Criminal Minds 4.03 - Emily Prentiss

Show:Criminal Minds

Episode: S4E03 - Minimal Loss

Character: Emily Prentiss

Whumpage Factor: 3

Emily Prentiss and Spencer Reid go undercover to investigate possible child abuse at an underground cult and get trapped inside the compound when a federal raid on the fortress goes bad.

The cult leader, Cyrus, then finds out that one of his hostages is an FBI Agent. He takes Prentiss and Reid into a room and asks which one is an agent, holding a gun to Reid's head. Fearing for Reid's safety, Prentiss admits she is the FBI Agent and not him, prompting Cyrus to drag her out of the room by her hair. He takes her to another room and then brutally begins beating her, slapping and kicking her several times and even throwing her into the walls and a mirror. While she's being beaten, her teammates are listening via her hidden mic. Fearing that her team might raid the hostage building too early and endanger everyone, Prentiss says "I can take it" out loud so that they can hear and know she is willing to take the beating and that they don't have to come save her. Cyrus, thinking she's antagonizing him, beats her up a bit more before leaving her on the ground.

The whumpage plays a huge role in this particular episode in that it shows how strong Prentiss is and what she is willing to do to protect those she loves, especially Reid.