Criminal Minds

The Best Episodes of Criminal Minds Season 1

Genres:CrimeDramaMystery
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Every episode of Criminal Minds Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Criminal Minds Season 1!

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...
Episodes
22
Avg. Rating
7.7
S1
S2
S3
S4
E1
E2
E3
7.8
7.6
7.6

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  1. 8.6/10(4.7k votes)

    #1 - Riding the Lightning

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    S1:E14

    After interviewing a couple on death row for serial murders, Gideon suspects that the woman is actually innocent. But since she's set to be executed in two days, it's a race against time to prove it.

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    Director:Chris Long
  2. 8.5/10(3.5k votes)

    #2 - The Fisher King (1)

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    S1:E22

    While on their vacations, each of the team receives a clue from a psychopathic killer challenging them to save his next victim.

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  3. 8.3/10(3.5k votes)

    #3 - L.D.S.K.

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    S1:E6

    The BAU is asked to identify a killer who is shooting at victims in broad daylight, and the team works with local law enforcement officers to recreate one of the shootings.

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  4. 8.2/10(3.7k votes)

    #4 - Somebody's Watching

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    S1:E18

    Reid finds himself in danger when he falls for a starlet whose stalker has turned into a killer.

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  5. 7.9/10(2.8k votes)

    #5 - The Fox

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    S1:E7

    The BAU profiles a serial killer who takes families hostage and lives with them as a father figure during what is supposed to be their family vacations.

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  6. 7.8/10(3.7k votes)

    #6 - Extreme Aggressor

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    S1:E1

    After a fourth woman goes missing in as many months, the team is brought in to track down the guy before he kidnaps again. Hotch is asked to secretly evaluate Gideon to see if he is ready to work full time again.

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  8. 7.8/10(2.9k votes)

    #7 - Broken Mirror

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    S1:E5

    The BAU investigates the kidnapping of a U.S. District Attorney's daughter and determines the kidnapper isn't seeking money -- he's after her twin sister.

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  9. 7.8/10(3.5k votes)

    #8 - Derailed

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    S1:E9

    Elle, along with many others, is held hostage on a train in Texas by a paranoid schizophrenic who is convinced that the U.S. government is monitoring him. Hotchner and Gideon are forced to play into the man's fantasy to save the people he has taken hostage.

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  10. 7.7/10(2.8k votes)

    #9 - Plain Sight

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    S1:E4

    The BAU team travels to San Diego to stop a rapist and murderer who commits his crimes in the middle of the day.

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  11. 7.7/10(2.5k votes)

    #10 - Unfinished Business

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    S1:E15

    A serial killer reappears after 20 years of silence and contacts the BAU with the promise he will kill another victim in the next five days.

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  12. 7.6/10(3.2k votes)

    #11 - Compulsion

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    S1:E2

    The team of investigators tries to capture a serial arsonist who has been terrorizing a college campus.

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    Director:Charles Haid
    Writer:Jeff Davis
  13. 7.6/10(3.1k votes)

    #12 - Won't Get Fooled Again

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    S1:E3

    Gideon and his team track down a copycat bomber terrorizing a quiet community.

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    Director:Kevin Bray
  14. 7.6/10(2.7k votes)

    #13 - The Tribe

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    S1:E16

    The BAU team believes a dangerous cult may be responsible for the mass murders of five college students in an empty house.

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  15. 7.6/10(2.5k votes)

    #14 - A Real Rain

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    S1:E17

    The BAU unit travels to NYC to investigate a series of murders that appears to have been committed by a vigilante conducting revenge on former criminals who have been released by the justice system.

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    Director:Gloria Muzio
  16. 7.6/10(2.4k votes)

    #15 - Charm and Harm

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    S1:E20

    The BAU works to capture a serial killer who has evaded capture by altering his appearance.

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  17. 7.6/10(3.1k votes)

    #16 - Secrets and Lies

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    S1:E21

    The BAU works with the CIA to identify a mole within that organization, whose leaks are putting operatives at risk.

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  18. 7.5/10(2.7k votes)

    #17 - Natural Born Killer

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    S1:E8

    When an undercover cop in Baltimore involved in a mob investigation goes missing, the BAU believes a serial killer rather than organized crime has something to do with his disappearance. The probe leads to several unsolved missing persons cases.

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  19. 7.5/10(3.1k votes)

    #18 - The Popular Kids

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    S1:E10

    The team investigates the death of one teen, and the disappearance of another , which may be linked to a satanic ritual.

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  20. 7.4/10(2.4k votes)

    #19 - What Fresh Hell?

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    S1:E12

    When a young girl is abducted in broad daylight from a playground in a seemingly safe neighborhood, the BAU team initially believes her father is responsible. When he is able to provide an alibi, the team is forced to look for clues where the girl lives to determine who is really responsible.

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  21. 7.3/10(2.5k votes)

    #20 - Poison

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    S1:E13

    The team travels to New Jersey where several people have been poisoned, one of them fatally with LSD, ten times more potent than the street version.

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  22. 7.2/10(2.6k votes)

    #21 - Machismo

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    S1:E19

    The BAU team travels to Mexico to aid in the capture of a serial killer who is targeting elderly women.

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  23. 7.1/10(3.2k votes)

    #22 - Blood Hungry

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    S1:E11

    While Gideon is stuck at the office on crutches, the rest of the team travels to Tennessee to track down a killer who disembowels his victims and supposedly eats their organs.

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Riding the Lightning" is the best rated episode of "Criminal Minds" season 1. It scored 8.6/10 based on 4671 votes. Directed by Chris Long and written by Simon Mirren, it aired on 1/25/2006. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "The Fisher King (1)".