Why Jason Alexander’s role in Criminal Minds as a serial killer still stands out

While the BAU from Criminal Minds are stars of the show at the end, several killers have sometimes stolen the highlight from the FBI agents.

One of those is Jason Alexander’s Henry Grace. You might remember him for his role as George Costanza in Seinfeld. However, in Criminal Minds, he depicts a character polar opposite to his role in the comedy series. Grace appeared in episode 8 of Criminal Minds Season 4 and is a serial killer with a narcissistic personality.

Alexander’s chilling performance as a serial killer, who, to take revenge on David Rossi, involves the whole BAU in his elaborate plan, is nothing short of a masterclass in acting.

More on this in our story.

Jason Alexander plays a vengeful serial killer in Criminal Minds Season 4

Alexander’s Henry Grace first appears as Professor Paul Rothschild in episode 8, titled Masterpiece, in Criminal Minds Season 4. However, he quickly proves how he is different from the other criminals as he reveals how he has already murdered seven women and is keeping five other women captured, and tasks the BAU to find them before their deaths.

The episode showcases how Grace has meticulously planned the capture and death of the women, and is too proud of his work. His God complex is so strong that he is sure that the BAU will fail to find the women. He also appears to be unflinching toward Morgan’s intimidating techniques to bring out the truth.

However, the agents learn about one of his weaknesses when Prentiss approaches him. He feels uncomfortable around women and tries to use it to their advantage. Further, Alexander’s character also stands out due to his exemplary techniques to manipulate systems and an intelligent mind, making him one of the rare characters who could understand and laugh at Reid’s jokes.

These abilities created a delusion for him, and he began to think he would remain unbeaten. But he ended up being wrong as Dr. Reid discovered the pattern Grace is obsessed with, and might be the only way to get to the victims. With the help of the first five numbers of the Fibonacci series, i.e., 11235, the BAU successfully finds out about the victims’ location.

Jason Alexander shines as Henry Grace in Criminal Minds Season 4

It is later revealed that Grace was trying to take revenge on Rossi for killing his brother, William Grace, but fails miserably. From the beginning of the Criminal Minds episode, Grace isn’t afraid to show his superiority complex. For instance, he informs the BAU of his crimes, himself, depicting him thinking of having the upper hand on the FBI agents.

Further, his conversations with the agents are not the regular person conversations, as he tries to imbibe in them a certain meaning that would prove that he was more than an average man.

While in Seinfeld, you might have laughed at the antics of Costanza, a character who was insecure about everything about himself, Alexander's Criminal Minds character had a different effect on the viewers.

From his dialogue delivery to even the moments of his silence, Alexander grabs everyone’s attention with his spine-chilling performance of a cynical serial killer, who appears to think he is above everyone else.

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