Criminal Minds season 14 premiere (300th episode) review: Past meets present


Criminal Minds season 14

Welcome back to our CarterMatt Criminal Minds reviews! We’ve been covering this show a long time and are excited to be jumping into season 14 of the show. Season 13 had a lot of twists and turns, but we were left with a pretty clean slate moving into the new season lending us to all sorts of new UnSubs … with one clear exception in the Benjamin Merva cult.

The premiere tonight was also the 300th episode, and the writers really chose to go all-out with this case because of the cliffhanger. Garcia and Reid’s lives were in jeopardy after they were captured; beyond just that, the cult forced her in order to do her bidding. These were ruthless people who have been doing their grotesque work for quite some time; as a matter of fact, as the episode progressed it was clear there was a tie between this case and a certain one from many years ago.

The latest Criminal Minds video! – Check out some more of our thoughts on the premiere at the bottom of this article! After you watch this, we recommend that you subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube for more, and that you visit the Criminal Minds playlist to ensure you don’t miss some other scoop.

What was so smart about the 300th episode was not just setting the case itself around another one from these characters’ past, but also figuring out a way to integrate past updates on the relationships between these people. Past Criminal Minds characters got a shout-out, and it really felt like stopping this cult before they could claim victim #300 was a way to put a bow on every single moment that we’ve seen so far.

Of course, not everything was nostalgia since Reid had to find a way to save himself. He was in more immediate danger than Garcia as the cult was ready to sacrifice him. He was able to effectively stall the group long enough so that Prentiss, JJ, and the rest of the team could arrive, and so that Merva and the team could be stopped. (Would this really be Criminal Minds if the team didn’t find a way to pull this off?)

At the end of the episode, Reid and JJ had a nice moment while on the plane together, and everyone (hopefully) is going to get some shut-eye soon.

RelatedCheck out what’s coming up next time on Criminal Minds season 14 episode 2!

CarterMatt Verdict

This was a great episode — there’s no other way to put it. This was a fantastic celebration of the past 299th episode, but also an action-packed thriller where Garcia and Reid’s lives were on the line. If you love all things Criminal Minds, this was the best thing that the show could do save for giving us a thousand or so cameos. But, those in turn could have taken away from the story itself.

What did you think about Criminal Minds season 14 premiere and do you like where this season is going so far? Share some of your thoughts on that subject right away in the attached comments! (Photo: CBS.)

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