Recap: The Big Wheel – Criminal Minds

The Big Wheel Screencap

Wahoo! Finally we get an Alex fix! The Big Wheel delivers! Here is a play by play. If you haven’t see it yet you may not want to read.

The episode started out in true creepy fashion. We see the un-sub Vincent (Alex) preparing for and then engaging in a murder. He wears long johns as he gets up, gets dressed, brushes his teeth, and and eats. I am not a fan of the long johns look but hey, I guess “Vincent” likes them. He is meticulous in keeping things clean and he opens each door twice in OCD fashion. He also has rituals for certain things like putting on his shoes.

After getting ready he walks down a residential street (avoiding cracks) and stops at a home where a realtor is getting ready to show a house. Vincent walks in the home, tells her his name is not Robert (the man she was expecting), he makes an every clicking sound with his teeth and then he stabs her, either through the lungs or heart, and watches her as she dies. The clicking sound is repeated through much of the show.

Next we see that he has recorded this event with a hidden camera (in his glasses) which he sends to the police. He writes “help me” with read marker as an appeal to the police to stop him and indicates that his next kill will be on the 29th which is one day after the BAU gets involved. They also determine that that he is a serial killer who kills roughly every 12 months. The victims are usually young and blond.

While the BAU is tracking him down, Vincent has an unexpected guest show up at his home. The woman, Allison, knows him from somewhere, work maybe? She asks him to do some film work, which he refuses to do. He also asks her to leave. While she is there though she stops in front of the TV where a press conference is on with details of the serial killings. She notices how the police drawing looks like Vincent and tells him this. He locks the door and turns around, saying he needs to change glasses.

In the next scene we see that he has killed her and dumped her body. The BAU team preps for another killing as they correctly figure that Allison’s murder was not planned. Meanwhile, Vincent appears to target his next victim and works to avoid the police as they narrow in on the clues. The decide to talk to the blind son of one of earlier victims, who witnessed the killing. Vincent talked to the same boy earlier in the day and promised he would “come by” later.

Criminal Minds Screenshot The Big Wheel

Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Vincent is walking down an alley (to get away from police canvassing the area) and he encounters two thugs who interrogate him. Vincent tries to get away without trouble but when one shows him a gun, Vincent stabs him in the stomach. He then turns around to look at the other guy. The look he gives him was CHILLING! Ooooh goosebumps!

After the commercial we see Vincent back in his home. One of the thugs shot him and he stuffs rolled up bread balls in his wounds (uh gross!) and then wraps Saran Wrap around his waste to cover the wounds. He also stops for a moment to watch a video that frequently plays in his apartment. It is a video he shot when he was a child of his mother being stabbed.

Vincent goes to pick up the blind boy (whose mom Vincent killed) and they drive away. Vincent tells the boy (Stanley) in a round about way that he would never hurt him and Stanley tells Vincent he wishes that the man who killed his mother had killed him too. Vincent is disturbed by this.

The BAU deduces that Vincent may have taken the boy to ride on a Ferris Wheel nearby. Stanley and a very weak Vincent get on The Ferris Wheel and start to ride. Vincent tells Stanley that he must never wish to die and that he is very special because he helped him see that what he was doing was wrong.

Suddenly the fact that he started out killing and stabbing 30 times and and regressed into a single stab wound makes sense. When he killed Stanley’s mom and realized she was a mother with a son that was the age Vincent was when he witnessed him mom’s death, he began to feel remorse for what he was doing. He couldn’t stop but he wanted to and that is why he sent the video message to the police.

Vincent dies on the Ferris Wheel while holding Stanley hand and asking for forgiveness. It was very touching actually. I really felt empathy for this sicko serial killer so Alex did his job superbly. I wanted to hug the serial killer AND the kid! It was amazing. And the name The Big Wheel suddenly makes sense as well.

Very eery, very complicated, and very well done. Alex’s talent knows no bounds.

So what did YOU think?

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19 Comments - Write a Comment

  1. Alex was terrific! I just saw the episode last night and he was so good. I honestly felt sorry for the kid and the character. Very talented.

  2. Yeah, Alex was great but the kid was even better in my book 🙂

  3. Ok, so he died on the Ferris Wheel…from….ummmm OCD? Wishing he was dead? WHAT!?

    1. Jeanette, he was shot by a thug in an alley.

  4. · Edit

    Watched it again last week. I hate that he dies but gotta watch everything with him in it. My hubby thinks I have finally lost it. ( He likes him too though) LOL

    August Rush was on HBO today too. GREAT movie………………too bad not enough ALEX but it was a very good movie. Will most def buy it.

    ALEX SOLIDARITY………………RAH……………….RAH………………..RAH

  5. Alex is a genious!! I actually felt sorry for Vincent. My heart broke for him at the end. Do we know if Criminal Minds pulled in anymore viewers than they normally get? I was hoping that episode would get a couple of million more viewers that usual.

  6. Alex played Vincent as brilliantly as he played Mick. Criminat Minds is a great show and I’m glad Alex got to guest star on it. The cast loved him, as we do. I am now praying that “Three Rivers” will be pickup and run for as long as the now demised “ER” ran. It would be awesome to have Alex back on TV each week. I’m sure all of his “Moonlight” fans will follow him no matter where his career takes him.

  7. This was a special Criminal Minds. Alex did a great job. One thing I figured out . The boy knew who Vincent was and loved him anyway. Jake didn’t overact. The ending was perfect. Didn’t want Vincent arrested and all that. The best Criimal Minds I’ve seen. I hope Alex is given more roles and We will be watchiing all of them here at our house.

  8. From one Linda to another – couldn’t have said it any better – Let’s all keep the positive feedback coming. 🙂

  9. Alex was so great in this role. His range of acting is so good. You feel the sincerety of this actor in any role he plays. I can hardly wait to see Three Rivers, he will put his whole being into it. Alex has such a great career ahead of him. I’m so thrilled to help him get there. Go, Alex, Go! You are the Greatest!!!

  10. Criminal Minds was well worth the wait. Alex was amazing as always. He just keeps getting better and better and I KNOW that Three Rivers will be just as amazing with our man in it. He can do anything and do it better than anyone else. I just wanted to hold VIncent and comfort him during the whole show and at the end cried because I felt so bad for him.

  11. Alex was amazing! An Emmy-worthy performance.

  12. Yes, it was worth the wait. Alex was excellent in his role. Those of us who have seen his other work know what a vast range this guy has. So once again amazing transformation. And yes Alex, we have to let Moonlight go and follow you in your new directions. Awesome guy.

  13. Alex nailed this role! His portrayal of an OCD person was understated and spot on. Loved the detail of the steering wheel wrapped in plastic wrap. You could clearly feel his anxiety throughout the show. In fact, the only times he seemed relaxed was when he killed someone or was interacting with the boy, Stanley.

  14. That really was worth the wait. Loved it!!!! Alex really does have so much more in him and it is truly a joy to watch. Not just a really gorgeous man, but a pretty talented one, too!! Can’t wait for Three Rivers!

  15. First of all, thank you Mr. President for keeping your press conference to exactly one hour as scheduled. Second – if anyone missed “Criminal Minds” last night, you missed an excellent performance by Alex. It was a total 360 from “Moonlight” and it really showed his range as an actor. Tiffay’s recap nailed it – – I can’t wait to see the ratings from last night, probably through the roof. Great job Alex !!!!!!!

  16. Nice recap Tiffany. Alex is brilliant. I usually root for law enforcement to take down the psycho. This time I felt empathy for Vincent. The end scene brought me to tears.

  17. Alex is always worth the wait..He was awesome tonight.

  18. It was well worth the wait – Alex was brilliant as always, and I will watch this one over and over!

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