This week's Criminal Minds featured few more misdirections than what we're used to seeing.  

In the opening scene of "The Apprenticeship," I fully expected to see the teenager (Toby) become victim number-one, as he got off of the bus in a bad section of town. Then, when he revealed himself to the hooker as a virgin, and we see that someone's watching them, I thought for sure that was it for them both. Never thought for a moment he would prove to be the first UnSub.

It always seems weird how the team is able to pull all of the pieces together so quickly. Here, they quickly determined that it was a two-person UnSub unit, that one was teaching the other and they even got their relative ages down correctly. 

Still, there's only an hour to get the story told - plus get a baseball game in - so I guess we just have to, as Morgan would say in a different context entirely, "don't think. Just feel it".

Which, by the way, is exactly how he coached Reid when they practiced hitting baseballs in the following exchange, which was one of top Criminal Minds quotes of the evening:

Morgan [after Reid takes a wild swing at the ball]: okay okay. First try. Keep your eye on the ball.
Reid: Gravity plus drag co-efficient plus...I see what you're saying ..if I can adjust the velocity of my swing...
Morgan: No. What I'm saying is get out of your head. Just feel it.
Reid: Feel it. Feel it.
Morgan: Yeah. Don't think. Just feel it.
Reid: just feel. Don't think. Just feel.
Morgan: here it comes! [Reid swings and misses] Reid. That's not feeling it.
Reid: I'm feeling like an idiot. | permalin

Each week we watch as the BAU encounters yet another grisly series of murders, while managing to keep the disgust from their faces. Of the bunch, Garcia is obviously the most sensitive - and tonight we learned there's a limit to what she can stand. And that limit is puppies:

Garcia: In the last month six puppies have been suffocated and beaten and thank God there are no photos because I draw the line at dead dogs. | permalink

Her reference to the older UnSub's laptop made me stop and think for a bit:

Morgan: Hey momma. Tell me something good.
Garcia: Well, I cleaned out this nutbag's laptop. The guy was a torture porn connoisseur. The dude makes Rick James seem Amish. | permalink

Seeing the team come in like the last minute cavalry to save the pet shop manager was thrilling, especially when the UnSub said that he'd already been to jail - thereby indicating his preference for suicide by cop.

I think every child who has failed at sports once in his life could identify with Reid's fear, especially when the baseball game came down to the last inning and he was at bat. Who couldn't feel the visceral joy when, after two strikes he finally barked the ball out far enough for a sliding home run? Amazing.

And then right away, in the midst of the team's celebration, we discover that The Photographer from the first episode was there, too, lurking with a loaded camera.

Final thoughts:

• it seems a copycat killer is back, and he's mimicking The Silencer from the Criminal Minds Season 8 premiere: a guy who sewed his victims' mouths shut.
• It was great to see Matthew Lillard playing the older UnSub this week. He's one of those actors you're used to watching, despite not always recalling his name. Probably most famous for his portrayal as Shaggy in the Scooby Do live action movie. 

What did you think of tonight's episode? Drop us a line in the comments!

Douglas Wolfe was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He retired in 2016. Follow him on Twitter

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