Criminal Minds Season 14 Episode 1 Recap: 300

JJ and Alves are rushing back to BAU headquarters, but they can't reach anyone by phone. The team finds out a fire alarm has been pulled and the building evacuated, allowing the cult members to escape. JJ and Alves find the shot Quinn in the parking garage. The team discovers Merva is gone. He escaped with Meadows in an ambulance. Quinn points Alves toward Meadows. Reid pulled the fire alarm. He also signed a message: Ben's believers. Meadows joined ViCAP to cover up the cult's murders, 299 so far. The team figures out that Merva is the serial killer while the cult finds victims for him. Reid was taken to be the cult's 300th victim. Meadows threatens Reid to force Garcia to hack and change truck registrations. Matt suspects Meadows may have been in witness protection. Prentiss determines that Meadows and Merva were both former members of Benjamin Cyrus's cult at Liberty Ranch. Reid creates a disturbance so Garcia can escape. Meadows tries to stop her, but Garcia runs her down. Garcia leads the team back to the warehouse where she had been held, but it's vacant now. They find Theo dead. Merva says Theo was killed for disloyalty. Merva holds a knife to Reid's throat, his way of testing Reid. Since Cyrus was "reborn" in Kentucky, the team focuses their energies in that state. Reid's clue of 10:23 referred to a Bible verse, a hint to where the cult was heading, Acadia. The team infiltrates the cult's compound. Prentiss shoots and kills Merva, who was brandishing a knife toward Reid. JJ frees Reid. Meadows is captured. Prentiss and Reid have a heart-to-heart talk about family. Reid and Garcia reunite.