‘Criminal Minds’ season 11, episode 11 review: Matthew Gray Gubler, Aubrey Plaza shine in ‘Entropy’
“Criminal Minds” left us with a whopper of a cliffhanger in the fall finale as Hotch came to the station to tell Garcia that they have had a huge break in the case and that she may be able to go home soon because they think they have a way to bring down the entire network that has a hit out on her. Talk about leaving us hanging! Also, the last few episodes didn’t have any Spencer in it, so we have been very excited for the show to come back, because not only will we be getting answers, but we will also be getting Spencer!
We specifically got a ton of Matthew Gray Gubler in “Entropy” Wednesday night, which may be otherwise known as one of the best episodes of this season. Reid returned to action after spending some time looking after his mother to embark on one of his boldest missions to date: Trying to outsmart Cat Adams (Aubrey Plaza), known mass-murderer and a part of the network of criminals the BAU have been chasing for quite some time (not to mention the stranglehold they’ve had on the aforementioned Garcia). The Dirty Dozen have been a major threat, but they are starting to be chipped down piece by piece.
Tonight’s episode was a success for Reid in that he was able to eventually (with the help of Morgan and the rest of the team) stop Cat from detonating a bomb inside of a crowded restaurant. However, it did come at a heavy cost: Having to bear his soul about his mother’s dementia and his own personal fears. One of our favorite discussion points moving out of the episode is whether or not he really wanted Morgan to play out the story about Cat’s father being outside, or if this was a part of the game. Was his own attachment to his mother keeping him from wanting to use him further as a part of the game? What would have happened otherwise?
This was a heavy case anchored by great performances from Gubler and Plaza; luckily, there was a fun Garcia moment at the end to lighten the mood before we started to get heavy again with Reid thinking about the future. He’s too young to know whether or not the warning signs of eventual memory loss are there for him, and while Cat is behind bars, her last warning about remembering him in 20 years, when he may not remember her at all, remains. Episode grade: A-.
What did you think of tonight’s episode of “Criminal Minds” and are you happy that Spencer is back on the show? Leave us a comment below and tell us your thoughts. If you want more news on “Criminal Minds” season 11 then head on over to the link here and let us be your guide. Also, if you want more great TV news sent your way then be sure to sign up for our weekly CarterMatt newsletter. It comes out every weekend and in addition to getting the top stories of the week, our subscribers enjoy some first look scoop! (Photo: CBS)