In the last episode, the agents searched for a missing child and Reid saved Blake’s life. In tonight’s episode, “Bully”, the agents head to Kansas City after Blake’s father requests their help and the show touches on an important subject. Read on to find out what the minds behind Criminal Minds have planned for us this week.
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Blake Goes Home
Tonight’s episode seemingly starts at the end, as the agents locate the Unsub. Blake tries to talk him down and gets a bullet in the arm for her trouble. But Rossi kills the Unsub, so we know there will be no “48 hours earlier” flashback and this case is closed.
After wrapping up the case we did not get to see, Blake gets a call from her father, a retired police captain. Blake’s dad wants the BAU’s help with several murders he believes are connected. Though they have not been officially invited in, Hotch decides they should go to Blake’s old stomping grounds to check things out.
The agents know very little about Blake’s family, but Rossi knows enough to explain why Blake has not been home in five years. Her older brother, also a cop, was killed in the line of duty in a manner very similar to the way Morgan’s father died. When Morgan realizes that he and Blake lost a family member in the same way, he wonders why Blake never mentioned it. JJ and Rossi chalk it up to Blake being a private person, but Morgan is clearly bothered that Blake never opened up about her past.
When they arrive in Kansas City, Blake’s brother — who is the lead detective on the case — is not impressed that their father called the team in. He is angry that their dad went over his head and talked his boss into letting them investigate what he believes are unrelated cases. He is also worried about bad press for his department, but Blake points out that a serial killer trumps bad press.
Blake = 1, Annoying Brother = 0.
Jefferson High
During the course of the investigation, it is clear that Blake and her brother do not get along. Part of the reason their father called in the team is so Blake and her brother will have to work together and hopefully repair their relationship.
In the spirit of working together, Blake and her brother question the father of one of the victims. Blake knows the guy is holding something back and eventually gets him to admit that he tampered with the murder scene. He found his son and his son’s girlfriend in states of undress and clothed them to preserve their dignity. The state in which he found his son’s body is the same as how the latest male victim was found, so they know that Blake’s father was right and the murders are connected.
Blake = 2, Annoying Brother = 0.
As the case unfolds, the bodies start to pile up and the agents find the connection between the victims. They were all connected to the same high school, around the same time. But the only notable thing to happen at said high school was the death of a boy named Riley in what was rumored to be a suicide.
The agents question the daughter of two of the victims and she tells them that Riley was bullied by many of her classmates. The agents quickly deduce that the Unsub is targeting the people who ignored or participated in the bullying, though he killed the girl’s parents because he could not get to her. Garcia digs into Riley’s history and finds out that she had only one real friend, a boy named Ronald, who the agents identify as the Unsub.
Ronald’s endgame involves confronting the teacher who ignored the bullying that both he and Riley suffered. Ronald attacks his former teacher at the high school, but the agents arrive before he kills the man. Blake once again tries to talk the Unsub down, this time with more success. Ronald-the-Unsub is arrested and his latest victim is rescued.
Bringing Family Together
Before the agents identify the Unsub, Blake’s brother goes to question one of the people connected with the high school. He does not get far into his interview before the Unsub — who was already at the house — attacks him. The Unsub kills the man Blake’s brother was questioning, but leaves Blake’s brother alive. Blake’s father goes with her brother to the hospital so Blake can continue working the case.
Blake = 2, Annoying Brother = -1.
Blake picks her brother up from the hospital after he is released and they finally have the talk they have been avoiding. Her brother is upset because Blake left after their older brother died and stopped visiting completely after they lost their mom. Blake explains that it is too hard for her to be around the family she has left because it reminds her of the people she’s lost. She apologies and promises to do better in the future. They go back to their dad’s place and he has invited the whole team — Garcia included — for a family barbeque.
What did you think of tonight’s episode? Did you enjoy this exploration of Blake’s character? Do you want to see more of her family or was this episode enough? And how do you think tonight’s episode stacks up against the show’s previous attempts to address the continuing problem of bullying? Hit the comments section and let us know your thoughts.
Criminal Minds airs Wednesdays at 9pm on CBS.
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
