The Best Time Mandy Patinkin Broke Character On Criminal Minds

While the initial popularity of CBS' "Criminal Minds" was likely due in large part to the show's unique psychological approach to crime procedurals, there's no doubt that the casting of stage and screen legend Mandy Patinkin also played a role. As Jason Gideon, the co-founder and the sagacious member of the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, Patinkin brought a certain amount of gravitas to the series. And in a fairly versatile mix of characters that the show introduced early on — the young geniuses Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), specialists Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) and Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini), and stoic leader Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) — Gideon's wisdom and experience proved to be an integral link that helped the team settle in as both leading FBI investigators and compelling characters.

That is, perhaps, why Patinkin's dramatic exit at the beginning of Season 3 and his critical comments regarding the show came as such a shock to fans. But we're not here to dwell on the negative. While Patinkin was on the show, he had his fair share of notable moments, some of which happened behind the scenes. After all, even a seasoned veteran like himself can't help but break character from time to time.

The Season 2 episode "Boogeyman" is among the most chill-inducing of the early run of "Criminal Minds" thanks to the revelation that the serial killer the team is chasing down is actually a young boy. The episode, like many others, has a pulse-pounding climax that involves a dramatic chase. In this case, the team is rushing through a park on the hunt for the boy, who is in the process of trying to claim his next victim in the form of a girl named Tracy Belle (played by a young Elle Fanning). 

The stakes are about as high as they can get. The group quickly assembles and Gideon gives the command to split up. But when watching a take of the dramatic scene on this "Criminal Minds" gag reel, instead of charging off to find Tracy, Mandy Patinkin immediately turns around and runs toward a merry-go-round shouting, "One ride, one ride, one ride!" He then climbs on the play equipment with a few of the actors playing local policemen and takes a short spin. Not yet satisfied with his frivolity, Patinkin then heads toward the seesaw with Matthew Gray Gubler and the local policemen following suit. Suddenly, the nail-biting chase has turned into a day at the park complete with hooting and howling.