Criminal Minds Episode 805: ‘The Good Earth’ Recap

In Criminal Minds Episode 805, “The Good Earth” the BAU team heads to Oregon to investigate the mysterious disappearances of four men. Caution – Spoilers ahead.

“The Good Earth” opened with an incredibly reluctant jogger blowing off the post-run stretching recommended by his trainer to take care of an errand. Unfortunately along the way he suffers from blurred vision and drives off the road.

Luckily no one is hurt and he is able to stop his car despite being passed out. Once he is stopped a mysterious stranger arrives to kidnap him. After we check in with the BAU team and they decide to head out to investigate we find out our victim is being kept tied up in a pen with the other missing men.

The team heads out to investigate the latest kidnapping scene and interview the relatives of the other missing men. As they try to piece together where these men could have been taken we see our “UnSub” using tubes taped to their noses to give them some kind of brown liquid. It doesn’t kill him, but it does make his eyes go in crazy directions.

A fisherman finds one of the missing men washed up on a bank. After examination reveals he was bound and subdued the team suspects their UnSub may be female. Can they find out who she is and where she is keeping her captives before more are murdered?

Our UnSub in Criminal Minds 805 “The Good Earth” is played by the fantastic Anne Dudek. Fans of the actress know her as Danielle Brooks on Covert Affairs and for her recurring roles on such popular shows as House and Big Love—though my personal favorite was her stint on Mad Men as Betty Draper’s saucy best friend Francine Hanson.

It was actually kind of refreshing to see male victims this week. Criminal Minds has a long history of showing horrible things happen to women. This was a sticking point for former star Mandy Patinkin, who recently revealed his stint on the show as Jason Gideon was his “biggest public mistake.”

Overall, despite the change up of a female UnSub, Episode 805 “The Good Earth” is still plagued by an air of “been there, done that” when it comes to the procedural side of the investigation.

Seeing yet another spouse claim “You never think this could happen to you,” might make you want to change the channel but hold out for the incredible guest performance by Dudek. She made tonight’s Criminal Minds well worth it as holistic homicidal maniac Emma Kerrigan. She will make you think twice about blindly grabbing a “Power Drink” at your local farmer’s market.