The 30 Best Criminal Minds Episodes to Watch Right Now!

Over the 15 seasons, Criminal Minds has given some of the most twisted and unexpected serial killer cases to ever hit the television. Best criminal minds episodes are difficult to choose. Criminal minds is one of the greatest problem-solving TV shows that you can see with your friends and family. The widely acclaimed multi-grant leading police procedural arrangement commenced in 2005 and ended up its fifteen seasons run in February 2020.

This television program comprises 324 episodes, and in every episode, there is a different story. Therefore, if you haven’t seen these episodes, then many interesting things await you. You can catch up with the show from the middle without missing much. Following that, watch the starting episodes as every episode has a different story. However, if you are one of those who want to watch the best criminal minds episodes, then this article brings something fruitful to you. Here, we have reviewed the best criminal minds episodes that you can start watching immediately and enjoy.

Best Criminal Minds Episodes to Watch

These are the best criminal minds episodes that educate you on a lot of stuff. Keep in mind that these episodes will help you learn the criminal’s mentality and how their way of thoughts are distinct from the ordinary people.

1.Masterpiece

• • Season:4

  • Episode: 8

Jason Alexander transformed into one of the most chilling and vile antagonists in the history of Criminal Minds. He played the character of Henry Grace, a narcissistic serial killer who assumed he was born to be a master killer. Rossi arrested his brother William, another serial killer and it destroyed Henry’s life. This incident made Rossi someone he wanted to destroy, and “Masterpiece” gave him the opportunity.

He confesses to murdering seven missing women that the BAU had been searching for. The thrilling outcome marked Rossi interrogating Henry and discovering in horror that his whole BAU team died in a trap Henry laid. However, the twist here was they were aware of what he was doing and protected everyone with no mishaps. Rossi chillingly says to Henry that he will be there when they behead him for the other murders.

2.100

• Season: 5

• Episode: 9
  

  

This episode highlighted the ultimate showdown between Hotch and The Reaper. The Reaper, depicted by C. Thomas Howell, was one of the most dangerous and despised villains in Criminal Minds. In this episode, the BAU comes together to support and guard Hotch and his family when The Reaper returns back to the town. The Reaper had earlier murdered Hotch’s ex-wife, Haley and 20 other people. Hotch took on the investigation but couldn’t find any evidence. The Reaper then ceased killing for eleven years and resurfaced later.

3.Revelations

• Season: 2

• Episode: 15
  

One character who the watchers discover a lot about is Spencer Reid. Reid is an intellectual man but has a lot of personal dilemmas. His own mother suffers from schizophrenia and is getting treated for it. In Revelations, a serial killer named Tobias Hankel who has a split personality disorder captures Reid. The BAU crew tries to find Reid after a video of Hankel hurting Reid goes on air. Reid also gets flashbacks of his childhood due to being sedated by his captor.

4.True Genius

• Season:7

• Episode:11
  

   

  

This one is another of the best episodes of criminal minds to watch. This episode is inspired by the real-life Zodiac that dropped secretive messages at the scenes where he/she attempted kills. He also rarely got caught. This criminal episode follows a little kid named Caleb. Caleb is good-looking yet has been driven by the Zodiac killer. Spencer Reid tries to discuss this case and attempts to restore his certainty as he feels that he hasn’t satisfied his theories.

5.Scratch

• Season: 10

• Episode: 21

   

  

This episode progresses deeper into the psychology and mindset of serial killers. This is also the inception of a significant story arc. In this episode, Mr. Scratch escapes and together with him, many more serial killers leave. Mr. Scratch later proceeds to target members of the FBI in the succeeding seasons.

6.Zugzwang

• Season: 8

• Episode: 12

Zugzwang is also one of the best episodes of criminal minds, filled with thrilling and possesses an anticlimactic ending. This episode begins with the stalker, Diane who, alongside kidnapped Reid’s lover. The rest of the tale is to talk based on how BAU traced his movements and saved Reid’s girlfriend.

7.Amplification

• Season: 4

• Episode: 24

  

This episode is one of the scariest criminal minds episodes. It follows a terrorist serial killer called Chad Brown, who has a purpose. He craved to show people how weak counties could be to terrorist attacks. He conducts out an anthrax strike that infects Spencer Reid. Reid solves the crisis from quarantine before he runs out of time but fortunately gets the vaccine.

8.Entropy

• Season:11

• Episode:22

  

We analysed all the 324 episodes and added Entropy to the list of the best criminal minds episodes. In this episode, Reid attempted to outplay the assassin cat Adams as well as bring her down. BAU produces a plan to track down the hitman ring. Reid is going on a blind date with Adams, and on this basis, BAU can catch him. Entropy is a tremendous and excellent episode to watch.

9.Date Night

• Season: 15

• Episode: 6

  

Aubrey Plaza replays her character as hitwoman Cat Adams brought down by Reid previously. In this episode, she wants an ultimate meeting with Reid as a date before her killing. To get Reid to meet her, she has Reid’s girlfriend’s relatives kidnapped.

10.Penelope 

• Season: 3

• Episode: 9
  

  

“Penelope” was a difficult episode to watch for fans. Possibly because the most loved character on Criminal Minds, Garcia, battled for her life. After being the victim of the new unsub. It was tragic and horrifying since she was the one who perceives the good in people. Her joy at going out on a date ends up in her getting shot by a serial killer. This incident hurt her almost as much as the wounds that nearly took her life. Criminal Minds viewers know the close brother-sister styled relationship between Derek and Garcia. So seeing him try to hold his fury as he chased down the unsub was exceptional.

11.The Replicator

• Season: 8

• Episode: 24

  

This episode starred the talented and flawless Mark Hamill depicting John Curtis aka the Replicator. John Curtis is an unusual villain. He is a former FBI agent turned serial killer with exceptional intellect and high IQ. Curtis is here for vendetta as he was left abandoned to take the blame for an old case. He starts replicating crimes from earlier solved cases of the BAU. This episode has a bittersweet yet exceptional climax and concluded the season perfectly.

12.Sex, Birth, Death

• Season:2

• Episode:11

  

The story begins with the red light zone in Washington, where lots of prostitutes were discovered murdered. At the time of the inquiry, Reid doubts a school student and believes that the school student did that cruelty. Later, a prominent political leader became entangled in the case. He urges him to conclude the investigation as soon as possible. This is the episode you will see the immoral side of politics and how political leaders abused their power from granting justice.

13.Conflicted

• Season:4

• Episode:20

We can’t end our list of best criminal minds episodes without the Conflicted. This episode elucidates troublesome situations that wrongdoing units face while conveying associations to resolve cases. Two undergrads are explicitly attacked and strangled lethally while visiting Texas. The BAU is enforced to reexamine sending two-person groups after a shocking turn in the examination.

14. 300

• Season:14

• Episode:1

   

  

Ten years after the BAU hindered a cult leader named Benjamin Cyrus, his followers reappeared for vengeance in the 300th Criminal Minds episode. They now supported a new cult leader named Benjamin David Merna, who recommenced it with one of Cyrus’ spouses. He was also known as The Strangler, the serial killer with 299 sufferers.

In this episode, The Believers abduct Reid and Garcia, and this gets even worse when the cult actually has members within the FBI. The idea was for Reid to be the 300th victim to make a point. As a 300th episode, this possessed it all, from callbacks to the prior 299 episodes to a mystery that had its roots over 10 years before.

15.The Fisher King

• Season: 1

• Episode: 22

The Fisher King was a two-part case airing in both the season finale of season 1 and the season premiere of season 2. The predicament surrounded a man named Randall Garner. Garner got severely burned in a fire that took nearly his entire family. He ends up getting institutionalized at the same asylum that housed Reid’s mother, Diana.

Despite his apparent mental illness, he was discharged and set his sights on Reid and his associates in the BAU. Throughout season 1, he stalks the BAU members and then begins to torture them. It ends with him firing at Elle as a season-ending cliffhanger. Elle survives, and it is Reid who ultimately finds Garner. He can only witness the blowing himself up. Apart from the episode’s shocking anticlimax, this episode is additionally full of thriller and engaging.

16.Hashtag

• Season: 10

• Episode: 7

   

  

In Bethesda, Maryland, an online star is discovered dead. The BAU attempts to profile a serial killer who utilises social media to obtain his targets. The team tries to trace the criminal through his MO. This episode shows the dangerous and terrible side of social media and how it can wreak havoc and turmoil in people’s lives if not used properly.

17. JJ

• Season:2

• Episode:6

A high school girl from Maryland disappears, and the BAU has to control the young lady’s overprotective parents. Simultaneously, they try to remove an entry from the prime suspects. In any case, the superb ventures breezily through the polygraph assessment, notwithstanding being the last to see the high schooler alive. In the interim, JJ gets offered a promotion that would take her to operate in an alternate city. She battles to choose between tolerating the rise and getting detached from her group or to remain and stay with her group.

18.Lauren

• Season:6

• Episode:18

  

This episode was deemed to be the commencement of the end for Emily Prentiss. Unveiling her job before she joined the BAU, the episode was the sort of adrenaline-fueled trip that most crime dramas only imagine of achieving.

In it, the team has to band together when Prentiss disappeared. As they get to know she’s tailing a dangerous enemy from her time undercover as a lady named Lauren, they also discern how little they know about her past. Some of the team deals with it abundantly than others. Though this mission was supposed to end in her death, fan outrage saw it as a fakeout later in the show. It didn’t reduce the emotional blow.

19.Ghost

• Season: 5

• Episode: 15

Ghost is another best criminal minds episodes that we cover in this list. A sniper who the BAU tracked down fifteen years prior appears and kills several people in Illinois. BAU team members see the killing style and pursue the killer. Unfortunately, two of the team members get captured, which totally changes the form of the case.

20.The Pact

• Season:2

• Episode:8

  

Two crimes have gets perpetrated, one in San Diego and the other in Los Angeles. The BAU starts investigating and suspects that the two murders could be related and performed by the same people. The murders were executed within the same time frame which leads the BAU to suspect two criminals who are working with each other. Moreover, this is a suspenseful and electrifying episode, and if you are amongst those who prefer to watch the best criminal minds episodes from the middle, you must see this episode.

21. Doubt

• Season:1

• Episode:3

In the college area of Arizona, three women got killed mercilessly. According to the BAU, the security guard is the offender, and they take him into imprisonment. Now, though the prime accused is in confinement, still another murder takes places in the same area. And this situation put a question mark on the initial investigation of the BAU.

22.The Capilanos

• Season:13

• Episode:17

A man is wounded and killed in his house in Oklahoma. His seven years son witness the killer. According, to his son, the killer was dressed up as a clown. Then BAU will start examining the areas where they see a woman dressed up as a clown and check the integrity of the child’s statement.

23.Anonymous

• Season:10

• Episode: 12

  

We include the episode Anonymous in the list of best criminal minds episodes. Three people in Florida are killed. The BAU starts profiling a person who reports the atrocities before truly committing them. They try to find him before he murders more people.

24.The Job

• Season:11

• Episode:1

Two men are found dead with unique masks drawn on their faces. The BAU tries to profile a proficient hitman who is targeting former clients. Will they able to catch the murderer? For that, you have to follow the rest of the episodes.

25.Hit

• Season:7

• Episode:23

  

Hit is another suspense and breathtaking best criminal minds episodes. In this episode, the BAU tries to catch a bank robbers gang also recognised as a serial killer gang in Washington D.C. The BAU crew tried their best to arrest this gang. But things go astray when the robber’s gang catches a hostage.

26.Jones

• Season:2

• Episode: 18

Jones episode begins with a serial killer who is presumed dead. But after two years, he returned back and started executing people again. To commence with, the BAU finds a reliable clue so that they can catch him quickly. They start operating with a New Orleans Police Department Detective to interpret the piece of important information and discover the killer.

27.Hamelin

• Season:12

• Episode:14

  

This is an emotional episode where a guy tries to take vendetta against people who kidnapped his kids and wronged them. They killed his three children, and the survivor came back to his dad and apprised everything. The rest of the episodes are about how the man takes the revenge for the murder of children. And how the revenge leads to BAU capturing him. This episode portrays the family’s bonds and their affection for each other.

28.Pariahville

• Season:6

• Episode: 11

An enrolled sex wrongdoer gets killed in her own home in Florida. The BAU faces the mind-boggling task of addressing more than 2,000 individuals locally made for guilty parties with no brutal past.

29.The Bunker

• Season: 13

• Episode: 6

  

A cook from Richmond disappears. Also, residents from both Richmond and Culpeper go missing. The BAU sets out to join these abductions and discover about the kidnapper’s motive.

30.And In The End

• Season: 15

• Episode: 10

  

The last episode of the show is definitely one of the best criminal minds episodes. Reid ends up in the hospital due to damage to his brain induced by a standoff. This episode is loaded with thrills and keeps you engaged. It also gives the viewers a satisfying conclusion to every story arc and the TV series as a whole. A couple of team members retire. And at last, Reid finally recovers.

Conclusion

These are some of the best criminal minds episodes that you can see with your loved ones. These will assist you to understand the criminal’s mentality. As well as you can educate your children on how to stay away from criminals. Aside from this, some of these episodes show us familial love and a father or mother’s commitment towards his/ her family. If you crave to get an exciting experience, you must watch all of these best criminal minds episodes. If you enjoyed this article, also read our piece on The Best English Series to Binge Watch.