TV.com

Criminal Minds Season 4 Episode 24

Amplification

Favorite

Watched It I've Watched This 5

Next
Episode Previous
Episode

9.3

User Rating

501 votes

Your Rating: 10
Your Rating: 9.5
Your Rating: 9
Your Rating: 8.5
Your Rating: 8
Your Rating: 7.5
Your Rating: 7
Your Rating: 6.5
Your Rating: 6
Your Rating: 5.5
Your Rating: 5
Your Rating: 4.5
Your Rating: 4
Your Rating: 3.5
Your Rating: 3
Your Rating: 2.5
Your Rating: 2
Your Rating: 1.5
Your Rating: 1

Rate Now

EPISODE REVIEWS
By TV.com Users

Write A Review

Episode Summary

EDIT

AIRED: 5/13/09

The BAU responds quickly after a serial killer releases a new strain of a deadly anthrax virus in Annapolis that threatens the public and puts a member of the team at risk.

Fan Episode Reviews (14)

This is why I hate the government.

1.0

By PatrickGrant1, Apr 07, 2013

They lie to your face. A woman with children asks if she should be concerned and they flat out lie and put her at risk. The government treats people like chumps and forget they work for us and they were never suppose to make our decisions for us.
DO YOU AGREE?
0 0

Flag
Share Hide
one of the best

10

By aloysius, Dec 18, 2012

once or twice a season criminal minds reminds me why i'm hooked (beyond just being flat out in love with half of these characters), and this episode is one of those reasons. biochemical warfare is scary as heck!
DO YOU AGREE?
1 0

Flag
Share Hide
All in all,I think the world is safer when our governments don't tell us everything that's going on ...

9.0

By Lady_Lancaster, Oct 16, 2011

The BAU rush to Annapolis, Maryland when they learn that someone has released a new strain of deadly anthrax in a public park. There were twenty-five people affected and they are dying cruel and painful deaths. The question is, who created these deadly spores and why did they release them onto an innocent public.

Whilst medical personel attempt to find an antidote for this previously unknown strain of one of the world's most deadly toxins, the BAU must try to track down who is responsible. Their efforts are hindered somewhat when the top guns from Fort Deitrich insist on getting involved, making things more difficult as both sides try to be the ones running the investigation.

When a likely site for the lab is found in a house in a suburban neighbourhood, Reid and Morgan, already, like everybody else, having been given the strongest antidote available, enter the house and find what they were looking for - and a lot more besides. Such a huge pity that our beloved Dr. Reid scratched himself on a bush on the way in ...

As Reid get's sicker, alone in the house with an open vial of anthrax all over the floor, he must race to find an antidote to use on not only himself but also the rest of the patients who are still fighting for their lives in the hospital.

Terrific episode and really great work by Matthew Gray Gubler and Shemar Moore. You'll enjoy this one.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
8 0

Flag
Share Hide
This episode was a total 'amplification' of what I thought Criminal Minds is capable of!

10

By amazing_race, Oct 16, 2011

I think this would have to be in the Top Five best episodes evef. It was such an amazing episode, and a very deadly one. It was also incredibly amazing to see th team respond to the threat of a biological attack.

I found the whole episode to be immensely suspenseful. Not only did we have to fear for the safety of the whole nation from a biological attack, but a member of outr lovely team was even exposed! It was so intense and the commercial breaks were almost unbearable!

If you have never watched Criminal Minds before, watch this episode and I guarantee you will never want to miss another episode of this show ever again!

Keep it up Criminal Minds! I am thoroughly impressed!moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
12 0

Flag
Share Hide
The end blew my mind!

10

By vicky24c, Apr 07, 2011

In this episode of Criminal Minds, the following happens. We open this episode in a park, where we see families, playing together and a man walking. The man walking soon stops and we see him, with glove on, opening a tube and pouring a white powder into the air. We see later that same night, a mother and child who were in the park, getting sick. We then see Morgan, Emily and Reid as they get to the office and see that something major has happened as even the army are there. The team are taken into their office and are told about the case. We soon learn that it was Anthrax that was put into the air at the park. The team are all given meds to take in case they come into contact with it, although they font know if the meds will work against the strain that the team are working against. We quickly see that JJ is very worried about her son in this episode, as they can't help anyone outside of the office and JJ is feeling the strain. Should she tell her family and risk her job so that her son can be safe, or does she do nothing and hope for the best. Reid is taken to see of the victims to see what they can remember about being in the park, and if they saw anyone strange there. Soon more and more people are dying and so far 17 out of the 25 people affected have died. Soon JJ breaks down in tears in front of Hotch and he tells her that she can't tell anyone. Soon there are only 4 survivors left form the park. Soon the team believe that the Unsub is someone on the inside. They get the name of whom maybe the Unsub and when they search his home, Reid goes of wondering and soon finds his lab by accident. Reid then locks himself in side as Morgan looks on. Soon all of the team arrive at the scene.

Reid tells Hotch that he knows he's infected and that the best thing he can do is stay in the lab and search for a cure. Also the Unsub is lying dead on the floor, and has apparently been dead for a number of days. As JJ gets more and more stressed with worry about her son, she rings home on her cell, but there is no answer and so she leaves a message. Reid calls Garcia and asks her to record a message for him, for his mother in case he doesn't make it. During this Reid starts crying, Garcia gets upset and I start to cry. Soon they find the name of a man who they believe was working with the Unsub. Soon believing that they may have found the cure, they take Reid to the hospital, but on route he starts getting worse. When the team search the 2nd Unsubs house, they find out where he may be heading and so they head there. As they get there, they spot the Unsub, but he also spots them and tries to make a run for it. Soon the Army turn up and say that they need him to help cure what he has created. But it's all a ploy and after he hands over his bag, Morgan moves in and cuffs him. At the end of the episode we see JJ on the phone to Will and we hear that everything is ok. We then see Hotch calling to speak to his son. We then see Morgan sitting by Reid's hospital bed. We then see the virus and the cure being locked up at a secret location. As the camera zooms out, we see that there are hundreds if not thousands, of viruses and cures all locked away.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
11 0

Flag
Share Hide

See All Fan Reviews

Cast & Crew: STARS

EDIT

Thomas Gibson	Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner
Joe Mantegna	Senior SSA David Rossi
Matthew Gray Gubler	SSA Dr. Spencer Reid
Shemar Moore	SSA Derek Morgan
Paget Brewster	SSA Emily Prentiss
A.J. Cook	SSA Jennifer "JJ" Jareau

See All Cast & Crew

Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

EDIT

Tamlyn Tomita	Dr. Linda Kimura	Guest Star
Dan Lauria	General Lee Whitworth, M.D.	Guest Star
David Dean Bottrell	Chad Brown	Guest Star

See All Cast & Crew

Watch Online

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

FILTER BY TYPE

TRIVIA (4)
ADD TRIVIA
- Reid's cell phone number includes the digits 1414, which can be seen when JJ presses these digits on the conference phone.
  EDIT SHARE
- The entrance to the D.C. subway was substituted with an entrance to the New York City subway. Several of the subway station shots, before the final climax in the subway, are also New York City subway stations, and the shots of the train flying by the camera are also New York City subway trains. The final scenes appear to be shot in the Washington, D.C. system, which is much newer and has different train cars.
  EDIT SHARE
- When Rossi takes the anthrax medication, he says "Cent'anni! May you live 100 years!". "Cent'anni" is Italian for "a hundred years" and is a common toast at birthdays in Italy. Also, the complete sentence is used by ChefMD on his show.
  EDIT SHARE
- In the episode "52 Pickup," Agent Todd gets in trouble for lying to a civilian. However, in this episode, Prentiss is told that lying is a part of their job.
  EDIT SHARE
QUOTES (4)
ADD QUOTES
- Garcia: Hey, Reid.
  Reid: Reid, wow. No, ah, no witty Garcia greeting for me?
  Garcia: I can't be my sparkly self when you're where you are.
  EDIT SHARE
- Morgan: I'm going to see you off to the hospital.
  Reid: I'm about to get naked so they can scrub me down. Is that something you really want to see?
  EDIT SHARE
- Reid: "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it." Helen Keller
  EDIT SHARE
- Reid: "It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will become boils breaking out with sores on man and beast through all the land of Egypt." Exodus 9:9
  EDIT SHARE
NOTES (0)
ADD NOTES
- ADD NOTES from this episode.
ALLUSIONS (0)
ADD ALLUSIONS
- ADD ALLUSIONS from this episode.