Criminal Minds Review: Cure (Season 13 Episode 13)

Don’t be misled by team bonding and geniuses solving puzzles — Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 13, “Cure,” ends with a jarring revelation and a lot of questions.

If you are not as internet-addicted as I am, you probably haven’t seen AJ Cook start a small flurry of Instagram activity by tagging a photo with the hashtag #Jeid. No, there are no team hookups in this episode. JJ and Will remain happily married, and Reid and JJ keep their sibling-like bond with just a cute scene or two.

However, AJ’s post also warns of major happenings. That, if anything, is being too subtle. We’ll discuss why after taking a look at the case of the week.

First, I will openly admit I’m biased toward loving everything that happens because of how much we get to see of Garcia and Reid together. They’re my two favorite characters, and seeing them do their thing in sync is all kinds of fun, especially when puzzles are involved.

The only problem with this is that an unsub sophisticated enough to think up these plans doesn’t exactly line up with an angry teen out for vengeance on an unfaithful father. Why go to all those lengths when you’ll fold with a few minutes of careful questioning?

Also, why does the team immediately dismiss sharing the manifestos when a threat is involved? I completely understand that dangers involved may outweigh the killer’s claims, but with lives on the line, I wish they’d at least take the time to think it through.

One more thing that seems odd — why send a message to a random 911 operator? The whole story flows well, and I like to think there are good explanations for all of this, but, once again, we don’t get to see them. Still, this time, there might be a decent excuse for that.

The bait and switch set early on up leaves us all worried for JJ, who already has one unnecessary forced departure under her belt (I’m looking at you on that one, CBS). It’s just enough to let us breathe easy when Emily promises to protect her, not realizing she’s true target of our higher-up’s investigation.

My first thought? This has something to do with Emily deleting that recording on Reid’s behalf last season. I’ve been expecting it to come up, but have let my guard down recently. Most likely, that’s just what the writers want.

I’m very curious to see how this plays out, and on an emotional level, it gets a very strong reaction. The caveat is that JJ’s emotional ties to the case, especially after the team is unable to save Elena, are only briefly noted. Before we can really see why this case is personal for her, we’re off and running towards our twist. Her backstory deserves more time than that.

The promo for next week is both dramatic and irritatingly vague. Something will go down, but we really don’t know what. One thing I am sure of, though — this team isn’t going anywhere without a fight.

What did you think of this episode of Criminal Minds? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Criminal Minds airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on CBS.

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