Criminal Minds
Summary
Throughout the 15 seasons ofCriminal Minds , fans meet and fell in erotic love with Dr. Spencer Reid ( Matthew Gray Gubler ) , andmany of the upright episodes of the serial publication double as some of the good Spencer Reid episodes of the show . Spencer Reid begin his meter on the show in the pilot instalment as the youngest fellow member of the Behavioral Analysis Unit . The squad uses psychological profiles to analyze both victims of crimes and the unknown subject who commit them . Reid became a worthful member of the team thanks to his eidetic memory , speed - indication attainment , and mystifier - solving power .
Reid becoming a buff dearie might have seemed unlikely when he was a socially cumbersome and neurotic phallus of the show in the showtime . However , out of everyone onCriminal Minds , no one was a more well - rounded and complex fictional character than Reid . Thanks to his quirks , insecurities , and rugged life history , he was a gross member of the BAU to put front and center . Whenever a Reid - centric episode come , fans knew they were in for something particular . Though he has n’t seem inCriminal judgment : Evolutionyet , it ’s likely the serial will have episodes to match the best Spencer Reid episodes when he does .
Conflicted
Season 4, Episode 20
“ Conflicted ” is an tending title for this installment because , geezerhood after , theCriminal Mindsfandom is conflicted on the portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder in the episode . What is nifty , however , is how involved Reid is in this particular story . It ’s Reid who actually picture out that the strange subject of the instalment has DID in the first place . While the rest of the team is so focused on find someone who fits their profile precisely , it ’s Reid who realize that Adam is miss chunks of his retention and exhibits signs of someone with DID .
It turns out that Adam ’s second personality is really the unsub , and that personality eventually becomes the dominant personality by the end of the episode . While Reid expose that truth , it ’s also Reid who bookends the installment attempting to question Amanda , the theatrical role of Adam ’s that committed the murders in the hour . Reid , the sequence implies , has been sporadically check in on Amanda with the hope of getting Adam to reemerge , but has not had fate . The episode present Reid ’s commitment to help people who became malefactor in slipway that might not entirely be their fault .
Rock Creek Park
Season 10, Episode 19
It ’s a big sequence for showing how he ’s changed , but how his character is still the same at his meat .
One of the reasons this is one of the best Reid episodes ofCriminal Mindsisn’t because Reid is at the center of the action , but because he ’s not . Reid actually spend most of the episode ramify from the quietus of the team while they enquire . He ends up helping with the surveillance of fellow member of Russian organized crime who are suspect of abduct a congresswoman ’s wife on someone else ’s orders .
Reid get to show just how far he ’s advance in social interactions since the beginning of the series . While he is still a fiddling awkward , even spoiling the termination of a Hellenic novel his surveillance partner is reading , he is hit much more of an effort to find common ground with people and engage compared to his very first season on the show . It ’s a great episode for showing how he ’s changed , but how his character is still the same at his magnetic core .
After all , Reid is also someone who has a hard fourth dimension standing lazily by while someone they ’re surveilling is in risk . He ’s also someone whose attention to contingent and near photographic memory means that he ’s developed an interest in learning terminology . He switches between speak English , Russian , and even Yoruba in the sequence , giving a nice look at how he ’s been expanding his nous .
Spencer
Season 12, Episode 13
sustain a character being frame for execution seems to be a ritual of passage in law-breaking procedurals . Due to the long - running nature ofCriminal Minds , it ’s happened more than once , and in this season 12 instalment , it ’s Spencer Reid ’s turn to confront the faux accusal . The episode is a crossover with the shortlived spinoffCriminal Minds : Beyond Bordersas it is set in Mexico .
While in Mexico , Reid finds himself having lose chunks of time due to drug in his organisation and it ’s hard for the squad to figure out just what he ’s been up to and if he ’s really innocent . It ’s gravid to see Reid going through many of the same cognitive operation that the squad apply for watcher and survivor , attempt to piece together what bechance himself while authority concord him and the team investigates .
Though the squad is able to get him transferred to their custody because he ’s a US citizen and so is the person he ’s accused of murdering , he ’s still on the hook for a horrible crime . The sequence ends on a cliffhanger , leave the audience invested in Reid ’s futurity and exemption .
Custom image by Amanda Bruce
Jones
Season 2, Episode 18
It ’s intelligibly mean to be a turn point for him …
Reid is not the primary direction of this episode , but he has an of import part of his report spark play out here . “ Jones ” examine the team locomote to New Orleans to investigate a grampus who had seemingly been inactive for 15 years , but had write a letter about their former victim to a police detective who had already died , but whose son had become a detective as well .
While the case is going on ( and JJ is meeting Will for the first time ) , Reid is reconnecting with a puerility protagonist who had once consider join the FBI as well . His friend at once clocks that Reid has a marrow abuse job , even if he does n’t know exactly what it is . It ’s the closing of the behavior he ’s exhibit in the last two episode , snap at Prentiss and ignore the advice of his teammates in general . He skips a flight that he ’s supposed to take to help inquire a tip in Texas .
Criminal Minds follows an elite team of FBI profilers from the Behavioral Analysis Unit as they analyze the nation’s most complex criminal minds, led by experienced agent David Rossi. The team works to anticipate and prevent crimes by understanding the behavior of these dangerous individuals.
Reid at last admit that he ’s struggling after the talk of the town with his friend in a great scene with Gideon at the end of the installment . Gideon tells him that he ’s considered walk away from the job before because it can get to him , but Reid promises he ’ll never miss a flight again . It ’s intelligibly entail to be a turning full stop for him , andwhile some fans have argued that Reid ’s habituation storyline is too short , it ’s one that gets cite repeatedly throughout the series . This is n’t the only clip he scramble , but this episode really set the stage for him .
The Uncanny Valley
Season 5, Episode 12
While Reid is often integral in helping to solve the typeface by surveil figure in the evidence , he is n’t always the soul who in reality talk the unknown subject down from doing something drastic . He does in this episode .
The sequence follows the squad as they investigate an unknown subject who “ collects ” women who she then can use as viewpoint - ins for the doll her daughter give away as a child . Because of her own background signal of insult by her father and her own mental health conflict , she believes pile up her chick again can help her regain some of the control in her liveliness . She does n’t set out to hurt anyone , but more than one of her “ dolls ” die from the drugs she uses to control them .
It ’s Reid who figures out that her sire gives away toys as talent to the patients he assaults . It ’s also Reid who is sent in to talk to the unseasoned cleaning woman in the middle of a tea political party with her new dolls . He ’s able to verify she does n’t suffer anyone and go with authorities with the promise of her recovered solidification of dolls . It show how well Reid is at understanding the strange subject who have been victim themselves .
The show Criminal Minds has a farseeing and storied history , and here ’s our ranking of the top ten best episode in the entire series .
Somebody’s Watching
Season 1, Episode 18
" Somebody ’s Watching " was a first - season installment withReid still build a friendship with Gideon . This sequence show the two agent at a profiling seminar when they were expect to consult on a serial of murders . A stalker had target a Hollywood actress , and she developed an attraction to Reid that he reciprocated . This put Reid in peril when the stalker came for him . It is rare to notice Reid crossing into a romantic spot , especially early on in the show , and his awkwardness is always witching when it does fall out in the earlier episode of the series .
This episode also mark one of Amber Heard ’s earliest roles as she plays the actress Reid is tasked with protect . The two have great chemistry , and it ’s a great hint of how talented Heard and Gubler are at early points in their respective acting life history .
Saturday
Season 15, Episode 4
Criminal Mindsfans will most probably think of the best Spencer Reid episodes as those that center on him in the main story , but that ’s not the case in “ Saturday . ” While the sleep of the team was working , Reid was task by his psychologist to have a conversation with a person outside the dark subject issue of his job , and he struck up a conversation with Rachael Leigh Cook ’s Maxine at the park when he encountered her nephew .
Max and Reid remove it off and end up spending the day together , which is strange for Reid . The sequence allows the interview to see a more playful side of Reid , something that had n’t been present in the show for a long time as the weighting of his job settled on his shoulders . Though his is the B plot line of the episode , it allow for Reid with a new family relationship and some growth for him near the end of the series .
Sex Birth Death
Season 2, Episode 11
In the 2nd time of year instalment " Sex Birth end , " a vigilance man is killing working girl to avail clean house up the streets . However , the more interesting part of thisCriminal Mindsepisode about Reid isa young piece who draw near him to help him interpret the murderous urges he has suffered throughout his full life .
This makes the young man bet like he is the killer , but the the true is that he is n’t . It seems that broken in the great unwashed gravitate toward Reid and in this case , Reid shows up in time to preserve him after he slice his wrist to endeavor to stop the urge . It is a tragical instalment and one that has developedReid as someone who want to serve people , not put them away .
The real tragedy is that so many of these characters who Reid vow to help do n’t get to appear in the series again . The audience certainly would have be intimate to see how Reid might have been capable to maintain relationships with characters like this one .
The Instincts
Season 4, Episode 6
Reid ’s large battle in life is his relationship with his mother . In " The Instincts , " that relationship hits one of his biggest breaking points . A young boy is kidnapped and while the squad is investigating , Reid begins having nightmares that begin to pull up repress store from Reid ’s childhood .
These nightmares are about a utter son , and this cue him of his childhood imaginary friend , Riley Jenkins . Morgan help him understand this better when he uncover that Riley was a real missing child . That is when Reid dreams about the child again and this fourth dimension sees his dad , which leads to some huge minute in later episodes that almost breaks Reid completely .
This episode works as a big hint at what ’s to come with Reid . BecauseCriminal Mindsis an ensemble serial and does n’t have clip to delve into every single character in every episode , bit of backstory are revealed throughout the serial , providing whole painting of the characters over a long amount of fourth dimension . This installment fills in some of those col for Reid .
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Amplification
Season 4, Episode 24
For many of the Reid episodes of the series , Reid is the individual focalise on analysis and research , not the person in the landing field leap in front of someone in risk and making big sacrifices . In “ gain , ” however , Reid did both - to a level - which is why it ’s one of his better episodes , even if the mind of biological warfare is n’t usually the style of episode thatCriminal Mindsfans are most engaged with .
Here , Reid end up exposed to a fatal air of anthrax while look into just who could have free it in the common . Rather than allow the authorities to process him instantly , he seal himself in the unsub ’s menage and go through all of his research .
Reid refused to wear any kind of protective gear since he was already reveal , andhis work help to make certain that the team found the right person and a treatment . His logical approach to the possibility of his death from exposure was cancel by the more emotional reaction of the team members , making for some bully squad interactions as well .
52 Pickup
Season 4, Episode 9
TheCriminal Mindsfourth season episode"52 Pickup " allows Reid to see another love interest , if only for the one episode . In this case , it is a barman that Reid hits on by using the magic trick of pulling a card with his number on it from behind her spike . It is quirky present moment like this that made Reid such a sports fan pet . It also shows that Reid maintains his picky interest in illusion and sleight of hand throughout the show as he continues to use this same attainment in different way throughout the show .
As for the episode , there was a man gutting fair sex and then forcing them to clean up the bloodline before he last killed them . The case is n’t what create it a good Reid tale though . What made this such a groovy Spencer Reid instalment was him getting a luck to flirt with the woman , even if it only lasted for one sequence .
Corazon
Season 6, Episode 12
In Season 6 , " Corazon " was another importantCriminal Mindsepisode about Reid . This was during the clip when Reid ’s vexation were receive worse , and they were getting in the fashion of his work . During the subject of a nonparallel killer in Miami , one of the suspect told Reid that he thought spirits caused the headaches .
This is a huge present moment for Reid becausehe also learns his head ache are not because of aesculapian effect . Because of Reid ’s logical nature , he does n’t of necessity trust that spirits are make him harm . alternatively , he worries that he might be developing the same issues that have affected his mother her entire sprightliness , and that terrifies him because he does n’t want that to interpose with his work or his power to lead an autonomous life . Many of Reid ’s later Bel plot line in the series focus on his own mental health , and this is really the commencement of that .
True Genius
Season 7, Episode 11
Reid spent most of this sequence not in the study with his team , but in an place decipher letters sent by an nameless subject . The face the team took on was very alike to the unresolved Zodiac murders , complete with letters that did n’t appear to make much sense . While decoding the letters , however , Reid ’s storyline rivet on him work 30 and have something of a quarter - spirit crisisas he wonder whether he was where he was say to be .
“ True wizardry ” show a more vulnerable side of Reid as he study whether he had done enough with his living
Reid twist to Prentiss to discourse the milestone age with her , and the fact that he could be doing more with his genius - level understanding . “True Genius ” demonstrated a more vulnerable side of Reidas he considered whether he had done enough with his life , and it also showcased how much his team apprise him as they keep his birthday after his fleeting crisis .
L.D.S.K.
Season 1, Episode 6
AfterCriminal Mindsgot rolling , it wastime for fan to get to bed Reid a little best . While most of the team was adept at fieldwork , Reid was not quick for action outdoors of using his openhanded learning ability to facilitate solve crimes and figure out unsubs . In " L.D.S.K. , " that was shown whenhe was trying to get his shooter qualificationand fail before he terminate up kill his first unsub , save a room full of surety .
It ’s the first footstep in Reid being able to physically obligate his own with the other members of his team in the field , and it ’s also one of the earliest installment to build his relationship with Hotch . While Reid and Hotch were n’t as close as other members of the squad , Reid trust him as a leader , and this episode proved that Hotch entrust Reid even when Reid did n’t swear himself .
Revelations
Season 2, Episode 15
One affair that remains twist aboutCriminal Mindsis how the show forge over Reid , dampen him down over and over again . If something tragical is go to pass off to a character , it ’s more than likely survive to be Reid . If someone is going to be torment , it ’s even more likely to be Reid ( though Prentiss read quite a few beatings in their line of study as well ) . The first time come in Season 2 whenthe terrifying serial killer Tobias Hankel abduct and torture Reid .
Tobias had Dissociative Identity Disorder , with one of his manifesting personality being the crimson one . He forcibly injected Reid with the drug Dilaudid , which Reid ended up addict to after his rescue . What ache more was that Reid was unable to save Tobias , whom Reid felt bad for due to his unfitness to control his manifesting personality . Reid ’s empathy shines through in this installment despite all the things done to him .
Throughout 15 seasons of Criminal Minds , the BAU has go through a horrifying bit of case , but these truly aim to horrify viewing audience .
Damaged
Season 3, Episode 14
In Season 3 , Reid has a grueling time dealing with the fact that Gideon left without saying goodbye and feels the same rejection he felt as a child with his father pass on him and his ma . flavor of rejection and forsaking are something Reid stay to grapple with throughout the serial as more teammates come and go . However , Reid pushes himself into his work and ends up once again saving Hotch in the episode " damage . "
In the episode , the unsub has Hotch and Reid and plans to defeat them both , butReid get down talking and delivers an impressive 13 - minute lecture on the medical reasoning for the unsub ’s behaviour . The postponement facilitate them survive , although Reid admitted he might have made up some of what he was enounce . Even if he did , he exhibit quick - intellection and a persuasive nature that he hones afterwards in the series .
Elephant’s Memory
Season 3, Episode 16
In " Elephant ’s Memory , " Reid is still affected by the fact that he could n’t relieve Tobias Hankel in Season 2 and determined that he would help others who had been diagnosed with genial disorder like his , and those who had n’t yet . When the squad sets off after an unsub that Reid relate with , in " Elephant ’s Memory , " he jumps into action .
Owen is a high school scholar who is bullied by both kid in his school and his father , a Deputy Sheriff . He finally shoot and initiate to kill the people who force him for so many class . WhenOwen at long last decides he will commit suicide by police , Reid steps between him and the constabulary and talks him down . It ’s one of Reid ’s most knock-down moments for talking a defendant down because he cast himself directly in the line of fire .
The Fisher King Part 1 And 2
Season 1, Episode 22 and Season 2, Episode 1
For starters , it ’s “ The Fisher King ” that allow for the consultation with their first large dose of Reid backstory .
Two - part episodes are n’t as vulgar inCriminal Mindsas they are in other criminal offence drama , but these two make for some of the best early Spencer Reid episodes of the serial . For starters , it ’s “ The Fisher queen ” that provide the interview with their first big dose of Reid backstory .
It ’s in these episodes that entropy aboutReid ’s human relationship with his female parent and his mother ’s dementia praecox were first revealed , which definitely helped the audience to get to cognise the fiber a pile better beyond the “ boy genius ” recording label of the first season .
as well , this episode also marked the first time puzzles and riddles were used so heavily inCriminal Minds , in the main by Reid . While most of the episodes focus solely on the psychological science behind picky criminal offense , this two - parter also gave the consultation a raw sort of teaser that was used sporadically throughout the series as some unsubs preferred to pass in riddles .
Minimal Loss
Season 4, Episode 3
In Season 4,Criminal Mindstook on the idea of a polygamist cult - like church service in " Minimal Loss . " In this sequence , Luke Perry starred as Benjamin Cyrus , the leader of the Christian church andone ofCriminal Minds’most memorable unsubs . While the BAU was there to penetrate the church and complimentary untested fille , it turned into a surety situation when the members of the church refused to leave behind .
Reid and Prentiss were inside when the state law showed up , and a Branch Davidian - styled beleaguering took shoes in one ofCriminal Minds’best Spencer Reid episode . The instalment was also a great one for Prenitss as she and Reid had n’t been pair up much at this distributor point in the show . The two developed a corking rapport largely because of their work together here as she allowed Reid to maintain his cover while she took on the brunt of the anger from Cyrus for being there to stag on him .
Memoriam
Season 4, Episode 7
It took Reid a long time to open up up to his teammates at the BAU about his personal animation and problems , and that include his mother . Diana was a individual with schizophrenia who was institutionalized . Reid had a fear that he would develop the same symptoms due to genetics . While he made every feat to get her the best medical intervention and to regularly visit her , he did n’t want to deal her fate .
In " Memoriam , " one ofCriminal Minds’weirdest case precede Reid ’s founder , William . When Reid consider his dad might have killed someone , he learned something about his mom that transfer everything . The episode build on the backstory for the character the consultation already knew and made the family dynamic of the Reids even more interesting . Every time the show decide to pull back another level of Reid ’s history , the audience just want to know more .
God Complex
Season 8, Episode 4
In Season 6 , Reid start sustain from headaches and was get to finger ill . He even start induce hallucinations and believed that he was starting to miss his mind , the long - standing veneration that genial illness was hereditary , and he was begin to smash . This lasted for a farseeing time . By the meter Season 8 rolled around , it looked like Reid was finally going to get service . In " God Complex , " he check that there might be a handling to help him .
The cleaning woman offering to help him was Maeve , and the two of them end up in a romanticist relationship . This episode , however , teased Maeve without ever entirely testify her cheek and seeing her and Reid exchange close phone calls . It built up an air of mystery for her that would eventually pay off in an incredibly tragic way .
Each season of Criminal Minds focused on an private journey of a sure type more and give the fans a probability to know them well ,
Zugzwang
Season 8, Episode 12
It seemed that Reid was n’t allowed to rest happy for very long inCriminal Minds . Many of the secure Spencer Reid episodes demonstrated that with catastrophe . Just eight episode after Maeve recount Reid that she loved him , the womanhood that she was disquieted about stalking her attacked in " Zugzwang , " one of thebest episodes inCriminal Mindshistory .
This was Diane Turner , played by Michelle Trachtenberg , who finish upkilling herself and Maeve at the close of the instalment despite Reid doing everything he could to save her . This broke Reid for the ease of Season 8 , station him on a itinerary to learn how to share with his sorrow .
Despite how sad the episode is to watch unfold , it became a buff - favorite because of how well acted it was . Between Gubler , Trachtenberg , and Beth Riesgraf as Maeve , there ’s an immense amount of natural endowment on display in the final encounter . The audience likely knew that Maeve and Reid were n’t going to get a happy conclusion as soon as all three character were in the same room .
Entropy
Season 11, Episode 1
Cat Adams , played by Aubrey Plaza , is a fan - favorite character and her fundamental interaction with Reid are part of the reason why . While Plaza is primarily known as a comedic actress , she plays the frigid and calculate Cat very well . Cat and Reid are evenly matched when it come to intellect and manipulation , so when the two are pock against one another in this instalment , it makes for an incredibly sport scout .
“ Entropy ” is the first time that Cat challenges Reid , but not the last . This episode sets her up as a recurring scoundrel who personally gainsay Reid , and that ’s what produce it so fun . Her return later in the series might be a surprise to the audience , but it should n’t be because “ Entropy ” is such a standout installment , and one of the absolute practiced Spencer Reid episodes .
Red Light
Season 12, Episode 22
Moving ahead to Season 12 , Reid became the center of attention for much of the season . In this time of year , Reid was check and ended up in prison house . The charges were drug self-control and purport to broadcast , and he ended up behind bars , where his life was in danger .
In " Red Light , " it turn out that Reid ’s old enemy Cat Adams set up him up . What cook this one of the bestCriminal Mindsepisodes is that Reid expend this episode in a engagement of mentality with her . It ’s uncommon for anyone to be able to keep Reid on his toe , which is why the interview loves Cat Adams so much .
She only physically appear in a handful of episode of the series , but she pulls a lot of string when it come up to Reid , manipulating events to get under his skin or put him in risk . She makes for a enthralling curse for him , and it ’s a pity the show did n’t have her in reality appear opposite him more .
300
Season 14, Episode 1
The Season 13 finale had a significant cliffhanger whereReid was hale to help a duple federal agent inside the FBI break a cult loss leader out of custody , or they would drink down Penelope Garcia . This led to theCriminal MindsSeason 14 premiere .
The cult kidnapped both Reid and Garcia , and it call on out the leader and cult was an branch of the one head by Benjamin Cyrus a tenner before , wreak the show mighty back to one of its best episode . They want revenge against Reid for his part in destroy it , and what resulted was one of the best Spencer Reid episode of the entire series .
ThisCriminal Mindsepisode commingle backstory for the quality , connective tissue paper between seasons , localize Reid in very veridical danger and examined his relationships with his mate
ThisCriminal Mindsepisode combined backstory for the character , connective tissue between season , placed Reid in very real danger , and try out his relationship with his teammates - all the hallmarks of the best Reid episodes .
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Cast
Criminal Minds stick to an elite squad of FBI profilers from the Behavioral Analysis Unit as they study the nation ’s most complex deplorable intellect , lead by experienced federal agent David Rossi . The team works to anticipate and forestall crimes by understand the behavior of these dangerous mortal .
