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The Best Episodes of Criminal Minds Season 8

Every episode of Criminal Minds Season 8 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Criminal Minds Season 8!

Binge this in 16h 48m•Peaking at 8.6/10

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

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 12 - Zugzwang
    8.6/10(3569 votes)

    S8:E12

    When Reid discovers that his girlfriend has been kidnapped by her stalker, he and the BAU team band together to find her before it's too late.

    Director:Jesse Warn
    Writer:Breen Frazier

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  2. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 10 - The Lesson
    8.2/10(3086 votes)

    S8:E10

    A ritualistic killer is hunted after male bodies are found that have been physically altered. Meanwhile, Reid gets anxious at the prospect of meeting his mystery woman.

    Director:Matthew Gray Gubler
    Writer:Janine Sherman Barrois

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  3. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 24 - The Replicator (2)
    8.2/10(2306 votes)

    S8:E24

    The Replicator zeroes in on the BAU when the killer targets one of the team as the next victim. Also, the BAU is called in to investigate a string of deaths in Manhattan tied to apparent ecstasy overdoses, and Hotch discovers that his estranged brother, Sean, is caught in the middle.

    Director:Glenn Kershaw
    Writer:Erica Messer

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  4. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 14 - All That Remains
    7.9/10(2009 votes)

    S8:E14

    A writer's daughters vanish on the anniversary of their mother's disappearance, which leads the BAU to investigate the man as a possible suspect.

    Director:Thomas Gibson
    Writer:Erica Messer

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  5. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 16 - Carbon Copy
    7.8/10(1947 votes)

    S8:E16

    When victims are found in Philadelphia in a similar style to victims of The Replicator, the stalker who has been tracking the BAU's every move, the team thinks this could be the break they need to try and apprehend him.

    Director:Rob Hardy
    Writer:Virgil Williams

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  6. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 4 - God Complex
    7.7/10(2757 votes)

    S8:E4

    When a legless body is found in the New Mexico desert and a second unwilling amputee shows up at the hospital, the BAU team searches for this amateur surgeon before he preys upon his next reluctant victim. Also, Reid's phone calls to a mystery woman have the team intrigued.

    Director:Larry Teng
    Writer:Breen Frazier

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  7. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 18 - Restoration
    7.7/10(2013 votes)

    S8:E18

    The BAU goes to Morgan's old neighborhood in urban Chicago in search of an unsub targeting middle-aged men, and a clue leads Morgan to believe that they are after someone connected to the man who molested him as a child.

    Director:Félix Alcalá
    Writers:Janine Sherman Barrois, Jim Clemente

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  8. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 21 - Nanny Dearest
    7.7/10(2328 votes)

    S8:E21

    The BAU travels to Los Angeles looking for an UnSub who is kidnapping nannies and the children they care for on the same day each year.

    Director:Douglas Aarniokoski
    Writer:Virgil Williams

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  9. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 23 - Brothers Hotchner (1)
    7.7/10(1928 votes)

    S8:E23

    The Replicator zeroes in on the BAU when the killer targets one of the team as the next victim. Also, the BAU is called in to investigate a string of deaths in Manhattan tied to apparent ecstasy overdoses, and Hotch discovers that his estranged brother, Sean, is caught in the middle.

    Director:Rob Bailey
    Writer:Rick Dunkle

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  10. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 6 - The Apprenticeship
    7.6/10(2206 votes)

    S8:E6

    When prostitutes in Miami are discovered murdered in a similar style to local animals found dead there, the BAU must work fast to find an unsub whose confidence is quickly escalating. Also, Morgan tries to increase Reid's athletic skills by convincing him to join the bureau's softball team.

    Director:Rob Bailey
    Writer:Virgil Williams

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  11. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 7 - The Fallen
    7.6/10(1955 votes)

    S8:E7

    The BAU travels to Santa Monica when burned bodies of homeless people begin showing up by the famous pier. Also, Rossi reconnects with his former Marine sergeant from Vietnam.

    Director:Douglas Aarniokoski
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 13 - Magnum Opus
    7.6/10(2656 votes)

    S8:E13

    While Reid copes with a loss in his personal life, the rest of the BAU travels to San Francisco to investigate victims discovered in the Mission District.

    Director:Glenn Kershaw
    Writer:Jason Bernero

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  13. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 15 - Broken
    7.6/10(2058 votes)

    S8:E15

    The BAU heads to Austin to investigate victims found there with their watches set inaccurately, a clue which may connect the crimes. Meanwhile, the UnSub stalking the BAU inches closer in his pursuit of the team.

    Director:Larry Teng
    Writer:Rick Dunkle

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  14. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 20 - Alchemy
    7.6/10(2635 votes)

    S8:E20

    The BAU travel to Rapid City after two male victims are discovered murdered in a ritualistic manner. Also, Reid continues to grieve over Maeve’s death.

    Director:Matthew Gray Gubler
    Writer:Sharon Lee Watson

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  15. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 3 - Through the Looking Glass
    7.5/10(1945 votes)

    S8:E3

    An UNSUB who kidnaps families with the intention of making them admit to and pay for their indiscretions.

    Director:Dermott Downs
    Writer:Sharon Lee Watson

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  16. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 2 - The Pact
    7.4/10(2065 votes)

    S8:E2

    When the bodies of two seemingly unrelated victims are found just hours apart in San Diego and Los Angeles respectively, the BAU suspects that that not one, but two killers are working together to commit these murders.

    Director:Karen Gaviola
    Writer:Janine Sherman Barrois

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  17. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 5 - The Good Earth
    7.4/10(2487 votes)

    S8:E5

    The team heads to Oregon as four men have gone missing.

    Director:John Terlesky
    Writer:Bruce Zimmerman

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  18. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 22 - Number Six
    7.4/10(2076 votes)

    S8:E22

    The BAU goes to Detroit to track an UnSub with a rapidly changing MO. Also, Blake's husband returns from overseas with a life-changing career proposition for her.

    Director:Karen Gaviola
    Writer:Breen Frazier

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  19. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 1 - The Silencer
    7.3/10(2121 votes)

    S8:E1

    When a Texas prisoner escapes during a transfer, he leaves behind victims with his unique trademark, sewing their mouths shut, a signature the BAU remembers as unique to the UnSub "The Silencer." While they investigate who he was and who he's become, the BAU also gets to know the newest member of the team.

    Director:Glenn Kershaw
    Writer:Erica Messer

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  20. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 8 - The Wheels on the Bus...
    7.3/10(2801 votes)

    S8:E8

    The BAU team goes in pursuit of a missing school bus full of children outside the Washington, D.C. area, and it becomes a race against time for them to bring them home safely.

    Director:Rob Hardy
    Writer:Kimberly A. Harrison

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  21. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 11 - Perennials
    7.3/10(1997 votes)

    S8:E11

    The BAU heads south to investigate a fast-moving UnSub whose signature matches that of a serial killer from 30 years ago. Also, the team learns that someone is tracking their cases and replicating crimes the BAU is solving.

    Director:Michael Lange
    Writer:Bruce Zimmerman

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  22. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 17 - The Gathering
    7.3/10(2426 votes)

    S8:E17

    The BAU investigates victims who were documenting their personal lives and inner desires on blog posts and social media. Also, Kevin gets jealous when he learns Garcia may have a new love interest.

    Director:Michael Lange
    Writer:Kimberly A. Harrison

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  23. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 19 - Pay It Forward
    7.3/10(2008 votes)

    S8:E19

    When a time capsule in a small Colorado town is opened twenty-five years later and contains a gruesome discovery, the BAU investigates the crime and find a possible link to the death of a local police officer.

    Director:John Terlesky
    Writer:Bruce Zimmerman

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  24. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 9 - Magnificent Light
    7.1/10(2436 votes)

    S8:E9

    An attendee at a popular motivational-speaker's conference in Seattle is murdered and the speaker himself disappears soon afterward. Meanwhile, Garcia is puzzled when Morgan refuses to attend a dinner honoring an old family friend.

    Director:John T. Kretchmer
    Writer:Sharon Lee Watson

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Season 8 Ratings Summary

"Zugzwang" is the best rated episode of "Criminal Minds" season 8. It scored 8.6/10 based on 3569 votes. Directed by Jesse Warn and written by Breen Frazier, it aired on 1/16/2013. This episode is rated 0.4 points higher than the second-best, "The Lesson".