History Awesome / CriminalMinds

* In Season 15's "Under the Skin", Rossi not only figures out that the "helpful" ME Dr Hurst is the [=UnSub=] before the rest of the team, but also that he's been working with Season [[BigBad]] Everett Lynch ''and'' takes him down alone, turning his own scalpel against him.

* In Season 2's "Revelations", she she fires three shots in the dark and takes down three attack-trained dogs.

-->'''Jennifer Jareau''': Your son framed a federal agent and manipulated Special Weapons and Tactics operatives to do it. So here's the thing about SWAT: they don't like being manipulated. So now, your son is on a "shoot first, ask questions later" list.
-->'''Antonia Slade''': I want him taken into custody. Alive.
-->'''Jennifer Jareau''': Of course you do. What mother wouldn't? Truth is, I can't really promise you what will happen if he gets caught.
-->'''Antonia Slade''': You won't let him get killed. I know you. You took an oath; you're too goody two shoes to break it.
-->'''Jennifer Jareau''': Yeah, yesterday... yesterday, I wouldn't have. But that was before your son had armed men point guns in the same room as ''my'' son.

* In the Season 14 premiere "300", even while held hostage and terrified, Garcia manages to follow Reid's rapid fire instructions, running for the exit as soon as she sees his distraction under way. When she gets to the car and [[CorruptCop Meadows]] catches up to her, she doesn't hesitate to [[CarFu run her down]]. When she gets back to the BAU, she's in a state of shock, but immediately leads the team back to the warehouse and gives them as much detail as she can.

:: : And then he cracks a joke about his previous failure by saying he was aiming for the [=UnSub=]'s knee (the scene had earlier established that anything but a headshot would allow the [=UnSub=] time to kill civilians before anyone else could respond).

'''Reid:''' This is calm, and it's "Doctor".

:: : In the next episode, Reid notes that, "You know, I've been thinking about it, and in all the time I've known Hotch, I've ''never seen him blink''."
* In Season 5's "100", Hotch beats Foyet to death with his bare hands and continues until Morgan pulls him off. [[VillainsWantMercy Foyet even tries to surrender in the middle of it]] , but Hotch is in full-on PapaWolf mode, so he just keeps going. You can actually tell Foyet's state just from how the scene plays out. Derek barges in first and pulls Hotch away while assuring him the Reaper's dead on the ground. Look at Prentiss's reaction especially. Derek would be able to tell Foyet was dead from a glance alone ''if he was beaten to a bloody pulp to the point where it was obvious his face was just '''gone'''''.
* Hotch faces down the barrels of four rifles in Season 5's "Exit Wounds" as he is told that the [=UnSub=] is coming with the angry townsfolk. His reply is two words long: "Not happening."

-->'''JJ:''' ["patiently"] It takes time to unfold-

-->'''JJ:''' ["coldly"] Then let me tell you what "my" report will say. That we agreed on a theory to engage Justin based on our profile, which was "working" until "you" went rogue. And in doing so, you risked the life of a woman we had "already saved", and "forced" us to kill our prime suspect.

-->'''JJ:'' [[ThreatBackfire I think that's a great idea.]] You just tell me when to be there.

* In Season 10's "The Itch", Rossi smacks down another [=UnSub=] like he did back in "Masterpiece".

-->'''Rossi:''' ["coldly"] Thing is, Wick, I do have hard feelings. You have a history of hitting women.

-->'''Senator:''' When I return to the Senate, I will personally ensure that the BAU is funded and staffed to full capacity. But in the meantime, don't you think Agent Prentiss should be reinstated as unit chief?

** Evan Abbey discovers that someone in his environmental group has been using it as a way of burning down homes and trapping families inside so he can watch them burn to death. Abbey started the group after discovering he had terminal Leukemia and wanted his life to mean something. He lures the [=UnSub=] to a recently finished school that's basically sitting on an assload of benzine, a particularly flammable substance. The whole episode has been about how Abbey always wanted to do what was right, and never had the chance or the ability. Then we get to the last few minutes of his life, and we get this:

'''Abbey:''' ''[chuckling]'' [[ArcWords The right thing.]]
::: : When the [=UnSub=] panics and asks Abbey how he plans to escape, he merely says "I don't" and lights the place up. Better still, besides getting rid of a murderer, he also saved all the kids that would have gone to school there, as the higher-ups didn't care about the school being on top of potentially dangerous chemicals.

:: : She then does everything she can to get up, free one of the other victims, and call for help, even though she can't stand.

* In Season 4's "Amplification", Reid gets infected by anthrax and starts showing the symptoms of it, but continues helping the BAU solve the case. Luckily, he manages able to find the cure.

-->'''Barnes''': Those security cameras caught everything. Do you have any idea how it'll look when this goes viral? I had a plan, nobody was going to die.
-->'''JJ''': If you followed our validation strategy-
-->'''Barnes''': It wasn't working. It was moving too slow.
-->'''JJ''': It takes time to unfold.
-->'''Barnes''': No! No, this is on you. Justin's blood is on all of you. I will make sure my report says so.
-->'''JJ''': Then let me tell you what my report will say. That we agreed on a theory to engage Justin based on our profile, which was working until you went rogue. And in doing so, you risked the life of a woman we had already saved, and forced us to kill our prime suspect.
-->'''Barnes''': Why don't we show the video to the director and let him decide?
-->'''JJ''': I think that's a great idea. You just tell me when to be there.

* Rossi gets another one in Season 5's "Exit Wounds" -- Hotch, Reid, and the Alaska sheriffs are facing off with a virtual lynch mob over the [=UnSub=]. Hotch and Reid are trying to defuse the situation, and the leader of the mob wants to know who Hotch thinks has the high ground.

-->'''Rossi:''' Thing is, Wick, I do have hard feelings. You have a history of hitting women.

* In Season 11's "Entropy" after sending JJ and Rossi out of the resteraunt Cat Adams thinks she's in the clear and can talk to Spencer in peace. Tara has something to say about that as the camera pans over to her and Derek toasting their martinis as an undercover couple.

-->'''AD Linda Barnes''': Those security cameras caught everything. Do you have any idea how it'll look when this goes viral? I had a plan, nobody was going to die.
-->'''Jennifer Jareau''': If you followed our validation strategy-
-->'''AD Linda Barnes''': It wasn't working. It was moving too slow.
-->'''Jennifer Jareau''': It takes time to unfold.
-->'''AD Linda Barnes''': No! No, this is on you. Justin's blood is on all of you. I will make sure my report says so.
-->'''Jennifer Jareau''': Then let me tell you what my report will say. That we agreed on a theory to engage Justin based on our profile, which was working until you went rogue. And in doing so, you risked the life of a woman we had already saved, and forced us to kill our prime suspect.
-->'''AD Linda Barnes''': Why don't we show the video to the director and let him decide?
-->'''Jennifer Jareau''': I think that's a great idea. You just tell me when to be there.

-->'''Wick:''' (taking the wedding invite from Rossi's hand) No hard feelings, but you're not invited anymore. (Rossi grabs the invitation back and twists Wick's wrist with his other hand, Wick cries out in pain) What are you doing?

-->'''Wick:''' Seriously, you're gonna break my freaking wrist. (Wick cries out again as Rossi twists further)

-->'''Wick:''' If you weren't FBI- (cries out again)
-->'''Rossi:''' I... I can't make it out above all your whimpering. (he lets go of Wick's wrist)

-->'''Wick:''' [beat] You know what? To hell with Portia. She ain't anything special anyway. (he leaves)

-->'''Prentiss:''' I... I'm only asking because... Assistant Director Barnes terminated Agent Jareau when she asked questions about the Tracy Ferguson case. That was the case that allowed us to identify this [=UnSub=]. (long beat)
-->'''Senator:''' You have full authority to staff the BAU any way you see fit.

-->'''Senator:''' (to Barnes) Linda, I'd like to see you in my office first thing tomorrow.

-->'"Wick"': (taking the wedding invite from Rossi's hand) No hard feelings, but you're not invited anymore. (Rossi grabs the invitation back and twists Wick's wrist with his other hand, Wick cries out in pain) What are you doing?
-->'"Rossi"': Thing is, Wick, I do have hard feelings. You have a history of hitting women.
-->'"Wick"': Nobody can prove-
-->'"Rossi"': You'll marry Portia, you'll hit her. Then you'll agree to go away for a negotiated price. Is that about right?
-->'"Wick"': Seriously, you're gonna break my freaking wrist. (Wick cries out again as Rossi twists further)
-->'"Rossi"': Ah, no. This is just soft-tissue pain. However, if you want to avoid real facial reconstruction, I suggest you take another sit-down with Portia and you explain to her that you think she's too good for you and then you hit the road permanently.
-->'"Wick"': If you weren't FBI- (cries out again)
-->'"Rossi"': I... I can't make it out above all your whimpering. (he lets go of Wick's wrist)
-->'"Wick"': We're getting married. You don't scare me.
-->'"Rossi"': Why should I scare you? My job is to stop scary people. For instance, a guy who takes pliers to people he doesn't like. Now, let's say that this guy is up for parole, say, next Thursday at Angola prison, and let's just say that I neglect to show up to testify against his release. Now, that guy, he might misinterpret things. He might think I did him a favour. That he owes me one. And then, he might look for a way to pay that debt.
-->'"Wick"': [beat] You know what? To hell with Portia. She ain't anything special anyway. (he leaves)

-->'"Senator"': When I return to the Senate, I will personally ensure that the BAU is funded and staffed to full capacity. But in the meantime, don't you think Agent Prentiss should be reinstated as unit chief?
-->'"Barnes"': Consider it done.
-->'"Prentiss"': Senator, does this mean that I have hiring authority?
-->'"Senator"': Within reason.
-->'"Prentiss"': I... I'm only asking because... Assistant Director Barnes terminated Agent Jareau when she asked questions about the Tracy Ferguson case. That was the case that allowed us to identify this [=UnSub=]. (long beat)
-->'"Senator"': You have full authority to staff the BAU any way you see fit.
-->'"Prentiss"': Thank you, sir.
-->'"Senator"': (to Barnes) Linda, I'd like to see you in my office first thing tomorrow.

* The time that Derek Morgan tackled a moving van in Season 2's "Legacy". Seriously. When doors and people just can't do it for you anymore... He also tackles a train in Season 4's "Catching Out", and, maybe best of all, ''leaps tall buildings in a single bound''.

-->'"Senator"': (to the team) Thank you. All of you. You saved my daughter's life.
-->'"JJ"': It was a team effort. (side-eyeing Barnes) Glad we were here.
-->'"Senator"': So am I. Look, I know there's been talk about shutting down your unit... spreading profilers out into the field offices.
-->'"Barnes"': That's just one option to increase efficiency.
-->'"Senator"': I think that's a mistake.
-->'"Barnes"': Understood.

-->'"Prentiss"': I... I'm only asking because... Assistant Director Barnes terminated Agent Jareau when she asked questions about the Tracy Ferguson case. That was the case that allowed us to identify this [=UnSub=].
(long beat)

* In Season 6's "Big Sea", the victim Gary fighting against the [=UnSub=] to protect his son. It didn't do anything but damn.

* In Season 6's "Big Sea", the victim Gary fighting against the UnSub to protect his son. It didn't do anything but damn.

* Rossi uses his vacation time to catch serial killers. No, really, he goes to Mexico on vacation and instead uses it to track down a killer who got away from the team.

* James fighting against Blake protecting his son. It didn't do anything but damn.

* Maggie from "Legacy". Just think about it. She very nearly makes it to the exit of a deathtrap-filled building. She is literally a foot, maybe two away from freedom. In a few hours she manages to get from start to finish, drugged, barefoot, bleeding, with GLASS in her feet, and terrified. That takes serious determination. And then at the end, she demands they remove the sheet covering his body so she can see his face, just to ''laugh at him'' in triumph because she won.

* Allie and Paige in Season 13's ''The Bunker'' steal a knife and trick one of their captors into letting her guard down with a ruse so that they can take her hostage. While they still need the help of [=JJ=] and Reid to get out, they get credit for how far they make it.

* Speaking flawless Arabic in "Lessons Learned" and helping the team identify the real terrorists behind the killings. It's also the first time she proves her worth to the team.
* Prentiss being accused of playing political games with a congresswomen threatening to take their case away in "Sex, Birth, Death." Her response?

* Her BreakingSpeech to the [=Unsub=] in "Seven Seconds".
* She gets one in "Minimal Loss" when she takes a beating so Reid can preserve his cover, and even antagonizes her attacker in order to get a message across to the rest of the team, who are listening in.
* In "Nameless, Faceless", she stays by Hotch's side after Foyet stabs him and, while she's hanging around, manages to solve the case everybody else is working on.
* In "The Eyes Have It", breaking into the [=UnSub=]'s store by shattering the front door's glass window with her elbow and opening the lock from the inside. Morgan is visibly impressed.
* Prentiss taking down a rapist [=UnSub=] in "The Slave of Duty".
* In "Retaliation", Prentiss, a fellow officer, and the [=UnSub=] are hit by a truck while driving to a station. The [=Unsub=] just killed the officer and leaves Emily to die in the car. Cue Prentiss pushing her way out of the battered car and shooting at the truck the [=Unsub=] unfortunately got away in.
* In "Compromising Positions", pulling off a disturbingly convincing [[TheVamp Vamp]] routine to stop the [=UnSub=] from going on a rampage at a nightclub, then shooting him with a gun concealed in her purse when it falls through.
* Prentiss takes an ''exponential'' level in badass during the Doyle arc. It's revealed that Prentiss used to be a superspy for Interpol, working deep cover missions to put terrorists away. In "Lauren", she pulls off a one-woman assault on Doyle's SUV, involving smoke bombs and machine guns, and withstands branding, beatings, and torture before disappearing into Witness Protection. In the final fight, she also delivers a ReasonYouSuckSpeech while she has the [=UnSub=] in a headlock.
* Prentiss stepping into the Hotchalanche shoes that Jason Gideon and Hotch have left empty in "Hope".
* In "Run", she refuses to leave Will to die and disarms the bomb strapped to him with zero time to spare.
* She gets to be a total DamselOutOfDistress in "Wheels Up": after being abducted by Mr. Scratch, she [[DefiantCaptive refuses to give him Hotch's and Jack's location]] even under torture. Scratch holds a scalpel less than an inch from her eye, and she ''doesn't even blink''. Later, she's able to deduce that her injuries are just hallucinations caused by Scratch drugging her, and promptly escapes by [[ISurrenderSuckers tricking him into thinking she's going to talk]] before overpowering him long enough to get away, and when he chases her, successfully evading him long enough for her team to arrive and help her.

* "Extreme Aggressor":

* Gideon facing down Adrian Bale in "Won't Get Fooled Again". Bale was a bomber who blew up a building, killing six agents after Gideon thought he had captured him, driving Gideon to a breakdown. When they need his help stopping another bomber, Bale mentally tortures him for the whole episode until the end, when he tells him which wire to cut. Gideon figures out that he is lying, using Bale's own speech against him. This invalidates a deal Bale made, ensuring he will never get out of prison. Gideon reminds him how he got the best of him. And Bale's fellow prisoners? They now know how willing he was to rat on them to save himself. Gideon's final smile just screams "I get to go to a nice home and you get to stay in a cell surrounded by guys waiting to knife you at the first opportunity. Have a nice life sentence, you simple motherfucker."
* Gideon repeatedly hanging up on the [=UnSub=] in "Broken Mirror" because he knows that he'll keep calling back.

* Proving that she is definitely not a FauxActionGirl, Elle Greenaway holds an erotomaniac FBI agent at gunpoint. When he disarms her, she punches him in the stomach, takes his gun, takes him out at the knee, steps on his balls, sticks the gun in his face, and politely inquires as to the whereabouts of the girl he's kidnapped. He is remarkably compliant. The crotch step is so much her signature move that when Reid accidentally shoots the target man at the FBI shooting range in the crotch, Hotch snarks, "Did Elle teach you that?"

* Even Strauss gets one in "The Replicator", where she narrows down the Replicator's identity immensely by falsifying information on a report, knowing that if the Replicator was in the FBI, he would read it and copy the false detail.

* In "Entropy" after sending JJ and Rossi out of the resteraunt Cat Adams thinks she's in the clear and can talk to Spencer in peace. Tara has something to say about that as the camera pans over to her and Derek toasting their martinis as an undercover couple.

* While he's newer, he's a war veteran who hunted down FBI targets before joining the B.A.U., making him a good successor for Morgan on the team. His first introduction to the series, in "The Crimson King", is being the guy who helped capture eight of the twelve escaped serial killers.
* In "Green Light", Alvez informs Calvin Shaw, a crooked FBI agent in the same prison as Reid who nearly got Reid killed by exposing his identity, that at his request, Shaw is being transferred to a supermax prison in Michigan, where not only will he not be able to see [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes his son]] as often, but he's going to be incarcerated with a lot of the Russian mobsters he put away during his time in the Bureau. Shaw's look [[OhCrap of dread]] at the prospect is a picture.
* In "Wheels Up", Alvez gets into a shootout with Peter Lewis, aka Mr. Scratch, the B.A.U's nemesis for multiple seasons, which ends when the fire escape Lewis is standing on collapses. Desperately clinging on for dear life, Lewis has the audacity [[VillainsWantMercy to beg Alvez to pull him up]]. Alvez just gives Lewis a DeathGlare and [[MurderByInaction stays put until Lewis loses his grip]] and [[DisneyVillainDeath falls to his death]].

* In "Broken Mirror" an [=UnSub=] attempts to collectively BreakingSpeech the team over the phone, pointing out their "greatest weaknesses" and "deepest fears". To another team, it might be a crushing analysis. This team's biggest problem is holding out until he hangs up before starting to laugh. This may also be in part because said [=UnSub=]'s attempt is particularly shallow -- the harshest thing he fires at them is Hotch's wife and Reid's "autistic tendencies". The team has to resist laughing because he's doing their job so bad.
* Emily, Garcia, and JJ in the bar with [[FanNickname Brad the Real FBI Agent]] in "Open Season". They catch him in a pick-up lie about being a "real" FBI agent, get him to dig his grave a bit deeper by asking to see his badge (to which he replies, "That's classified."), and then they totally own him by showing him their badges.
* Hotch and Rossi tag-team steamrollering the Wyoming Attorney General in "Minimal Loss", furious at the leaks to the press and the escalation of a hostage situation in which two of their team members are trapped. Rossi plays it cool, but Hotch backs the AG down with "get ''off'' my crime scene". As [[Series/HowIMetYourMother Marshall Eriksen]] might say -- [[CharacterCatchphrase "LAWYERED!"]] Rossi follows it up by kicking some hostage-negotiation ass.
* In "52 Pickup", Prentiss and Jordan Todd humiliate a skeevy, misogynistic pick-up artist who inspired an [=UnSub=], refuting every single point he tries to make and bringing up the fact that not a single woman in the club is interested in him.
* In "Hopeless", the team has been hunting a group of [=UnSubs=] that have been attacking at random with much overkill and violence. The police in the area are so worked up that Hotch fears a brutal retaliation against the [=UnSubs=]. Once two of the [=UnSubs=] are cornered and surrounded by cops, Hotch walks away -- when Morgan questions him, Hotch says "It's our job to catch them, not kill them." Then Prentiss and Rossi walk away too, and the three of them do an UnflinchingWalk away from the scene as the [=UnSubs=] burst out and the cops mow them down mercilessly.
* Prentiss and JJ interrogating the [=UnSub=] in "The Company". In the beginning they treat him like he treats women, condescending and demeaning, with JJ even saying at one point, "The adults are talking."
* The whole team in "Demons" when they take on an entire crooked police force, including figuring out quickly that the person they thought was the [=UnSub=] was really being framed, rescuing the son that was being used against a witness, Garcia defending Reid from two assassination attempts in the hospital, Rossi and Blake turning the tables on and escaping from two corrupt cops who corner them and try to kill them, and the team unraveling a whole drug ring. It all ends in a shootout in a junkyard where Hotch disarms his opponent and beats him by hand while JJ releases several victims of human trafficking from a truck while in the middle of her fight.

* The way that the killer in "L.D.S.K." lets the team know they had the wrong suspect is pretty awesome. They think it is an anti-social SWAT sharpshooter, realizing it as he is playing the part of the [=UnSub=] at one of his crime scenes at a reenactment. The team arrests him and are leading him away when the ''real'' [=UnSub=] snipes him. He could have easily taken out any member of the team if he wanted, but instead decides to shoot the SWAT sharpshooter ''just'' so they know they are wrong.
* The [=UnSub=] in "True Night" killing the gang bangers who raped and murdered his pregnant girlfriend in cold blood. He also never targeted any innocents, making him perhaps the most sympathetic [=UnSub=] in the entire show.
* MagnificentBastard Foyet's intricate and insane escape from custody in "Omnivore" puts a new meaning to the term "CrazyPrepared".

* The [=UnSub=] of "Haunted" killing his pedophiliac and serial killer father, finally putting his inner torment and demons to rest.
* The end of "Public Enemy", when the now-imprisoned killer shivs his father to death in the lunch line (in revenge for the long-ago murder of his mother), as the other inmates look on with disinterest (it's mentioned the father was ''really'' unpopular with everybody).
* Ian Doyle in general.

* Ben killing the fuck out of his evil, AxCrazy hallucinations in "With Friends Like These". Granted, it only gives him a temporary reprieve from them.
* The [=UnSub=] of "Today I Do" manages to kill her victim's abusive ex-boyfriend with her bare hands and maybe a stick. Considering she's not what you'd expect from a DarkActionGirl that's impressive.
* The [=UnSub=] of "Dorado Falls", a [[RetiredBadass former Navy SEAL]], used his training to break into the FBI. Most of the time, the [=UnSub=] manages to evade the BAU because they don't know who he is. In this case, the BAU quickly learn who the [=UnSub=] is and are actively chasing him, but he's always a step ahead of them and countering their plays. Rossi figures that he's coming to the FBI, realizing that the [=UnSub=] recognized the FBI prefix from the BAU phone. As the FBI SWAT operators are locking down the building, the [=UnSub=] is already inside. As the SWAT team is clearing each floor, the [=UnSub=] walks into the BAU bullpen and gets the drop on Rossi. It should be noted the only other two [=UnSubs=] to break into the BAU had some sort of connections: Jason Clark Battle was a local deputy and the Replicator was an FBI agent.
* BigBad Matthew Downs in "Hit"/"Run" is [[SmugSnake complete and utter slime]], true, but that still doesn't change the fact that he's the first villain on the show to ''ever'' [[CurbStompBattle completely dominate Morgan]]. Unfortunately for him, he fails to beat up a bullet through the heart compliments of Hotch.
* At the end of "Brothers Hotchner", the Replicator manages to hack into Garcia's network. He begins by having her computers display all the pictures he's taken of the team. Then they all start showing the word "[[CharacterCatchphrase Zugzwang]]".
* The [=UnSub=] of "A Thousand Suns" actually managing to successfully hack and to crash a commercial airplane, which is theoretically possible, but nobody have actually tried it in in real life on an actual airplane before.
* The [=UnSub=] in "The Road Home", while driving past, spots a man attacking his ex-wife for taking out a restraining order against him. The [=UnSub=] [[TranquilFury calmly]] tells the man to let her go, but the man, assuming the [=UnSub=] is a homeless person, angrily throws coins at him and tells him to get lost...[[OhCrap only to notice]] the [=UnSub=] is pointing a gun at him. The [=UnSub=] kills him and then leaves. Afterwards, the BAU interview the victim's ex-wife, who tells them her late husband was a [[DomesticAbuse domestic abuser]] who got away with it for years because of [[VillainWithGoodPublicity his good standing in the community]], the [[PoliceAreUseless police couldn't do anything to stop it]] and now thanks to the [=UnSub=], she no longer has to fear her violent ex.

* Kelly Dalton from "Charm and Harm" puts up a hell of a fight. First she deliberately runs her car into a tree after the [=UnSub=] forces his way in. Then, as he's trying to drown her, she feels around in the water for a weapon, then smacks him with it, giving herself enough time for BAU to rescue her.
* The first victim in "Secrets and Lies", a CIA agent, gets a posthumous one. The wife of a prominent businessman with DiplomaticImpunity had turned informant for him and implicated her husband as a terrorist; shortly afterward, the agent is found with his neck snapped. It's revealed that the terrorist bribed the agent's superior at the CIA to kill him, before going off to kill his wife and [[WouldHurtAChild extremely adorable kids]] himself, intending to make a clean getaway with his immunity. The deceased agent ended up getting the last laugh from beyond the grave, though: he'd stashed the wife and kids in a shipping crate that had yet to go through customs, meaning the terrorist was not ''[[LoopholeAbuse technically]]'' on US soil and could be arrested.
* The reporter from "The Last Word" who protests when told not print a story about the murder of several prostitutes on the grounds that they deserve just as much ink as the more high profile victims. Considering how many people treat prostitutes and other homeless as nobodies not worth getting bothered over, it's really awesome to see someone stand up with them. Even better, at the end of the episode, he does print a story about the murdered prostitutes as a memorial for them, not even mentioning their killer.
* "Sex, Birth, Death":

* Ally in "Fear and Loathing" manages to [[GroinAttack kick the [=UnSub=] in the groin]] despite being drugged moments prior, causing him to reel in pain and allowing her to run to a police officer. This leads to him being completely caught off guard by the BAU in the middle of attempting to convince the police officer that the girl was his drunk niece.
* In "The Pact", Darlene Beckette forces a killer to take her to the place where he buried her daughter, but they only find the girl's skull. He mocks the mother, saying "You have a few more holes to dig". She proceeds to beat him to death with a shovel.
* "Ashes and Dust":

** Evan Abby discovers that someone in his environmental group has been using it as a way of burning down homes and trapping families inside so he can watch them burn to death. Abby started the group after discovering he had terminal Leukemia and wanted his life to mean something. He lures the [=UnSub=] to a recently finished school that's basically sitting on an assload of benzine, a particularly flammable substance. The whole episode has been about how Abbey always wanted to do what was right, and never had the chance or the ability. Then we get to the last few minutes of his life, and we get this:

::: : When the [=UnSub=] panics and asks Abby how he plans to escape, he merely says "I don't" and lights the place up. Better still, besides getting rid of a murderer, he also saved all the kids that would have gone to school there, as the higher-ups didn't care about the school being on top of potentially dangerous chemicals.
* "Open Season" has killers who are brother [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame human hunters]], and every year release their prey into the forest and hunt them over several days. The intended victim, Bobbi Barrett, ambushes one, stabs him repeatedly, and manages to get the drop on the other, injuring him seriously. Still needs the [=BAU=] to save her, though. She even gets in a PreMortemOneLiner too.

* Austin of "52 Pickup" remembering what Reid told her about the [=UnSub=]'s behavior and recognizing him from the description, getting the future victim away, albeit at the cost of becoming the new one when she slips outside to call the BAU.
* The general from "Amplification" pulls one hell of a BatmanGambit to get the [=UnSub=] to surrender, promising him a position at Ft. Dietrich in exchange for his virus which is killing Reid.
* Kelly Shane in "To Hell..."/"...And Back". She manages to talk her way into getting outside to call for help; even though she has to be rescued, she's still the main reason Garcia manages to find the area she's in.
* "Nameless, Faceless". The [=UnSub=] threatens the son of Doctor Tom Barton, a trauma surgeon. Near the end of the episode the [=UnSub=] tries to shoot Barton but is ultimately shot by Reid. Without even a moment of hesitation, Barton rushes over and performs first-aid on the man who just tried to kill him and earlier threatened to kill his son. The whole time Barton acts professional, as if he was just treating another patient. It's an amazing moment.
* The final would-be victim in "The Eyes Have It" does a great job fighting off the [=UnSub=] when he jumps her at a construction site, including body-slamming him into a metal pipe and getting him in the face with a can of pepper spray. He ultimately overpowers her, but she lasts long enough for Hotch to come to the rescue.
* "100". It winds up not mattering in the long run, but U.S. Marshall Kassmeyer deserves some credit. Even after he's been shot in both legs and one foot, had a finger or two cut off, and been given a serious beating by one of the biggest sadists we've ever seen on the show, he does his job to the end. Not only does he not give up the Hotchners' location, but you can see him try to get up at least twice, presumably to go for his gun. Fairly badass, all things considered. Reid even commends him on it. He was tortured, and gave up [[UndyingLoyalty nothing]].
* "The Uncanny Valley": Everything the current victim does is awesome. She's severely diabetic, and could very quickly die from the drugs she's being given. Instead, they wear off faster, and when she finally gets the needle injecting her with the drug out of her arm, the first thing she says is:

* "Mosley Lane". The female kidnapper is about to cremate the kidnapped children, chasing down the middle child when the oldest, Charlie, pulls a gun, telling her to let them go. She laughs at him and says he's got to be kidding. [[KilledMidSentence He wasn't.]]

* "The Longest Night":

* The teen girl from "JJ". She is kidnapped and left to die in shark-infested waters by a boy she rejected. Amazingly, she manages to survive by climbing and clinging to a water buoy for ''three days'' until search and rescue finds her. Think about that. Floating there, shark-infested water as far as the eye can see, hungry, thirsty, and still holding on, holding out hope that someone will come... and they do.
* In another "victims fight back" example, in "Compromising Positions", one of the male victims, even though he is handcuffed and the murderer has a gun, manages [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to kickbox the everloving shit out of him]] for several minutes before getting killed.
* Robert from "Into the Woods". Despite being perhaps ten years old, he gives his sister time to escape and puts up one hell of a fight, buying himself enough time to be rescued.
* James fighting against Blake proctecting his son. It didn't do anything but damn.
* Both of the victims from "Today I Do" do pretty great at escaping from their predicament:

* Shannon's mother from "From Childhood's Hour", who stalls the killer from just killing both her and her daughter by spitting out terrible lies about letting her boyfriend try to rape her daughter until the BAU arrives. You can just see her desperation. She so wants her daughter to live that she's willing to let them kill her, but she doesn't let on until the killer's restrained.

* Donna Sullivan from "God Complex". She has been abducted, had her leg amputated, another leg ''grafted onto her stump'', and the killer then cheerily informs her he's going to take off her other leg later. She manages to untie herself, ''walk across the room with that replaced leg'' (which she shouldn't be able to do), get the keys to her handcuffs, and then grab a scalpel.

* Kudos to the pilots on Inter Atlantic Flight 61 during episode "A Thousand Suns", who manage to recover the plane in time after the unsub of the week hacks it and attempts to crash it, only to be stopped by the BAU.
* "Amelia Porter":

* In "Pariahville," Riley Desario nearly tricks her assailant into giving her access to a gun in her dad's closet, then kicks him in the nuts after he stops her.
* In "Scarecrow", the would-be victim Cherry manages to talk down the [=UnSub=] long enough to avoid being killed, then plays upon the [=UnSub=]'s obsession with morality to get untied, and ''then'' takes the shears he was about to kill her with and stabs him in the back before fleeing.
* Nancy in "Safe Haven" managing to, at least temporarily, flip the script on the [=UnSub=], Jeremy Sayer. He got the drop on several previous victims by tying up their kids and clubbing them from behind when they rush to save them. Nancy walks in on her two kids tied up and keeps her head. She gets Jeremy out of the house by telling him he isn't a bad kid deep down and promising to drive him anywhere he wants since he clearly wasn't happy staying in their house for the night. On the drive to his house, Jeremy keeps trying to goad her into lashing out at him but she sticks to her guns and even sympathizes with him despite her obvious fear. Jeremy still stabs her in the end but doesn't stay to finish the job or mutilate her the way he did the other victims. As of the end of the episode, it seems she going to pull through.
* In "Tribute," one of Peterson's hostages tries to stab him with a pair of scissors when he moves to kill her friend. Her friend then tries to bite Peterson's arm during the struggle.
* Gina in "Hostage" was captured by the unsub at eight. This unsub would try to break down the identities of his victims, and make them completely dependent on him. She manages to resist his brainwashing for ''ten years'' helping a younger victim resist him in the process. She manages to escape, helping the team as much as possible.

* Allie and Paige in ''The Bunker'' steal a knife and trick one of their captors into letting her guard down with a ruse so that they can take her hostage. While they still need the help of [=JJ=] and Reid to get out, they get credit for how far they make it.
* In Rabbid Russel Holmes the unsubs next intended victim was abducted due to Russel being a good Samaritan. While imprisoned Russel despite being obviously scared for his life, showed more concern for his mothers health who just had surgery than his own situation. After the second victim who was there before him escapes Russel actively taunted the unsub and fought back. Not bad for a nebbish ShreikingViolet.

* The Creator/FrankMiller-esque vigilante scenes from "True Night" are an ArtShift Moment of Awesome for the show's production crew.
* The entire ending speech of the "To Hell..."/"...And Back" pair of episodes, where normally they'd give the ending quotation.

* Just Rossi's scene in "About Face", when he's preparing to return to the BAU -- might not have seemed as cool when we were first watching it, but seeing it again later, knowing Rossi, seeing him get ready to return to the job with the CM background music (DUNDUN DUN DUN!)... it's simply awesome.
* Rossi's [[ShutUpHannibal response]] to Rothchild's BreakingSpeech in "Masterpiece" about destroying Rossi's ego and killing his "family" and that he's going to get away with it: "Did you get all that, Garcia?" Followed by Rossi offhandedly mentioning that the confession will make "a good teaching aid" -- oh, wait, did he forget to tell Rothchild that he [[LyingToThePerp teaches interrogation at Quantico]]? ''Then'' (because what he just did totally wasn't awesome enough, right?), when the [=UnSub=] attacks him from behind, Rossi turns around and ''pins'' him to the wall and taunts him some more! The title of the episode, "Masterpiece", might as well refer to Rossi's gambit instead of Rothchild's caper.
* In "Demonology", a corrupt, fanatical priest is murdering people using exorcism and is shielded by diplomatic immunity. So, what does Rossi do to get around it and prevent the [=UnSub=] from being a KarmaHoudini? He calls the freaking ''Vatican'', and it works!
* In "Omnivore", after the Reaper has taken out an entire bus full of people in response to Hotch turning down a deal, Hotch is suffering from a severe crisis of faith and believes [[ItsAllMyFault it's all his fault]]. What does Rossi do? [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome He holds out his gun to Hotch.]]

* Rossi gets another one in "Exit Wounds" -- Hotch, Reid, and the Alaska sheriffs are facing off with a virtual lynch mob over the [=UnSub=]. Hotch and Reid are trying to defuse the situation, and the leader of the mob wants to know who Hotch thinks has the high ground.

* In "The Internet is Forever", his epic BreakingSpeech towards one of the [=UnSub=]'s accomplices, who refuses to admit to his guilt even after the killer is caught. It's so awesome [[Recap/CriminalMindsS5E22TheInternetIsForever it deserves to be read in full]].
* In "25 to Life", the team discovers that their prime suspect is running for Congress and Strauss orders them not to arrest him, fearing the heat this would bring onto the Bureau. When she accuses Rossi of not understanding the politics at play:

* In "It Takes a Village", Rossi does what no one else in the team does: he gets the Senator on the committee to shut up, with just one question:

* In "The Replicator" he saves the rest of the team, and then leaves the Replicator to die in his own death trap.

* Her hacker-battling Kevin, and winning, in "Penelope". It's basically what causes him to start falling for her before he even sees her face or knows her name.
* In "Damaged", Kevin calls her his girlfriend and she says all dreamy-voiced:

* In "Tabula Rasa", we get this gem from Garcia trying to get information from an uncooperative secretary over the phone:

* No less than three major moments in “Mayhem”:

* "House on Fire":

* In "Exit Wounds", Garcia inadvertently runs across the [=UnSub=] committing their latest murder while fixing the police station's internet. It's dark outside, she's unarmed and alone -- and she runs right towards the crime, because she didn't want the victim to die alone like she almost did in "Lucky". Crosses over with Heartwarming.
* Hacking the [=Unsub=]'s video feed in "The Internet Is Forever", stalling his latest kill just long enough for the BAU to arrive. ACCESS DENIED. YOU LOSE.
* Taking over as temporary media liaison in "Compromising Positions", to Hotch's considerable awe. Comes complete with a SheCleansUpNicely moment on the plane in a JJ-esque outfit... that she bungles right at the end with a dislodged contact lens.
* In "The Company", when Morgan is being a jerk and a bit egocentric, Garcia hangs up on him, but not before calling him out and telling him to call her back when he's not being so much of a jerk.
* In "Demons" Garcia picks up Reid's gun and shoots a [[DirtyCop corrupt deputy]] trying to kill Reid without hesitation. Remember this is [[DoesntLikeGuns Gar]][[MissionControl cia]] we're talking about.

* The time that Derek Morgan tackled a moving van. Seriously. When doors and people just can't do it for you anymore... He also tackles a train, and, maybe best of all, ''leaps tall buildings in a single bound''.
* In "Profiler, Profiled", Morgan confronts the guidance counselor who sexually abused him as a child, [[ShutUpHannibal decimating the man's argument]] by pointing out that no matter how many people he's "helped", he's still a child molester.

* His "screw you" response to a ConspiracyTheorist's BreakingSpeech in "Identity". Topped off when he lays his card on a table and departs with a, "Take care, ''boys''."
* "Mayhem": Driving a bomb-laden ambulance out of the city and jumping out seconds before it explodes.
* "The Internet Is Forever": Going full ScaryBlackMan on one of the [=UnSub=]'s accomplices. Within thirty seconds, Morgan has the witness going from defensive to begging for clemency.
* Morgan taking care of Ellie Spicer after the events of "Our Darkest Hour" and "The Longest Night". Doubles as a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}}, too.
* Morgan walking into a Congressional candidate's fundraiser in "25 to Life" and ''accusing him of murder'' after repeatedly being told by [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Strauss]] that his job is on the line if he so much as looks at the man wrong. Morgan -- with Rossi and Prentiss for backup -- strides right up to the guy and [[GuileHero baits the guy into confessing]] in front of a ballroom full of guests, then handcuffs him and leads him out.
* In "Lauren", he arguably saves [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice a grievously injured Prentiss]] (at least until the paramedics can get there) by [[NoOneGetsLeftBehind forcing her to stay conscious]], despite her [[ICannotSelfTerminate entreaties to let her slip away]]. His plea of "if you can hear me, just squeeze my hand" doubles as a [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments CMOH]].
* Chasing a minivan off the side of the road into a lake in "Out of the Light". He then dives in to pull the victim out of the car and resuscitates her, possibly [[MyGreatestSecondChance having flashbacks to "losing" Prentiss]].
* Just like with Ellie, he helps take care of Angel in the episode "Foundation". Angel escapes from the [=UnSub=] and Morgan gets him to talk and interact again. When they finally catch the [=UnSub=], Morgan is able to punch him a couple of times before being stopped by Rossi. The [=UnSub=] deserves it considering the ''bite marks'' on Angel. Worst part, there were ''more victims before him''.
* The episode "Derek" is, appropriately, Derek Morgan demonstrating that he is an unparalleled badass from the start to the end. Kidnapped by a team of ex-military expert torturers, beating him with a baton barely raises his heart rate, he has white phosphorus streaked on him and set on fire, and when ''that'' doesn't break him he seizes on a mistake, kills five armed men and heavily wounds the sixth (all, it should be noted, while the WP ''is still burning him''), remembers some of Reid's research in order to find a chemical that stops the burning, and, while doing all this, profiles his kidnappers and figures out he's about to become a father. And then, at the end, pinned to the table with a knife through his hand, he distracts the last enemy so Reid can take him out. And to top it off, he proposes to his girlfriend from his hospital bed. The entire situation would have had ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' look impressed.

* The fact that JJ's (originally planned) last episode also doubles as a TakeThat to CBS. It's pretty plain to see that the writers are just as pissed as the fans are.
* In "The Last Word", the team has discovered two serial killers in the same town in competition with each other. Having captured one, JJ holds a press conference where she says that the captured one will be studied for years as "one of the most complex killers we've ever encountered" while the other appears to be either isolated incidents and copycats or a killer so sloppy and unsophisticated, he isn't worth the BAU's time. This drives the second [=UnSub=] to go to the police station in a rage to confront them. It doesn't end well for him.
* In "Revelations", she she fires three shots in the dark and takes down three attack-trained dogs.
* When JJ takes down Garcia's shooter with a BoomHeadshot through a glass window in "Penelope".
* In "The Performer", after having been whacked upside the head with a shovel by [[LoonyFan the [=UnSub=]]], JJ comes out of ''nowhere'' with her own shovel-to-the-[=UnSub=]'s-head.
* "The Longest Night": JJ talking Billy Flynn into letting Ellie go by talking to him about what a parent should do and that she understands how bad his childhood was, and that even though she can't understand why he's doing what he's doing, she knows what a parent should do and that he should let Ellie go. She's not a hostage negotiator, so the fact that she did this was all kinds of awesome. If this show ever had a motto, it would probably be the last few lines of JJ's speech.

* She gets one simply ''walking into a room'' in "Lauren", when she's revealed as the State Department official that Hotch called in.
* In "The Storm", JJ goes to see Antonia Slade, an incarcerated serial killer, to confront her over the fact her adult son, an extremely autistic hacker, [[FrameUp framed Hotch for terrorism]] and got him arrested at gunpoint while JJ and her children were in the same room. JJ guesses that Slade wants the B.A.U. to take her son alive as he's an UnwittingPawn of the real villains, but bluntly replies her son will be killed if he resists arrest. When Slade sneers that JJ is too much of a good person to let that happen, JJ's MamaBear instincts come to the fore, and she [[TranquilFury calmly]] tells Slade that [[GoodIsNotNice she's not particularly inclined to be merciful to a man who put her children in danger]]. Her anger is such that [[OhCrap even Slade, a serial killer with a body count in double figures, is clearly rattled]].

* "Run" gives JJ a CMOA to end all others. After seeing Will get shot, nearly blown up, and then taken hostage by the [=UnSubs=], she discovers that one of the [=UnSubs=] is in her house with her son. While Rossi helps the kids outside get to safety, JJ sneaks in and holds a gun on the [=UnSub=]. A fight that shows off JJ's MamaBear side ensues, during which the [=UnSub=] gets JJ's gun. In one fluid motion, JJ pushes the gun away, ejects the magazine, and then racks the slide to eject the round in the chamber, completely disarming it. She ends the fight with a roundhouse kick that would make Creator/ChuckNorris proud to put the villain down for the count. Making it more awesome? The [=UnSub=] is a trained, highly experienced ''assassin''.
* "All That Remains" is an episode-long CMOA for both JJ and her actress.
* In "Nanny Dearest", JJ once again delivers a headshot to an [=UnSub=], who is at least twenty-five yards away.
* "And In the End": JJ blowing up the BAU's jet in order to stop serial killer Everett Lynch from escaping.

* After failing his firearms test, Reid grabs the gun on Hotch's ankle and blows away a sniper in "L.D.S.K." Let's be clear here. He kills the sniper from the floor, while in handcuffs, after having the crap kicked out of him, in a room full of hostages. With a headshot. This is followed by one of the best Reid lines ever:

* In "Somebody's Watching", Reid confronts the [=UnSub=], a crazed stalker, who has a gun to the victim. He's unarmed, the gun is like six inches from the hostage's head, and Reid still disarms the [=UnSub=] with a tackle.
* Reid gets what is arguably one of the best moments in the entire series in the episode "Revelations". Despite having been beaten, tortured, drugged, and having a revolver containing a single bullet pointed at his head by an [=UnSub=] with multiple personalities, Reid refuses to choose which one of his colleagues will be the killer's next victim. He refuses ''several times'', barely flinching as the gun clicks to the next empty chamber, until -- in what might be considered another, separate Awesome Moment -- he has a flash of inspiration and "chooses" Aaron Hotchner[[note]]That said, considering the [=UnSub=] was using a revolver, it is entirely possible that Reid could see which chamber held the bullet from his vantage point, and waited until it was in the barrel to name Hotch, so the the [=UnSub=]'s ultra-religious personality would believe it was "God's will" that he chose Hotchner. This arguably makes Reid ''even more'' badass.[[/note]], calling him a narcissist who puts himself before the good of the team and referencing a biblical verse about pride. Hotch, who is watching with the rest of the team via webcam, knows that though he has many faults, narcissism isn't one of them -- so rather than getting upset, he looks up the Bible verse and finds a clue that allows them to locate and rescue Reid. Just to reiterate: Spencer Reid -- the young, awkward, physically incompetent, near-constant target of serial killers -- played Russian roulette and ''won''.
* In "Damaged", Reid delivers a thirteen-minute profile ''from scratch'' to keep a killer occupied while they wait for the guards to come back to let them out of the cell where they're interviewing him.

* "The Uncanny Valley":

* Reid's entire interaction with Cat Adams in "Entropy" is awesome from start to finish, with one of the highlights being his calm BadassBoast:

* Reid gets another chance to tango with Cat in "Red Light".

* Reid manages to talk down a psychotic, hallucinating [=UnSub=] with a gun by showing the [=UnSub=] that Reid knows what it's like to be him, to the point that the [=UnSub=] tells his hallucinations to shut up after listening to them for the entire episode.
* Spencer Reid -- the team member once referred to by a witness as "a pipe cleaner with eyes" -- walks unarmed, with his hands up, ''purposely blocking a sniper's shot'', into the middle of a street to talk down a machine-gun-wielding spree killer on the verge of going nuclear. He succeeds.

* In "Broken", Hotch is interviewing a prostitute that repeatedly raped the [=UnSub=] and the other children at the [[CureYourGays conversion camp]]. She begins by saying she will tell him all he wants to know in exchange for a deal. He replies that he doesn't make deals with child molesters, and then deduces everything he needs to know ''without her saying anything''.

* In "L.D.S.K.", Hotch tricks the unsub into letting him kick the snot out of Reid -- which gives Reid access to the gun strapped to Hotchner's ankle.
* In "Riding the Lightning", Jacob is in the electric chair, just about to be executed. Hotch storms into the room, then slams a recent picture of Jacob's son Riley onto the glass and says "You lose", proving that Jacob didn't kill his son -- and neither did Sarah Jean. Even better, Jacob flips out at this, screaming wordlessly where before he had gleefully accepted his impending execution. "You lose" indeed.
* In "Psychodrama", a killer is holding up establishments just to order people to undress, and get sons to have "control" of their mothers (slapping them repeatedly) while carrying a MAC-10. He murders a bank employee and a 14-year-old child, which disgusts Hotch -- and fills him with stoic rage. When the BAU eventually tracks the guy down, Hotch blows a hole in his chest with his gun, then tells the paramedics not to give him any painkillers. Oh, and all the while, this guy is detoxing off of crystal meth. Hotch gives the guy exactly what he deserves. It's the disgusted tone when he says "these are children, for god's sake" that really makes it. One of the great things about Hotch's patrician upbringing is that he can kick your ass and do it with an exasperated sort of "honestly, pull yourself together, man!" look that just makes it more painful.
* "Legacy" contains one of Hotchner's best moments. He walks into a room with the unsub's accomplice, then tells the accomplice exactly what is going to happen and why. Everything happens exactly as Hotch says it will, for the reasons that Hotch lays out. He deconstructs a man's entire life and personality, then turns him against everything he had done to that point, with ''a two-minute monologue'':

* "Tabula Rasa": Hotch, in court, is faced with a defense attorney who calls the whole field of profiling into doubt. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BlJ_MQNjY0 Hotch proceeds to profile the LAWYER, with extreme accuracy, basically demolishing his case.]] This scene is the origin of the term "Hotchalanche" -- wherein Aaron Hotchner is ''made of awesome''.
* In "Brothers in Arms", Hotch {{plan}}s on the [=UnSub=] attacking him at the press conference. The [=UnSub=] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59MZTMidj74&feature=related stalks Hotch through the parking lot]], and the audience thinks Hotch is going to get his head blown off. The [=UnSub=] rounds the car to find Hotch... not there. A gun cocks from behind the [=UnSub=] to reveal Hotch, having gotten the upper hand.
* In "Pleasure Is My Business", the team is being blocked by a CEO's various lawyers. One of them says that she will cooperate in exchange for immunity. Hotch replies that if she doesn't cooperate, he will arrest her for obstructing justice, and while she's sitting in jail, the FBI's White Collar division will tear through her company's finances and learn all her secrets anyway. It is his only offer -- and the only one he needs to make.
* In "Nameless, Faceless", Hotch stares down the barrel of Foyet's gun and does not even ''blink'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq6EJaFksFM when the bullet comes within an inch of his shoulder]]:

* In "100", Hotch beats Foyet to death with his bare hands and continues until Morgan pulls him off. [[VillainsWantMercy Foyet even tries to surrender in the middle of it]] , but Hotch is in full-on PapaWolf mode, so he just keeps going. You can actually tell Foyet's state just from how the scene plays out. Derek barges in first and pulls Hotch away while assuring him the Reaper's dead on the ground. Look at Prentiss's reaction especially. Derek would be able to tell Foyet was dead from a glance alone ''if he was beaten to a bloody pulp to the point where it was obvious his face was just '''gone'''''.
* Hotch faces down the barrels of four rifles in "Exit Wounds" as he is told that the [=UnSub=] is coming with the angry townsfolk. His reply is two words long: "Not happening."
* Hotch going toe-to-toe with British superspy Clyde Easter in "Lauren", talking Easter into helping the team and pulling an INeverSaidItWasPoison to do it.
* In "Out of the Light", Hotch shoots the [=UnSub=] three times underwater through a car window.

* Nancy in "Safe Haven" managing to, at least temporarily, flip the script on the UnSub, Jeremy Sayer. He got the drop on several previous victims by tying up their kids and clubbing them from behind when they rush to save them. Nancy walks in on her two kids tied up and keeps her head. She gets Jeremy out of the house by telling him he isn't a bad kid deep down and promising to drive him anywhere he wants since he clearly wasn't happy staying in their house for the night. On the drive to his house, Jeremy keeps trying to goad her into lashing out at him but she sticks to her guns and even sympathizes with him despite her obvious fear. Jeremy still stabs her in the end but doesn't stay to finish the job or mutilate her the way he did the other victims. As of the end of the episode, it seems she going to pull through.

* Hotch and Rossi tag-team steamrollering the Wyoming Attorney General in "Minimal Loss", furious at the leaks to the press and the escalation of a hostage situation in which two of their team members are trapped. Rossi plays it cool, but Hotch backs the AG down with "get ''off'' my crime scene". As [[Series/HowIMetYourMother Marshall Eriksen]] might say -- [[CatchPhrase "LAWYERED!"]] Rossi follows it up by kicking some hostage-negotiation ass.

* At the end of "Brothers Hotchner", the Replicator manages to hack into Garcia's network. He begins by having her computers display all the pictures he's taken of the team. Then they all start showing the word "[[CatchPhrase Zugzwang]]".

* The fact that Derek Morgan was sexually abused as a teenager and is just fine as an adult. He didn't end up repeating the cycle of abuse, he didn't become an emotional mess, and he didn't have to pretend it never happened in order to move on.

* "100". It winds up not mattering in the long run, but U.S. Marshall Kassmeyer deserves some credit. Even after he's been shot in both legs and one foot, had a finger or two cut off, and been given a serious beating by one of the biggest sadists we've ever seen on the show, he does his job to the end. Not only does he not give up the Hotchners' location, but you can see him try to get up at least twice, presumably to go for his gun. Fairly badass, all things considered. Reid even commends him on it. He was tortured, and gave up nothing.

* In "The Pact", Darlene Beckette forces a killer to take her to the place where he buried her daughter, but they only find the girl's skull. He mocks the mother, saying "You have a few more holes to dig". She proceeds to beat him to death with a shovel.

* In Rabbid Russel Holmes the unsubs next intended victim was able do abduct him due to Russel being a good Samaritan. While imprisoned Russel despite being obviously scared for his life, showed more concern for his mothers health who just had surgery than his own situation. After the second victim who was there before him escapes Russel actively taunted the unsub and fought back. Not bad for a nebbish ShreikingViolet.

** Reid's [[https://youtu.be/rzKqmUsAh30 furious verbal smackdown]] to a smug child psychiatrist (played by Jonathan Frakes) whose molestation and physical abuse of his daughter caused her to become a psychopath. Part of it is the build-up; while Rossi interrogates the psychiatrist Reid spends the whole time silently poking around in his office... and just from that he deduces the psychiatrist is a child-molester who keeps twisted "mementos" of his victims.

** Reid's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjdSQC8n9sg&feature=related furious verbal smackdown]] to a smug child psychiatrist (played by Jonathan Frakes) whose molestation and physical abuse of his daughter caused her to become a psychopath. Part of it is the build-up; while Rossi interrogates the psychiatrist Reid spends the whole time silently poking around in his office... and just from that he deduces the psychiatrist is a child-molester who keeps twisted "mementos" of his victims.