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The Best Episodes of Criminal Minds Season 5

Every episode of Criminal Minds Season 5 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Criminal Minds Season 5!

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An elite team of FBI profilers analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's most experienced agent is David Rossi, a founding member of

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 1 - Nameless, Faceless
    8.0/10(2575 votes)

    #1 - Nameless, Faceless

    S5:E1

    As Rossi, Morgan and JJ profile a killer who is targeting an emergency room doctor, Prentiss realizes that Hotch is missing.

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  2. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 2 - Haunted
    7.7/10(2943 votes)

    #2 - Haunted

    S5:E2

    The BAU must determine what caused a disturbed man to murder several people at a pharmacy before he harms anyone else.

    Director:Jon Cassar

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  3. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 3 - Reckoner
    7.4/10(2836 votes)

    #3 - Reckoner

    S5:E3

    The BAU investigates a case in Rossi's hometown that involves both his personal and professional life.

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  4. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 4 - Hopeless
    7.3/10(2402 votes)

    #4 - Hopeless

    S5:E4

    A group of suspects with a pack mentality who kill for the thrill of it are the subjects of a BAU manhunt.

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  5. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 5 - Cradle to Grave
    7.6/10(2124 votes)

    #5 - Cradle to Grave

    S5:E5

    The team hunts a suspect who impregnates young women and has them give birth before murdering them.

    Director:Rob Spera

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  6. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 6 - The Eyes Have It
    7.2/10(2153 votes)

    #6 - The Eyes Have It

    S5:E6

    The BAU team tracks a serial killer who keeps the eyes of his victims as souvenirs.

    Director:Glenn Kershaw
    Writer:Oanh Ly

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  8. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 7 - The Performer
    7.4/10(2427 votes)

    #7 - The Performer

    S5:E7

    The BAU team investigates the mystery behind a trail of murders that all seem to align with the tour schedule of a rock star.

    Director:John Badham

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  9. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 8 - Outfoxed
    7.7/10(2114 votes)

    #8 - Outfoxed

    S5:E8

    The BAU team is tracking down a family annihilator, but needs to take a break from the case to get advice from "The Fox", who is an horrific killer from the team's past. "The Fox" surprises the team with a ominous message for Agent Hotchner.

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  10. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 9 - 100
    9.2/10(4600 votes)

    #9 - 100

    S5:E9

    The BAU team races to help Hotchner find The Reaper and save his family before it's too late.

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  11. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 10 - The Slave of Duty
    7.7/10(2116 votes)

    #10 - The Slave of Duty

    S5:E10

    The team needs to reunite in order to solve a home invasion case, while Agent Hotchner may have to leave the team.

    Director:Charles Haid

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  12. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 11 - Retaliation
    7.3/10(2089 votes)

    #11 - Retaliation

    S5:E11

    The BAU is called upon to profile the past of an ex-convict and help stop him after he escapes from custody and embarks on a violent killing spree.

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  13. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 12 - The Uncanny Valley
    8.4/10(3302 votes)

    #12 - The Uncanny Valley

    S5:E12

    An unusual personal obsession is at the center of a BAU abduction case. Meanwhile, Hotch struggles with his return to work.

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  14. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 13 - Risky Business
    7.7/10(2921 votes)

    #13 - Risky Business

    S5:E13

    A rash of startling teen suicides in a small Wyoming town is the focus of a BAU investigation.

    Director:Rob Spera

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  15. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 14 - Parasite
    7.4/10(2056 votes)

    #14 - Parasite

    S5:E14

    The BAU follows the mental decline of a con artist whose schemes have become so complicated that he begins to eliminate the people involved in them.

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  16. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 15 - Public Enemy
    7.6/10(2014 votes)

    #15 - Public Enemy

    S5:E15

    A serial killer who targets random victims in highly visible places to create a sense of public fear is the subject of a BAU investigation.

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  17. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 16 - Mosley Lane
    8.9/10(4210 votes)

    #16 - Mosley Lane

    S5:E16

    The BAU is called by local authorities in Ashburn, Virginia, to profile a predator who may have been abducting children for at least eight years.

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  18. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 17 - Solitary Man
    7.4/10(1987 votes)

    #17 - Solitary Man

    S5:E17

    A truck driver is kidnapping women and disposing of them in random locations and the BAU must find out his motive in order to catch him.

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  19. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 18 - The Fight
    7.3/10(2337 votes)

    #18 - The Fight

    S5:E18

    The BAU team travels to San Francisco to investigate the murders of several homeless men and teams up with a separate group of BAU operatives who are working another case they think is connected.

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  20. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 19 - Rite of Passage
    7.3/10(2172 votes)

    #19 - Rite of Passage

    S5:E19

    The BAU team heads to Texas to track a serial killer targeting illegal immigrants attempting to make safe passage into the U.S.

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  21. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 20 - ...A Thousand Words
    7.9/10(2537 votes)

    #20 - ...A Thousand Words

    S5:E20

    The BAU team must profile a serial killer covered in tattoos who commits suicide, but leaves clues to the whereabouts of his last victim.

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  22. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 21 - Exit Wounds
    7.5/10(2825 votes)

    #21 - Exit Wounds

    S5:E21

    Garcia plays a crucial role in a case when she travels to Alaska with the BAU team to investigate the murders of several members of a small town.

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  23. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 22 - The Internet Is Forever
    7.7/10(2384 votes)

    #22 - The Internet Is Forever

    S5:E22

    The BAU team profiles a serial killer who uses the Internet as his hunting ground, bringing a whole meaning to the term "social networking".

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  24. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 23 - Our Darkest Hour
    8.0/10(2315 votes)

    #23 - Our Darkest Hour

    S5:E23

    A series of rolling blackouts in the city of Los Angeles lures a serial killer out of hiding, giving him renewed opportunities to continue his killing spree.

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Season 5 Ratings Summary

"Nameless, Faceless" is the best rated episode of "Criminal Minds" season 5. It scored 8/10 based on 2575 votes. Directed by Charles S. Carroll and written by Chris Mundy, it aired on 9/23/2009. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "Haunted".