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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 1 - The Silencer
    8.1/10(15 votes)

    #1 - The Silencer

    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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  2. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 2 - The Pact
    7.8/10(13 votes)

    #2 - The Pact

    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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  3. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 3 - Through the Looking Glass
    7.9/10(14 votes)

    #3 - Through the Looking Glass

    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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  4. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 4 - God Complex
    7.9/10(14 votes)

    #4 - God Complex

    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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  5. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 5 - The Good Earth
    7.9/10(14 votes)

    #5 - The Good Earth

    S8:E5

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

    Director:John Terlesky
    Writer:Bruce Zimmerman

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  6. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 6 - The Apprenticeship
    7.5/10(20 votes)

    #6 - The Apprenticeship

    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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  7. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 7 - The Fallen
    8.2/10(13 votes)

    #7 - The Fallen

    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:Rick Dunkle

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  8. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 8 - The Wheels on the Bus...
    7.4/10(14 votes)

    #8 - The Wheels on the Bus...

    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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  9. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 9 - Magnificent Light
    7.2/10(13 votes)

    #9 - Magnificent Light

    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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  10. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 10 - The Lesson
    8.3/10(14 votes)

    #10 - The Lesson

    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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  11. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 11 - Perennials
    7.9/10(14 votes)

    #11 - Perennials

    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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  12. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 12 - Zugzwang
    8.6/10(13 votes)

    #12 - Zugzwang

    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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  13. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 13 - Magnum Opus
    6.9/10(14 votes)

    #13 - Magnum Opus

    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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  14. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 14 - All That Remains
    8.2/10(13 votes)

    #14 - All That Remains

    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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  15. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 15 - Broken
    6.9/10(14 votes)

    #15 - Broken

    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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  16. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 16 - Carbon Copy
    8.3/10(14 votes)

    #16 - Carbon Copy

    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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  17. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 17 - The Gathering
    7.8/10(13 votes)

    #17 - The Gathering

    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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  18. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 18 - Restoration
    8.2/10(14 votes)

    #18 - Restoration

    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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  19. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 19 - Pay It Forward
    7.9/10(12 votes)

    #19 - Pay It Forward

    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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  20. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 20 - Alchemy
    8.0/10(13 votes)

    #20 - Alchemy

    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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  21. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 21 - Nanny Dearest
    8.2/10(12 votes)

    #21 - Nanny Dearest

    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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  22. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 22 - Number Six
    7.9/10(13 votes)

    #22 - Number Six

    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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  23. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 23 - Brothers Hotchner (1)
    8.1/10(12 votes)

    #23 - Brothers Hotchner (1)

    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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  24. Criminal Minds Season 8 Episode 24 - The Replicator (2)
    8.4/10(15 votes)

    #24 - The Replicator (2)

    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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Season 8 Ratings Summary

"The Silencer" is the best rated episode of "Criminal Minds" season 8. It scored 8.1/10 based on 15 votes. Directed by Glenn Kershaw and written by Erica Messer, it aired on 9/26/2012. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "The Pact".