'Criminal Minds' Worst Episodes

Criminal Minds is a great show, as we can all agree, I am sure. But every season, though there are many great episodes, there is always one that just doesn't meet the mark. It just doesn't capture our attention, or just seems like a filler episode compared to the rest. This is a list, starting at season 1 going all the way to season 14 of the worst episodes in each season.

Season 1: "Derailed"

This episode is one of the ones that you watch once, and barely make it through the entire thing. One, it centers around Elle, and we all know how I feel about her (if not go check out my post "Criminal Minds Cast Ranked"). So right there it is off to a questionable start. Secondly, the entire thing is just strange. The episode is about a schizophrenic physicist that suffers a mental breakdown, and holds Elle and four other civilians hostage on a passenger train en route to Dallas, Texas. Pretty much, during this break, he gets an 'imaginary friend' who is telling him that the government is out to get him, and has something planted on him. It felt chaotic, and compared to the episode before it, "Natural Born Killer," this one just fell short on all the aspects. Though the idea was original, it was not as exciting as you would hope for, or wasn't as interesting as others.

Season 2: "Empty Planet"

In this episode a bomber targets a bus full of people, giving the BAU an impression of the type of bomber they are dealing with. Though when he makes contact with him, the use of his self given code name Allegro, the BAU realize that the unsub and his group are anti-technology, and that the targets are specific people in the academic world rather than larger technological installations. Allegro is the main character in a novel titled Empty Planet by local Seattle author, Professor Ursula Kent. The unsub believes that he is Allegro and is copying what Allegro's mission was. The issue with this episode is that it just seemed all over the place. The unsub at the end of it just was not that interesting. It was all over the place or so it seemed. It had a slow build up and nothing really was brought over the top, except for the car scene. Compared to all the other episodes in the season this was the one that fell flat.

Season 3: "True Night"

In this season is was especially difficult to find the dud of the episodes. But this one is definitely the dud of the group! I must say, this was one of the worst episodes of the entire show. It's not that the episode did not make sense, because it did. The unsub had a mental breakdown when his fiance was murdered, and it turned him into a killer. What did not make any sense to me, was how it was filmed. It was chaotic and a very sloppy episode for the show. I don't understand why there was a transformation into comic book style footage, instead of showing it normally. It looked childish and was slightly annoying as it just seemed as if someone was quickly showing comic book pictures to the camera. I am all for change and for something new, but this was not it at all.

Season 4: "Demonology"

This episode was just as bad as "True Night." The episode is based upon a priest who is committing murders by preforming exorcisms on his victims. I mean the concept of it is quite interesting, but that's about it. It then gets really strange and certain things became unnecessary. The main unnecessary thing was how Prentiss became involved. There was no reason for there to be a personal connection between her and one of the victims. Usually when the main cast is involved it adds a bit of drama, but in this case it was either brought up too vaguely, or in such a bizarre way that it just became unneeded. Also, the true motive behind the killings was so strange, like to pin the victims to be involved in the death of a Spanish priest just seems so far fetched. The idea could have made for a great episode, instead it fell very flat. Also, the final scene there sums up how weird it was.

Season 5: "The Performer"

Now this was hard. I think season five is probably one of the best seasons in Criminal Minds. The majority of the episodes were brilliant, and it was hard to find the real dud of the group. That being said, "The Performer" is the only one that really fits the dud group. Now put this in a different season, and it would not make the list. But the rest of the season five episodes were just so much more out of the box. It is kinda cliche really for any murder/mystery involving a rock star, for that star to be the main suspect. Like it brings me back to the Scooby-Doo days in all honesty. Now other than that, the episode was still a good one. I especially enjoyed the vampire aspect, as around the time of season five is when Twilight was at the height of its popularity. So it was smart of them to make this episode. As I mentioned, I enjoyed the episode, just season five was so intense this episode fell short.

Season 6: "Hanley Waters"

Season six was another great season because of all the issues with Prentiss. But this episode was just the dud, an absolute dud. Yes I understand that losing a child can be extremely difficult without a doubt, and the episode did indicate some sort of head trauma, but I do not see how one moment a grieving mother is ok, and then the next she is a spree killer. It just makes no sense to me. The quick extremes were not explained or did not seem needed. And the type of rampage she went on just did not seem to work. It could have something to do with the actress, because there was just something in her face that made it all seem fake (more so than it actually is). Also, no grieving person I know would do something like that on the birthday of the lost one. My grandmother still has hard times dealing with the loss of my grandfather on his birthday which was 17 years ago. Not saying that their reaction can't be different but this just seemed so out there. And the entire birthday scene also seemed overdone. Just not a great episode for the season.

Season 7: "The Bittersweet Science"

This was a tough pick. The message behind the episode was a touching one as the dad was only fighting in order to raise money to help his sick son, who unfortunately passes away at the end of the episode. But other than that it was just not good. If you did not have the kid in the episode, the entire thing would just be a bullied kid finally reaches his breaking point and snaps on the closest outlet. The unsub is a boxer, who has good heart but is awful and never wins any of his matches. He finally wins one to find that his bookie bet against him. I mean it just is not that exciting of an episode. The only other good part about the episode is that Hotch meets a new woman so that was great and very cute to see but other than that out of the entire season it's a dud.

Season 8: "The Good Earth"/"Alchemy"

Yes, there are meant to be two episodes here, because it was impossible to decide which one to put on the list. Both of them are just strange and awful, and the show could do without them. They also both slightly copy each other in using weak/confused women as the focus for the episode. In both they are using natural or uncommon methods as medication. There are differences, as one woman is kidnapping the men, feeding them through a nose tube, and then killing them to use their remains as fertilizer. The whole reason being that she did the same with her late husband, and thought is was a holistic remedy. In the other, the woman is kidnapping and drugging men in order to get herself pregnant to bring back her son that died, if she did not get pregnant by them then she killed them. Both were so strange and just not on brand to what we are used to from the show. And that's difficult to say because there have been some weird, yet amazing episodes, just not these.

Season 9: "Final Shot"

I will say, this episode was different and for the most part in a good way. Having the unsub right in front of us all along without knowing it was genius. However, that was about the only good thing about it. Though the unsub was a sniper, the beginning scene made sense, but was just messy. And as it continued, it was messy as well. The premise of it was good, being that it showed what abused woman escaping domestic violence situations go through, but where it lost me was when we were transported into the mind of the unsub, to see his scenario as he waited until he had the chance to shoot his target. I would've liked to know more about how the woman escape or something along that lines. I understand they can't show much as this may actually be happening but still. Also, it almost happened too quickly; the connection between who was being hunted and the unsub—I think they spent too much time on that dream, and not enough on the important parts of the show that everyone enjoys.

Season 10: "Fate"

Oh this episode was just such a dud. The idea of it was interesting kinda, this woman was turned into a killer after her car accident. What was weird, and made the episode a dud was how the actress portrayed the woman. It just felt weird. Like I am sorry, but if you are a mom with a secret killing spree who also rips her hair out, I expect a lot more from the actress, which she did not give me. Also, the story line was just weird, I don't remember the explanation of why she started killing, it just seem sort of random, and I'm not sure why she targeted some of her victims. Like her boss was obvious of course for stealing her idea. I think the reasoning why this episode was such a dud, is because of the actress.

Season 11: "Inner Beauty"

Now this one was similar to season five, where in another season this would have been a great episode, but this season it just fell a little short. And I do mean a little. Just so much of this season was focused on that Hitman Network, and that was just sooo good. In this episode the idea was interesting and fresh really, it totally plays into how controlling beauty standards are nowadays. It really was a case of the wrong season.

Season 12: "The Anti-Terror Squad"

As always, the meaning behind this type of episode is important as it shows the potential effects bullying can have on someone. But we've seen this story line so many times before. Each slightly different but realistically all the same. From season three when the first real bullying episode aired till now, we have seen countless times what happens in the episode. The one this episode closely copies I find, is season nine episode 11 "Bully" where, it was the same thing; the unsub went after the victim's families, or those directly linked to the bullying on the unsubs only friend. Or similar to the season three episode "Elephants Memory" where the unsub went after those who directly bullied him and made him feel worthless. Either way you see what I am getting at. The idea of bullying as the motive has been overused in the show, making this episode in season 12 a dud.

Season 13: "The Capilanos"

I may be biased here in saying this was the worst episode since there were clowns involved, and I cannot stand clowns at all. But I mean the episode regardless was not that great. It was a robbing incident that turned into a murder, sending the unsub into a tail spin where no one is safe. It all revolves around the rodeo, and the unsub and his brother are both rodeo clowns. Hence why the BAU was called because the killer was a clown. The entire episode just felt very basic, and almost like it belonged in an early season rather than this one. By now we are used to better plot lines with more interesting killers. Also just no more clowns... ever.

Season 14: "Twenty Seven"

This episode was a tough selection, because it was about something more than just a story line unfortunately. It was more of a political statement about the racial profiling that goes on in the states. Pretty well in this episode the unsubs are killing people every twenty-seven minutes in order to make a powerful point. How, when their brother was stabbed, and they called 911 multiple times saying how he was dying, it took the ambulance 27 minutes to get there. Now it should be noted that the brothers are African-American, and were not in the best neighbourhood, but regardless that is unacceptable. So the killings were done in a fit of rage and grief. Now why this episode was the dud of the season, is just in the fast-paced nature of it all, it felt like a sloppy episode. Things were missed or just rushed too quickly for us to really enjoy it. That and the rest of the season was just a little better, even though it was the shortest season.

What do you think of this list? Do you think any other episodes should be mentioned on this list? Which ones?

Also, stay tuned for the Criminal Minds Best Episode list!