'Criminal Minds' season 13 Episode 15 Spoilers: JJ Cries Foul on Barnes' Attempt to Control BAU
Assistant Director Linda Barnes (Kim Rhodes) is taking over the BAU in the upcoming episode of "Criminal Minds."
In the episode titled "Annihilator," the synopsis reveals that Barnes will personally be joining the squad in its latest case. When St. Louis is rocked by the news of a quadruple homicide, the authorities will tap on the BAU to solve the case. As shown in the promo, the assistant director will see this as an opportunity to showcase her leadership skills. By this time, it is no secret that she wants to be promoted to the next director. Prentiss (Paget Brewster) accused her, point blank, about her schemes when she was put on administrative leave without warning.
Last episode, JJ (A.J. Cook) got an email from Barnes, appointing her as the squad's acting chief. When she reached out to Prentiss, the other told her about the situation. Simmons (Daniel Henney) probably had the most accurate idea of why Barnes wanted Prentiss out. According to him, around that time last year, she ordered that his "Beyond Borders" team be dissolved. Prentiss was then called to Barnes' office, where she was informed about why she was suspended. According to the assistant director, the BAU has not been functioning as it should since Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) was captured in Mexico.
Barnes also implied that Agent Walker's (Damon Gupton) was due to Prentiss' negligence as the head. When Prentiss told her she knew about her plans, Barnes said she has several options. If she let either Reid or Rossi (Joe Mantegna) take the downfall in the Mexican fiasco, Barnes would let the squad be. Prentiss declined, as expected. As it stands, JJ is the one to lead the squad in the new homicide case. The promo shows her extremely stressed and short-tempered when Barnes keeps on meddling with the investigation.
"Criminal Minds" season 13 airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EST on CBS.