[s6e19] With Friends Like These -

Spencer Reid is deeply affected by the schizophrenic unsub, fearing his own mental health issues and struggling with the team's loss of Prentiss.

Early theories suggest a "pack" of killers, but Hotch quickly realizes it is one single, highly disturbed individual leaving the same shoe prints at every crime scene. The unsub is Ben Foster (played by Bug Hall), a paranoid schizophrenic who believes he is being pursued by the ghosts of three friends he killed in a fire when he was a child. These "ghosts" (Matt, Tony, and Yolanda) now haunt him, acting as "imaginary foes" that force him to kill to get them to stop nagging him. [S6E19] With Friends Like These

When a suspected gang in Portland starts targeting a new victim every night, the BAU is tasked with finding a "pack" of killers before they strike again. But what they find is far more personal, tragic, and psychological than a simple gang war. Spencer Reid is deeply affected by the schizophrenic

Ben takes children hostage, but in a rare moment of clarity and mercy, he does not kill them despite his "friends" demanding it. The BAU eventually catches him, and he is shot after charging them with a knife. Review: "With Friends Like These..." These "ghosts" (Matt, Tony, and Yolanda) now haunt

It’s a deeply sad episode, highlighting that the true monster isn't just the illness, but the lack of support. Ben’s struggle is treated with a surprising amount of empathy compared to other Criminal Minds episodes, especially in the final scenes with Ashley Seaver, who grapples with the remorse Ben showed.

The BAU is reeling from the loss of Emily Prentiss (who they believe is dead), but they must focus on a series of violent murders in Portland, Oregon. The victims are bludgeoned and stabbed, with high levels of overkill—up to 71 times in one instance.

13/20 on the Unsub scale, mostly because the villain is more victim than monster.