200 

The BAU call Emily Prentiss for help to find JJ, who has been kidnapped. The truth about JJ and Cruz's past is revealed.

Director:

Larry Teng

Writers:

Jeff Davis (created by), Rick Dunkle

Stars:

Joe Mantegna, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Joe Mantegna	...	David Rossi
Shemar Moore	...	Derek Morgan
Matthew Gray Gubler	...	Dr. Spencer Reid
A.J. Cook	...	Jennifer Jareau
Kirsten Vangsness	...	Penelope Garcia
Jeanne Tripplehorn	...	Alex Blake
Thomas Gibson	...	Aaron Hotchner
Paget Brewster	...	Emily Prentiss
Tahmoh Penikett	...	Michael Hastings
Faran Tahir	...	Tivon Askari
Josh Stewart	...	William LaMontagne Jr.
Nicholas Brendon	...	Kevin Lynch
Debrah Farentino	...	Undersecretary Rosemary Jackson
Jayne Atkinson	...	Erin Strauss
Esai Morales	...	Section Chief Mateo Cruz

Storyline

Will arrives at the BAU office with news that JJ has gone missing. On JJ's directive if she ever did go missing, Will has come to inform Mat, who would "know what to do" as the two are still working on a top secret case from their joint State Department days. This news surprises the rest of the team, as they had no idea JJ and Mat even knew each other prior to him being appointed Section Chief. However, they all discover that Mat is also missing, which they fear the worst for both JJ and Mat. Hotch is able to find out some basic information about what JJ and Mat were working on - that is was an Afghanistan based mission in trying to locate Osama bin Laden - but the BAU is told by the State Department not only to mind their own business as their disappearances are a State Department matter, but that they are to cease any work in trying to find either JJ or Mat or face the consequences if they do. The team ignores this directive, but they know that they have to work clandestinely to ...

---

Plot Keywords:

number in episode title | digit in episode title | 200th episode | tied feet | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 2014 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mark Gordon Company, CBS Television Studios, ABC Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

42 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Hastings mentioned calling for a helo extraction during JJ and Cruz's rescue. Tahmoh Penikett played Helo in Battlestar Galactica.

---

Goofs

The Nietzsche quote from this and the first episode, referred to in the "Trivia" section, is an abbreviation of the original. Interestingly in '100' the full quote is properly stated, "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.",translated from Gerrman "Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein."

---

Quotes

Tivon Askari: You have forgotten. I know exactly how to get what I want.

---

Soundtracks

Blackbird
Written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Performed by Sarah Darling

User Reviews

A waste of a milestone episode

This is not going to be a popular review from the looks of it, though "200" has garnered a very mixed reception with those who disliked it being particularly vocal.

As a 'Criminal Minds', speaking as someone who has been a great fan for 7 years or so now, episode, this will (and has done) leave a lot of fans short-changed (unless one is a die-hard fan of JJ), one could say it's a slap in the face. So much so that it is hard to judge it from a standalone episode, as something standing on its own two feet.

Credit is due. The acting is very good, AJ Cook in particular doing a fantastic job, JJ's pain, anguish and determination coming over incredibly powerfully. Production values are high, with a superb stark and claustrophobic atmosphere created, that one wishes was matched by the writing. The music is suitably haunting too, with a touching use of "Blackbird".

"200's" biggest problem, especially considering that it's an anniversary special (very like "100" was, except that it was unquestionably 'Criminal Minds'), is that it didn't feel like an episode of 'Criminal Minds'. If it weren't for the throwing in of the rest of the team who come and go within the episode it would have felt like something else entirely. Despite it being a JJ episode (in a situation that realistically she shouldn't even have been in the first place), even with her situation it did feel like too much focus was given to her and the rest of the team were given a back-seat. This does hurt the dynamic of the team and of the rest of the characters properly shining, as their screen times are far too short and their personalities seemed dumbed down and out of character.

Even the much touted return of Emily Prentiss feels wasted. Lovely to see her again, but again screen time is too short and in a way it didn't seem like there was much need for her and that anybody could have been in her role. The writing lacks its usual tightness, light humour, sense of dread and suspense, while the storytelling is implausible, contradictory (going against what we were already told in Seasons 6 and 7, rather than filling in major gaps, and doesn't fit within the 'Criminal Minds' timeline) and rushed in an episode that should have really been a two-parter. Apart from the acting and the production values, there was little urgency or momentum here. The climax and final scene (which also ends abruptly) are pretty intelligence-insulting and like the rest of the episode and JJ's predicament had never happened.

In conclusion, for a milestone episode "200" was a sad waste of great potential. 3/10 Bethany Cox