Criminal Minds Mega Buzz: What's the Deal with the Dirty Dozen?

Criminal Minds set up an intriguing season-long plotline in its premiere, with incarcerated, mouth-stitched contract killer Montolo taunting Morgan (Shemar Moore) that he's targeting the Dirty Dozen -- and you'll learn more about them in Wednesday's episode.

"There will be mentions of them in [Episode] 3 and again in 7 for the first batch of episodes. You'll find out a bit more about them, what they've done and their reach. It's a long-term case and it's obviously on their radar," executive producer Erica Messer tells us of the fictional network of hit men who cropped up after the real-life darknet market Silk Road was taken down by the FBI. "Writing about the FBI dismantling this group of people on Silk Road, but the idea that Silk Road's gone, but they're gonna find another avenue to exist on ... was kind of an interesting idea that was kicked in the room."

Though Messer hasn't ironed out the rest of the season yet, look for the Dirty Dozen arc to end sooner rather than later. "We're gonna wrap it up before the end of the season, so it won't be the way we've done the arcs for The Replicator or even last year with Kate," she says. "It is gonna be something that we're gonna track and it will have some surprising little twists halfway through the season."

Criminal Minds airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on CBS.
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