Within the 8th episode of Criminal Minds‘ 8th season, “The Wheels at the Bus,” two brothers come to a decision to take their love of the video recreation Gods of Combat to a brand new stage after they’re banned from taking part in it. They kidnap a bus stuffed with schoolchildren, and come to a decision to pressure them to act out the sport’s maximum violent scenes — till the BAU tracks them down.
Criminal Minds’ writing group clearly went to nice lengths to make certain the sport felt actual sufficient for the episode. It appears, they felt sufficient of an affinity for the game-within-the-show to stay it as part of the Criminal Minds universe in next episodes. Even though Gods of Combat wasn’t at once discussed by means of any of the characters at the sequence after season 8, there have been visible references to it a couple of instances in season 9. Within the episode “Odd Fruit,” a poster promoting the sport may also be observed putting on a suspect’s bed room wall. A couple of episodes later, in “Blood Family members,” the poster seems once more.
Whilst it is a very simple element for informal audience, and even passionate Criminal Minds lovers to omit, it is nonetheless a amusing Easter egg for individuals who arrange to catch it. A excellent reminder, too, that although the sequence takes an episodic method to storytelling, it’s all a part of a bigger universe that is only one step got rid of from our personal.
