CBS
It’s the final season of the CBS drama Criminal Minds, and we’re almost halfway through. Two episodes of the show air this week, Feb 5, 2020, and they’ll focus a lot on Emily Prentiss’s relationship with Andrew Mendoza.
In the first episode of the night, titled “Date Night,” Reid will see a former foe that will have some pretty specific demands for him. The episode description also says that Maxine is returning for this episode, so it’s likely that this will see Reid’s relationship progress.
The second episode of the night, “Rusty,” will focus more on Prentiss and Mendoza. The episode description says the team will travel to Denver to investigate a string of murders, and Prentiss will be forced to take a deep look at her relationship with Special Agent Mendoza.
Will The Couple Break Up?
Though we don’t have exact details for the finale, we have been promised endings for all of the storylines.
Episode eight of the season, titled “Family Tree” will see the team travel to Beaumont, Texas to investigate a series of murdered businessmen. This episode will also focus on Prentiss, along with focusing on J.J. The description says that Prentiss will have to make some decisions about her future, which we can only assume means she’ll have to decide if she wants to stay with Mendoza or not.
The nature of her job makes it hard for Prentiss to stay in one place since she and the BAU are always traveling across the country hunting unsubs. While Mendoza does understand that, that doesn’t necessarily mean the couple is meant to be.
There are only three more episodes of the season after tonight, so we aren’t sure exactly where their relationship will land.
Predictions & Spoilers
The teaser for “Date Night” shows the team scrambling to get things in order as Reid watches; it’s likely that Reid’s arch-enemy, Cat Adams is back for the episode. We first met “Miss .45” in Season 11 of the show. She had previously planned to destroy Dr. Reid because he tricked her into the BAU’s trap the first time around, resulting in her capture.
“The Black Widow Killer” kidnapped Reid’s mom in Season 12, but she gets defeated that time as well. Since this chapter was never really closed, it’s likely that the show is using this as a way to tie up another loose end.
For episode seven, there will be much more of a focus on Prentiss. It’s not every episode that we get to see storylines revolving around her personal life, so that will be a treat by itself.
The finale is titled “And in the end…,” which is a nod to the last lyric the Beatles ever recorded. “And in the end… The love you take is equal to the love you make…” The BAU has always had a soft spot for the group, so it’s fitting that that’s the title of their very last episode together.
As for whether or not any of the characters will be killed off, there’s no need to worry.
“These people are family and friends to us at this point,” showrunner Erica Messer told Deadline in January 2019. “I know it’s a drama, but I’m less likely to injure or write someone off in a way that says they’re not breathing anymore. I know a lot of shows, when they find out it’s going to be over, then characters are killed off or something like that. That’s not my instinct, mainly because I’ve been here for so long with all of these voices, I just don’t want that to be how it ends for them. So the jet won’t crash, I can tell you that.”
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