Criminal Minds Review: Truth or Date (Season 14 Episode 15)
As the second-to-last season ends on Criminal Minds Season 14 Episode 15, “Truth or Dare,” a confession is made that…well, just read on.
Fourteen seasons in, there have been a lot of plot twists on Criminal Minds. Some have worked better than others. Generally, a plot twist works well if you can both look back and understand it and still not have expected it.
The latter has been pulled off several times. These shows are good at shock value. The former is a little more difficult. There are moments where twists lack any real context. What we get in this episode is on another level entirely.
We know before the episode begins what the high climactic point will be—Reid and JJ both tied up and at gunpoint, with the latter about to confess something major to the former.
It takes us a while to get to that point, though, and a lot of that early plot feels too convoluted to be necessary. People killing against their will gives something for the BAU to investigate, but it delays them getting to the main point.
On the other hand, it does establish our unsub as someone who forces others to do his dirty work. Sometimes it’s refreshing to have someone we can simply root against without any reservations.
Casey is toxic masculinity on steroids. There’s nothing sympathetic about him. If you have any doubts, watch his glee at JJ’s confession. He’s there for the sake of his own ego.
And yes, that confession is exactly what the promo implied it would be. It also comes in the same episode where JJ establishes herself as a good liar, so that negates everything we hear…right?
At this point in such a long-running show, that answer should be an easy “yes”. It is not. Instead, we given what could be the most blatant and absurd “jump the shark” plotline in Criminal Minds’ decade and a half on the air.
I have nothing against “Jeid” itself. AJ Cook and Matthew Gray Gubler, as lovely people inside and out, do have chemistry. Their do their best to make this work, and in an alternate universe of the show, they could.
Yet we are not in an alternate universe of this show. We are in this one. One that has spent fifteen years establishing friendship between these two, and one that has spent nearly as long establishing that JJ loves her husband.
What this means for next season remains to be season. There will only be ten episodes before the end of the series itself, and that just doesn’t seem enough to alter everything, especially with case drama at the same time.
We don’t know for a fact that anything will happen. JJ never officially answers Reid’s question as to whether she meant what she said. But a non-answer here is still kind of an answer, you know?
At least the final scenes with Rossi’s wedding are sweet and wonderful, even with the elephant hanging out in the room for viewers. Matt learning he’s going to have a fifth(!) kid falls into this category, too.
These are romantic relationships that work. These have grown over time into lasting marriages. That’s what JJ and Will are meant to be, too. Somewhere, JJ and Reid could be perfect together. I just can’t see it here.
This late in the game, I have nothing but concern for this development, but now we’re in a waiting game. Perhaps something will change before the show returns. If not, I just hope we remember to respect everyone involved.
What did you think of this episode of Criminal Minds? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Criminal Minds airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on CBS.
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Caitlin Wyneken
Caitlin is an elder millennial with an only slightly unhealthy dedication to a random selection of TV shows, from PBS Masterpiece dramas to some of the less popular series on popular networks. Outside of screen time, she's dedicated to the public sector and worthy nonprofits, working to make a difference in the world outside of media.