Season 12 of the American police procedural drama TV series “Criminal Minds” on CBS is currently on its customary winter break after airing its eighth and fall finale episode on December 7.
Based on the synopsis of the upcoming ninth episode of “Criminal Minds” Season 12, entitled “Profiling 202,” it will have David Rossi, played by Joe Mantegna, as the front and center of the TV series.
Rossi will be conducting a profiling course on his birthday. While he was conducting the class, he receives a shocking phone call from his serial killer nemesis, Tommy Yates, played by Adam Nelson, details the International Business Times.
The serial killer will actually inform the profiler the location of his latest victim. It is not the first time that the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) has been involved in a cat-and-mouse chase with a serial killer before, even one that a profiler knows well.
The replacement of Hotch
The Season 12 fall finale of “Criminal Minds” also introduced the replacement of Thomas Gibson’s Aaron ‘Hotch’ Hotchner.
He is Stephen Walker, played by Damon Gupton, an experienced profiler that both Rossi and Emily Prentiss, played by Paget Brewster, know well, and who was introduced in the final moments of episode 8.
The upcoming ninth episode will see Walker working on his first case with the team. Fans are already excited what kind of skills and talent he can bring to the BAU team of the FBI.
Meanwhile, Kirsten Vangsness, who plays Penelope Garcia, shared a photo of her and co-star Adam Rodriguez driving to a crime scene on the actress’ Instagram account. She also shared a photo of her having dinner with co-star Aisha Tyler, who plays Dr. Tara Lewis in the TV series.
Likewise, she also watched her former co-star Shemar Moore in his new movie entitled “The Bounce Back.”
Season 13 renewal in jeopardy
There are rumors going around that given the declining ratings of “Criminal Minds” Season 12, CBS may find it difficult to give the show a renewal for Season 13.
Apparently, after the departure of fan-favorite character Derek Morgan, played by Shemar Moore in episode 16 of Season 11 of “Criminal Minds,” and the firing of Thomas Gibson for his altercation with writer-producer Virgil Williams early in Season 12, some of the show’s fans have decided to boycott the TV series.
“Criminal Minds” is rated 8.2 out of 10, with user votes of 111,600 in total, and it has 170 viewer reviews and 43 critics’ reviews.
Apparently, the casting changes don’t just affect the audience but the remaining cast as well. In a recent interview, Aisha Tyler said that the changes in “Criminal Minds” can be difficult to adjust to.
She adds, however, that the team is working together despite the changes, reassuring that in the real world, people come and go, so they adjust. But even as they loved what they had before, they also love the environment of the show now.
Meanwhile, episode 8 of “Criminal Minds” Season 12 aired on December 7 and it put Dr. Tara Lewis, played by Aisha Tyler, in the limelight as she deals with an impostor who is pretending to be her brother.
Tara was scheduled to meet her brother from a reunion that took a long time coming but when they meet, she notices something different about him.
The impostor of her brother is to be played by Alimi Ballard, but he goes by the name of Gabriel as well. Since Tara knows her brother so well, she immediately senses that something was not right with the person she was talking to.
But Gabriel continued to insist that he is actually her brother. He will even recount many details of their childhood and life together as siblings just to prove his point.