As one of the darker police procedurals on TV, Criminal Minds featured FBI profilers working to find some of the country’s most sadistic criminals, known as Unknown Subjects, or “UnSubs.” The series first aired in 2005 and ended in 2020 after 15 seasons and over 300 episodes. However, the series didn’t stay gone from the airways for long as Criminal Minds: Evolution (which served as the 16th season) premiered on Paramount+ in 2022.
Criminal Minds often includes famous quotes from other people in its narration, but some of its most profound statements have come from its own characters. The team’s work as p[rofilers meant they saw the worst in people, but that also gave them great insight into how people operate. Some of the show’s best quotes were great observations about people, life in general and the things that made their jobs worth the darkness and struggle.
5
“I think, deep down, we’re all capable of unspeakable things.” – Aaron Hotchner
Season 4, Episode 17, “Demonology”
In “Demonology,” a childhood friend of Emily’s died, and although it at first appeared to be from a drug overdose, the team’s investigation uncovered other similar deaths, all tied to apparent exorcisms. The victims had all recently traveled to Spain on a pilgrimage, and it turned out they had all been poisoned by a priest seeking revenge for the death of another priest, and he had diplomatic immunity, complicating the team’s ability to hold him accountable.
Through their work, the team saw just about the worst things people were capable of, but they also had insight into what those people were like, including their motives. If there’s one thing the job made clear, it was that nothing truly separates a criminal from everyone else, something Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) understood. While one would think a priest wouldn’t be a murderer, Hotchner felt that everyone is capable of doing something horrible.
4
“Like I said, sometimes there are no words, no clever quotes to neatly sum up what’s happened that day. Sometimes the day just…ends.” – Aaron Hotchner
Season 4, Episode 25, “To Hell and Back”
In the two-part Season 4 finale, “To Hell and Back,” a man in Detroit posed as a killer and offered up a false confession to get the FBI to investigate a string of murders. The man’s information led the team on a chase into Canada to find a serial killer, where he targeted homeless people, addicts and sex workers. They ultimately discovered the victims were all fed to pigs on a farm owned by two brothers.
Criminal Minds often featured quotes from famous figures which dealt with elements of the team’s case, making Hotchner’s observation here that much more fitting. Sometimes, there is no famous quote, no way to wrap things up neatly, and as “To Hell and Back” was one of the best but also most disturbing episodes of the series, Hotchner was all too right. No inspirational quote could soften this brutal episode, and that’s also often the case in real life.
3
“How many more times will they be able to look into the abyss? How many more times before they won’t ever recover the pieces of themselves that this job takes?” – Aaron Hotchner
Season 4, Episode 25, “To Hell and Back”
As the team investigate a string of murders in the season four finale “To Hell and Back,” they end up in Canada. The victims were all people unlikely to be reported missing — such as homeless people — and the evidence led to a pig farm owned by two brothers, one of whom, Mason (Garret Dillahunt), was quadriplegic and was forcing his brother Lucas (Paul Rae), who had an intellectual disability, to abduct and kill people to use them for stem-cell research for a potential cure for Mason.
This chilling episode offered up a few memorable quotes, including some from Hotchner in particular. Here, he acknowledged the difficult nature of the job and the fact that the team was constantly dealing with the worst of humanity and that everyone has a breaking point and, eventually, the work would take a toll. The job might come at a high cost for some, it could leave them forever changed, and not in a good way.
2
“The people I go after are cowards. They often prey upon the weaker members of society, such as women and children. There is nothing I would rather do than put the bastards away.” – Elle Greenway
Season 1, Episode 5, “Broken Mirror”
The team investigated after one of a district attorney’s identical twin daughters was kidnapped, and her boyfriend killed in “Broken Mirror,” and they learned her abductor was also targeting the other twin. Despite the UnSub’s demands for ransom money, the team discovered he actually wanted both girls. The case got more complicated when the UnSub revealed knowledge about the team’s personal lives, leading them to believe he was part of the FBI.
Even though the job proved difficult, as Hotchner pointed out, for some, it was worth it to get the worst UnSubs off the streets. That included Elle (Lola Glaudini), who was dedicated to finding UnSubs and ensuring they couldn’t hurt anyone ever again. And although UnSubs could be brutal and terrifying, Elle saw them a little differently, she considered them cowards because of who they chose as victims, making her all the more determined to catch them.
1
“Helps me go to sleep thinking of the victims we save. Don’t always beat the monsters to the babies, but we do enough to make the job worth it. Keep the nightmares bearable.” – Jason Gideon
Season 1, Episode 10, “The Popular Kids”
In “The Popular Kids,” after two teenagers were killed in a small town, their deaths were thought to be related to a cult due to how the bodies were staged, but the team thought otherwise. The investigation shifted gears when a teenage girl went missing, and the UnSub was ultimately found to be a fellow teen whose crimes spiraled out of control, and who was the sheriff’s son. Meanwhile, Reid was experiencing a recurring nightmare.
Criminal Minds often featured cases that could be nightmare fuel, so it’s no wonder the characters were sometimes impacted and had trouble sleeping themselves. But for Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), it helped to focus on his own loved ones and the lives they saved by catching UnSubs, as opposed to the victims harmed, even if they couldn’t save every single person. To him, the lives they did save made the job worth it and kept the nightmares from taking over.
All 16 seasons of Criminal Minds can be streamed on Paramount+ in the U.S.