The Big Wheel (29 Apr. 2009)

The team tracks down a highly obsessive-compulsive killer who targets blonde women and leaves messages to the police asking them to stop him.

Director:

Rob Hardy

Writers:

Jeff Davis (creator), Simon Mirren

Stars:

Joe Mantegna, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Joe Mantegna	...	David Rossi
Paget Brewster	...	Emily Prentiss
Shemar Moore	...	Derek Morgan
Matthew Gray Gubler	...	Dr. Spencer Reid
A.J. Cook	...	Jennifer Jareau
Kirsten Vangsness	...	Penelope Garcia
Thomas Gibson	...	Aaron Hotchner
Alex O'Loughlin	...	Vincent
Erika Alexander	...	Det. Lynne Henderson
Jake Cherry	...	Stanley Wolcott
Martha Madison	...	Kate (as Martha Anne Madison)
Giselle Jones	...	Alice
Jill Klopp	...	Michelle Watson
Terrence Edwards	...	Jay
Quentin Prescott Price	...	Carl

Storyline

Michelle Watson, a Buffalo, New York based real estate agent, is found murdered inside a house at which she was showing. A week later, the Buffalo Police Department receive an audio-less and edited video recording from the murderer's viewpoint of the lead-up to the killing, including shots within the murderer's home, as well as the actual murder itself. From the video, it looks as if it was taken by a hidden camera located somewhere on the upper half of the murderer's body. From the actions on the video, the BAU can also tell that the murderer suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Reviewing past cases in the Buffalo area within the past ten years and another video visible in the background of the video sent makes them suspect that this murder was done by a serial killer. Two other key pieces of information on the video are the number "29", circled by the murderer on Michelle's day planner, and the murderer scrawling the words "HELP ME". The BAU have a race for time as they ...

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Plot Keywords:

obsessive compulsive | serial killer | buffalo new york | drinking from the bottle | hand sanitizer | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 April 2009 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Paramount Network Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

42 min 42 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

At the beginning of the episode, a very tall palm tree can be seen reflected in the window of the vehicle driven by Vincent (Alex O'Laughlin). This episode is set in Buffalo, New York, however, where the freezing winters would make it impossible to grow a palm tree, let alone one of that height.

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Quotes

Derek Morgan: [closing quotation, voiceover] "No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible." - George Chakiris.

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Soundtracks

"Frio"
(uncredited)
Written by Carlos Villalobos
Performed by Carlos Villalobos
Courtesy of Alistar Records

User Reviews

Outstanding performance by Alex O'Laughlin

I have to admit I never heard of this guy before, and to the best of my knowledge, never saw him before. His portrayal of Vincent was very moving. Criminal Minds' killers are mostly exploitative and creepy, seldom interesting, certainly never sympathetic. The restrained story-telling, minimizing the gore, getting the team out of the way so we could focus on the carefully revealed story of Stanley and Vincent, brilliantly and understatedly played by both actors, was some of the finest TV I have ever seen. Kudos too to whichever of the four composers listed was responsible for the background music that started at the point when the ferris wheel rose and crowd noise faded. Extremely effective, underscoring, literally, the pathos of the situation. Bravi, production team and actors!