That was a skimpy premise upon which to build an unsub.

Someone is killing powerful men in Washington, DC, on Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 13.

Well, no, not really.

The unsub was just a teenage boy pissed off at his father's behavior. The other murders, well, they were just a smokescreen. It was all grand theater.

The BAU did what they could to make this case of the week more than it was. They decide the unsub is a narcissist (like most teens) who is taunting law enforcement (well, kinda sorta) with his cryptograms. Then they threw in a few famous past serial killers.

But then, when it came time to hit the actual target, the accomplished assassin of the earlier murders went right out the window, especially when Elena called the police during the attempted murder. That should have screamed amateur, not professional.

When you're first introduced to a character, and you instantly think, "Oh, yeah! He did it," and the suspense just drains out of the episode, like air from a balloon, you know something is wrong.

That's how it went when Rafael first appeared at the hospital. He just seemed to be off.

When he chased Elena out into the parking lot, and she just dropped all of a sudden, well, that removed any lingering doubt.

The only reason it took so long for the BAU to figure things out was that Garcia and Reid had to crack those convoluted cryptograms.

That, and the first murder that no one connected to the other two until Garcia did. Rafael did himself no favors there, bragging about the murder that no one had connected to him yet.

That led to the original manifesto, which Reid correctly identified as something that a teenager would write. Before long, he pronounced that Judge Tavares was the real target, the unsub was a teenager, and that teenager was Rafael. 

So, with 20 minutes still to kill, the team had to track down Rafael, only to discover that he had ditched Elena somewhere along the route. That was an excuse for JJ and Simmons to interrogate Rafael until he cracked, which unfortunately proved too late for Elena.

What started as a potential serial killer got boiled down to a teen who was unhappy because 1) he got shipped off to boarding school and 2) his father chose to have an affair while his mother was struggling with cancer. You'd think that would be career suicide for a family-court judge, but apparently not.

So, grading the unsub, if a full-blown whack job (pick your favorite) is say a 9/10, a pissed-off teenager who thinks he's smart would clock in around a 2/10. Even those who were emotionally damaged then turned bad would score higher.

I mean, if you can't talk with your father about how you're feeling, send a nasty text instead. Other people shouldn't have to suffer for you and your father's bad choices.

That left about 15 minutes to watch JJ fret.

Let's start with the ominous email JJ received early. Her mind naturally jumped to the worst conclusion: she's being transferred. Reid, who can normally analyze every possibility, instead blew it off, telling her not to worry.

She chose instead to chew on all the possible scenarios, then asked Simmons what he knew about Barnes. Since Barnes was the one who blew up his old team from Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, which left him riding a desk for months, he not surprisingly had nothing good to say about her.

Then, when she couldn't avoid the meeting any longer, JJ went up to Barnes' office. Instead of being reassigned, she's now the BAU leader while Prentiss is on immediate administrative leave.

First off, who did Rossi kill that he's never been put in charge? Or is it just because he's actively avoided the job?

Second, what did Prentiss do that has gotten her suspended?

Well, she was bending the rules fast and furious to get Reid out of prison. Perhaps something she did then has caught up with her.

Simmons described Barnes as a political animal. If Prentiss is sullied with some kind of reprimand, does that serve to mar whoever appointed her chief, creating a space further up the ladder for Barnes? Could be, although that seems a stretch.

Or maybe Barnes is in the pocket of someone with whom the BAU has crossed paths. Still, I can't imagine such a person could afford whatever inducement Barnes would require.

Whatever the case, it appears it hits the fan on Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 14.

To find out what the problem might be, watch Criminal Minds online.

What the unsub too obvious? Did the case lack a certain heft? What did Prentiss do that has got her in hot water? 

Comment below!

Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.