[sings] “Ring around the roses, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down…”
- Izzy Rogers

Hope everyone was able to tune into Tricia Helfer guest starring in the Season 7 finale of CBS’ Criminal Minds last night — if you weren’t, you can now catch the episode online on CBS.com. Meanwhile, here’s our summary of the two-hour finale “Hit” and “Run”, beginning with a quick recap:

A notorious group of bank robbers calling themselves “The Face Cards” takes a bank full of customers hostage when the police are tipped off of the ongoing robbery. The group quickly proves itself both ruthless and prepared to kill, but it also soon becomes apparent the group’s sadistic female member, “The Queen of Diamonds” (Tricia Helfer as Izzy Rogers), is much more than she seems. The BAU quickly deduces the perpetrators are in fact serial killers, but the situation suddenly turns personal for everyone when J.J.’s (A.J. Cook) partner Will (Josh Stewart) kills Chris’ (Evan Jones) brother and in return has to give himself up as hostage. While the BAU tries to identify the mysterious Izzy and her even more mysterious (and even to her companions unknown) 4th partner, Izzy and Chris make their escape from the bank with an injured Will in tow. With Prentiss’ (Paget Brewster) help, the team then learns Izzy is likely “Lady X”, an international assassin sought by Interpol. At the same time, when Chris starts to ask too many questions about Izzy’s plans, she quickly disposes of him with a shot to the stomach and drives off with Will and her mystery friend, revealed to be Matthew Downs (Josh Randall), one of the hostages, leaving Chris to bleed out in the street. Izzy then takes Will and J.J.’s son hostage while Matthew leads Will to a museum where he straps him into an explosive vest. While Izzy and J.J. grapple at the house, it’s up to Prentiss to get Will out of the vest while Derek (Shemar Moore) and Hotch (Thomas Gibson) take on Matthew. J.J. is eventually able to overtake Izzy and she is taken into custody while Matthew is shot and killed. Following their trying day, J.J. realizes she is ready to accept Will’s proposal, and the two are later married, at the same time as Prentiss begins to realize she is unable to return to her old life and has to move on.

Criminal Minds has always been one of my top shows, but yesterday’s episode was beyond superb even by its standards, thrilling and surprising from start to finish. And call me biased, but although everyone was terrific last night, Tricia absolutely stole the show as the icy and vicious Izzy imo, and got plenty of time onscreen to boot. Definitely one of her best ever guest roles (and performances) on a TV show to date.

264 HD screen captures of Tricia’s appearance on the show have been uploaded to the gallery. Enjoy!

New Photo Albums:

• Television Work > ‘Criminal Minds’ Episodes 7.23-7.24 Screen Captures