"Criminal Minds" Episode "Corazon"

"Criminal Minds" always takes the viewer to the dark side. I have never watched this show without feeling just a little afraid when it is over. Yes the team always finds it's man (woman) however, the thought that in real life the profiling teams from Quantico don't always help get their man sets the hair on the back of my neck on end.

"Criminal Minds" January 20, 2011 Episode, "Corazon"

With the usual cast of characters we follow Hotchner's (Thomas Gibson) team to Miami for the profiling of a killer who uses some form of religious ritual in his killings. During our journey down the rabbit hole of the killers mind we find the team and ourselves a bit confused. It appears there is a mixing of religious acts during the killings of these individuals. However, as we have learned to love the team profiles the killer by the evidence laid before them.

The first thing I noticed was that Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) was having what appeared to be a migraine headache. As the show proceeds and the team is lead to the house of a strange religious leader we learn that perhaps Reid is not physically ill but is having some form of mental connection with all the killers and the profiling of his past. One thing this writer noticed was the Reid has lost an enormous amount of weight, this perhaps helps to give the illusion that he is ill on the show. There is nothing I can find that indicates that Matthew is ill off the screen.

This episode also builds on the fantastic relationship between Derek (Shemar Moore) and Penelope (Kirsten Vangsness). Of course we all know that these two love each other in a way that is not romantic but more as a brother and sister. To watch the show bring a relationship of closeness without that sexual tension is a breath of fresh air with each episode.

We discover in this newest episode of "Criminal Minds" a religion, which I must confess I have never heard of in the past. Julio (Hakeem Kae-Kazim) is the priest of this unknown religion and Juan (Rico Devereaux) is the writer who is getting ready to publish a book on this newly discovered religion. Juan explains this religion as one that "uses the spirits of the dead".

Meanwhile we the viewer are beginning to think Julio may just be our un-sub as we have now viewed him killing a rooster, performing a religious ceremony of the strangest kind and actually has the young boy Elian living in his home. The profile fits Elian when it is completed and the "Criminal Minds" team actually shares their results with the local police.

"Corazon" closes with Reid actually being the team member to solve the murder mystery, as he suspects Juan Walker when Walkers family history becomes available. Reid experiences some strange hallucinations that lead him to the place where Walkers final murder is to happen. By talking Walker to a point of letting his guard down Reid has the ability to overcome him and the killer is captured.

This episode of "Criminal Minds" closes for us the viewers with Reid visiting his doctor for the results of his CAT scan. Reid is being told that there is nothing physically wrong with him and perhaps he may need to consider "psychosomatic". With this final comment Reid is a touch angry and upset, as we all know his mother suffers from mental illness and Reid is strongly voicing his opinion that he is not ill as his mother is. Viewers can look to the next episode and the hopes that the bracelet of protection given to Reid by Julio (the religious priest) will protect him from the spirits that Julio claims are infecting Reid's mind.

Resources:

www.imdb.com/title/tt0452046/

www.cbs.com/primetime/criminal_minds/