It’s reasonable to assume that Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), one of the devoted agents of the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI that we’ve grown to know and love on “Criminal Minds,” is the group’s rock. As the crew looks into the worst serial killers in the nation, Garcia acts as both a data-gathering wizard and an emotional support system. Garcia was a brilliant hacker who was apprehended by the FBI and given a position by Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson), where she used her abilities to further the law. She tends to be more independent than the other members of the team because of her experience in both the technological industry and hacker culture.
Despite this, she has grown to be a vital member of the BAU team. Before Garcia was apprehended by the FBI, we didn’t know a whole lot about her past, particularly in regards to her family. But in the 13th season of “Criminal Minds,” we learned a lot more about Garcia’s past and the catastrophic incidents that would follow her for years.
A devastating loss would haunt Garcia for years
We find out that Penelope Garcia’s parents were killed by a drunk driver when she was 18 years old in the Season 13 episode “All You Can Eat.” Even worse, she had stayed out beyond her curfew, and her parents had gone hunting for her. Garcia’s descent into depression following the passing of her parents saw her leave the California Institute of Technology and transition into a career as a full-time hacker. However, Garcia had a strong sense of social justice and attacked businesses she believed were engaging in wrongdoing. As a result, she discovered the BAU and Hotch’s offer of atonement. The team works on a case without her as Garcia meets with her stepbrother Carlos (Sebastian Sozzi) to talk about Jesse Wilson (Chris Dougherty), the drunk driver who killed their parents, and his forthcoming parole hearing. At Wilson’s parole hearing, Carlos asks Penelope to make a victim impact statement.
Wilson apologises to Garcia and says he realises he will never be able to make up for what he stole from her and her family. He also says that he deserves to be in prison for the crime he committed. Garcia ultimately makes her plea in the form of a speech in which she requests Wilson’s release, which causes friction between her and her stepbrother.
The crushing weight of guilt
Penelope Garcia apologises for her part in her parents’ deaths at their graves in the final scene of “All You Can Eat,” and it is evident that her guilt guided many of the decisions she made as a result of that loss. She would overcome it and move on, but the loss still caused her great anguish. Even forgiving Wilson came at a price because it would be some time before Penelope and Carlos spoke to one another again. In the Season 14 episode “Innocence,” where Carlos came back to assist Penelope after she had been kidnapped by FBI agent and cultist Mary Meadows, they would eventually patch things up.
Garcia’s earlier experiences were devastating, but they also shaped the devoted and compassionate investigator she would become. Whereas some people might take the loss of their parents in such a horrible disaster as a justification to indulge in their worst inclinations, Garcia took the anguish and channelled it into an impassioned (if slightly misplaced) pursuit of justice, which has greatly benefited the BAU. That led her to Hotch and the BAU, which ultimately helped her become the positive influence she is now on “Criminal Minds.”
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