Criminal Minds: Season 4, Episode 18Omnivore (18 Mar. 2009)After being inactive for 10 years, Hotch's first BAU case, an elusive serial killer known as the Reaper, starts killing again. Director:Nelson McCormick |
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Criminal Minds: Season 4, Episode 18Omnivore (18 Mar. 2009)After being inactive for 10 years, Hotch's first BAU case, an elusive serial killer known as the Reaper, starts killing again. Director:Nelson McCormick |
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| Episode cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Joe Mantegna | ... | ||
| Paget Brewster | ... | ||
| Shemar Moore | ... | ||
| Matthew Gray Gubler | ... | ||
| A.J. Cook | ... | ||
| Kirsten Vangsness | ... | ||
| Thomas Gibson | ... | ||
| C. Thomas Howell | ... | ||
| Louis Ferreira | ... |
Ray Colson
(as Justin Louis)
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| James Hanlon | ... |
Sgt. Michael O'Mara
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| James Handy | ... |
Tom Shaunessy
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| Joyce Greenleaf | ... | ||
| Frank Novak | ... |
Arthur Lanessa
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| Lynn Milano | ... |
Diane Lanessa
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| Adam Chambers | ... |
Evan Harvey
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The BAU is assigned to work on an old case, which was Hotch's first as lead investigator for the BAU, namely that of the Boston Reaper. The case was originally closed ten years ago by Tom Shaunessy, the lead Boston police detective working on the case. When the case officially closed, the killings stopped. With Shaunessy now on his deathbed, he discloses to Hotch the reasons for closing the case. After Shaunessy's death, the killings once again begin. Hotch is taking this case personally as, although he had thought and worked on his own on the case in the intervening years, he feels he could have stopped the Reaper during this time which may have prevented these recent deaths. Beyond the random persons chosen as the murder victims, the one person who may be in danger as a target of the Reaper is George Foyet, the only known person who survived the Reaper's murder attempt ten years earlier. One other person who may provide a symbiotic benefit to the BAU in finding the Reaper this time ... Written by Huggo
Finally an episode that is everything Masterpiece (#4.8) aspired to be, yet failed in its we-didn't-really-think-this-through cleverness. In a series that is mainly episodic, this one also contains several nods to long-time viewers and establishes what probably is as close to mythology (in TV trope sense, not cultural sense) as Criminal Minds will ever get. Kudos! Finally we have an episode that measures up to the standards set by "L.D.S.K." (#1.6), "The Fisher King: Part 1" (#1.22), "Revelations" (#2.15), "3rd Life" (#3.12), and "Lo-Fi" (#3.20).
With an episode like this, it's excellence cannot be thoroughly analyzed without spoilers. Since this seems to be universally a highly regarded episode, there is no need to explain in detail why it is good. Suffice to say, the script is amazing, surprising both plot and character-wise: Hotch is finally made interesting! The BAU is up against a true Chessmaster, not a wannabe like the clown in Masterpiece. Brutal, tense and inventive, this is a must-see. The only reason it's "only" a 9/10? It would be a spoiler...