"A Rite of Passage" (also known as "Rite of Passage") is the nineteenth episode of Season Five and the 110th overall of Criminal Minds.
Summary
The BAU heads to Texas to track a serial killer who is targeting illegal immigrants trying to cross the U.S. border at Terlingua.
Guest Cast
- Kristen Alaniz - Mother
- Jaime Alvarez - Man
- Kurt Cáceres - Omar Morales
- Elena Campbell-Martínez - Marion
- Parvesh Cheena - Father
- Eduardo Ambriz DeColosio - Coyote #1
- Mike Doyle - Deputy Ronald Boyd
- Eddie J. Fernandez - Mechanic
- Marlene Forte - Sheriff Eva Ruiz
- Justin Huen - Richard Corral
- Joseph Lucero - José
- Lyn Mahler - Medical Examiner
- Shannon McClung - Evidence Tech
- Casey Nelson - Deputy Gannon
- Nathaniel Peña - Young Boy
- Alex Quijano - Deputy Clyde Gentry
Referenced Criminals
- Cary Stayner, The Yosemite Killer
Bookend Quotes
- Emily Prentiss: "A lion's work hours are only when he's hungry; once he's satisfied, the predator and prey live peacefully together." - Chuck Jones
- Aaron Hotchner: "Many persons have the wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose." - Helen Keller
Trivia
- "Rite of passage" is another term referring to a rite, which is a ceremony or event that is meant to mark an important stage in the life of a person, such as birth, marriage, and death.
- Casey Nelson, the actor who portrayed Deputy Gannon, previously appeared on Criminal Minds, starring as Constable Cassar in the two-part Season Four episode finale "To Hell...and Back."
- The main setting of this episode is Terlingua, Texas, which is a ghost town in real life. A similar narrative device was used two episodes later, in "Exit Wounds," where the setting was named after a ghost town in Alaska.