‘Criminal Minds’ Alchemy Recap: 8.20 – (Spoilers)

Men were being cut into pieces and the BAU was torn between a ritualistic killer or just a psychotic one on this week’s Alchemy on Criminal Minds.

The Breakdown

Alchemy took us to South Dakota where body parts of two men were found.  This case was actually brought to the team by Dr. Reid from keeping up with his small town newspapers.  Reid knew there was a connection between the two men who were found in different areas.  Of course, Dr. Reid was right.

In the beginning of the episode, a man who appeared to be hallucinating was almost swallowed by a wall that resembled a heart beating outside his hotel room.  After trying to find a doctor, he was instructed to go to room 209, not to be seen again.

A man in a bar was stopped by a young woman asking him to walk her to her car.  The man obliged and for his kindness the woman repaid him with a nice room at the hotel/lodge she managed.  They soon ended up in bed together, all the while a single eye peered through a small hole in the wall.

The man, Chad, was treated like a VIP all day at the lodge the next day.  His lady love, Tess, returned that evening.  After another night together the two awoke the next morning and Tess told Chad about her 5-year old son that passed away.  When Chad tried to open the curtains Tess objected explaining that the light bothered her.  She offered him a drink and after a little while Chad became dizzy and fell head-first into a glass coffee table while Tess looked on.

The BAU had been working with the local police station as usual along with the Indian reservation where one of the bodies, or should I say parts of a body, were found.  Garcia discovered that a Sharman could be involved.  While Morgan and Blake follow up with a nearby Shaman, a call was received about a missing man named Chad.

Soon the BAU figured out that their UnSub was a woman, Rossi and JJ ended up at a local bar asking questions about the missing Chad, and a woman was sucked into room 209 at the lodge….later becoming another victim.

By this time, Chad was still with Tess being called by another name and was tied up.  Tess kept asking Chad if he knew about pain and told him about her deceased little boy.  But soon Chad ended up back in room 209 where he was forced to drink more of what Tess had given him earlier and Raoul the groundskeeper seemed to be in charge as well as the eye in the peep hole.  Raoul tried to convince Tess that Chad was her ex-boyfriend, the one responsible for her son’s death.

Finally the BAU busted in to save the day and Chad.  Raoul was arrested but Tess got away.  They ended up finding her, passed away and floating in the same body of water where she lost her son.

We saw Reid mourning the loss of Maeve throughout the episode.  At the end, Dr. Reid was still mourning his Maeve and picturing the two of them together for one first and final dance.

The Analysis

This week’s Criminal Minds seemed to have a decent story line and great writing for our characters.  But, for some reason I got bored about halfway through the episode and I am not quite sure why.

Maybe the story was a little too out there…between the strewed body parts, the psychotic, mourning mother who was drugging victims thinking and pretending they were her ex-boyfriend responsible for her son’s death, the eerie groundskeeper / friend of hers who was cutting up those body parts after peering through a peep hole….yes, I think it was just a little too out there to keep my interest.  Anyone feel the same way?  Or, do you feel the opposite?

As far as the Dr. Reid and Maeve story line, I am also ready for that one to conclude.  Reid is one of my favorite characters on Criminal Minds, so I think it is time for him to quit mourning Maeve and move on.  I think the story they had going between the two was sweet and I was disappointed at the way it ended.  Like they could not just give Reid a girlfriend?  But now it is dragging on and Reid needs to move on – not like he will be picking up chicks left and right (he’s not Morgan, right?) – but I am frankly tired of seeing him be sad!