‘Criminal Minds’: The 5 Saddest Episodes, Ranked
If there’s one thing Criminal Minds does well, it’s creeping fans out with seriously disturbing episodes. On the other hand, the crime drama also knows how to break hearts into a million pieces. Some scenes never fail to make viewers cry, no matter how many times they watch. In honor of Criminal Minds: Evolution hitting Paramount+ this week, here’s a ranking of the saddest episodes in the original series. Get those tissues ready.
5. ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 11 Episode 18, ‘A Beautiful Disaster’
Goodbyes are always hard — especially when they’re coming from your favorite character on a TV show. Criminal Minds fans everywhere were crushed when they found out that Shemar Moore, who played Derek Morgan for 11 seasons, was leaving the show.
“A Beautiful Disaster” marks Moore’s final episode as a series regular. We can’t help but shed a tear as Morgan bids farewell to his pal, Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), and his Baby Girl, Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangness). Plus, this episode shows one of Morgan’s most emotional times as his wife and unborn child fight for their lives in the hospital after a shooting.
The line that broke us: “I just can’t imagine this room without you.”
4. Season 5 Episode 16, ‘Mosley Lane’
The cases involving children are always the hardest to watch for many Criminal Minds fans. In “Mosley Lane,” the BAU tracks down a couple who has spent several years abducting children. One of the kidnapped teens, Charlie (Evan Peters), is forced to aid in the abductions, but he tries to help the children when he can. After a successful rescue from the BAU, Charlie meets the parents of another abductee, Stephen. They break down as Charlie tells them their son died just yesterday.
The line that broke us: “He was alive yesterday?”
3. Season 6 Episode 18, ‘Lauren’
“Lauren” is an emotional rollercoaster. In this episode, Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) reveals the undercover work she once did for Interpol. She helped bring down Ian Doyle (Timothy V. Murphy), but now that he’s escaped prison, he wants revenge. Ian holds Emily hostage and eventually stabs her in the abdomen. Emily’s teammates rush her to the hospital, where JJ (A.J. Cook) tells everyone Emily died in surgery.
The devastated reactions of the BAU team are enough to make us feel like we’ve lost a friend, too. Of course, the pain doesn’t last long, as viewers soon learn that Emily faked her own death with JJ’s help. She leaves Criminal Minds for a while, but at least we know she’s alive.
The line that broke us: “She never made it off the table.”
2. Season 8 Episode 12, ‘Zugzwang’
Reid is like a lovable brother to many Criminal Minds fans, so we feel very protective of him. And when he cries, we cry. A lot. In “Zugzwang,” Reid and the BAU must track down the person who stalked and kidnapped his girlfriend, Maeve (Beth Riesgraf). When they find Diane (Michelle Trachtenberg), she threatens to kill Maeve. Reid tries his best to talk her out of it, but Diane shoots herself and Maeve in front of him. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see Reid’s true love taken away from him.
The line that broke us: “Me for her.”
1. ‘Criminal Minds’ Season 5 Episode 9, ‘100’
Many fans would likely agree that “100” is the absolute saddest episode in Criminal Minds history. Psychopathic serial killer George Foyet (C. Thomas Howell), also known as The Reaper, gets ahold of Aaron Hotchner’s (Thomas Gibson) ex-wife and son. He races to her home and calls Haley (Meredith Monroe) on the way, and both of them know that she’s about to die. Haley tearfully tells Hotch to promise that he’ll tell Jack (Cade Owens) all about their relationship.
By the time Hotch arrives, Haley is already dead. He later finds his son hiding in a chest, just as Hotch told him to. The entire sequence is gut-wrenching.
The line that broke us: “I worked the case, daddy, just like you said.”
Criminal Minds and Criminal Minds: Evolution are available to stream on Paramount+. New episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution drop on Thursdays. Hopefully, the revival won’t make us cry like the saddest Criminal Minds episodes did.
