True Genius (18 Jan. 2012)

The BAU is called to the San Francisco Bay area when a young couple named David Atley and Nicole Puli are found shot to death, with evidence pointing to the unsub being the Zodiac Killer, ... See full summary »

Director:

Glenn Kershaw

Writers:

Jeff Davis (creator), Sharon Lee Watson

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
Thomas Gibson	...	Aaron Hotchner
Jeff Newburg	...	Caleb Rossmore
Finn Wittrock	...	Harvey Morell
Toni Sawyer	...	Mrs. Zablonsky
Claudia Choi	...	Agent Rebecca Lin
Marissa Armijo	...	Marisa Devon
Joseph Fuhr	...	Dan Feinberg
Christine Garver	...	Nicole Puli
Jonny Jay	...	David Atley
Jimbo Barnett	...	Roger Smith

Storyline

The BAU is called to the San Francisco Bay area when a young couple named David Atley and Nicole Puli are found shot to death, with evidence pointing to the unsub being the Zodiac Killer, who has not been heard from since 1974. The local police detective leading the investigation believes it to be the work of the real Zodiac Killer, but Hotch, Rossi and Reid believe that it is not, especially since there has been no evolution in the nature of these latest killings since those by the real Zodiac Killer. The team nonetheless follow leads back to the original investigation, including tracking those who were involved in that investigation as well as anyone who either wrote about it or tracked the investigation. They are hindered in the investigation by an anxious and sometime media hungry public who want to cash in on the Zodiac Killer's notoriety. They are also helped and hindered when they learn the unsub has a genius IQ, he who may understand the BAU's tactics. As the BAU goes through ...

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Plot Keywords:

zodiac killer | female tied up | san francisco california | blowing out candle

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 2012 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mark Gordon Company, The, CBS Television Studios, ABC Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

44 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Quotes

Dr. Spencer Reid: [voiceover] There is no greater sorrow than to recall in misery the time when we were happy. -Dante

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Soundtracks

"Feelin' Alright"
(uncredited)
Written by Dave Mason

User Reviews

CRIMINAL MINDS - "True Genius"

Matthew Gray Gubler takes center stage in this Reid-centric episode. Once considered a boy wonder, the years are adding up. It's a bittersweet birthday he tries to ignore, suspending reality by leaving it unannounced. What distinguished Reid as a youth doesn't seem so rare at thirty, especially as a psychopathic genius taunts that he's not as smart as he thinks he is. As the case mirrors a high stakes chess game, Reid searches for the culprit as well as a renewed sense of personal validation.

Eerily written, "True Genius" plays upon the echoes of the past, demonstrating just how easily the innocent can become pawns in the hands of the criminally insane. Distant deeds, good and evil, unearth a reluctance to set aside the notoriety of youth for both hunter and hunted. For the prey, it's much more than escaping a present danger. It's the past that threatens to overtake, precluding safe passage into the future.

Guest star, Jeff Newburg, delivers an unsettlingly layered performance as the brilliantly disturbed Caleb, drawing sympathy and repulsion in turns. The way Newburg's Caleb gets under one's skin is reminiscent of the creep-factor Michael Emerson elicited when he turned a guest shot into a series regular role on LOST. Perhaps the unresolved nature of Caleb's fate could likewise lead to a CRIMINAL MINDS recurrence that only a true genius could devise.