We’re just a few short episodes away from the season finale of “Criminal Minds”, and thankfully, after a period of time where there seemed to be little movement in any of the major storylines, the show’s finally starting to really kick things into high gear and bring all the storylines together. Last episode ended with the jaw-dropping news that the unsub Reid had encountered in Mexico was not Mr. Scratch, but a woman. This episode continues the surprise bombshells by finally showing us the identity of that woman...and it’s somebody we and the team have met before. Well over a decade ago. How’s that for a twist?
Reid also got a chance to reunite with somebody close to him for a time this episode, which was quite the nice change of pace after spending half the season watching him go through so much hell. Unfortunately, the reunion didn’t last, and the ending spelled even more trouble ahead for both him and his family.
The episode wasn’t all doom and gloom and dramatic twists, though. It also gave us the opportunity to learn more about the newest member of the team, Stephen Walker, and it gave us an intriguing, tense case that, while ending on an admittedly anti-climactic note, was still one of the stronger cases of the season as a whole.
Basically, there’s no shortage of things to discuss here, so let’s get the ball rolling.
The Case:
We’re going back to an unusual means of introducing the case of the week this time. No conference room introduction from Garcia (not right away, at least), nor any opening scene showing the crime in action, or people coming upon a crime scene.
“I work with Scratch’s victims every day. They’re my colleagues, my friends.”
Instead, it all starts with a phone call and a visit to see a friend in the hospital. Stephen’s at home, talking to his wife Monica about the difficulties involved with Reid’s case, and she does her best to try and “de-stress” him. There’s a cute little moment with them cuddling on the couch and being kinda flirty...and then the phone rings.
Turns out a friend of Stephen’s, a man named Sam, has recently been admitted to the hospital for what appears to be a heart attack. Stephen was notified because he’s been labeled an emergency contact for Sam ever since the guy divorced his wife Lisa. As Stephen rushes out to the hospital, he starts to thinking about his history of friendship with Sam, remembering celebrations and get-togethers he and Monica used to share with Sam and Lisa. And judging from the troubled look on Stephen’s face, those happy memories are warring with any worst-case scenarios you just know are running through his head.
The memories get even stronger as Stephen makes his way into the hospital, but this next one’s a little more curious. In this flashback, we see Stephen playing trombone on stage at some club (and playing quite well at that). After his performance, he meets up with a Russian man and gets a text from Sam (on a phone that’s been discreetly hidden under the bar) about some guy being a no show. Very mysterious and strange memory to be having, but perhaps it’s all tied to whatever Stephen fears is wrong with his friend?
Fortunately, however, when Stephen comes to see Sam, he’s relieved to see that his friend looks totally fine. His speech isn’t slurred, he’s upbeat, even joking a bit. Stephen notes how healthy Sam usually is as well, which makes this entire situation even stranger. Could this simply be a false alarm? It certainly looks that way – according to Sam, he doesn’t have any of the symptoms that lead to a heart attack. All he remembers is going for a walk during his lunch break and beginning to feel sick on his way back, then collapsing. Stephen briefly wonders if this is all tied to his work at the BAP investigating the Russians, but Sam brushes off that possibility.
The only odd sensation Sam does remember is the feeling of being pinched in the back. Stephen asks to take a look, and does so just in time, too, because he notices something very alarming during his examination. There is indeed a red injection mark in the middle of Sam’s back...and it’s one Stephen’s apparently quite familiar with. Turns out Sam’s suffering radiation poisoning! Uh-oh. The hospital immediately seals off Sam’s room, and because Stephen was exposed to the toxic elements, he undergoes radiation testing as well. Thankfully, he’s ultimately cleared and given a clean bill of health. Whew.
Now we get to the point where the rest of the team discusses the case in the conference room. And right off the bat, they’ve got a plethora of potential unsubs to consider. For instance, there’s the fact that Sam’s divorced, and has had a contentious relationship with his son Zack ever since. Could either of them have a personal vendetta against Sam?
Stephen’s suspicions about Russian retaliation may have some merit as well. Before joining the BAU, he and Sam both worked for the BAP in Russia, doing counter-intelligence. Sam in particular had gone undercover as an American entrepreneur trying to gain Russian capitol, in order to investigate Russian businesses and political corruption. Add in the chilling story of a secret lab set up by Vladimir Lenin where people learn how to weaponize poisonous substances in order to secretly assassinate people (and which is still used by Vladimir Putin to this day, and there’s more than enough motive and means for somebody to target Sam and take him out.
Of course, the team has to also consider the possibility Mr. Scratch is involved. He does know how to secretly drug people, after all, and we’ve seen Scratch targeting people close to the team this season. Thing is, though, he also likes keeping those he drugs alive in order to manipulate them. Poisoning somebody with toxic chemicals obviously kinda ruins that plan. Plus, Scratch has only been targeting the team’s families thus far. Sam may be a dear friend of Stephen’s, but if Scratch really wanted to get at him, he’d likely go after Stephen’s wife and kids instead. So it’s safe to say he can be set aside as a suspect this go-round. The team’s got more than enough avenues to explore as it is.
And just in time, too, because when we next check in on Sam, the effects of the radiation poisoning are starting to show. Big time. Now his speech is slurred, now he’s mumbling incoherently, and he’s looking increasingly pale and clammy. As Stephen nervously keeps watch over his friend from outside the room, he thinks back to another memory in that club. This time, Sam’s the one meeting up with the Russian man, as Stephen listens nearby. The man’s name is Dimitri Sobcheck, and Stephen wonders if this guy might have something to do with the attack on Sam. Sobcheck has since moved to the States, working as a lobbyist for Russian royal interests. Apparently, he was part of an investigation into a Congress bribery scandal.
Sam had been among those investigating that incident, and Stephen thinks that fact, along with Sobcheck’s potential sudden support of Putin, could be a good enough motive for retaliation. When Rossi and Emily meet up with Sobcheck, however, he flatly denies any involvement in the attack on Sam. As for bribing Congress, Sobcheck claims he’d do that only with the blessing of his home government, since they’d protect him in the process. And in regards to his silence regarding Putin, that was simply for his own safety, as well as that of his family. This is completely understandable – for those of you who pay attention to the news, it’s not exactly a secret that people who’ve criticized Putin seem to mysteriously die or “disappear” shortly afterward.
Besides that, Sobcheck notes, if he were guilty, he would’ve fled to Russian by now to avoid capture, instead of continue to hang out here in the States, waiting to be arrested. Hard to argue with that logic. The team decides his story and explanations check out, and he’s ruled out as a suspect. Lisa and Zack are also ruled out as suspects, and this leads the team to consider a new angle for this case. Perhaps Sam wasn’t the sole target. A new and intriguing discovery from Garcia lends credence to this theory, as it turns out there were two other FBI agents who were recently attacked in a similar manner. And another victim gets added to that list, as we soon see a man beng jabbed in the back by a stranger following him. Just like Sam, he immediately collapses to the ground.
Even more interesting, both Sam and the first two victims were all federal employees. And the latest victim, Benjamin, wasn’t an FBI agent, but he did work at FBI headquarters as a janitor. What’s more, Sam and the first two FBI agents who were attacked had all been targeted by the Russians. So there’s a whole lot of connections for the unsub to exploit there.
Despite the Russian ties, however, the team doesn’t think this is a Russian hit job. Rather, they think this is the work of somebody trying to mimic the killing methods of a Russian assassin in order to mask a more personal motive. Perhaps the attacker’s actually a disgruntled employee seeking revenge. Or they might be trying to make a political statement. Or maybe, and most disturbingly, they could be a wannabe terrorist, doing a deadly test run with a new and dangerous weapon for some kind of economic gain. What’s more, the similarities between the victims end with their professional and international connections. Beyond that, the victimology is quite varied. This means literally anyone could be at risk.
Another tragic similarity in each of these attacks? Every other employee who was poisoned has died. This does not bode well for Sam’s chances, despite his continued attempts to hang on. The trauma of Sam’s condition continues to dredge up more memories for Stephen, and the latest one is especially bittersweet. The two men are sitting together at the club, talking about their wives, and Sam’s hinting at the troubles in his marriage. Stephen’s anxious to go home, because of the toll his time away is taking on his family, and Sam suggests he put in a transfer to return to the States. Sam put in a transfer, too, but he insists he won’t need it, since he doesn’t feel he has much to go home to. Evidently, Stephen took Sam up on his advice, and I get the sense he’s feeling rather guilty about that decision right now.
Luckily, Stephen and Sam get a bit of good news shortly afterward. The half-life of the poison affecting Sam only lasts twenty-four hours, and it’s since dissipated, making it safe for Stephen to enter Sam’s room again. Even better, Sam’s sounding much more coherent, and the doctors are doing everything possible to take care of him. Despite these positive signs, however, Sam’s resigned himself to the fact that he’s likely still going to die. Stephen asks if he wants to contact Lisa or Zack, but Sam flatly refuses. He doesn’t need them to see him like this, and he’s afraid his son wouldn’t be interested in seeing him anyway. Stephen’s clearly fighting an uphill battle here, and all he can do is promise Sam that he’ll catch the person responsible for doing this to his friend.
Elsewhere, yet another victim, a man named Alex, is added to the list upon collapsing after finishing his lunch. This attack is different, however, in that we don’t see somebody injecting him with a poison. When Luke, JJ, and Stephen go to see Alex in the hospital, they learn that there’s no puncture sites anywhere on his body. Rather, they discover that he was poisoned through his food. The unsub’s changed their method of murder. Because of the up close and personal nature of this latest attack, the team believes Alex knew the unsub personally.
And sure enough, they’re right. During a later interview with Alex, they find out that he’s married, and what’s more, his wife had packed his lunch for him that morning. The team immediately goes to investigate the man’s house, and it doesn’t take long for them to find boxes for radiation materials stored away in the closet. Further exploration of the home indicates the house is full of radioactive materials.
Said woman’s name is Sarah McLean. She worked in various medical departments over the years, changing jobs so often because of her tendency to steal materials from work. And they're the very kind of materials needed to make a toxic poison, too. She was never fired, though, always quitting before the you-know-what hit the fan. As a result, other employees were often blamed for the thefts, or Sarah would hack the inventory logs to try and hide the missing items. She’d also put out a pretty hefty life insurance policy out on her husband six years prior, so she’s been plotting this for quite some time. Thing is, though, if she just stopped at killing him and immediately collecting the insurance, people would naturally be suspicious. So she decided to attack other people at random in an attempt to throw investigators off her trail.
The team manages to find out where she works, and stake out the area in an attempt to spot her. Luckily for them, it doesn’t take long for her to show up, and in a rather cool moment, we get to see Tara, JJ, and Emily all banding together as they plan to swoop in and nab her. They don’t get that chance, however, because the moment she grabs a hostage to try and get them to back off, Rossi sneaks up from behind and takes her down with one shot. Right in the back, no less. Rather karmic ending, no?
As for Sam, unfortunately, there’s clearly nothing more that can be done for him at this point. He expresses his thanks to Stephen for catching the unsub, and asks for one last favor: he wants to see his son after all. Problem is, Zack’s in Atlanta, but as Stephen reminds Sam, he’s got a jet. He sends Luke and JJ out to collect the boy, and initially, he proves Sam right with his refusal to see his dad. Once Luke and JJ tell him what’s going on, however, next thing you know, Zack’s making his way into his dad’s hospital room, and the two share a big, emotional hug. Stephen gets a visitor, too – Monica, who comes to stand by his side as he grieves the inevitable loss of his longtime friend.
Overall, I thought this was one of the stronger cases this season. I liked how it allowed us to learn a little more about Stephen personally and professionally, and I especially liked the way the case kept us guessing with the variety of potential suspects and motives. I’m often most interested in the cases that affect one or more of the team members on a personal level, and this one definitely delivered on that front. The episode did a good job of making us care about Sam, the friendship between him and Stephen was sweet and touching and believably written, and if you didn’t tear up at Sam and Zack’s reunion at the end, I’m calling you a liar.
And given how quiet and low-key Stephen tends to be in general, it seems especially fitting that the episode delves into his background in a similarly quiet and low-key way. We’ve seen him throw unsubs off with his unassuming nature here and there this season, and now we know where he honed those skills, with the secretive nature of his work with the BAP. There’s always something cool about knowing that a guy as gentlemanly and easygoing as Stephen can have these sneaky abilities in his back pocket.
I also liked how Stephen’s work explained yet another reason he and Emily have clicked so well. We know that their international jobs allowed them to work together over the years, of course, but considering Emily’s no stranger to secretive investigations herself – Doyle, anyone? - this information about Stephen adds a whole new layer to the friendship he and Emily share. I don’t know if Stephen plans to stick around past this season, as his conversation with Monica at the start of the episode seemed to momentarily hint at that being a question as the season winds down. But if he does stay on, it’d be neat to see the show explore those similarities between them further.
My biggest issue with the case this episode is in regards to how it ended. On the one hand, an unsub poisoning people at random in order to cover up a personally-motivated murder is nothing new. In the eighties, there were two cases in which individuals put cyanide in bottles of Tylenol and Excedrin, the latter doing so in an attempt to keep investigators from finding out she’d murdered her husband. Quite a few innocent people died as a result of the tampering, too. So there’s precedent. And it’s chilling to think that somebody can kill people at random simply because they want to try and hide or avoid dealing with their own personal misdeeds. On that level, I thought that made the case rather interesting.
At the same time, however, since government employees were being targeted, and considering this was the third to last episode of the season to boot, I think it would’ve made a lot more sense to have this case tie into the team’s hunt for Mr. Scratch and/or the prison escapees. Yes, as Rossi noted, Scratch has thus far been targeting the BAU’s family members, but maybe now the show could have him up the ante, and start targeting the FBI as a whole by attacking random employees. Or maybe one of the prison escapees decided to retaliate against the FBI for putting them in prison to begin with. They had planned a terrorist attack at the end of last season, so it wouldn’t exactly be much of a stretch to have them trying something like that again here.
I just feel that given the fact so many of the victims had connections to Russia, the unsub’s motive should’ve had more of a grand element to it as a result, and maybe gone more with the “disgruntled employee” route, or being upset over some political issue related to the FBI. Either that, or if they wanted to keep the motive more personal in nature, but still have the unsub threaten the public at large, it would’ve made more sense to keep their victims less high profile sorts.
Also, all this mention of FBI agents being poisoned, and no nod to “Amplification”? They’ve already made quite a few nods to early seasons this year, with Hankel and now the woman who appears at the end of this episode. Surely they could’ve brought in a mention of the anthrax attack from season four! Even with those critiques, however, it was ultimately good to have a case full of genuine intrigue that felt a little more “normal” in comparison to some of the more bizarre unsubs we’ve had lately.
Speaking of personal issues, somebody made this point in the discussion thread for this episode, and I have to agree – kudos to the show for not having Monica chew Stephen out for his time spent working with the BAU. We’re all very familiar with the many, many examples of the team being torn between family and the job, and their significant others expressing frustration about their devotion to their work. It’s an understandable and sympathetic dilemma, but it’s also one that’s been tread upon countless times. Monica being so understanding and supportive of her husband’s work is a refreshing change of pace, and I hope that continues to be the case.
And on the note of Monica, I quite liked her as a character in her own right. Heck, I enjoyed getting to learn more details about Stephen’s family as a whole. A few episodes ago, Stephen mentioned he had a sixteen year old daughter who was an older sibling, and they filled in those details this episode. Turns out his daughter’s name is Maya, and Stephen’s other child is a boy named Eli. We didn’t see the kids this go-round, but I suspect it’s only a matter of time before that changes, and I for one would look forward to seeing the Walker clan in full.
So now that we’ve gotten the opportunity to learn more about the newest member of the team, it’s time to turn our focus to one of the original gang. The last episode ended on quite a shocking note for Reid, as he finally managed to figure out who was responsible for both drugging him and killing Nadie. How did that discovery impact him, and what does it mean for the team’s investigation?
Entropy:
Well, it takes a while before we get those answers, because the episode begins with Tara sharing Reid’s revelation about the unsub with the rest of the team. And apparently his memory’s even better than expected – he can also recall details about the woman’s painted fingernails and hair. The team is obviously surprised by this news, and tries to figure out what to make of it all. On the one hand, this information will no doubt be very helpful in proving Reid’s innocence, which is good. Anything to give the team and Reid some hope and something to work with is sorely welcome.
On the other hand, it seems such an unexpected twist, and that has the team a bit concerned. Might this be yet another example of Reid experiencing a false memory? You’ll remember that he already claimed to recall stabbing Nadie, only for that to wind up being untrue, and given he’s already so sleep-deprived, it’s easy to wonder if that’s affecting his memories as well. Tara rules out this possibility, however. She’s pretty sure Reid’s memory of a woman is legit, in large part because Reid was heavily stressed out when he had that false memory about killing Nadie. That wasn’t the case when he was talking about this woman. Tara had managed to calm him down enough to where he could properly focus and let his brain do its job.
So since that’s the case, now the team has a few big questions to consider. Is this woman willingly working with Scratch, or was she manipulated? If she willingly worked with him, why? Normally Scratch has to drug people in order to get them to do his bidding, so what would make him change that notable part of his M.O. at this point in the game?
And if this woman was manipulated, then it’s likely that she, like Scratch’s other victims, is suffering from dissociative identity disorder. So that should hopefully help narrow down the team’s potential list of suspects somewhat. For the time being, however, Emily tells the rest of the team to take a break and clear their heads for the night so they can be fresh and alert enough to work the case. She doesn’t take her own advice, though, deciding to burn the midnight oil in her office. Rossi comes to join her a short time later. Here’s hoping their late night collaboration proves fruitful somehow.
As for Reid himself, well, once again, the poor guy finds himself on quite the rollercoaster this episode. His day starts with a visit from Fiona, and she brings some frustrating news. Apparently, Reid’s trial has been pushed back six weeks, because the arresting officer in Mexico needs to find the time available to come to the U.S. so he can share his testimony. Fiona tries to focus on the bright side of the delay, suggesting it gives the team more time to track down this mystery woman, as well as allows Reid a chance to further regain his memory and share any other important details. Reid is understandably itching to get out of here, though. If I were in his shoes, I’d be getting pretty dang impatient, too. Still, if this extra time makes it so he won’t even need to have a trial at all, then hey, fantastic.
Later in the day, a guard comes to Reid’s cell and snatches his journal out of his hands, claiming it’s contraband, before informing him he’s got a visitor and dragging him down to see them. Apparently, Fiona worked it out so Reid could get more visitation privileges by threatening a civil suit against the prison in regards to the recent beating Reid suffered, and they gave in to her demands. The guard’s pretty grumpy about this, and none too gentle in handling Reid, and Reid’s wary of wanting any visitors at all. He changes his tune, however, once he sees who’s waiting for him. It’s his mom! Yay! Reid’s shocked to see her out and about, and sure, it’d be nice if this reunion was under happier circumstances. But it’s been so long since these two have seen each other, and they relish this chance to finally spend time together.
Unfortunately, things get off to a bit of a rough start, as Diana shares some troubling news. Remember Cassie Campbell? We met her way back in “Surface Tension”, when Reid hired her to do in-home care for his mom?
Yeah, well, apparently she doesn’t work for Reid and his mom anymore. Turns out Diana had fired Cassie, claiming she was a thief who’d stolen various items from the apartment. Reid is dismayed at this news, and tries to tell his mom that Cassie’s not a thief, but Diana won’t hear it. She then tells Reid she’s since hired a new girl, a sweet young woman who brought her to the jail to see Reid. He decides to let the issue drop for now, clearly not in the mood to argue.
At this point, Diana suggests they both leave, and freaks out when she goes to open the door and realizes she can’t just walk out. Reid has to painfully remind her where they are, and explain to her all over again that he’s in jail on murder charges related to everything in Mexico. It’s a truly heartbreaking moment, and a reminder of the deep guilt Reid’s feeling for putting himself and his mom in this mess in the first place.
He’s not the only one feeling guilty, though. As the two sit back down and continue talking, Diana expresses her own guilt as well, blaming herself for causing Reid to make such drastic decisions that led to the fiasco in Mexico in the first place. Reid tries to assure her that none of this is her fault, that this entire situation was bound to happen no matter what, but Diana still feels bad about everything regardless. The conversation gets even more emotional when she expresses her worries about leaving Reid in this state and possibly losing him. He tries to assure her that he’ll get out of jail soon, but Diana doesn’t know if he’ll make it out in time for her to know him anymore. “I won’t remember loving you,” she says, proceeding to stab me right in the heart.
“That type of love is bigger than a disease of the brain.”
So now Diana’s tearful and Reid’s tearful, and he tries once more to comfort and reassure his mom. He reminds her of what it was like when he was a kid, being witness to the early stages of her schizophrenia. It was a scary time for everyone, but, as he points out, his mom always told him that no matter what happened to her, she would always love him. “Even if you forget, I never will,” he tells her. Tissues galore at this point, I swear.
Before the two of them cause everyone to drown in their tears, however, the guard comes back to tell Diana it’s time to leave. She goes to hug Reid, but the guard decides to be a meanie and puts a stop to that. Grrr. The three of them leave the room, and Diana’s new caretaker comes to take her home.
And that’s when things get very strange. The caretaker tells Diana “it’s time to go”...in a manner eerily similar to that of the unsub Reid remembered from Mexico. Uh-oh...
That’s not the only familiarity Reid has with this woman, either. As noted in my last review, recent episode spoilers let slip that Lindsay Vaughn, a victim from the season three episode “3rd Life” was apparently going to show up in this season’s last few episodes. Anyone want to take a wild guess who Diana’s new caretaker is? Yep. It’s Lindsay. This leads Reid to recall the end events of “3rd Life”, and for those of you who might be a bit fuzzy on what happened in that episode, allow me to refresh your memory:
Lindsay was being held captive by a man named Ryan, who’d also abducted and murdered her friend Katie. Lindsay’s father, Jack, who was in Witness Protection because of his role in helping take down the Irish mob, had used his skills as a former hitman for said mob to track down the men responsible for taking his daughter. Once Jack finally found out where Lindsay was being held, he went to confront Ryan face to face, and proceeded to point a gun at him.
When Reid arrived on the scene, he tried to talk Jack down, begging him not to continue the cycle of violence and make his daughter be witness to him killing somebody. Jack didn’t listen to his pleas, however, and he killed Ryan right in front of both Reid and Lindsay. Witnessing that murder had deeply affected Reid afterward, to the point where he’d considered going back to using Dilaudid and started attending a group for addicts. As for Jack and Lindsay, they moved away and changed their names yet again. Lindsay changed hers to Katie, to honor her friend.
And now it seems she’s since changed her name a third time. When she comes to collect Diana at the end of this episode, she introduces herself as Carol. Reid tries to tell her he knows her real name, but she laughs it off, insisting she’s Carol. She speaks in a disturbingly calm and pleasant tone, too, making this whole thing even more unnerving. Reid’s visibly confused by this bizarre turn of events, but before he can do anything about the situation, Lindsay, or Carol, ends their little meeting with this ominous-sounding comment about Reid and Diana’s visit: “So glad you had this time together.” And with that, she leads Diana away, as Reid goes into panic mode and calls out for his mom.
So. Yeah. Clearly this does not bode well for Diana. If there is one upside to the prospect of her being in danger, though, it’s the fact that this could finally be the catalyst to get Reid out of jail once and for all. Because you cannot tell me that he would allow himself to just sit idly by in prison and not do whatever he could to try and save his mom’s life. Still, this latest turn of events continues to add to my concern about the possibility of Diana making out of this season all right.
But in the meantime, let’s talk about the shocking return of Lindsay Vaughn, and how she ties into Scratch’s master plan. As of now I’m inclined to think she’s being manipulated by Scratch, mainly because of how rehearsed her manner of speaking sounded, as well as the fact she changed her name. Yes, she’s done that before of her own free will, but in this case, I just get this feeling her new name was not her decision. It would make perfect sense for Scratch to manipulate somebody who was already used to changing their identity, after all. And remember how rehearsed Desmond, the man who claimed to be Tara’s brother Gabriel, sounded when under his delusion in “Mirror Image”? Lindsay seemed to have the same amount of commitment when telling Reid who she was.
That being said, however, suppose Lindsay is involved of her own free will. What would her reason be for targeting Reid? It wasn’t like the two of them had some simmering vendetta or anything on that case – Reid didn’t even meet her in person until that final showdown at the school. The most likely theory I can think of is that Lindsay misunderstood Reid’s reasons for trying to get Jack to not kill Ryan. He clearly wasn’t trying to stop Jack from killing out of some misguided sympathy for a creep unsub. Rather, he was trying to keep Jack from teaching his daughter that violence is a way of life. But perhaps Lindsay didn’t realize that, and believed Reid was more concerned about Ryan’s fate than that of hers and her friend Katie’s. And as a result, she couldn’t forgive Reid, and her resentment towards him festered and grew. That’s about the only reason that makes any sort of logical sense.
There’s also the possibility that Reid was right and Jack’s violent nature did imprint on Lindsay, causing her to turn to a life of crime in general. And as a result, she got caught up with Scratch, and he played off their brief encounter to make her join him in targeting Reid. The fact that Reid’s struggle with Dilaudid reared its head again after that case could also explain why it’s coming up now all these years later. After all, we already had heavy duty nods to Reid’s encounter with Hankel in “Spencer”, and there’s the fact that Scratch forcibly drugged him ten years after Hankel got him hooked on Dilaudid. So it makes sense that a case that kickstarted Reid’s first bout of cravings post-Hankel and made him start going to meetings would pop up here as well.
Still, it feels like there’s a lot more to this story and Lindsay’s appearance that we’re not getting here. As noted in a previous review, there’s the fact that last we knew, Jack was still in Witness Protection. Hotch and Jack are in there now, and they were the first casualties, so to speak, of Scratch’s attack on the team this season. So I’m guessing there’s a connection there that’s yet to be explained or explored.
And this whole scheme of Scratch’s has been so huge and elaborate, crossing international borders and all. I don’t think Lindsay’s the only person working with Scratch. I sense Scratch is slowly getting a small gang together so that it’s easier for him to tackle various aspects of his plans. This wouldn’t be unprecedented – you’ll recall that in “Mr. Scratch”, he managed to cause three different people in various states throughout the country to hallucinate and become killers. Surely he can pull a similar stunt again here.As usual,the show's given us so many theories to consider, and with only two episodes to go, it’ll be interesting to see how they try and make sense out of these seemingly random yet strangely connected threads.
As for the trial aspect of things, since there’s only two episodes left, and since the preview for the next episode didn’t seem to hint at any sort of trial taking place, I’m thinking that means the trial will either happen in the finale, or something will occur that will render it null and void altogether. I just get the feeling there’s going to be some big eleventh hour revelation that will officially clear Reid’s name once and for all, and the charges will be dropped and he’ll be able to go free. Honestly, at this point, I would be all for that, because the finale sounds like it could be nervewracking enough as it is. Plus, as interesting as it’s been to see Reid dealing with life in prison, frankly, I am so beyond ready for him to get out of there. Whether or not he returns to his job, I don’t know, but I’ll settle for him just being able to go home at this point.
And setting aside my concerns about Diana’s safety going forward, I still very much enjoyed the scenes between them this episode. Reid’s relationship with his mom is the definition of bittersweet, and that was proven once again here. I love that they got a chance to say a few important things to each other (and I’ll ignore how final-sounding some of their words to each other seemed).
It was also good to hear Reid taking responsibility for his actions – not surprising, but good – and Diana discussing coming to terms with her illness was heartbreaking and yet inspiring all at the same time. Her strength in the face of all she’s been through remains admirable, and I think Reid really needed to see that. Because he’s just as strong as she is, and he’s got the same sort of fighting spirit she does. So hopefully he’ll remember that going forward, and use that inherited strength to help himself deal with whatever’s yet to come.
I also loved hearing about Fiona challenging the higher ups at the prison, and seeing Emily and Rossi staying late to work on Reid’s case. It’s good to see everyone active and fighting on Reid’s behalf, and fingers crossed it all pays off as the season comes to an end.
So that’s where we stand as we head into the final two episodes of season twelve! I think it’s safe to say that these final episodes will be absolutely wild and shocking, and I’m alternately deeply nervous and very excited to see how things play out. If you have any theories, be they about Scratch or Reid or the finale as a whole, feel free to share them below! I’d love to hear them! Until then, as always, let’s sit back and watch the craziness unfold.
What did you think of this episode? Were you surprised by Lindsay Vaughn’s return? What do you think her role will be in this whole Scratch/targeting Reid storyline? Do you think Diana will make it out of this all right? Did you enjoy getting to learn a little more about Stephen? Did you find the case intriguing? And finally, between Reid and Diana’s emotional conversation and Sam and Zack’s heartbreaking reunion, how much did this episode make you cry? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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