Season Eight

Season Eight DVD cover

Season Eight. On March 14th, 2012 CBS announced the renewal of Criminal Minds for the 2012-2013 TV season, with a full order of 24 episodes. The season premiered on September 26, 2012. 

Ratings

No ratings information is available at this time.

Cast

• Joe Mantegna - David Rossi
• Thomas Gibson - Aaron Hotchner
• Shemar Moore - Derek Morgan
• Matthew Gray Gubler - Doctor Spencer Reid
• A.J. Cook - Jennifer Jareau
• Jeanne Tripplehorn - Doctor Alex Blake
• Kirsten Vangsness - Penelope Garcia

Episodes

Image	Title	Airdate	Writer	Director	Season Episode	Series Episode
	"The Silencer"	September 26, 2012	Erica Messer	Glenn Kershaw	1	163
	When a Texas prisoner escapes during a transfer, he leaves behind victims with his unique trademark, sewing their mouths shut, a signature the BAU remembers as unique to the infamous serial killer "The Silencer". While they investigate who he was and who he's become, the BAU also gets to know the newest member of the team.
	"The Pact"	October 10, 2012	Janine Sherman Barrois	Karen Gaviola	2	164
	When the bodies of two seemingly unrelated victims are found just hours apart in San Diego and Los Angeles respectively, the BAU suspects that that not one, but two killers are working together to commit the murders.
	"Through the Looking Glass"	October 17, 2012	Sharon Lee Watson	Dermott Downs	3	165
	When a family in Kansas turns up dead and another goes missing, the BAU looks for a link between the cases to find out who is behind these crimes. Also, Hotch gets surprising news from Beth.
	"God Complex"	October 24, 2012	Breen Frazier	Larry Teng	4	166
	When a legless body is found in the New Mexico desert and a second unwilling amputee shows up at the hospital, the BAU team searches for this amateur surgeon before he preys upon his next reluctant victim. Also, Reid's phone calls to a mystery woman have the team intrigued.
	"The Good Earth"	October 31, 2012	Bruce Zimmerman	John Terlesky	5	167
	When four men go missing in rural Oregon, the BAU searches for a common link among them in order to track them down. Also, JJ becomes upset when her son Henry doesn't want to celebrate Halloween this year.
	"The Apprenticeship"	November 7, 2012	Virgil Williams	Rob Bailey	6	168
	When prostitutes in Miami are discovered murdered in a similar style to local animals found dead there, the BAU must work fast to find a killer whose confidence is quickly escalating. Also, Morgan tries to increase Reid's athletic skills by convincing him to join the bureau softball team.
	"The Fallen"	November 14, 2012	Rick Dunkle and Danny Ramm	Doug Aarniokoski	7	169
	The BAU travels to Santa Monica when burned bodies of homeless people begin showing up by the famous pier. Also, Rossi reconnects with his former Marine sergeant from Vietnam.
	"The Wheels on the Bus"	November 21, 2012	Kimberly Ann Harrison	Rob Hardy	8	170
	The BAU team goes in pursuit of a missing school bus full of students outside the Washington, D.C. area, and it becomes a race against time for them to bring them home safely and to capture their abductor.
	"Magnificent Light"	November 28, 2012	Sharon Lee Watson	John Kretchmer	9	171
	The BAU is called to investigate a string of ritualistic murders in Seattle, which the team links to a popular but shady motivational speaker. However, the case takes a puzzling turn when the main suspect suddenly goes missing. Also, Garcia is puzzled when Morgan declines to attend a dinner honoring an old family friend.
	"The Lesson"	December 5, 2012	Janine Sherman Barrois	Matthew Gray Gubler	10	172
	The BAU investigates a ritualistic serial killer who oddly disposes his victims in Arizona. Also, Reid gets anxious when faced with the possibility of meeting his mystery woman.
	"Perennials"	December 12, 2012	Bruce Zimmerman	Michael Lange	11	173
	The BAU heads south to investigate a fast-moving killer whose signature matches that of a serial killer from thirty years ago. Also, the team learns that someone is keeping track of their cases and replicating crimes they have solved.
	"Zugzwang"	January 16, 2013	Breen Frazier	Jesse Warn	12	174
	When Reid discovers that his girlfriend has been abducted by her stalker, he and the BAU band together to find and rescue her before it is too late.
	"Magnum Opus"	January 23, 2013	Jason Bernero	Glenn Kershaw	13	175
	While Reid copes with a loss in his personal life, the rest of the BAU travels to San Francisco to investigate a serial killer active in the Mission District.
	"All That Remains"	February 6, 2013	Erica Messer	Thomas Gibson	14	176
	When the daughters of Bruce Morrison, a writer whose wife mysteriously vanished a year ago, go missing on the first anniversary of their mother's disappearance, the BAU is brought in to study Morrison as a possible suspect.
	"Broken"	February 20, 2013	Rick Dunkle	Larry Teng	15	177
	The BAU heads to Austin to investigate victims found there with their watches set inaccurately, a clue which may help them find the killer. Meanwhile, the unsub stalking the BAU inches closer in his pursuit of the team.
	"Carbon Copy"	February 27, 2013	Virgil Williams	Rob Hardy	16	178
	When victims are found dead in Philadelphia in a similar style to victims of The Replicator, the stalker who has been tracking the BAU's every move, the team thinks this could be the break they need to try and apprehend him.
	"The Gathering"	March 20, 2013	Kimberly Ann Harrison	Michael Lange	17	179
	The BAU investigates victims who were documenting their personal lives and inner desires on blog posts and social media. Also, Kevin gets jealous when he learns Garcia may have a new love interest.
	"Restoration"	April 3, 2013	Jim Clemente and Janine Sherman Barrois	Félix Enríquez Alcalá	18	180
	The BAU goes to Morgan's old neighborhood in urban Chicago in search of a spree killer targeting middle-aged men, and a clue leads Morgan to believe that they are after someone connected to the man who molested him as a child.
	"Pay It Forward"	April 10, 2013	Bruce Zimmerman	John Terlesky	19	181
	When a time capsule in a small Colorado town is opened twenty-five years later and contains a gruesome discovery, the BAU investigates the crime and find a possible link to the death of a local police officer.
	"Alchemy"	May 1, 2013	Sharon Lee Watson	Matthew Gray Gubler	20	182
	The BAU travel to Rapid City after two male victims are found murdered in a ritualistic manner. Also, Reid continues to grieve over Maeve's death.
	"Nanny Dearest"	May 8, 2013	Virgil Williams	Doug Aarniokoski	21	183
	The BAU travels to Los Angeles looking for a serial killer who is abducting nannies and the children they care for on the same day each year.
	"#6"	May 15, 2013	Breen Frazier	Karen Gaviola	22	184
	The BAU goes to Detroit to track down a killer with a rapidly changing M.O. Also, Blake's husband returns from overseas with a life-changing career proposition for her.
	"Brothers Hotchner"	May 22, 2013	Rick Dunkle	Rob Bailey	23	185
	The BAU is called in to investigate a string of deaths in Manhattan tied to apparent ecstasy overdoses, and Hotch discovers that his estranged brother, Sean, is caught in the middle. Meanwhile, the Replicator begins to zero in on the BAU.
	"The Replicator"	May 22, 2013	Erica Messer	Glenn Kershaw	24	186
	The Replicator zeroes in on the BAU when the killer targets one of the team as the next victim. The team must now struggle against his endgame as the stakes grow higher.

Highlights

Jeanne Tripplehorn joined the series as a regular, portraying Alex Blake, filling Prentiss' spot in the team.

In the fourth episode, Reid got a girlfriend named Maeve Donovan. Unfortunately, she was killed by her stalker in the early half of the season, and the later half was spent with Reid recovering from those traumatic events.

Thomas Gibson and A.J. Cook hinted that "a strange criminal" would be stalking the BAU throughout the entire season. Later on, Erica Messer confirmed that fact, explaining that for the first time, they will be able to feature a season-long unsub, something producers have wanted to do for a while but had never gotten approval on until now. She has also added that "...this guy is replicating crimes we've solved. [...] We'll probably see him five or six times [throughout the season]." The stalker first appeared in the end of The Silencer and was prominent for a total of eight episodes.

The airdate of the episode Brothers Hotchner was changed, and it aired just before the season finale as a two-hour episode, just like last season's Hit and Run. In the episode, the stalker's identity was revealed, and they lost one of their own.