Criminal Minds is a police procedural that’s full of upsetting episodes. In its 15 seasons (plus the revival), the show has had some truly messed-up moments, considering that the BAU specializes in understanding the mind of psychologically disturbed unsubs, some more sadistic than others. One of the most hopeful and heartbreaking episodes, “Mosley Lane” (Season 5, Episode 16), starred Evan Peters as that episode’s focal character, along with his mother Sarah Hillridge (Ann Cusack) — and arguably, the two of them are the episode’s protagonists. “Mosley Lane” is a stand-out episode of Criminal Minds, and that is in part due to Peters’ performance as Charlie.Image by Jefferson Chacon

“Mosley Lane,” Charlie Hillridge, and Hope as Portrayed by Criminal Minds

When eight-year-old Aimee Lynch (Cameron Protzman) goes missing at the Winter Festival in Virginia right under her mother’s nose, the BAU is called in to investigate the child abduction case. Already, the situation seems hopeless, but following the appearance of Sarah Hillridge at the BAU office, the case starts to look like far more than just one instance of kidnapping. Sarah, who has never moved on from the disappearance of her eight-year-old son, Charlie, returns to see J.J. (A.J. Cook) at the BAU office whenever a child around the same age as Charlie goes missing. Her reputation as the crazy lady who can’t move on, as well as her alcohol addiction, doesn’t stop her from stepping forward and comparing Charlie’s disappearance to Aimee’s, despite many not believing her theories.

But this time, J.J. and Prentiss (Paget Brewster) start to see a pattern: both children went missing at a crowded public place where families typically feel safe, the parents were distracted by a “mother” calling for her own missing child, and both children were snatched away right under the parents’ noses. As Prentiss says, the pattern is actually a signature. The unsubs have been kidnapping children for almost a decade, with Charlie being the first known victim.

Anita and Roger Roycewood (Beth Grant and Bud Cort) represent a particularly insidious type of unsub, as they prey on children in a place that should be happy and safe, and then raise those abducted children as their own in a basement underneath their house. As the oldest victim of the Roycewoods, Charlie has been under their supervision for eight years, making him 16 now. In order to survive his abductors, he is forced to assist in the kidnappings and do the Roycewoods’ bidding. Nevertheless, just as his mother never gave up trying to find him, Charlie never gives up gathering proof of the Roycewoods’ crimes. When each new child is brought to the basement, he takes a picture of them to document for the police, even though there isn’t much hope of escape for him or the others. In this episode of Criminal Minds, hope is a double-edged sword. It’s what destroyed Sarah’s life following the disappearance of her son, and it’s what keeps Charlie going even in the scariest of moments. As he says to another victim’s parents after the rescue, “Remembering you was the only way we survived.”

“Mosley Lane” Focuses on Charlie and Sarah as Co-Protagonists

Both Sarah and Charlie are working back toward each other in their own ways. Sarah’s obsessive path might be self-destructive and includes losing her husband and daughter (her remaining family), but her efforts in following the trail of clues and linking other missing cases to Charlie places her within the BAU office working directly with the team. On the other side of things, even though he is forced to be submissive to survive, Charlie serves as a protector for the other three children at the Roycewood house. In addition to taking pictures for evidence, he and another kidnapped girl Mae (Katlin Mastandrea) introduce Aimee to the rules of the house, implying that they learned from their mistakes and are trying to help the newest “sibling” so that she doesn’t get hurt by the unsubs. Despite playing an active role in Aimee’s kidnapping, it’s clear that Charlie is only doing it to survive and genuinely cares for his fellow victims.

The introduction of Charlie in the episode is from Aimee’s point of view, and he comes off as unnerving and vaguely creepy. At first, neither Aimee nor the audience knows why he’s taking the pictures, only that something is very wrong in the Roycewood’s makeshift “family.” Throughout the episode, however, it becomes apparent that Charlie is beginning to break out of his submissive behavior, putting the other kids’ welfare above his own. Upon hearing about the disappearance of their “brother” Stephen (Austin Mincks), who was killed by Mrs. Roycewood and burned in her family’s incinerator earlier in the episode, Charlie puts two and two together as Mrs. Roycewood takes him, Aimee, and Mae away from the house when the BAU comes knocking. Mrs. Roycewood brings the three kids to the incinerator, and it only takes Charlie a moment of hesitation before he takes Mrs. Roycewood’s gun from her bag — killing her without any hesitation. The whole ordeal leaves Charlie visibly shaken, and almost in disbelief that his eight-year-long captivity is finally over.

Evan Peters’ performance adds a great deal to the twisted storyline of “Mosley Lane,” depicting Charlie as a child so fearful of his captors that he’s willing to assist in kidnapping other children in order to survive, while also showcasing an immense amount of empathy and care for those same children. When Charlie reveals that thinking of his parents is what helped him to survive, he draws a clear parallel between himself and his mother Sarah. Charlie goes through an entire character arc in this one episode, and as dark as “Mosley Lane” is, the story still gives Charlie a semi-happy ending where he gets to reunite with his mother and father and save Mae and Aimee in the process.

The Most Heartbreaking Moment in “Mosley Lane” Comes from Evan Peters’ Delivery

The final gut punch of the episode comes after all the danger has passed. Sincere and kind as he is, Charlie feels the need to approach Stephen’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd (David Youse and Debra Sullivan, respectively), who got their hopes up when they learned that Stephen might be alive, only to have them crushed by the end of the episode when they realize he’d been killed along with four other children. To try and ease their minds, Charlie lets them know that Stephen was “like a brother” to him and that he died trying to protect Aimee. This line, while good intentioned, gives the Shepherds the most heart-breaking realization that their son, who they assumed to have died years ago, was alive only yesterday. The story lingers on this bittersweet ending, as Charlie silently realizes that he’s delivered both good and devastating news at the same time. Peters has always excelled at portraying his characters’ inner thoughts without words — and in this scene especially, everything he feels is written on his face.

“Mosley Lane” is a truly chilling and brutal episode of Criminal Minds, and that’s saying a lot. Not only is the episode focused on children as the victims, but the unsubs are eerily creepy and dangerous, especially in their ability to prey on unsuspecting parents and turn their victims into perpetrators alongside them. But the episode is also tightly written to focus on Sarah and Charlie as main characters, giving Charlie, especially, enough time to develop and overcome his fears. Peters’ performance is perfect for the role, and his characterization of Charlie adds nuance and thoughtfulness to an already well-written and deeply disturbing episode.