Criminal Minds was officially renewed for a ninth season on May 9, 2013[1] and premiered on CBS and CTV, on September 25, 2013.[2] The season consists of 24 episodes with the 200th episode being episode 14 of the season, and the finale on 14 May. This new season is said to reveal more on the past of Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau. "We're going to use the serendipitous gift of Season 6 to explain with flashbacks what happened when she was working for the Pentagon and why she came back as a much tougher character. I've never had a chance to flex my acting muscles like this on the show!" said A. J. Cook.[3] The season also featured the return of Paget Brewster and Jayne Atkinson for the 200th episode, which aired on February 5, 2014.[4]
On May 14, 2014, it was revealed at the end of the season finale that Alex Blake (Jeanne Tripplehorn) would be leaving the show.
When two Glendale, Arizona women are sexually assaulted and found dead from a single gunshot to the heart, the BAU sets out to apprehend a devolving serial killer (Frederick Koehler) who forces his victims to eat human flesh. Meanwhile, Hotch contemplates filling the Section Chief position and an unexpected twist promises to change the course of the investigation.
After a routine fingerprint comparison reveals the man considered the prime suspect in the Glendale, Arizona murders is Wallace Hines' identical twin brother, the BAU juggles delving into the siblings' respective pasts, convincing their narcissistic biological mother (Camryn Manheim) to cooperate in the investigation, and tracking down Hines before he strikes again.
When six seemingly unrelated civilians are gunned down in a Dallas, Texas plaza, the BAU attempts to determine if the crime was an isolated incident, a homegrown terrorist attack inspired by the impending anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, or a targeted attack that was aimed at tracking down and killing a particular individual.
When a Baltimore, Maryland John Doe is subjected to lobotomy and found with a microscopic camera embedded in his eye, the BAU works with new Section Chief Mateo Cruz (Esai Morales) to profile an abductor with ties to an international cold case. Meanwhile, JJ and Cruz attempt to keep their past relationship secret from the team.
With Hotch hospitalized due to complications resulting from the stab wounds received during his near-fatal encounter with George Foyet and Rossi staying behind to obtain word on his prognosis, the remaining members of the BAU set out to track down a Wichita, Kansas teenager believed to have been abducted by her estranged father.
When a Provo, Utah Jane Doe is found buried in a tomb of rocks and a second Jane Doe is found in the same vicinity, the BAU sets out to track down a ritualistic killer obsessed with the Salem Witch Trials. Meanwhile, Garcia prepares to host a Day of the Dead celebration at her apartment and Hotch returns from his leave of absence.
When three Boston, Massachusetts men are blitz-attacked and strangled to death, the BAU sets out to profile a voyeur who stalks his victims and kills anyone he perceives as a bad influence. Meanwhile, the team rallies behind Rossi after learning his favorite bar is set to be closed due to low business.
When a Chicago, Illinois teenage runaway dies after gunning down three civilians at a diner, the BAU determines the shooter was manipulated into carrying out the attack and is a member of a homegrown terrorist group. Meanwhile, Morgan discovers his latest romantic interest, Savannah (Rochelle Aytes), takes her job just as seriously as he does.
When two sets of female skeletal remains are excavated from the backyard of a Virginia house following a drainage pipe explosion, the BAU juggles identifying the victims and delving into the residents' past. Meanwhile JJ tries to convince Cruz to tell the rest of the team about their past relationship.
When a St. Louis, Missouri couple receives a cryptic telephone call after finding their ten-year-old son missing and the front door of their house covered in blood, the BAU suspects the disappearance is linked to a fifteen-year-old cold case and attempts to establish a connection between both crimes.
The BAU returns to Missouri after Blake receives a phone call from her father asking the team to help track down the person responsible for a series of killings connected to an unsolved double homicide. Meanwhile, Blake juggles profiling the killer and working with her estranged brother.
When an online collective hacks the Justice Department and the San Jose Police Department and claims a death-row inmate previously convicted of strangling eight prostitutes is innocent, Garcia attempts to assist the BAU by delving into her past.
With Rossi searching Los Angeles, California for his former Marine Corps sergeant (Meshach Taylor), the remaining members of the BAU set out to track down a mission-oriented Cleveland, Ohio vigilante. Meanwhile, JJ continues to keep the team from discovering her secret.
When JJ and Cruz are reported missing and both disappearances are connected to a clandestine mission from their time at the State Department, the BAU secretly works with former SSA Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) in an attempt to rescue their missing colleagues.
When two Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania women are strangled and subsequently found wrapped in a shower curtain, the BAU attempts to determine whether or not the crimes were committed by a two-person killing team. Meanwhile, Morgan and Garcia make Valentine's Day plans for their significant others and JJ returns from her leave of absence.
When a four-year-old Hattiesburg, Mississippi girl goes missing while temporarily staying with a relative, the BAU juggles tracking down the missing child, determining whether or not her biological father was involved in the kidnapping, and identifying the owner of a minivan seen near the abduction site at the time of the kidnapping.
When two Las Vegas, Nevada women are drowned and subsequently found in the desert, the BAU sets out to profile a homeless serial killer who is exacting revenge against members of his own community. Meanwhile, Reid grows increasingly anxious after attempting to contact his mother and learning she went on a trip without telling him.
When three sets of human remains are excavated from a shallow grave outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the BAU attempts to track down a killer who infects his victim with rabies and films them as their symptoms worsen. Meanwhile, Garcia and Reid juggle preparing for an upcoming fitness test and keeping their plan secret from Morgan.
While helping a traumatized survivor prepare to testify at an upcoming trial, Morgan reflects on the events surrounding their first encounter and the BAU's attempt to track down a Hamilton, New York serial killer who uses his crimes to know about the abuse he suffered as a child.
When two Wheeling, West Virginia men are found dead, the BAU juggles identifying a vicious killer with a twisted modus operandi, investigating a long-standing feud between two local families, and uncovering a secret one woman is determined to keep hidden.
When three people are abducted from Memphis, Tennessee parking lots, the BAU connects the kidnappings to a year-old incident and sets out to apprehend a killer bent on revenge. Meanwhile, Morgan becomes conflicted about what to do after Savannah reveals she is unhappy with the amount of traveling his job requires.
The BAU returns to California to track down a Long Beach serial killer obsessed with Greek mythology after two people receive death threats and are subsequently found dead from arsenic poisoning. Meanwhile, Hotch grows concerned after Jack asks him to participate in his school's upcoming career day.
When a Briscoe County, Texas prostitute is tortured and shot to death and her murder is connected to a six-month-old cold case with eerily similar circumstances, the BAU attempts to determine whether or not the crimes were motivated by religious ideals. Meanwhile, an unexpected series of events puts two team members' lives in jeopardy.
With Reid hospitalized following the shootout with now-deceased suspect Justin Mills (Brett Cullen), the remaining members of the BAU set out to take down a corrupt organization preparing to fulfill a sinister agenda. Meanwhile, Garcia inadvertently puts herself in the line of fire and Blake wrestles with a secret from her past.
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