7.4/102,070 votes#1 - The Crimson King
Season 12 Episode 1 - Aired 9/28/2016
Agent Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez) joins the BAU team, which is tasked with capturing a killer who escaped prison with 13 other convicts at the end of last season.
Director: Glenn Kershaw
Writer: Breen Frazier
7.5/102,313 votes#2 - Sick Day
Season 12 Episode 2 - Aired 10/5/2016
When JJ arrives home shaken after a rough case, she breaks down and tells her husband about the abduction of two children.
Director: Larry Teng
Writer: Virgil Williams
7.2/102,143 votes#3 - Taboo
Season 12 Episode 3 - Aired 10/12/2016
The BAU welcomes back Emily Prentiss as they are called upon to investigate the disappearance of three women
Director: Alec Smight
Writer: Karen Maser
7.1/101,790 votes#4 - Keeper
Season 12 Episode 4 - Aired 10/26/2016
The BAU team searches for a serial killer along the Appalachian Trail in rural Virginia.
Director: Sharat Raju
Writer: Bruce Zimmerman
7.1/101,700 votes#5 - The Anti-Terrorism Squad
Season 12 Episode 5 - Aired 11/9/2016
The BAU investigates if bullying may be the link between two high school students who are the sole survivors after both of their families are killed.
Director: Tawnia McKiernan
Writer: Stephanie Sengupta
7.6/102,249 votes#6 - Elliott's Pond
Season 12 Episode 6 - Aired 11/16/2016
When three children disappear while riding their bikes on the same path as a similar unsolved disappearance 30 years ago, the BAU team comes in to investigate.
Director: Matthew Gray Gubler
Writer: Erica Messer
7.7/102,119 votes#7 - Mirror Image
Season 12 Episode 7 - Aired 11/30/2016
The BAU team opens an investigation when a man who fully believes he’s Dr. Tara Lewis’ brother arrives in town, knowing everything about her and her family, and she is unable to make contact with her real sibling.
Director: Joe Mantegna
Writer: Breen Frazier
7.3/101,808 votes#8 - Scarecrow
Season 12 Episode 8 - Aired 12/7/2016
The team heads to Yakima, Washington when the remains of a dozen people are found along a creek bed.
Director: Christoph Schrewe
Writer: Karen Maser
7.3/101,878 votes#9 - Profiling 202
Season 12 Episode 9 - Aired 1/4/2017
While Rossi conducts a profiling course on his birthday, he receives a call from his nemesis Tommy Yates, who discloses the location of his latest victim.
Director: Rob Bailey
Writer: Virgil Williams
7.1/101,867 votes#10 - Seek and Destroy
Season 12 Episode 10 - Aired 1/11/2017
BAU team investigates a series of home invasions in upscale neighborhoods in San Diego involving casualties.
Director: Diana Valentine
Writer: Erik Stiller
7.2/102,087 votes#11 - Surface Tension
Season 12 Episode 11 - Aired 2/1/2017
Reid has returned from Houston, where he was visiting his mother who is in a new facility on an experimental drug program. He is called back home from the office while the rest of the team heads off on their next case. It isn't until the team is in the air that they learn that Diana is no longer in the Houston facility, but that she is now living with Reid, as the trial drug was not having the intended effect.
Director: Oz Scott
Writer: Bruce Zimmerman
6.7/102,073 votes#12 - A Good Husband
Season 12 Episode 12 - Aired 2/8/2017
The BAU team is called in to investigate when male victims are found with no way to identify them.
Director: Laura Belsey
Writer: Jeff Davis, Erik Stiller, Jim Clemente
7.8/102,206 votes#13 - Spencer
Season 12 Episode 13 - Aired 2/15/2017
When a BAU member gets in trouble in Mexico, the team enlists the services of the International Response Team for their help.
Director: Glenn Kershaw
Writer: Erica Messer, Kirsten Vangsness
7.3/101,764 votes#14 - Collision Course
Season 12 Episode 14 - Aired 2/22/2017
The BAU investigates the cause of several fatal car crashes involving drivers and pedestrians. Also, Reid gets bad news.
Director: Alec Smight
Writer: Stephanie Sengupta
7.3/101,854 votes#15 - Alpha Male
Season 12 Episode 15 - Aired 3/1/2017
The BAU investigates when several young men and women are victims of disfiguring acid attacks. Also, Dr. Reid begins to settle into his new surroundings.
Director: Rob Bailey
Writer: Karen Maser
7.2/102,028 votes#16 - Assistance Is Futile
Season 12 Episode 16 - Aired 3/15/2017
When three women in New York City are found dead with several bones broken, the BAU works with a single mother (Tatum O'Neal) who believes that her son is behind the heinous crimes. Meanwhile, Reid faces a difficult decision after a fellow inmate is threatened.
Director: Leon Ichaso
Writer: Virgil Williams
7.3/102,020 votes#17 - In the Dark
Season 12 Episode 17 - Aired 3/22/2017
When two drastically different murder sprees are committed in Burlington, Vermont, the BAU concludes that a serial killer suffering from sleepwalking is responsible for both crimes. Meanwhile, Alvez presents Shaw with a shocking ultimatum after Reid is assaulted in prison.
Director: Diana Valentine
Writer: Dania Bennett
7.3/102,047 votes#18 - Hell's Kitchen
Season 12 Episode 18 - Aired 3/29/2017
The BAU investigates an urban vampire who kidnaps his victims at night and holds them underground in the sewer system; Reid makes a difficult decision in prison.
Director: Simon Mirren
Writer: Erica Messer
7.2/101,985 votes#19 - True North
Season 12 Episode 19 - Aired 4/5/2017
Three victims are found tied to stakes in the Arizona desert.
Director: Joe Mantegna
Writer: Bruce Zimmerman
7.5/101,778 votes#20 - Unforgettable
Season 12 Episode 20 - Aired 4/26/2017
The BAU investigates when several federal government employees, including a close friend of Walker's, succumb to symptoms of a heart attack; Reid anxiously awaits his trial date.
Director: Carlos Bernard
Writer: Stephanie Sengupta
8.1/101,905 votes#21 - Green Light
Season 12 Episode 21 - Aired 5/3/2017
When Reid fears his mother has been abducted, he asks the BAU to investigate while he's stuck in prison.
Director: Alec Smight
Writer: Erik Stiller
8.4/101,988 votes#22 - Red Light
Season 12 Episode 22 - Aired 5/10/2017
Derek Morgan brings the BAU a lead in the case against serial killer and escaped convict Mr. Scratch.
Director: Glenn Kershaw
Writer: Breen Frazier
The Best Episodes of Criminal Minds Season 12
Every episode of Criminal Minds Season 12 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Criminal Minds Season 12!
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...
Genres:CrimeDramaMystery
Season 12 Ratings Summary
"The Crimson King" is the best rated episode of "Criminal Minds" season 12. It scored 7.4/10 based on 2070 votes. Directed by Glenn Kershaw and written by Breen Frazier, it aired on 9/28/2016. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Sick Day".