Criminal Minds season 14 episode 11 review: Luke’s housewarming party
Most of Criminal Minds season 14 has brought us some really wonderful personal stories for many of our main characters with the most recent focus on Prentiss and her newly budding relationship. Love is in the air for a lot of characters this season as we’ve seen Luke and Lisa moving in together, Rossi getting engaged to Krystall and now Prentiss getting bit by the love bug, but as we know Criminal Minds is not a series that typically focuses on personal stories let alone love and tonight we are going to be diving into a new creepy case!
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Tonight’s new episode, entitled “Night Lights,” was a creepy one that revolved around an abduction … one that may have been tied to something that happened to a local couple not altogether long before that. It didn’t take altogether long for the BAU to determine that there was something sadistic about this case, and that whoever was running it was probably someone who had a particular motive and trauma in their past. They also had a visual impairment and that was something that he used in order to continue to play his sadistic game.
Ultimately, what we saw with this UnSub throughout the episode was guy with a chip on his shoulder and enough pain in his past that he wanted to unleash some fury on others. Yet, we also have to be honest in saying that other than the night-vision part of the episode (which was kind of intriguing), this wasn’t the most captivating UnSub of the season.
With an UnSub like this who clearly wasn’t going to stop, you likely knew where this was going: To an elaborate showdown at the end of the episode, one that featured a nighttime showdown and eventually the BAU taking down the UnSub once and for all.
What about the personal updates?
There have been a couple of those sprinkled into the season, and tonight we got at least some of them as Luke is trying his best to avoid a housewarming party. Meanwhile, Rossi at least got a joke or two in about how this was the time he will have a marriage that sticks.
At the end of the episode, we actually did get the housewarming party — with the irony here being that Lisa wasn’t there, even though she was the one who threw the party in the first place. Penelope even brought him a gift! Also, Prentiss brought him team on behalf of the BAU bread, salt, and wine — a reference to It’s a Wonderful Life.
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CarterMatt Verdict
Was this a perfect episode? Hardly, but the party at the end of the episode was cute and it’s nice to at least see Luke making some steps forward in his life. Those little reminders that the BAU is a family is what this show really lives for.
What did you think about Criminal Minds season 14 episode 10 overall? Be sure to share some of your thoughts right now in the comments. (Photo: CBS.)