In last week’s episode, the team got a shock when they realized they arrested the wrong man and Hotch weighed his future career options. In “The Inspired” — tonight’s follow-up to last week’s season premiere — the team searches for the real killer and Hotch gets an update on the Section Chief position. Read on to find out what the minds behind Criminal Minds have in store for us in this week.
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Two Psychopaths
When the team learns that they arrested the wrong man, they return to Arizona to continue the investigation. Jesse — the twin who is not the Unsub — is released and his lawyer threatens to sue the agents if they go near him again. Though the agents must stay away from Jesse, they know it is only a matter of time before the twins find their way to one another and the chaos really begins.
After he is released from jail, Jesse kidnaps his brother to get some answers. Wallace — the twin who is the Unsub — tells Jesse all of the horrible things he has done, but instead of scaring Jesse, Wallace’s crimes give Jesse the inspiration to give in to his own murderous impulses. Jesse gets a taste for murder when he kills a woman in a manner similar to his brother’s MO. Jesse then takes his neighbor hostage and suggests that he and Wallace kill her together. Wallace is more than willing to go along with that plan and the creepy brother-bonding begins.
Their Mother’s Sons
During the investigation, the agents bring the twins’ mother Carla in for questioning and it is clear that she is just as disturbed as her sons. When Hotch interviews Carla, he learns that though she gave Jesse up for adoption, she considers Wallace a disappointment and wishes she had given him up instead. The team discovers that Carla and Jesse have been in touch for months and Carla has been trying to manipulate Jesse into killing his brother. But Carla is their best chance of catching the twins, so they release her in the hope that she will lead them to her sons.
Carla meets up with her boys, but Jesse has now become attached to Wallace and no longer wants to kill him. Jesse attacks Carla instead, but Wallace defends her, despite knowing how she really feels about him. Before the agents arrive on-site, the twins fight and only one survives. The agents figure out that Wallace — the original Unsub — is the surviving twin and he and Carla are taken into custody.
Last week, I hoped the writers would give Camryn Manheim more to do and they delivered in tonight’s hour. Manheim gives a memorable performance as crazy Carla and Fred Koehler does an outstanding job playing both Jesse and Wallace.
An Easy Out
Though the team is in hot water at the start of the episode, things turn around when they finally close the challenging case and arrest the right Unsub. In fact, Hotch’s bosses are so impressed with the team’s work that they remove his name from consideration in the search for the next Section Chief. So Hotch will stay with the team and the Bureau will find someone else to replace Strauss.
Though we all knew Hotch would not leave the team, it seems a bit too convenient that the decision was made for him. And though this case could have caused problems for the Bureau, the team has solved much tougher cases in the past, so I wonder why it was this one that convinced Hotch’s bosses of how much he was needed as Unit Chief.
What do you think of tonight’s episode? Were you impressed with Koehler’s performance? Do you think Hotch should have made the choice to remain with the team or is it just important that he will be staying? Did tonight’s conclusion leave you with a better impression of last week’s season premiere? Hit the comments section and let us know your thoughts.
Catch new episodes of Criminal Minds each Wednesday at 9pm on CBS.
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(Image courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
