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Criminal Minds Season 7 Episode 22

Profiling 101

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 5/9/12

In a class where college students are being taught criminal profiling, SSA David Rossi and the team present one of the BAU's longest open serial killer cases, which takes the class through the Bureau's pursuit for a murderer that lasted nearly 20 years.

Fan Episode Reviews (6)

H.B@YAHOO

9.5

By HeatherBennet1, Aug 09, 2012

tHE SHOW IS THE BEST FBI SHOW ON T.V. I watch it every night even if I've seen the episode already. I think they picked the perfect team, perfect actors to play them. I really hope Emily comes back though. She's my favorite female profiler on the show. Garcia is awesome too while she works magic with the computer.
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Don't know if I loved it or hated it.

9.0

By amazing_race, Jun 11, 2012

Well there's heaps of positives to this one. It was extremely intersting and it was presented in very unique and interesting ways. I didn't know hwhat to make of it at first, but I found myself enjoying it thoroughly at some points, especially the scene when Hotch met Rossi!

But there's also the obvious negative that the episode completely lacked suspense. In facet, the suspense factor was nonexistent for this one. That's an occupational hazard to having a 'flashback' type of episode, where we look back on an old case. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but there's no denying that it takes something away from the episode.

It was also a great episode dince it is so creepy. You really have to feel bad for Rossi after this. It is shocking.

In conclusion, if you can overlook the complete lack of any suspense, it was a very good episode. Definitely very interesting and extremely sick and twisted. Like I said, the lack of suspense brouhgt it down, but tstill an aamazing episode! :)moreless
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101 profile

10

By Lostforever, May 22, 2012

Very good ep! So sad for Rossi. He had a really bad time.

Only thing I noticed was, Reid was carrying a gun in 2005. But I thought he didn't get his gun until later...
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Goodness! Shades of the 'Criminal Minds' of yesteryear.

8.5

By Lady_Lancaster, May 16, 2012

Amazing. Some REAL profiling and some REAL team interaction. A must-see episode for all of those old-timer fans who have been wondering what has happened to the show we all knew and loved. Clever play on words for the episode title: 101 victims of the unsub and the class referred to as Profiling (or Profiler) 101. It was shades of the very first episode when Jason Gideon was addressing a class and describing almost exactly the same things so the shout-out to the past was welcome and appreciated. It also showed that the writers were awake.

I really liked the whole team addressing the undergraduate class. I found myself giggling, though at the way they were positioned as though they were all on a game show, ready to 'buzz in' with the answer to any questions which might arise. Absolutely LOVED the fact that the unsub was both uncovered and yet kept hidden at the same time because having all revealed about the person the team are chasing in the first five minutes has been annoying the heck out of me for many episodes now.

Nice touch when Reid and Garcia both said 'thank you' to the genius comment. The class obviously appreciated it too. The class, however, were obviously not very advanced in their studies. As the title suggests, clearly a first year college subject because some of their questions were things they should have already known the answers to.

Seeing Rossi carry such a heavy burden and yet still continue with his work was typical of the dedication of the character. I confess to not being a huge Rossi fan, even though I really like Joe Mantegna. I am still a 'Gideon' person but I love the way Joe plays the role, regardless. Fine acting. Matthew Gray Gubler continues to impress me with the way he portrays Reid. Give him a good script, such as this one, and he can do a hell of a lot with it.

How funny and endearing to see 'young Hotch' as an agent early in his career practically falling over with eagerness to get the job done and impress the great David Rossi. It was fantastic! I'm not going to say much about the terrible wig that poor Joe Mantegna had to wear in the mortuary because it was scarier than many of the unsubs I have seen on the show.

Speaking of the unsub, I was impressed with this one. He held just about all the cards and knew how to play them, and, by definition, he played Rossi perfectly, giving him what he wanted, annually AND on his birthday. Rossi should courage and style under very trying circumstances. Excellent acting by both men in the prison visit scene. I found it a little hard to swallow that Garcia didn't know it was Rossi's birthday because she has so much information at her fingertips and because these people are her family, I can imagine that she would have all their birthdays written in a cute little pink diary somewhere just so that there was no chance of her forgetting.

This episode was so very much better than anything we have been dished up for a long time which makes me realise that if the writers and directors can do it once, they can do it again. Well done, 'CM', great job actors and guest stars. More of the same, please because this is the 'CM' we WANT to see. We know you can do it.moreless
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Smart. Stylish. Innovative. Wonderful.

10

By Finnegan77, May 10, 2012

Who knew that in this season of terrible, idiotic, out of character writing dwelling more on the villains than on the heroes, displaying raw, stomach-turning graphic displays of torture and very little profiling and interaction that THIS episode could appear. I don't know if they'd been waiting until the fans were completely turned off and ready to bolt, if they had to dust off a script written for season 3 when the emphasis was on smart profiling and character building, or if someone finally started paying attention, but this will go down as one of my favorite episodes ever.

Beautiful concept. Gorgeous set-up with the team addressing a Criminology class. Great reasoning and explanations of profiling, of the long-term time committment catching these people really demands, and the way these criminals can reach out and continue to torture their victims' families as well as the people who chase them. The sometimes playful interaction between Rossi and the outspoken pupil were awesome! Loved the flashbacks, the revelation of Rossi's character, which I've always loved, enthusiastic-excited young Hotch, glass-wearing Reid.

The subtlety of Rossi's need to visit the inmate was beautifully constructed. From his nerves at the get-go, to his cryptic phone calls, to his anxious few words to get Hotch's help - it was played wonderfully. And, of course, the punch in the gut when we all realize that this happens every year on Rossi's birthday is powerful and painful in all the right ways.

Kudos to CM for reminding us why we ever watched this show in the first place. Definite reminders of our first glimpse of Jason Gideon in the profiling class, showing slides of the victims. Lovely shout-outs to the past for the characters. Nice character moments such as Reid and Garcia both saying 'thank you' to the genius comment.

Note to the writers: THIS you do well. This focus on the profiling and profilers is great. The over the top emphasis on the monsters, the zoomed in focus on torture and pain, the crazy grasps at logic like in 'tommy brown' and the completely out of character scenes like the horrible 'cooking at Rossi's' or the 'undercover poker game' in 'Snake Eyes' - those you don't do well. Those you suck at. CM is profiling and intelligence and characters we love.

Further advice: Profiling 101 - rinse, repeat. And repeat and repeat.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Zack Weinstein	David Zimmerman	Guest Star
Elizabeth June	Professor Marsha Grant	Guest Star
Nate Thomas	Lance	Guest Star

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (2)
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- The character David Zimmerman (portrayed by Zack Weinstein) was named by Virgil Williams as a shout-out to fellow writer on the show, Bruce Zimmerman.
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- The case presented in this episode was loosely based on Henry Lee Lucas, who was convicted of murder in 11 different cases and was once listed as America's most prolific serial killer. Lucas died in prison on March 13, 2001 from heart failure at the age of 64.
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QUOTES (2)
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- Rossi: Irish statesman and author Edmund Burke once wrote, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
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- Rossi: Voltaire once wrote, "To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth."
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