“Criminal Minds” is over…and I am not ok

Connor Niszczak, News Editor|February 19, 2020

Now when I pull up “Criminal Minds” on Netflix to watch reruns, I will likely be teary-eyed. I am NOT accepting the fact that I have to say goodbye to this series!

There are few things I love more than a good serial killer.

Now, I know that probably raises a whole bunch of red flags about the interworking of my psyche, but when those serial killers are being hunted down by the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, I just can’t resist.

For the past 15 years, the members of the BAU on CBS’ “Criminal Minds” have dealt with some of the most sadistic criminals to ever grace the airwaves of television. Viewers have grown up with the show, seeing agents come and go (Elle Greenaway, Jason Gideon, Ashley Seaver, Alex Blake, Kate Callahan, Derek Morgan, Aaron Hotchner, Stephen Walker, and Emily Prentiss…twice) , seeing Rossi go from a brown-haired bachelor to a married silver fox, seeing criminals (and the BAU) become more sophisticated with new technologies, and seeing Reid’s hairstyle change no less than a dozen times.

The show has been on for 15 years, but it has taken me just 8 months to fall deeply in love with it. I saw my first episode of the show over the summer when I was channel surfing, and immediately sat and watched the next four that were airing. I was instantly hooked.

I could not get enough of Garcia and Morgan’s “Chocolate Thunder-Baby Girl” banter, Prentiss’ underappreciated dry wit, and Reid’s adorable nerdiness.

So I did what any logical, rational member of society would do; binged the heck out of the first twelve seasons of the show on Netflix, which took me from right before school started until the first week of December 2019. Then, I got Seasons 13 & 14 for Christmas, and watched them both in about four days.

I have never loved a show and its’ characters more than I do “Criminal Minds”. The current cast of Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vansgness), Jennifer Jareau (A.J Cook), Dr. Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler), Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez), and Matt Simmons (Daniel Henney) is perfection.

I got to watch the final season as it aired, so every Wednesday night I sat down, being fully unprepared for the hour long emotional rollercoaster that I knew I was about to experience.

Wednesday nights will never be the same. I am not ready to saw goodbye to 15 seasons of jaw-dropping plot twists, insane season finales, countless bullets, and unsubs.

But, as the BAU has proven time and time again over the past 15 years, nothing is too difficult to overcome, and life will always keep moving forward.

So…wheel’s up.

Here are my top 20 favorite episodes of “Criminal Minds”- in chronological order, NOT worst to best.

20- The Fisher King Parts 1 & 2 (Season 1, Episode 22 & Season 2, Episode 1)

19- No Way Out Parts 1 & 2 (Season 2, Episodes 13 & 23)

18-Revelations (Season 2, Episode 15)

17-Penelope (Season 3, Episode 9)

16-To Hell…And Back (Season 4, Episodes 25 & 26)

15-100 (Season 5, Episode 9)

14-Mosley Lane (Season 5, Episode 16)

13-Hit & Run (Season 7, Episodes 23 & 24)

12-The Lesson (Season 8, Episode 10)

11-The Replicator (Season 8, Episode 24)