Criminal Minds Boss on The Replicator Reveal, the Finale Death and What's Next in Season 9

By Joyce Eng

So it was Luke Skywalker after all.

Criminal Minds' season-long unsub/stalker The Replicator was finally unmasked on Wednesday's two-hour finale as Mark Hamill's federal agent/biochemistry nut John Curtis. At the end of the first hour, Curtis breaks into Strauss' (Jayne Atkinson) hotel room, after which he forces the recovering alcoholic to drink before drugging her with "Doctor Death," the meth/ecstasy mix at the center of the case the BAU had just solved. He lets Strauss wander the New York streets, where the section chief dies on a bench in the arms of Hotch (Thomas Gibson) - not her BAU-member-with-benefits Rossi (Joe Mantegna).

So who is John Curtis anyway? And why was he targeting the BAU? It turns out Curtis worked in the Department of Justice, which receives the team's case reports, and like Blake (Jeanne Tripplehorn), he was screwed over by Strauss when they had to take the fall for a mishap in the Amerithrax case 12 years ago. Needless to say, he did not take it well that Blake managed to join the BAU all these years later. Strauss had actually been investigating The Replicator rogue after having told the team that the case was dormant in the 16th episode. Believing that The Replicator was on the inside, she doctored the team's case report from last week, listing a fake M.O. that The Replicator used on Strauss.

After kidnapping Blake when the BAU's chopper was forced to crash-land on his property, Curtis planned to kill the whole team via a bomb in his house, but Rossi - whom Curtis had drugged earlier to lead him to believe that Morgan (Shemar Moore) was The Replicator - instead locks Curtis in the booby-trapped room and escapes the room by using Strauss' sobriety chip as a wedge in the lock. The house explodes... but we never see Curtis' body.

So is The Replicator really dead? And why did Strauss have to die? Showrunner and executive producer Erica Messer answers our burning questions.

Read more about the season finale, why no cliffhanger, why Strauss, and what to expect for season 9 going to SeattlePI.com

Criminal Minds Comments Thread for episodes 8.23 'Brothers Hotchner' and 8.24 'The Replicator'

Here, you can post comments and talk about tonight's Criminal Minds season finale episodes titled 'Brothers Hotchner' and 'The Replicator', written by Rick Dunkle and Erica Messer respectively.

Enjoy tonight's 2 hours Criminal Minds season finale!

Criminal Minds: Review of Episode 8.22 '#6'

The crime:  The latest episode of Criminal Minds takes our team to Michigan where two affluent Caucasian couples from Grosse Pointe were found murdered in the trunks of their cars, which were then dumped in urban downtown areas of Detroit.  The couples have been held for almost a week before their bodies are dumped. All victims have upwards of 50 stab wounds each, most of which are shallow with one fatal wound that ended their lives. 

The case:  Rossi and Blake quickly determine that the couples are being forced to stab one another. Reid deduces that the each couple was abducted while out on their usual “date night”, and thusly our unsub had been stalking them and knew their routines. JJ and Morgan check out the victims' cars and find that the luxury cars had their on-board computers systems and remotes hacked.  During their initial investigation a new victim is discovered. This time it is just a woman, her husband having had to break their usual date because he was called out of town. Their unsub has broken his pattern, and the team concludes that he must have been forced to abduct a man to replace the latest woman's husband… victim #6. 

The profile:  The team profiles the unsub to the locals. Based on victimology they are looking for a white male between 30-40, and since he is able to subdue a couple so easily, he fits in and is unsuspecting, which means he is probably also from Grosse Pointe. He is an equal opportunity anger retaliatory sadist  meaning that he hates the husbands as much as the wives, probably due to his own failed marriage and/or relationship. 

The case continues:  Another lone woman (Emma) is taken from a drug store parking lot and taken to the unsub's secondary location. Emma wakes up to find herself in a glass cage with a strange man (victim #6) in a separate glass room. She speaks to the man and finds out his name is Phillip and that he has been held by the unsub since April. Suddenly a screen turns on and a masked figure tells them to begin. Phillip apologizes as he pulls out a knife. Phillip explains that Emma needs to stab him as part of the madman's game. Not wanting to, Emma is forced to stab Phillip. She injures him but not fatally.

During a meeting with 3 of the major auto manufacturers, Hotch and Reid request that the information auto makers download from GPS tracking systems be turned over to the BAU. Using that information, they are able to find one common location visited by all of the victims… a local track and field venue. That, coupled with missing person reports that had been filed recently for men in the Grosse Pointe and Detroit areas, leads them to the possible identity of victim #6. Blake and Reed meet with Phillip's mother to find out if he could be the man that was kidnapped and forced to kill the last female victim. After meeting Phillips mother and finding out he's sick and is a cutter, they now believe that he is not only victim #6, but also the unsub.

Catching the unsub:  Phillip's wife had been married when he first met her and Phillip didn't trust her not to cheat on him too. Maya had recently left Phillip due to his constant jealousy and spying, which resulted in his psychotic break. The team finds out where Phillip has been holding his victims captive and bust in to rescue Emma before he can kill her. Phillip holds a knife to Emma's neck threatening to slit it open. Knowing they need a way to get into his head, Blake arranges for JJ to bring Maya to see Phillip. Phillip releases Emma when Maya says she is willing to talk to him but only if he releases Emma. Phillip lets Emma go and he is taken into custody before anyone else can be harmed. Once he is secured, Maya reveals that she doesn't even want to look at him and leaves Phillip handcuffed and screaming her name. Emma is reunited with her husband and the team goes home.

Blake: This week's team moments revolved around Blake's doctor husband returning from his work with Doctors Without Borders to announce that he's been offered a teaching opportunity at Harvard. James explains that he wants to be a couple again and has told Harvard he will only accept the position if Alex is given a job teaching linguistics there too. Blake has a lot to consider and spends the case talking it over with James and also with Reid. In the end, she tells James to take the job at Harvard but she is going to stay with the BAU, and will visit him on weekends and holidays. At least Boston is much closer to where he's been living. It was nice getting to know a little more about Blake and her life outside of the BAU.

Breen Frazier's episode was what I've come to expect from CM lately. It was good but I'm still waiting for an episode that wows me like in the past. I did like the twist finding out that victim #6 wasn't a victim at all but the unsub, but I suspected that almost as soon as Emma started to interact with him.  

Bring on the season finale. I'm hoping it is as good as last year's! 

~~~~Sir Bedivere

'Criminal Minds' season finale: Sneak peek at 'Brothers Hotchner'

by Sandra Gonzalez

All season long, Criminal Minds has been teasing the arrival of The Replicator, and this Wednesday on the two-hour season finale, we'll finally be able to put a face to the name. But first, the Hotchner brothers are going to find themselves dealing with a tricky situation.

As you can see in this exclusive preview from the episode, Hotchner is called away from a seemingly lovely reunion with Beth (guest star Bellamy Young of Scandal) after receiving an urgent call from his younger brother, Sean, who may have gotten himself mixed up in a crime. (Per the episode description, Sean's predicament will likely tie into a string of ecstasy-related deaths.)

You can see the sneak peek video at EW.com

Thanks to @Quinny150 for the information!

Criminal Minds Boss Previews Finale Face-Off With The Replicator: 'He Throws the First Punch'

By Matt Webb Mitovich

It is time for The Replicator to be revealed — but at what cost?

This Wednesday at 9/8c, CBS’ Criminal Minds closes Season 8 with a pair of episodes, the first of which tests one family – the brothers Hotchner – and then the finale proper, which will put the BAU bunch in jeopardy as they close in on their aforementioned season-long stalker.

Showrunner Erica Messer spoke with TVLine about delivering this dire denouement, ruling out one “suspect” while teasing grave consequences for at least two characters.

To Read More: TVLine.com

Criminal Minds: Lily Kershaw new song that will be featured in the season 8 finale this Wednesday at 9pm on CBS

Lily Kershaw is known to the Criminal Minds fans as the talented singer/song writer who wrote the song 'As it Seems' that was used in the season 7 finale dancing scene at JJ and Will's wedding. Lily is back with a new song  'Ashes like Snow' that will also be featured on the Criminal Minds season 8 finale!

The song will be available tomorrow on Itunes and for more information about Lily Kershaw and her music you can follow her on twitter at @Lily_Kershaw

You can see the video and listen to 'Ashes like Snow' here: youtube.com

"Criminal Minds" beats "American Idol" for 2nd straight week!

According to Nielsen L+3 Day viewing for May 15 [8.22: "#6"], Criminal Minds added +2.07m viewers (12.63m from 10.56m), +0.9 rating points in adults 25-54 (4.3 from 3.4) and +0.8 rating points in adults 18-49 (3.4 from 2.6) from live from same day.

Criminal Minds moved past "American Idol Wednesday" in L+3 Day rating in adults 18-49 (3.4 vs. 3.3, +3%).  This is the second straight week, Criminal Minds outperformed "Idol" in adults 18-49 with L+3 Day viewing added.  In both weeks, Criminal Minds trailed "American Idol Wednesday" when the live plus same day ratings were released.

NOTE: Remember that the measurement that really counts to appraise how profitable a show is for the network that airs it, is precisely this one, Live + 3 Day.

Source: CBS

Matthew Gray Gubler and A.J Cook 'Criminal Minds' Stars Endorse Water Quality App

From The Hollywood Reporter

Mark Hamill plugs Criminal Minds season 8 finale on Jay Leno

Thanks to @suceress for the heads up about this video!

Criminal Minds Sneak Peek for the season 8 Finale