Criminal Minds season 7
Season of television series Criminal Minds
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The seventh season of Criminal Minds premiered on CBS in the United States on September 21, 2011.[1] Both A. J. Cook and Paget Brewster were rehired by CBS to reprise their roles as Jennifer Jareau and Emily Prentiss.[2][3] On February 15, 2012, Deadline Hollywood reported that Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss) would leave the series, definitively, once season seven was over. All the other main actors on the show secured deals to return for the eighth season.[4] The two-hour season finale, which took place on May 16, 2012, reveals Prentiss deciding to leave the BAU.[5]
| Criminal Minds | |
|---|---|
| Season 7 | |
Season 7 U.S. DVD cover | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 21, 2011 – May 16, 2012 |
| Season chronology | |
On March 14, 2012, CBS renewed Criminal Minds for an eighth season, which aired on September 26, 2012.[6]
Cast
Main
- Joe Mantegna as Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi (BAU Senior Agent)
- Paget Brewster as Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss (BAU Agent)
- Shemar Moore as Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan (BAU Agent)
- Matthew Gray Gubler as Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid (BAU Agent)
- A. J. Cook as Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (BAU Agent)
- Kirsten Vangsness as Special Agent Penelope Garcia (BAU Technical Analyst & Co-Communications Liaison)
- Thomas Gibson as Supervisory Special Agent Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner (BAU Unit Chief & Co-Communications Liaison)
Recurring
- Bellamy Young as Beth Clemmons
- Jayne Atkinson as Supervisory Special Agent Erin Strauss (BAU Section Chief)
- Cade Owens as Jack Hotchner
- Nicholas Brendon as Kevin Lynch
- Josh Stewart as William "Will" LaMontagne Jr.
- Mekhai Andersen as Henry LaMontagne
Guest stars

In the season premiere "It Takes a Village", Timothy V. Murphy reprises as Ian Doyle, and Robin Atkin Downes guest-starred as Lachlan McDermott, an international criminal who seeks vengeance against Doyle for murdering his brother Jimmy. In the episode "Proof", Andy Milder guest-starred as Cy Bradstone, a mentally challenged serial killer who removes his victims' five senses with sulfuric acid. Johanna Braddy guest-starred as Cy's niece, Tammy, and Tracy Middendorf guest-starred as Tammy's mother, Lyla, over whom Cy had a secret obsession. In the episode "Dorado Falls", Max Martini guest-starred as Luke Dolan, a former U.S. Navy Seal suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and capgras syndrome who goes on a murderous rampage. Sarah Aldrich guest-starred as Luke's wife, Jenna.

In the episode "Painless", Eric Jungmann guest-starred as Robert Adams, a survivor of a high school shooting who copied the murders committed by Randy Slade. Julia Campbell guest-starred as Randy's mother, Martha Slade, and Aaron Hill guest-starred as Jerry Holtz, another survivor of the shooting who is murdered by Robert. In the episode "From Childhood's Hour", Isabella Hofmann guest-starred as Carolyn Baker, David Rossi's first wife who dies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Heather Tom guest-starred as Connie Barton, a mother who is abducted by George Kelling. In the episode "There's No Place Like Home", Alex Weed guest-starred as Travis James, a serial killer who abducted male prostitutes.

In the episode "Hope", Brigid Brannagh guest-starred as Monica Kingston, a mother whose daughter was abducted and murdered by Bill Rogers, played by Jack Coleman. In the episode "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy", René Auberjonois of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 fame guest-starred as Colonel Ronald Massey, the leader of the Somerville Military Academy and criminal accomplice of both his second in command and of a dead cadet's vengeful father. In the episode "The Bittersweet Science", Shawn Hatosy guest-starred as Jimmy Hall, a professional boxer and spree killer whose son dies of leukemia. David Mazouz who co-starred with Kieffer Sutherland in the TV show Touch plays young Ryan Hall. Charles S. Dutton guest-starred as Tony Cole, Jimmy's boxing trainer.

In the episode "Unknown Subject", Jay Karnes guest-starred as Hamilton Bartholomew, aka "The Piano Man", a serial rapist who is assaulting the victims he previously raped. In the episode "Snake Eyes", Dean Cain guest-starred as Curtis Banks, a serial killer with a gambling problem. Vanessa Branch guest-starred as Curtis' wife, Teri. In the episode "Closing Time", Geoffrey Blake guest-starred as Michael Janeczko, a serial killer who targeted men who have been divorced, which reflected Michael's own background. Tyler Neitzel guest-starred as Michael's stepson, Hunter Wright. In the episode "A Thin Line", Paul Johansson guest-starred as Clark Preston, a mayoral candidate and criminal accomplice of hate crime serial killer Trevor Mills.

In the episode "A Family Affair", Kathy Baker and William Russ guest-starred as Donald and Linda Collins, the parents of paraplegic serial killer Jeffrey Collins. In the episode "I Love You, Tommy Brown", Teri Polo guest-starred as Margaret Hollman, a mentally unstable high school teacher who fell in love with one of her students, Thomas Brown, with whom she had a son. In the episode "Foundation", Hedy Burress guest-starred as Samantha Allen, the daughter of pedophilic abductor J.B. Allen. In the episode "Heathridge Manor", Juliet Landau guest-starred as Catherine Heathridge, a textile heiress who suffered a psychotic reaction to a Shakespeare play that convinced her that the lead actresses were "The Devil's Wives", prompting her to murder them. Kyle Gallner and Madeleine Martin guest-starred as Catherine's children, James and Lara, who followed in her footsteps. Robert Englund appeared as Detective Gassner, who calls in the BAU for help.

In the episode "The Company", Shanola Hampton guest-starred as Cindi Burns, Derek Morgan's cousin who suffered from stockholm syndrome after marrying and giving birth to the son of her abductor, Malcolm Ford. In the episode "Divining Rod", Mackenzie Astin guest-starred as Dylan Kohler, the copycat killer of serial killer Rodney Baines Garrett. In the two-part season finale "Hit & Run", Josh Randall guest-starred as Matthew Downs, a member of the Face Cards and Izzy Rogers' lover, and Evan Jones guest-starred as Chris Stratton, another member of the Face Cards. Sebastian Roché reprises as Clyde Easter, Emily Prentiss' former partner at Interpol who offers her a job as Chief of the Interpol office in London, which she accepts, causing her departure from the BAU.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 139 | 1 | "It Takes a Village" | Glenn Kershaw | Erica Messer | September 21, 2011 | 701 | 14.14[7] |
|
As the BAU testifies before a Senate Committee about their so-called vendetta against crime lord Ian Doyle (Timothy V. Murphy), a series of events are revealed in which an investigation into the disappearance of Doyle's son tests the team in ways they never imagined and causes a ghost from their past to return. | |||||||
| 140 | 2 | "Proof" | Karen Gaviola | Janine Sherman Barrois | September 28, 2011 | 702 | 12.58[8] |
|
When two teenage Durant, Oklahoma girls are sexually assaulted and blinded with sulfuric acid, the BAU searches for a killer determined to get revenge on his childhood love interest. Meanwhile, Reid struggles to overcome his anger against JJ and Prentiss for their deception regarding the latter's fake death. | |||||||
| 141 | 3 | "Dorado Falls" | Félix Alcalá | Sharon Lee Watson | October 5, 2011 | 703 | 13.43[9] |
|
When eight people are murdered in a mass shooting/stabbing at a Charlottesville, Virginia Internet security company, the BAU is called in to profile a traumatized U.S. Navy veteran who believes he is on a mission. Meanwhile, Prentiss works with Morgan to prepare for her recertification training. | |||||||
| 142 | 4 | "Painless" | Larry Teng | Breen Frazier | October 12, 2011 | 704 | 12.87[10] |
|
When a Boise, Idaho high school principal is killed in his home two days before the 10th anniversary of a massacre that occurred at his school, the BAU attempts to track down an injustice collector determined to fulfill a vendetta against the survivors. Meanwhile, Hotch grows increasingly concerned about Jack following a parent-teacher conference and Morgan and Reid engage in a prank war. | |||||||
| 143 | 5 | "From Childhood's Hour" | Anna J. Foerster | Bruce Zimmerman | October 19, 2011 | 705 | 13.15[11] |
|
When a nine-year-old St. Louis, Missouri boy disappears, the BAU searches for a killer targeting troubled mothers and their children and using his profession to gain his victims' trust. Meanwhile, Rossi uncovers a stunning secret after reconnecting with his first wife, Carolyn (Isabella Hofmann). | |||||||
| 144 | 6 | "Epilogue" | Guy Ferland | Rick Dunkle | November 2, 2011 | 706 | 12.94[12] |
|
When four men are drowned in lakes in California's Angeles National Forest, the BAU attempts to profile a terminally ill killer desperate for answers on what will happen to him after he dies. Meanwhile, Rossi contemplates carrying out Carolyn's request. | |||||||
| 145 | 7 | "There's No Place Like Home" | Rob Spera | Virgil Williams | November 9, 2011 | 707 | 11.36[13] |
|
When the mutilated bodies of two teenage boys are found outside Wichita, Kansas following a series of devastating tornadoes, the BAU sets out to catch a Frankenstein-esque killer with a sinister ulterior motive. Meanwhile, JJ deals with unexpected tensions on the home front. | |||||||
| 146 | 8 | "Hope" | Michael Watkins | Kimberly Ann Harrison | November 16, 2011 | 708 | 12.72[14] |
|
When a member of Garcia's victims' support group disappears shortly after acknowledging the seventh anniversary of her then eight-year-old daughter's abduction, the BAU sets out to establish a connection between the two events. | |||||||
| 147 | 9 | "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy" | Charlie Haid | Erica Messer | December 7, 2011 | 709 | 12.41[15] |
|
When five Florida military academy students are found hanged in an apparent mass suicide and a sixth student is reported missing, the BAU suspects actions are not what they seem as they attempt to connect the deaths and disappearance to a seventh student's death from two weeks earlier. Meanwhile, Morgan and Hotch become concerned with Strauss' behavior after she makes an uncharacteristic move. | |||||||
| 148 | 10 | "The Bittersweet Science" | Rob Hardy | Janine Sherman Barrois | December 14, 2011 | 710 | 12.88[16] |
|
When two men in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are bludgeoned to death, the BAU sets out to track down a spree killer with connections to the city's boxing scene. Meanwhile, Hotch juggles training for an upcoming triathalton and becoming attracted to a fellow athlete (Bellamy Young). | |||||||
| 149 | 11 | "True Genius" | Glenn Kershaw | Sharon Lee Watson | January 18, 2012 | 711 | 13.00[17] |
|
When a couple is found gunned down in their car outside San Francisco, California and some familiar symbols are discovered at the crime scene, the BAU sets out to determine whether or not one of history's most elusive killers has returned. Meanwhile, Reid reflects on what he has achieved in life after meeting a fellow prodigy at a violent crimes seminar hosted by Patricia Cornwell in Chicago, Illinois. | |||||||
| 150 | 12 | "Unknown Subject" | Michael Lange | Breen Frazier | January 25, 2012 | 712 | 13.82[18] |
|
When a prolific Houston, Texas serial rapist responsible for sexually assaulting 12 women over the course of five years abducts one of his previous victims, the BAU juggles reopening the original investigation and tracking down another former victim determined to deliver her own brand of justice. Meanwhile, Prentiss struggles to restrain herself from becoming emotionally involved as the anniversary of her war against Ian Doyle approaches. | |||||||
| 151 | 13 | "Snake Eyes" | Doug Aarniokoski | Bruce Zimmerman | February 8, 2012 | 713 | 13.31[19] |
|
When an Atlantic City, New Jersey casino floor manager is found bludgeoned to death in his office with eight one-dollar bills surrounding a playing card on his corpse, the BAU suspects the crime was committed by a ritualistic killer with a gambling addiction. Meanwhile, Garcia fears the worst after waking up from a night of heavy drinking and finding an unexpected visitor in her apartment. | |||||||
| 152 | 14 | "Closing Time" | Jesse Warn | Rick Dunkle | February 15, 2012 | 714 | 12.19[20] |
|
When three out-of-town businessmen are gunned down, castrated postmortem, and hidden in a lifeguard tower in Los Angeles, California's Playa del Rey neighborhood, the BAU determines the victims and the killer are connected by personal losses. Meanwhile, Hotch prepares to go on his first date since Haley's death. | |||||||
| 153 | 15 | "A Thin Line" | Michael Watkins | Virgil Williams | February 22, 2012 | 715 | 12.78[21] |
|
When two San Bernardino, California families of four are gunned down in a brutal series of what appear to be gang-related home invasions, the BAU uncovers a shocking link between the crimes and the city's upcoming mayoral election. Meanwhile, Prentiss and Morgan argue after the latter reprimands an FBI Academy trainee for his mistakes during a training session. | |||||||
| 154 | 16 | "A Family Affair" | Rob Spera | Kimberly Ann Harrison | February 29, 2012 | 716 | 12.54[22] |
|
When three Atlanta, Georgia prostitutes are found stabbed to death, the BAU suspects the crimes were committed by a killing team. Meanwhile, Hotch prepares for the FBI triathlon and JJ plans a girls' night out with Prentiss and Garcia. | |||||||
| 155 | 17 | "I Love You, Tommy Brown" | John Terlesky | Janine Sherman Barrois | March 14, 2012 | 718 | 11.43[23] |
|
When three Seattle, Washington couples are shot execution-style, the BAU suspects the crimes were committed by a female killer attempting to repair her broken family. Meanwhile, Garcia grows anxious after overhearing a conversation between Kevin and Morgan. | |||||||
| 156 | 18 | "Foundation" | Dermott Downs | Jim Clemente | March 21, 2012 | 717 | 12.09[24] |
|
When a Latino teenager is found wandering the Arizona desert and a teenage Flagstaff boy is reported missing on the same night, the BAU suspects a local woman's repressed memories may hold the key to the kidnapper's identity. Meanwhile, Morgan uses his troubled past to forge a connection with the survivor. | |||||||
| 157 | 19 | "Heathridge Manor" | Matthew Gray Gubler | Sharon Lee Watson | April 4, 2012 | 719 | 11.34[25] |
|
When a Medford, Oregon woman is found dead from nicotine poisoning in a long-abandoned Salem psychiatric hospital and a list of potential victims is discovered at the crime scene, the BAU sets out to catch a satanist with a dangerous obsession that stems from a troubled past. | |||||||
| 158 | 20 | "The Company" | Nelson McCormick | Breen Frazier | April 11, 2012 | 720 | 11.81[26] |
|
When Morgan's younger sister, Desiree, is injured in a car accident after spotting a woman whom the latter claims is their cousin Cindi, who has been missing for the last eight years, the BAU travels to Chicago, Illinois and juggles reopening the original investigation and connecting the case to an alleged suicide that occurred two weeks after Cindi's disappearance. | |||||||
| 159 | 21 | "Divining Rod" | Doug Aarniokoski | Bruce Zimmerman | May 2, 2012 | 721 | 11.47[26] |
|
When an Enid, Oklahoma woman is stabbed to death immediately after the execution of a serial killer convicted of the murders of 25 other women in the same area over a two-year period, the BAU determines the crime was committed by a copycat who idolizes the original killer. Meanwhile, Prentiss grows anxious after placing an offer on a house. | |||||||
| 160 | 22 | "Profiling 101" | Félix Alcalá | Virgil Williams | May 9, 2012 | 722 | 11.62[27] |
|
The BAU presents one of their longest-tenured serial killer cases to an undergraduate criminology class, taking them through a 17-year chase for a prolific serial-turned-spree killer who murdered over 40 women up and down the West Coast by fatally removing their reproductive organs. | |||||||
| 161 | 23 | "Hit" | Michael Lange | Rick Dunkle | May 16, 2012 | 723 | 13.68[28] |
|
When a trio of serial-killing bank robbers take several people hostage in a Washington, D.C. bank, with one of the robbers getting gunned down by Will in the process, the BAU juggles profiling the trio and preventing the situation from devolving into a mass murder. Meanwhile, JJ becomes emotionally involved when Will is added to the hostages after a failed negotiation attempt and Prentiss receives a phone call that forces her to contemplate her future. | |||||||
| 162 | 24 | "Run" | Glenn Kershaw | Erica Messer | May 16, 2012 | 724 | 13.68[28] |
|
With the remaining members of the Face Cards on the run and Will considered alive but missing, the BAU sets out to prevent one of their own from meeting a violent end after determining the robberies were a front for a sinister ulterior motive. Meanwhile, Prentiss makes an earth-shattering decision that promises to forever redefine the team. | |||||||
Ratings
| Episode | U.S. ratings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original airdate | Viewers (millions) |
Rank | ||
| Night | Week | |||
| "It Takes a Village" | September 21, 2011 | 14.14[7] | 2 | 13[7] |
| "Proof" | September 28, 2011 | 12.58[8] | 2 | 13[8] |
| "Dorado Falls" | October 5, 2011 | 13.43[9] | 1 | 9[9] |
| "Painless" | October 12, 2011 | 12.87[10] | 2 | 11[10] |
| "Childhood's Hour" | October 19, 2011 | 13.15[11] | 2 | 11[11] |
| "Epilogue" | November 2, 2011 | 12.94[12] | 2 | 15[12] |
| "There's No Place Like Home" | November 9, 2011 | 11.36[13] | 2 | 17[13] |
| "Hope" | November 16, 2011 | 12.72[14] | 2 | 11[14] |
| "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy" | December 7, 2011 | 12.41[15] | 1 | 12[15] |
| "The Bittersweet Science" | December 14, 2011 | 12.88[16] | 1 | 9[16] |
| "True Genius" | January 18, 2012 | 13.00[17] | 2 | 11[17] |
| "Unknown Subject" | January 25, 2012 | 13.82[18] | 3 | 5[18] |
| "Snake Eyes" | February 8, 2012 | 13.31[19] | 2 | 11[19] |
| "Closing Time" | February 15, 2012 | 12.19[20] | 2 | 10[20] |
| "A Thin Line" | February 22, 2012 | 12.78[21] | 2 | 13[21] |
| "A Family Affair" | February 29, 2012 | 12.54[22] | 2 | 8[22] |
| "I Love You, Tommy Brown" | March 14, 2012 | 11.43[23] | 3 | 6[23] |
| "Foundation" | March 21, 2012 | 12.09[24] | 2 | 6[24] |
| "Heathridge Manor" | April 4, 2012 | 11.34[25] | 3 | 14[25] |
| "The Company" | April 11, 2012 | 11.81[26] | 2 | 7[26] |
| "Divining Rod" | May 2, 2012 | 11.47[26] | 2 | 11[26] |
| "Profiling 101" | May 9, 2012 | 11.62[27] | 2 | 12[27] |
| "Hit" | May 16, 2012 | 13.68[28] | 2 | 6[28] |
| "Run" | May 16, 2012 | 13.68[28] | 2 | 6[28] |
Home media
| The Complete Seventh Season | ||||
| Set details | Special features | |||
|
| |||
| DVD release date | ||||
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| September 4, 2012[29] | November 26, 2012[30] | November 7, 2012[31] | ||