Criminal Minds 12x13 “Spencer” Review

SPOILERS

“Spencer” was such a good episode, one that happened at just the right time. We had built up enough suspense around Reid, his mother, and whatever those drugs were. Now we had to get some fallout.

There’s a car chase in Mexico…and it’s Reid who was driving the car! The police find drugs, he’s arrested, and he’s very, very high. The team does their part in helping figure out what’s going on, because he was definitely set up. He is still in custody, but back in the United States at the end of the episode. There were flashbacks to his early season drug problems, as well as this-season problems with his mom. This was a very Spencer-centered episode (as the title would suggest) and one that I’m glad they got around to doing.

Spencer Reid in jail in Mexico

I enjoy episodes that revolve around one of the main characters. Sure, some of the cases they solve are interesting, but the team-centered ones are the arcs and episodes I prefer. And I have a soft spot for Spencer; a lot of fans do (I was hoping this wouldn’t be his surprise final episode. The last time there was a character name as a title was when Derek left. My grandma is still mourning his absence.). To take such a smart, quick character and have him slowed down, with memory gaps and a mug shot, is a great way to draw the viewers in. It was not out of character for him to have drug problems or secrets. It just took a while for all of this to catch up to him. Throw in Mr. Scratch out to get the entire team, and you have a perfect storm for this all to boil over. And we’re only halfway through the season!

I was surprised at how far the writers were willing to take this storyline. The whole thing isn’t wrapped up at the end of the episode. There’s no technicality that gets him out of everything, the federal lawyers won’t represent him, and his mom is still no better and has no idea of what lengths Spencer went for her. This won’t take a two-parter to solve; it’ll probably be more. Real-world repercussions with characters that seem so untouchable always hurt. It was slightly painful to watch Reid all hazy and not remembering things, with the lightbulbs swaying and the flashbacks pulling us into his mind. And to top it all off, he’s under investigation for murder.

This was a really good episode. I’m sure a lot of people watch shows like this for the interesting stories and murders to solve and bad guys to catch, and a part of me does. But after a few seasons of the same thing, when the stories start diving into the characters in very personal ways, that is when it really gets interesting. You really find out how invested you are in the characters.

9/10