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Criminal Minds - Episode 8.12 - Zugzwang - Review

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In what was a very personal episode for Reid, 'Zugzwang' saw the death of a very close friend of his, Maeve. It was a rollercoaster ride of drama and heartbreak.

Reid started off the epsiode in a very strange dream. He was getting married, to someone. His call to Maeve soon after lead him to a strange finding. The word 'zugzwang' (a chess term in which a player realises he will be checkmated, and has to either resign the game or continue on) gave Reid his worst fears: Maeve had been kidnapped.

This scenario showed how much the BAU team care for each other. Reid concerns hadn't yet been confirmed, but the team were willing to work out of their own time to help him out. Everyone is devoted to helping out Reid, and would do the same for the other members.

Reid's planned meeting with Maeve in 'The Lesson' was scrapped by Reid when he got fears that her stalker was at the restaurant. When Reid is recognised by the supposed stalker, Hotch gets the full story from him. As much as Hotch wants to help Reid, his authority positon comes in, and gets him out of the room.

Then came the moment that we discovered the stalker's identity. As happens often on TV, it was her own fault. Diane addressed Reid as 'Doctor Reid', and despite him not noticing at the time, Hotch didn't give Reid's name to her. Only with JJ's help did he realise who the UnSub was. The fact that it took this long for Reid to realise showed that his judgement was clouded, and that never happens. He obviously cares about Maeve too much to think clearly.

Bobby figured it out. Only to be immediately kidnapped by Diane. In an attempt to show Bobby her anger, she read a letter from Maeve to Reid. It was obvious from the letter that Maeve cared deeply about Reid.

Usually, the person Reid would always talk to first is Morgan in any sort of personal situation. However, in this instance he decided that he would do his recall of the conversations between him and Maeve with Blake. It shows how much the two of them have connected in the short time he's been there. Very brilliantly, Reid was able to figure out who Diane was.

Maeve however, struggled to figure out her identity. When she eventually did, she tried to convince Diane to let her go. However, Reid came in to (try and) save the day. His offer to give himself up was completely selfless. And despite this attempt for a happy ending, he couldn't quite pull it off.

It was going well. Reid's plan to throw the UnSub off was genius, and it was working. He could fake his words, but couldn't fake a kiss. When the UnSub realised this, she panicked, and held Maeve hostage at gunpoint. With Reid still negotiating, and the entire BAU team watching, Diane killed herself, and that same bullet went on to hit Maeve. In a tragic end, Reid couldn't save her.

An emotional rollercoaster ended in heartbreak, but as per usual with Criminal Minds, was a very interesting and enjoyable heartbreak episode.

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