On tonight’s episode of Criminal Minds, an unlucky gambler begins to turn things around after he commits murder and decides to make killing his new “system” for winning. In other news, Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) wakes up to find a man in her apartment — a man who is not her boyfriend.
A Very Good Morning
Garcia wakes up with a terrible hangover and a poor memory of the previous night. She remembers getting into a fight with Kevin and then drinking way too much, but that is where her memory ends. W
hat she does know is that someone is in her shower and she discovers that it is not, in fact, her boyfriend but the lovely Derek Morgan. And the pulses of many fans quicken as Shemar Moore enters in only a colorful towel. Garcia, however, seems more horrified and embarrassed than excited. Luckily, the two need to get into the office for their latest case so the morning-after discussion is tabled for a later date.
Lucky Streak
After killing a man at the start of the episode, our UnSub (guest star Dean Cain) wins money on the slot machine and it sets off one heck of a winning streak. However, his streak ends quickly and he starts to believe that murder is the key to his good luck, so he kills someone else to test out his theory. Lo and behold, after his second murder, the UnSub’s winning streak returns.
However, with his third murder, the UnSub’s luck does not turn around and he has to figure out why. The UnSub believes that his “system” will only work if he kills people he knows, so he murders one of his closest friends.
Gamblin’ Man
In order to catch the UnSub, the team has to buy their way into a high-stakes poker game. The FBI will not authorize the funds, so Rossi (Joe Mantegna) gives them the buy-in money and Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) is picked as the one to enter the tournament. Reid starts doing well and catches the UnSub’s attention, but he’s pulled out of the game before they can make an arrest.
The UnSub takes off through the casino and the team loses him. In an attempt to get out of this mess, the UnSub plans to murder the closest person to him. Luckily, the team figures out the UnSub’s plan and they stop him before he kills his wife, but not before he takes his own life. I found it difficult to empathize with the UnSub, so I can’t say I was upset by his death, even though Dean Cain once played Superman.
The Truth About that Towel
Garcia spends most of the case trying to avoid Morgan at all costs and he finally confronts her when the team returns to Quantico. When Morgan realizes that Garcia is confused about what happened between them, he explains everything. After Garcia had a little too much to drink, she called Morgan to keep her company. They watched movies, ate popcorn and Morgan slept on her couch.
Garcia is relieved to learn that she did not complicate her closest friendship with a drunken one-night stand, and she prepares to go out on a date with her other favorite man. As Garcia and Kevin leave for their date, Morgan gives Kevin his seal of approval.
This episode had some cute moments between the team members. I really enjoyed their conversation about the best gangster films and it was cute to see the others gang up on Rossi until he agreed to front them the buy-in money. But everything else paled to the Garcia/Morgan storyline, as it was completely adorable to watch Garcia freak out over the idea that the slept with her best friend. And let’s not forget that now-infamous towel scene.
Best Tweets About the Episode
Megan Cole
Contributing Writer
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
