The date is actually part of the plan of the BAU to take down the Dirty Dozen.
The fall finale episode of “Criminal Minds” Season 11, titled “Future Perfect,” showed very little storyline progress about the Dirty Dozen except for showing Penelope Garcia, played by Kirsten Simone Vangsness whiling her time away in the modified witness protection program by playing poker with David Rossi, played by Joe Mantegna.
The problem is, not even a game of poker with Rossi for fuzzy pencils and cigars can distract Garcia from why she is in the program.
Rossi tried to assure her that everything will be back to normal. Garcia also feels the same although she admitted that she is scared that she would be stuck at the BAU like she was then because of the threat on her life.
Rossi also assured her that the BAU will take the Dirty Dozen down and that she can do her part by staying strong.
However, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel for Garcia on her quest to extinguish the threat from The Dirty Dozen suddenly loomed when Senior Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotch, played by Thomas Gibson, showed up in her quarters at the FBI.