‘Criminal Minds’ season 12, episode 8 review: Garcia continues Luke bashing, Spencer faces hard truths
Last time on “Criminal Minds” season 12 we had an episode that was all about Tara Lewis and her relationship with her brother and father. It was also a reminder to us that even though Hotch may not be part of this story anymore, Mr. Scratch is still tormenting the rest of the team. We also had Emily mention that she’s squeezed the budget and that they can hire another new agent… will we be meeting said agent tonight?
Emily made an offer to this new agent and is waiting to see if they will take it. After everything that has happened with Mr. Scratch she is more determined then ever to get a solid team together to catch him and she is thinking that this new person is the perfect match to round out the team. Tara is feeling a bit guilty that they didn’t catch Mr. Scratch on the last case and that it’s forcing Emily to hire another agent, but Rossi assures her that this is something she was looking into before her brother was kidnapped.
The team doesn’t know anything about the new agent except that they have been an agent for decades – other then that they don’t know a name, gender, age, nothing. What’s really interesting about this new agent is that Garcia seems ready to welcome this new person with open arms, but for some reason she’s still giving Luke the gears. We thought that whatever Garcia’s problem is with Luke was over after finding their mutual love for animals, but for some reason she’s still beating up on him and it’s not a side of Garcia we have liked seeing. Luke is hoping that when the new agent comes in that Garcia’s focus was going to shift, but JJ tells Luke that it’s unlikely. When they all meet the new agent (his name is Stephen Walker), Garcia has no problem with him just as JJ suspected.
Spencer gets a call from his mom and she’s worried that someone they know has been kidnapped and wants him to investigate. He realizes that the clinic she’s participating in isn’t working and that she’s been getting a placebo instead of the real drug to help her. He’s decided to take some time off to go and see his mom so he can know what’s really going on down there. It’s been crushing to see Spencer’s journey this season, but it’s also another reminder as to why he is one of the most under-rated actors on TV right now and why we have nominated him in this year’s CarterMatt awards (you can check that out at the link here and vote for your favorite.)
This season has been a bit frustrating for us as fans of the show. The Hotch storyline was left hanging for way too long, and while we like the new group we are having a hard time understanding why Garcia is as negative as she is towards Luke. It’s a side of her we don’t like because with a show this dark, she’s usually the little bit of light that we get and now we don’t have anything. Also it just doesn’t make any sense to us and after 8 episodes, it would be nice to have a bit of understanding as to where she’s coming from on this. Episode grade: B+
What did you think of tonight’s episode of “Criminal Minds” and are you enjoying the season? Leave us a comment in the box below. If you want to read more stories on “Criminal Minds” then head on over to the link here. (Photo: CBS)