The latest episode of the tenth season of Criminal Minds features the coping strategy of the youngest member of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), Spencer Reid, portrayed by Matthew Gray Gubler, on the demise of his mentor and close friend, Jason Gideon, played by Mandy Patinkin, as revealed in a spoiler article published in Cartermatt.com.
In the sneak preview of the episode, which will air on Wednesday in CBS, Reid is seen exerting all his energy attempting to enhance his focus and concentration. He does this by engaging in a game of chess, which is the same sport he and Gideon used to bond over as shown in the previous episodes of the show.
Unsurprisingly, Reid's behavior somehow alarms a senior member of the BAU, David Rossi. As Gideon's longtime investigation partner and very close friend, he understands the trauma and depression the younger team member is going through. However, Rossi begins to truly worry about Reid's psychological, emotional, and physical wellbeing when the latter virtually spends more than 24 hours to focus on chess games.
The episode featuring the death of the previous head of the unit, Gideon, provided flashbacks to the 1970s when he and Rossi worked as partners in the then-called Behavioral Science Unit. This could be quite refreshing for fans and followers of the show as it will mark the first time that both men appear on screen together despite Rossi's frequent attribution to his past experiences with Gideon.
In an interview with the show's executive producer and showrunner, Erica Messer, conducted by tvguide.com, she shared the reason behind the decision to finally kill off Gideon only after roughly eight years since Patinkin's abrupt move to leave the show.
"We don't kill off our heroes very often," Messer explained. However, the show felt the need to provide a flashback that basically showed Gideon's entire career as an FBI agent. This subsequently led to exposing parts of his life as an investigator that gradually molded his character. Moreover, Messer shared that it was only fitting to include his death in the episode as well.
"What I really want to drive us back into the past is the death of Gideon," she reportedly told the heads of both CBS and ABC studios in explaining the decision to kill off the character.
Messer also discussed Reid's reaction to the death of the team's former leader. "There will be a sadness there that plays into the next episode a little bit, but it's his [Reid] version of dealing with it," she described.
She also shared that the subsequent episode dealing with Reid and Rossi's coping mechanisms on the loss would serve as a continuation of the tribute to the character of Gideon. "It's a really lovely continuation and then it becomes one of those things that the characters add to their layers," Messer remarked.
