Criminal Minds “The Black Queen” – “Criminal Minds” was a top-rated American television series that ran for 15 seasons between 2005 and 2020, featuring the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit investigating complex criminal cases involving serial killers, spree killers, and other high-profile criminals.
The BAU team comprises highly trained FBI agents who rely on their expertise in criminal psychology and profiling to understand the behavior and motivations of criminals they’re pursuing. They analyze crime scenes, interview witnesses and suspects, work with local law enforcement to gather evidence, develop leads, and gather intelligence on them.
“The Black Queen” is the twelfth episode from Season 9 of “Criminal Minds.” Initially broadcast on January 15, 2014, this episode centers around the Behavioral Analysis Unit’s (BAU) investigation of murders that appear connected to a chess game; an unsub has targeted young female chess prodigies to play against him in games of chess; thus providing valuable intelligence about them for tracking purposes before this individual commits further strikes. To track him down before further murderous attacks occur again; the BAU team must gain knowledge of his psychological profile to track him down before further attacks arise – such as last season’s finale, “The Black Queen.”
Criminal Minds 9×12 “The Black Queen” Recap
The Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) is called to investigate a series of murders linked to a chess game. An unsub is targeting young girls who are skilled at playing the game against him and using their talents as tools in his deadly attacks against them. BAU team discovers that unsub may use these moves as blueprints for his killing sprees.
The investigation leads the team to a chess club where they encounter Amanda, a young girl with links to Anton Harris – an accomplished chess prodigy himself and promising career before being falsely accused of cheating.
As the team nears Harris’ hiding spot, he kidnaps Amanda and challenges Rossi to a game of chess in which Amanda’s life could be at stake. Rossi agrees and wins; however, Harris manages to escape despite Rossi’s victory and runs into hiding until finally being apprehended by law enforcement agents.
Amanda is safe from harm, and the BAU team reflects on this case, discussing the concept that genius can both be an advantage and disadvantage. Finally, an episode closes with Harris playing chess in prison while considering his future options.
Criminal Minds: 9×12 The Black Queen Explained
Penelope Garcia is a principal character in “Criminal Minds,” as her computer skills were evident from the start. However, in Season 9 Episode 12, “The Black Queen,” viewers learned more about how Garcia came to work for the FBI; through flashback, viewers learned she worked as an anarchist hacker under the moniker “the Black Queen” before being recruited by BAU in 2004 due to her superior hacking abilities.
Flashbacks showed Garcia’s rebellious past contrasted sharply with her current personality. After experiencing law, however, Garcia realized its impact and became a champion for those in need through BAU volunteerism. Though her fashion sense had evolved significantly since being known as Black Queen, Garcia still used her computer knowledge from those days to help solve cases.
Shane Wyeth, Garcia’s former love interest and now social justice hacker, appeared in “The Black Queen.” After getting involved with a case where he believed an individual had been wrongfully charged and imprisoned, Penelope and the BAU called on Shane for assistance to solve multiple killings linked to his hacking group.
Wyeth was driven mainly by his dislike for Penelope after their breakup, yet he proved instrumental in finding and apprehending an actual unsub within his hacking group. While Wyeth thought Penelope had changed, becoming less Black Queen-like than before he remembered her, she clearly had found a calling that enabled her to make positive, impactful change through hacking.
The ‘Criminal Minds’ 9×12 “The Black Queen” episode brought Garcia’s past experiences to light, offering viewers of the show insight into how these experiences affected who she is now and the events that eventually led her to join BAU. Fans gained a greater understanding of her character as a result.
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