CrimeDramaMysteryCBSParamount+

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!

Binge this in 15h 39m·Peaking at 9.2/10
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons19

All12345678910111213141516171819

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 9 - 100
    9.2/10(4800 votes)

    S5:E9

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

    Director:Edward Allen Bernero
    Writers:Erica Messer, Simon Mirren, Edward Allen Bernero, Rick Dunkle, Chris Mundy, Breen Frazier, Oanh Ly

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 16 - Mosley Lane
    8.9/10(4355 votes)

    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.

    Director:Matthew Gray Gubler
    Writers:Erica Messer, Simon Mirren

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 12 - The Uncanny Valley
    8.4/10(3410 votes)

    S5:E12

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

    Director:Anna Foerster
    Writer:Breen Frazier

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 1 - Nameless, Faceless
    8.0/10(2695 votes)

    S5:E1

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

    Director:Charles S. Carroll
    Writer:Chris Mundy

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 23 - Our Darkest Hour
    8.0/10(2441 votes)

    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.

    Director:Edward Allen Bernero
    Writer:Erica Messer

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 20 - ...A Thousand Words
    7.9/10(2633 votes)

    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.

    Director:Rosemary Rodriguez
    Writer:Edward Allen Bernero

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Criminal Minds

    READ
  7. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 2 - Haunted
    7.7/10(3044 votes)

    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
    Writer:Erica Messer

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 8 - Outfoxed
    7.7/10(2258 votes)

    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.

    Director:John Gallagher
    Writer:Simon Mirren

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 10 - The Slave of Duty
    7.7/10(2224 votes)

    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
    Writer:Rick Dunkle

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 13 - Risky Business
    7.7/10(3033 votes)

    S5:E13

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

    Director:Rob Spera
    Writer:Jim Clemente

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 22 - The Internet Is Forever
    7.7/10(2469 votes)

    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".

    Director:Glenn Kershaw
    Writer:Breen Frazier

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 5 - Cradle to Grave
    7.6/10(2237 votes)

    S5:E5

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

    Director:Rob Spera
    Writer:Breen Frazier

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 15 - Public Enemy
    7.6/10(2123 votes)

    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.

    Director:Nelson McCormick
    Writer:Jess Prosser

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 21 - Exit Wounds
    7.5/10(2913 votes)

    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.

    Director:Charles S. Carroll
    Writer:Rick Dunkle

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 3 - Reckoner
    7.4/10(2933 votes)

    S5:E3

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

    Director:Karen Gaviola
    Writers:Jay Beattie, Dan Dworkin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 7 - The Performer
    7.4/10(2520 votes)

    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
    Writer:Holly Harold

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 14 - Parasite
    7.4/10(2172 votes)

    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.

    Director:Charles S. Carroll
    Writer:Oanh Ly

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 17 - Solitary Man
    7.4/10(2094 votes)

    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.

    Director:Rob Hardy
    Writer:Kimberly A. Harrison

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 4 - Hopeless
    7.3/10(2500 votes)

    S5:E4

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

    Director:Félix Alcalá
    Writer:Chris Mundy

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 11 - Retaliation
    7.3/10(2190 votes)

    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.

    Director:Félix Alcalá
    Writer:Erica Messer

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 18 - The Fight
    7.3/10(2459 votes)

    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.

    Director:Richard Shepard
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 19 - Rite of Passage
    7.3/10(2263 votes)

    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.

    Director:John Gallagher
    Writer:Victor De Jesus

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Criminal Minds Season 5 Episode 6 - The Eyes Have It
    7.2/10(2253 votes)

    S5:E6

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

    Director:Glenn Kershaw
    Writer:Oanh Ly

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Season 5 Ratings Summary

"100" is the best rated episode of Criminal Minds season 5. It scored 9.2/10 from 4,800 votes. Directed by Edward Allen Bernero and written by Erica Messer, Simon Mirren, Edward Allen Bernero, Rick Dunkle, Chris Mundy, Breen Frazier, Oanh Ly, it aired on November 25, 2009. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "Mosley Lane".