Syndrome - where a captive strongly identifies with her captor. In the case of Hearst, she identified so strongly with the people who kidnapped her that she robbed a bank with them.   

The premise for this case was therefore quite believable, as was the behavior of the captured teen - Daniel Morrison, played quite convincingly by actor A.J. Achinger - who would only give his name, rank, and "serial number."

The more fascinating story had to do with Morgan's romance. It was interesting to see him fall for a woman who, like himself, was passionate about saving people. And just like him, she prioritized her job over almost everything else. Funny how it took Garcia - the girl he's flirted with for all these years - to point this out to him.  

In past episodes, we've watched members of the BAU get a little uncomfortable with the ongoing cutesiness between Morgan and Garcia - especially when other outsiders were watching or listening to their banter. 

Here, we finally got to see that their dynamic is all play, none of which is even remotely serious. They are best friends who've found a unique sort of playful corner where they can be warm and completely honest with each other.  

Final notes:

• In our interview with A.J. Cook, she mentioned that Criminal Minds Season 9 was going to be about all of the show's characters, where the writers get a chance to reveal more of their back stories. So far we've seen one which revealed an interesting relationship with the BAU's new section chief; and we've seen a back story episode with Hotch and one where Rossi's favorite bar was being closed. Wonder who's next.
• New term alert!  "Morganed" as in: "to be Morganed" - where one is left high and dry because one's partner has left for his or her job in a hurry.

Criminal Minds Promo: "Strange Fruit."

What did you think of the case of the week? How about Morgan and Savannah? Can a relationship where both parties prioritize their jobs over everything else work? When JJ rescued the last teen victim, was she internalizing her own son - who happened to look a little like him?  

Morgan got shirtless on the latest installment of Criminal Minds.

Was it a coincidence the hour earned this drama its best ratings in year?

Perhaps. But Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 8 also introduced fans to Morgan's new girlfriend, Savannah, along with the case of a young teen who shot patrons at a diner and was then gunned down by an off-duty police officer.

The BAU eventually tracked down the leader of a group of kidnapped kids who was using the teens as revenge against the Chicago PD.

Pretty terrible stuff. A lot uglier than the following photo. Click on it now to watch the episode from start to end:

What does a false accusation, a false confession, a broken water main and four skeletons have in common? 

A powerful and sad story about race relations in Virginia in the 1960s, according to the latest Criminal Minds.

Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 9 gave us a true mystery, which gave the BAU a run for their money. This was not a case where they could profile the Unsub and then follow the bread crumbs to the killer.

For starters, they had the killer in custody almost immediately. What they had to do was figure out which of the three detainees did the deed - and why.  

Frankly, it's episodes like this that keep me interested and invested in Criminal Minds. Plots such as this one presume audience intelligence and curiosity without a hint of patronization.

Missing was the wild-eyed twist of a surreal Unsub whose motives are completely outside of the bounds of anything normal or predictable. Instead, this arc involved a believable criminal with a powerfully believable motive. This, unlike so many Criminal Minds episodes was real. There wasn't even a typical victim in danger, waiting to be rescued by the BAU.  

What's more, the case was based upon a true to life dynamic, back in the 1960s when inter-racial dating was not only frowned upon, but dangerous. 

It's rare to feel any sort of sympathy for the Unsub, but in this case - well except for the murdered women - it was hard not to at least empathize with him. You can understand how someone who is attacked for something he didn't do, and then castrated for it, can put a guy a little off of his game.

Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 9 Online

Of course, the racial tensions of the day had everything to do with the severity of the attack - a fact that ate at Charles, starting from the moment of the incident, and then carrying right on through to the present day when he imbued that sense of anger to his son.  

One can only imagine how a five-year old boy, witnessing the killing of a man by his dad, might cause him to grow up a tad warped. His anger - as evidenced by his kicking the neighbor's dog to death, among other things - is open and out of control. Whereas his dad's is secretive and nuanced.

Speaking of secrets, I counted at least five secrets in the show. Starting from the beginning, they are:

1. JJ and Cruz are working on a case that they can't tell anyone about.
2. Rossi stuffed a black guy in a locker when he was in high school, at the behest of his fellow baseball team players.
3. Lyle saw his dad kill a man when he was five years old.
4. Charles is a castrate.
5. Lyle isn't Charles' biological son. (Which sort of follows)

The saddest aspect of the case is that things could have been different, had there not been so many secrets. How could a kid get castrated without there being an open record about it? He and his wife lived together for at least 35 years and hid that from everyone, including their son.

Then there's the issue of mental illness. Charles knew his son had emotional problems and, rather than dealing with them through therapy, he worked him hard, night and day so that he wouldn't have time to think about his issues or do violence. 

Charles: You think slave had Prozac? No. They went got out there, they worked.
Rossi: So if your son has mental issues, you think he should just push through them.
Charles: You're damned right.

• Permalink: You're damned right.
• Added: November 20, 2013

While realizing that the greatest danger in therapy lies in the revelation of secrets - and that this would be a prime motivator to keep his son away from such treatment - there is a macho element in there too. It's a sad notion that prevails among many men, even today: that one can "push through" any mental problems without medical intervention.  

Rossi's sad revelation of peer pressure in high school came as a bit of a shock to us - and especially to Derek Morgan. I think it's safe to say that he didn't actually pee on the guy. 

Rossi: Look.
Morgan: You don't have to explain, man.
Rossi: No, you don't understand.
Morgan: A locker? Really? You took a leak on the guy?
Rossi: I was working him, Derek.

• Permalink: I was working him, Derek.
• Added: November 20, 2013

Still, though, he feels guilt for what he did. And he knows full well that the peer pressure of the time doesn't absolve him of the act. Even if he didn't take a leak on him, keeping him in a locker all night went way beyond the usual for high school bullying. And the racist aspect of it was particularly troubling.

Note that the haunting song playing at the end is also the episode's title: it's "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday.

What did you think of the episode? If you were a juror at Charles' trial, how would you view him? What sort of sentencing does a brutally attacked and castrated man deserve? 

Criminal Minds Promo - "The Caller"

Criminal Minds focused its investigation this week on a sad and emotional story that dated back to race relations in 1960s Virginia.

It also featured a phony confession… a false allegation… a busted water main… and a quartet of skeletons, all found in the backyard of a family's home.

Yes, a lot went down on the CBS procedural, but what made Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 9 stand out from other installments was the real-life dynamics on which it was based.

The storyline at hand centered on a believable criminal with a powerfully believable motive, one tragically tied to the dangers of interracial dating.

Watch the episode in its entirety now:

Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 9 Online

There's a good reason for Bible and catechism classes, people. Too bad our Unsub never availed himself of either.

Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 10 gave us the tale of a man who bypassed Jewish and Christian dogma in an effort to effect his own brand of Passover.  

And he got it so very wrong. The Passover story involves God telling the Israelites to put lamb's blood on the doorposts of their homes so that when the angel of death got down and dirty by killing the firstborn sons of all of Egypt's households, he'd "pass over" the marked houses and not hurt anyone within.

First off, our Unsub elected to use pig's blood. That was mistake number-one.  

His second was to actually kill the firstborn. Kind of a major ecumenical error there, bub.  

Religion aside, this story - like so many on Criminal Minds Season 9 - was another truly unpredictable mystery that didn't entail any sort of Unsub with truly surreal motivators.  

It's easy to see how such a tragic childhood would warp a boy into becoming a sort of twisted "savior" of sorts: rescuing children by killing them, as his mother tried to do to him.

I think the religion angle was provided in order to put a wrench into the machine works for the viewers. It began with the boy's dad being a religious guy who made sure he and his family went to church every Sunday.  Then there were all of those Eastern Orthodox chanting scenes, along with a flash of the Unsub lighting votive candles. All mysterious and confusing and, ultimately inconsequential to the heart of the story.

It's a story of abuse, not religion, period. 

Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 10 Online

It's also a comment about how sometimes you can do everything right with your kids and still end up as a victim. This guy doted on his child, and taught him about how to be careful around strangers.  

He monitored his friends and even did background checks on people who came into contact with him. Whoops.... guess he missed out on his teachers and in particular, the boy's computer science teacher.

Ultimately, like so many tragic tales of child kidnappings, the "stranger" wasn't truly a stranger at all. He was a trusted adult. So the question is: how much paranoia is too much?

Final notes:

• You may have recognized the dad, Malcolm Taffert, as Doug Savant, who played Tom on Desperate Housewives.
• The guy who played the other father - Richard Clayvin - whose son was killed fifteen years prior was Frank Collison. One of his earlier more colorful roles was that of Wash Hogwallop (what a name!) in the Coen Brothers' movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?
• The scene with the meat shop owner/pimp was the funniest part of the show. Leon Burns (played by Carl Schwaber) was the quintessential pimp, with his velvet tracksuit, darkened teeth, glassy eyes and sleazy manner.  He made it so easy for Blake and Reid to play off of him.
• The song at the end was "Even If We Try" by Night Beds.  

What do you think of this episode? Are you missing the traditional gore at all? What about the dad in this story? Was there anything he could have done to proactively protect his son?

Forget Thanksgiving.

The latest installment of Criminal Minds focused on Passover, specifically an Unsub who bypassed Jewish and Christian dogma in an attempt to create his own brand of Passover.

As you might expect, he got it terribly wrong.

There was some pig's blood. There was the death of a baby and there was another unpredictable mystery for this series to tackle. Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 10 from start to finish now and see what we mean:

Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 10 Online

For those who ever wondered why Blake was so quiet for most of the season, and why she seems to hold her cards so close to her chest (though not as close as Hotch), this episode resolved much of that mystery.

Losing a brother to a bad bust on an armed robbery call, plus losing her mother, played into her need to get away from Kansas City and, by extension her father and brother - both of whom remind her of her loss.

Seems a bit selfish, though understandable. Here we have someone employed to get into the heads and motivations of criminals and yet she hasn't dealt with her own issues. Profiler, heal thyself.

The case of the week for Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 11  involved an Unsub who was once a victim of bullies at Blake's childhood rival high school, Jefferson High.

As a kid, being utterly helpless against bullies in school probably feels like the worst thing in the world. In this example, the straw on the camel's back was the Unsub watching his friend being forced to wear girl's underwear and parade around in them while his classmates took pictures. 

And then being aware that his friend likely committed suicide shortly afterward. 

It took quite a while, and he had to bulk up by dosing with steroids and working out at the gym (plus, you know, he had to get a haircut). Then, he was finally ready to provide some payback for the abuse against his only friend in high school.

We never learned what connections Damon Miller - Blake's father - made to make him suspect that the murder of David Morrison, Tommy Barnes and Melissa Hawthorne were all related, but maybe it doesn't matter. 

Blake knew him to be "a great cop" who is "almost never wrong" - and that was enough for her. It wasn't until one of the earlier victim's father was brought in for questioning that they learned that he had altered the crime scene, replacing all of the clothes and ensuring that his dead son didn't appear dressed only in women's underwear.

Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 11 Online

As brother and sister worked the case, their sibling dynamic was very well captured, including the rolling of their eyes - each at different times - and the sighs of exasperation, particularly from Scott. It would be painfully familiar to any viewer with siblings, I think. 

Blake's need to get away from Kansas City after the death of her mother seems pretty classic: when it comes to fight or flight reactions, she chose the latter. Her pain must have been awfully deep to keep her from even talking with her brother or father over the years, though. 

That seemed a little odd, even excessive. She told her brother she's going to "work on it" but what exactly is her intent? Does she mean she's going to try harder to stay in contact, or will she go for some therapy?

While it was fun to see the BAU all gathered at Blake's dad's house for a barbeque at the end, this episode seemed a little bland. Bully goes off the deep end, and gets caught (glad they didn't have to shoot him), and Blake has some family issues which appear somewhat resolved. Straightforward and lacking in a lot of mystery - not the usual fare.

What did you think of the episode? Did Blake's back story resonate? Did it explain her seemingly closed character?

Note: the next episode of Criminal Minds Season 9 is scheduled for January 15.

Why has Blake been so quiet throughout most of Criminal Minds Season 9? That question was answered on "Bully."

This agent has quite the unfortunate past, with viewers learning during the hour just why she had to get as far away as possible from Kansas City.

The Unsub of the Week, meanwhile, also centered around Blake: he was once a victim of a bully from her childhood rival high school... and he was all about payback.

How did he dish it out? How did the team bring him down? What else was revealed on Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 11?

Watch the installment in full now:

Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 11 Online

It's always refreshing when Criminal Minds abandons its traditional storytelling for a week, isn't it? 

The start of Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 12 was amazing. 

Seeing the always-lovely Garcia handcuffed to the BAU interrogation room table in all of her dark gothic glory and badass attitude was startling. I didn't know at first if the scene was real or a dream.

Turns out it was a flashback to the start of her BAU career. 

Garcia: I'm a psychopath.
Hotch: No you're not.

• Permalink: No you're not.
• Added: January 16, 2014

You could almost imagine the smirk on Hotch's face when he said that, after which he outlined all the behavior that pegged her as the opposite of a psychopath.If anything, she was guilty of having too much empathy. So much that she broke the law in order to help people, in her own way.

Although the case itself was enjoyable (minus the prostitutes getting killed), the peripheral stuff was more engaging.  Luckily, the case intertwined with all of it, which made for a fascinating episode. 

It's hard to imagine a situation where a killer goes to death row, but doesn't snitch on his partner in order to save himself from execution. Especially as the clock ticked down to his final hours. That seemed a bit odd. Of course, he did have his partner's token set of prayer beads with the macabre lock of a victim's hair. 

This was supposed to show that his partner was still working to get him off. Uh huh. 

No one has ever accused criminals in jail of being too smart. Maybe that was the case with him.

On the other side of the intelligence spectrum was the chief of the nerds, Garcia's former lover/partner Shane Wyeth (played by Paulo Costanzo, of Royal Pains fame). I think many might know of narcissistic people like him who live to argue. The writer nailed his toxic character with precision. Garcia was right to escape from him, rather than continue to fight, hoping to convince him to change.

Hardly ever do we get a chance to laugh out loud, so that horrific sexual harassment seminar at the BAU provided a brilliant opportunity. It was fun watching Garcia getting more and more embarrassed as so many of her and Morgan's flirtatious talk showed up in the presentation.

When the presenter uttered the forbidden phrase "more cushion for the pushin'" and Derek Morgan put his head down, I howled. 

You can see why Wyeth mistook them for lovers. For much of Criminal Minds Season 8, I wondered about that too: not everyone who knows these two will understand that this is the flavor of their friendship at work. Wyeth seemed inordinately jealous, however:

You chose this guy? You chose a brainless, metrosexual action figure?

Shane

• Permalink: You chose this guy? You chose a brainless, metrosexual action figure?
• Added: January 15, 2014

Final notes:

• The scheme to protect prostitutes from legal charges was rather elaborate and, most of all, viable. The "Bitcoin" currency is real, and can be used (and is used) to fund items and services that are not legal. (It's also used for legitimate purposes as well, however). And the idea of having data deleted if someone doesn't log into a system within a certain timeframe is also doable. The writer thought this through.
• It's been a while since we've seen Morgan with a head of hair, wearing a full suit. That too was a surprise.
• Morgan wasn't the first to call Garcia "baby girl." Okay then. So who was? Do we know the guy? If not, will he be introduced?
• Garcia's promise to have Morgan and herself put a shoe on their head if they lose to Wyeth has its roots in geekdom: it's a way of humbling yourself on the net.

What did you think of this episode? Do you want to see more of Garcia's past? What are your thoughts on the Black Queen?

Should Morgan and Garcia cool it with the flirting?

It's safe to say Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 12 got off to an unusual start. And an amazing one, too.

Viewers were confused to see Garcia handcuffed to the BAU interrogation room, only to eventually learn this was the start of her career with the team.

Overall, the Case of the Week was perfectly fine, but the peripheral issues really made for a strong hour.

To wit: can you imagine a killer refusing to save himself from execution because he won't snitch on his partner? Talk about a fascinating moral dilemma.

Elsewhere, Paulo Costanzo guest-starred as Garcia's ex, someone who lives to argue and who was clearly not right for this squad member.

What else went down? Good question! Watch Criminal Minds online to find out!

Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 12 Online

Tahmoh Penikett will help Criminal Minds celebrate a milestone.

The former Battlestar Galactica star, who played a key role early on Supernatural Season 9, will appear on the CBS drama's 200th episode, producer Rick Dunkle confirmed this week via the following Instagram photo:

According to TV Line, Penikett will portray Michael Hastings, an unwelcome  blast from JJ's past from her days at the DoD.

Look for the special episode to focus on JJ's time away from the BAU, answering questions raised this year by Esai Morales' Mateo Cruz.

Penikett has also appeared on Continuum, Castle and The CW’s upcoming Star-Crossed.

You can watch Criminal Minds online now in preparation for tonight's 199th installment, which airs at 9/8c on CBS.

Something great is going on with the writing team for Criminal Minds. Lately, their stories have been consistently realistic.

Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 13 features arcs involving families and fathers.

Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 13 Online

The first centered on the estranged family of Rossi's old army buddy.

Rossi's trip to L.A. to visit Harrison Scott (who we last saw in Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 7) allowed us more of a glimpse into his pal's story, into why until now he's been alone and distant from his son. 

Seems that Rossi will forever be the guy who works hard to help the underdog. Never say die, I suppose. Which in this case proved accurate, as his friend was planning a slow suicide, until Rossi came along.

I was glad to see that his trip to Harrison's son's house didn't result in an immediate reconciliation between the two. That wouldn't have rang true: people generally don't forgive quite so quickly or easily. 

I was pleasantly surprised when the family came up the walk to greet Harrison at New Directions. 

The second story - and the BAU's case of the week - was about a broken man who had suffered the loss of his wife and son to a home invasion robbery years ago. 

Upon learning of the death of his family's killer in prison, he was just about to off himself when he saw some gang members hanging out in a park, getting up to no good. The switch was flipped and he determined that maybe he should provide some justice instead.

Unlike most episodes, the sympathy meter for the BAU was just not that strong: this Unsub was doing a lot of good - though illegal - work. The story tapped into our collective rage against the animals in society who manage to get away with so much evil.

Such as the man who severely burnt his wife and then attacked her again after she got a restraining order. Or the gang members who tried to hold up two old men in the park that were just trying to play a peaceful game of checkers. Or the meth dealers. Opportunistic bullies, the lot of them.

It wasn't so surprising that the witnesses weren't all that forthcoming with clues about the vigilante, was it? 

I hope you don't find him. Whoever he was, I hope he gets away.

Wife

• Permalink: I hope you don't find him. Whoever he was, I hope he gets away.
• Added: January 22, 2014

Interesting that they had to have the Unsub misidentify one of his victims, resulting in his murdering of an innocent in order for us to get back on the BAU's side again. Such a sad ending to an otherwise engrossing story.

And now....JJ's been abducted. We don't know why, exactly. This is where you can weigh in on this week's poll.

Final notes:

• This was Joe Mantegna's directorial debut for Criminal Minds. You can tell he's a seasoned pro at it, as he has directed other TV episodes and a movie before. You can also tell because this episode was polished and driven: you had no choice but to care about everyone, including the Unsub.
• The body count for this episode was quite high. I don't know if we've seen this many folk killed before. Certainly not this many bad people anyway.
• It's always great to see Meshach Taylor (Harrison Scott) in an episode. His acting was on target, as was his chemistry with Joe Mantegna.
• We have to wait for two weeks to see what happened to JJ. The episode is entitled "200."

What do you think happened with JJ?

Criminal Minds turns 200 in two weeks.

But the CBS drama celebrated the milestone early last night, airing a terrific 199th installment.

Viewers witnessed a pair of intriguing stories on Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 13, the first of which centered around Rossi's old army pal and his family. It included a welcome return by Meshach Taylor as Harrison Scott and also the directorial efforts of Joe Mantegna.

The second arc, meanwhile, provided BAU with its Case of the Week and focused on a broken man who's wife and son were killed in a home invasion many years back.

But that was nothing compared to what happened to JJ! Watch Criminal Minds online to learn her fate and to wonder where this is all going heading into Episode 200:

Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 13 Online

Criminal Minds is getting ready to celebrate a milestone.

The CBS drama will ring in Episode 200 next Wednesday, airing an intense hour that finds the BAU delving into JJ.s time at the State Department after this agent is kidnapped.

What clues will they find there? What secret mission has now placed her life in danger? And how can a returning Prentiss help?

Catch up on the series when you watch Criminal Minds online and get your first look at the aptly-titled "200" now:

NOTE: Visit TV Fanatic next week for an exclusive interview with Emily Prentiss and with show runner Erica Messer in anticipation of this major episode.
 

Criminal Minds photos from "200"

Open Slideshow

1. Safe and Sound?

Will JJ be returned safe and sound and what secrets from her State Department days will be revealed on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds?

View As List

1. Safe and Sound?

Will JJ be returned safe and sound and what secrets from her State Department days will be revealed on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds?

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2. In the Ambulance

Who is in that ambulance and how is it connected to JJ's kidnapping on Criminal Minds?

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3. Hotchner's Reaction

How will Hotchner react when JJ is kidnapped and secrets from her past are revealed on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds?

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4. Team In Crisis

The BAU team faces a serious crisis when JJ is abducted. Will her kidnapping lead the team to a secret mission they knew nothing about?

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5. Gun Drawn

Rossi's got his gun drawn. Has he found the person behind JJ's abduction?

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6. Rossi Chases Down a Suspect

Rossi chases down a suspect but can a dead man give them any answers as to JJ's whereabouts on Criminal Minds?

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7. Checking a Body

Blake and Rossi check out a body as the BAU tries to figure out why JJ has been abducted on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds.

---

8. Handling a Crisis

How will the BAU team handle the crisis when JJ is abducted? Will they need Prentiss to help them save her life on Criminal Minds?

---

9. Solving the Mystery

Can Prentiss help solve the mystery of JJ's disappearance and is this murder a part of that case on Criminal Minds.

---

10. JJ Is Abducted

When JJ is abducted, the BAU team delves into her past at the State Department and uncovers a secret mission on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds.

---

11. Prentiss Returns

Emily Prentiss returns to help the BAU team when JJ is abducted on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds. "200" is the 14th episode of the show's ninth season.

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200 episodes and counting.

An impressive milestone indeed and, in keeping with its usual way of surprising us, Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 14 goes all ou for this occasion by filling in some gaps in the time JJ was away from the team, as well as beautifully bringing back fan favorite Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss.

How is Prentiss brought back when she's now based in London? What shocking story points are uncovered in the flashbacks involving JJ? And will we see Prentiss again moving forward?

I spent some time last week chatting with Brewster and Executive Producer Erica Messer to get the scoop on what we can expect in this episode that, I can say having gotten a sneak peek, does not disappoint whatsoever.

TV Fanatic: Erica, was it daunting at all to do this episode? How did you and your writers approach it?

Erica Messer: We definitely approached it as a milestone and how can you not with 200 other under our belt? But we wanted to acknowledge one of the biggest elephants in the room, which is that JJ left the show, she came back to the show, and not only did she come back, she came back stronger and changed, and we wanted to show how that happened, why that happened, personally and professionally, what that journey was for her in the missing year of being on our team. And in doing that, we were able to lay in a lot of fun things, like when we introduced Esai Morales at the beginning of this season, we knew we were going to introduce him present day but with a mystery of why does he and how does he, know JJ?

TVF: Knowing you’ve been concentrating on comedy, Paget, was it a big switch to flip to get back into the mode of Prentiss or was it easy?

Paget Brewster: Honestly, just the table read for Criminal Minds, it felt like I never left…it felt exactly the same… when Erica called and asked me if I would come back and be a part of the 200^th episode, I said ‘whatever you want. Yeah, I would love to. Thank you for including me.’

I didn’t think that Prentiss would pay such a big part in it, but I was thrilled and everyone else in the cast was happy, so I didn’t feel like I was stepping on anyone’s toes, and it was a really fun thing to do. But I thought I might get like two or three scenes and so it ended up being a lot and it was great.

TVF: Can you talk about what brings Prentiss back into the fold?

PB: I think what they did with the 200^th episode, and Erica told me they were doing this was to go back in time and show what happened to JJ in the time that she was gone from the BAU and in a way Prentiss going to help her was a mirror of when JJ helped Prentiss get out of the country and go to Paris. So it was a nice way to look at these two professional women who are friends and love each other, and have each other’s back, and take care of each other’s secrets. That was an interesting way to modify the past and explain how her relationship with Cruz (Morales) developed and where the back story came from. I thought it was really well done and I was just really honored to be such a big part of that.

Criminal Minds Promo - "200"

TVF: Erica, tell me about bringing Paget back and why that was important.

EM: We were all hoping with that milestone episode coming up, wouldn’t it be great if Paget could come back? And knowing that we were going to do flashbacks, I also said it would be great to bring Jayne Atkinson back except the only way we can bring her back is to tell stories of past…and, creatively, it allowed us to not be stuck with just flashback structure, that’s the only way we get to see Prentiss but really needed her to be present in the stakes that were current. So we love that she said yes, love that she was here…and, also, by the end of the episode, the camaraderie with the whole team.

TVF: How was it getting back into the action with some of the scenes you shot?

PB: No one can run as well as AJ Cook. That woman runs like a beautiful, beautiful racehorse, so I was just kind of holding my own, running behind her…[but] I hadn’t done stunts like that since I left the show, so, that was something a little jarring.

TVF: We get to see Prentiss with the whole team at the end of the episode. How was that to shoot with everybody in the same room for the first time in awhile?

PB: That was really great, and one of my favorite parts of the whole episode is the moment between Prentiss and Blake (Jeanne Tripplehorn), because I think it’s really female positive and supportive and they had never met, and I had never met Jeanne before I did the episode, and she’s lovely and funny and wonderful, and I'm really happy that she joined the team and joined the cast. So there are definitely similarities between that fictional life and team and how we all feel as actors who are a part of that show.

TVF: Where do you go from here through the rest of the season?

EM: We get back to business, because there's always a bad guy to catch. We do a creepy Valentine’s Day episode. It’s the one that airs after the 200^th and it’s just a Criminal Minds take on couples and Valentine’s Day. Then, of course, acknowledging that JJ has been through a big ordeal and she’s had off for a couple of weeks, and those little arcs we always try to acknowledge, but it doesn’t become a big thing again. We haven’t broken the end of the season, the very end of the season, but in true Criminal Minds fashion, there will be a big, probably two-part finale, little movie that we like to do at the end of the year.

TVF: Paget, can we expect to see you in other episodes down the line?

PB: Yes. Absolutely. I don’t know that I would want to go back to full time. I had a great time when I was there, but I'm also having a great time now doing other things…I love all those guys. I see them all the time anyway. We’ve all remained friends and it’s a great show and I really care about everybody there, so, I definitely would go back and pop in for an episode here and there if that’s what they wanted, yes.

Criminal Minds airs Episode 200 this Wednesday at 9pm on CBS.

Criminal Minds photos from "200"

Open Slideshow

1. Safe and Sound?

Will JJ be returned safe and sound and what secrets from her State Department days will be revealed on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds?

View As List

1. Safe and Sound?

Will JJ be returned safe and sound and what secrets from her State Department days will be revealed on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds?

---

2. In the Ambulance

Who is in that ambulance and how is it connected to JJ's kidnapping on Criminal Minds?

---

3. Hotchner's Reaction

How will Hotchner react when JJ is kidnapped and secrets from her past are revealed on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds?

---

4. Team In Crisis

The BAU team faces a serious crisis when JJ is abducted. Will her kidnapping lead the team to a secret mission they knew nothing about?

---

5. Gun Drawn

Rossi's got his gun drawn. Has he found the person behind JJ's abduction?

---

6. Rossi Chases Down a Suspect

Rossi chases down a suspect but can a dead man give them any answers as to JJ's whereabouts on Criminal Minds?

---

7. Checking a Body

Blake and Rossi check out a body as the BAU tries to figure out why JJ has been abducted on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds.

---

8. Handling a Crisis

How will the BAU team handle the crisis when JJ is abducted? Will they need Prentiss to help them save her life on Criminal Minds?

---

9. Solving the Mystery

Can Prentiss help solve the mystery of JJ's disappearance and is this murder a part of that case on Criminal Minds.

---

10. JJ Is Abducted

When JJ is abducted, the BAU team delves into her past at the State Department and uncovers a secret mission on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds.

---

11. Prentiss Returns

Emily Prentiss returns to help the BAU team when JJ is abducted on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds. "200" is the 14th episode of the show's ninth season.

---

Criminal Minds is sometimes hard to watch when the story involves an Unsub who is torturing innocents. It hits way too close to home when we see one or more of the BAU team members being subjected to it.

Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 14 was titled "200," as it marked the 200th episode of the series.

Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 14 Online

Expectations for this installment were high. And I can say for sure that it met them with flying colors. 

For starters, it was a smart move to make the focus of this milestone episode all about the BAU and not some nameless Unsub.

I'd be tempted to say that it was a treat to see Prentiss again - and Strauss, even though she appeared only in flashbacks - were it not for the gravity of the story itself.

We've been teased throughout Criminal Minds Season 9 about JJ and Cruz's secret, which was finally revealed. We got to see  JJ's back story, covering the time she took a hiatus from the BAU (in real life, AJ Cook was let go from the show, then brought back). And it was believable.

It explained too how she grew from being a communications liaison officer to a profiler, as she had to hone her skills in finding a way to reach the Afghani captive woman in order to obtain terrorists' intelligence and identification.  

Too bad she didn't realize she was working with monsters.

Writers will never go wrong in expecting their audience to come along for the ride and figure out certain truths for themselves, with minimal guidance and few clues.

One important such clue outlined the theme of this episode, which was found in this quote, from Hastings to JJ, upon her arrival at the U.S. Operations Camp:

Don't get comfortable. This place changes people. I can't imagine what it'll do to someone like you.

Hastings

• Permalink: Don't get comfortable.
• Added: February 05, 2014

He was, of course, referring to himself. And perhaps Askari.

Maybe Askari and Hastings weren't the only monsters in this story. They had adopted the techniques of their enemies when interrogating their captives, and in the process became monsters themselves. Yet, the State department - and in particular, Undersecretary Rosemary Jackson - also exhibited a monstrous outlook, willing to see JJ and Cruz as necessarily expendable in their zeal to discover the traitor in their midst.

Jackson never directly answered Hotch's question: So Agents Jareau and Cruz get written off?

He got his unspoken answer, though, and he ran with it, knowing the State Department was not going to lift a finger to help. If that isn't monstrous, I don't know what is.

Criminal Minds photos from "200"

Open Slideshow

1. Safe and Sound?

Will JJ be returned safe and sound and what secrets from her State Department days will be revealed on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds?

View As List

1. Safe and Sound?

Will JJ be returned safe and sound and what secrets from her State Department days will be revealed on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds?

---

2. In the Ambulance

Who is in that ambulance and how is it connected to JJ's kidnapping on Criminal Minds?

---

3. Hotchner's Reaction

How will Hotchner react when JJ is kidnapped and secrets from her past are revealed on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds?

---

4. Team In Crisis

The BAU team faces a serious crisis when JJ is abducted. Will her kidnapping lead the team to a secret mission they knew nothing about?

---

5. Gun Drawn

Rossi's got his gun drawn. Has he found the person behind JJ's abduction?

---

6. Rossi Chases Down a Suspect

Rossi chases down a suspect but can a dead man give them any answers as to JJ's whereabouts on Criminal Minds?

---

7. Checking a Body

Blake and Rossi check out a body as the BAU tries to figure out why JJ has been abducted on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds.

---

8. Handling a Crisis

How will the BAU team handle the crisis when JJ is abducted? Will they need Prentiss to help them save her life on Criminal Minds?

---

9. Solving the Mystery

Can Prentiss help solve the mystery of JJ's disappearance and is this murder a part of that case on Criminal Minds.

---

10. JJ Is Abducted

When JJ is abducted, the BAU team delves into her past at the State Department and uncovers a secret mission on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds.

---

11. Prentiss Returns

Emily Prentiss returns to help the BAU team when JJ is abducted on the 200th episode of Criminal Minds. "200" is the 14th episode of the show's ninth season.

---

The hallmark of the BAU team, the thing that makes the show compelling and brings us back week after week, is the unstinting commitment and love they have for each other.

It's the reason Hotch wouldn't back down to the Undersecretary, and it's the reason the team tried to pull out all stops in their efforts to find JJ, including accessing files they weren't supposed to and getting unauthorized access to S.C.I.F. (Secure Compartmentalized Information Facility).

What a relief to find out that Cruz wasn't a traitor, but instead had JJ's back. He's a true stand-up guy, and makes for a great replacement for Strauss.

Final notes:

• The details that went into the story were impressive, right down to the use of "Blackbird" as a code known only to JJ and Prentiss - used at the perfect time.
• The version of the song"Blackbird" was sung by Sarah Darling. It was released as a single.
• It was disappointing to see Garcia having to resort to using Pig Latin in order to get a message to her team. The State Department - who should have been on their side - might have otherwise scuttled the BAU's chances of rescuing JJ and Cruz.  
• Also: no one in the State Department knows Pig Latin? Maybe there's another subtle message there too, in response to the Undersecretary's jab about the BAU's "course hands".
• While the need to make the 200th episode memorable is understandable, it seems this story could well have been stretched over a few more episodes. All of the elements were there: international intrigue, the heightened drama about JJ being kidnapped, the whole three-year back story.
• Criminal Minds returns in two weeks, with an episode entitled "Mr. and Mrs. Anderson".

What did you think?  Did the 200th episode live up to your expectations?  What did you think about seeing Prentiss and Strauss again?

Were you satisfied that the amazing story began and ended in this one episode, or would have preferred to see it lengthened over a period of a few episodes? 

This is the 200th episode of Criminal Minds and, as you can expect, it's full of excitement and danger and involves the personal angst of the BAU team.

In fact, it's amazing how well the BAU keeps its professional cool in Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 14 after learning that JJ has been kidnapped.

The team only learns that she's missing when JJ's husband Will shows up to alert them.

Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 14 Online

As we know from previous episodes, JJ and Cruz have had a secret for a few years - something about which Will was aware.  In case of an emergency like this, JJ had left him some instructions, which alerted the team to Cruz.

And that's when they found out he was missing too.

The story takes us back in time to when JJ met Cruz in Afghanistan, under the direction of someone we haven't seen in a while.  There, we learn about what JJ was up to during those months when she wasn't with the BAU.

In this episode, the BAU quickly realize they need to read someone else in on the details.  Enter: Prentiss!

The story involves the State Department, traitors, and somewhat of a long glance into the abyss.

Watch Criminal Minds online (link above) to find out how it all turns out.

Isn't it amazing, the lengths to which some people will go to get their marriage on track?

Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 15 brought us back to the traditional Criminal Minds format, as it centered on a series of murders, along with a puzzle that had to be solved before the BAU can identify the Unsub (or in this case, a pair of them).

Watch Criminal Minds Season 9 Episode 15 Online

I don't think it's possible to ever get used to the portrayal of the banality of evil often depicted on this show.

This episode chose to make it clear it via a bizarre dance scene between the husband and wife with the strains of "Feel Like Makin' Love" playing in the background. Gentle and vicious at the same time, Criminal Minds seems to excel at moments such as this.

The thing that nailed the believability factor was Reid's comparison of the Unsubs to a real life case involving a couple who murdered a number of women in Toronto, in what is known as the infamous "Scarborough Rapist" killings. 

Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka were, like the couple in this episode, entirely unthreatening and accommodating, which is how they were so easily able to lure so many girls into their trap.

You had to appreciate the forbidden and delicious irony the couple enjoyed as they discussed the revival of their marriage with their counselor. How hard it must have been for them not to wink at each other, especially with exchanges like this:

Therapist: Now we're finally getting somewhere. You got to trust the process. Let's build on this. Any plans of doing it again?
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson: Absolutely.

• Permalink: Absolutely.
• Added: February 19, 2014

It's impossible not to be aware of tandems who have relationships that work despite their - in some case because of their dysfunctional behaviors. This one takes the scary cake, though. Murder as foreplay - as Rossi labeled it - strikes me as completely over the top. Yet, in real life, it has happened.

At least they saved the therapist.  I'm never 100% sure whether the last victim will be rescued in time or not.  Criminal Minds has surprised us a number of times, so the ending is never a foregone conclusion.

In lighter news, Garcia learned a very important truth, one which Morgan explained to her - and one I'm sure most guys watching the scene appreciated:

Let me let you in on a little secret. Guys, we don't do well with subtle clues. You gotta be direct. Straight up. Just tell him exactly what you want.

Morgan

• Permalink: Let me let you in on a little secret. Guys, we don't do well with subtle clues. You gotta be...
• Added: February 19, 2014

I'm sure there are exceptions, but in a lot of instances, this is just so patently true it's ridiculous. Good on Morgan - it'll save Garcia a world of future headache.

What was your take on Mr. and Mrs. Anderson?