Ep 1. The Harmful One

On the very first episode of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, titled "The Harmful One", the international team of FBI agents led by Unit Chief Jack Garrett, travels to Thailand to investigate a disappearances of three young American volunteers.

The team includes cultural anthropologist Clara Seger, weapons specialist Matt Simmons, medical examiner Mae Jarvis, and tech analyst Russ "Monty" Montgomery. They work together to identify the patterns of the missing volunteers, while simultaneously delving into the cultural contextualization of Thailand, from which they work, slowly building trust in the community.

As they get closer to the truth about the case, they deal with cultural barriers and susceptibilities of the Thai population, who seemed more inclined to embrace their traditions and customs, rather than interfering American agents but the team does not hold back in their mission to uncover answers. They explore various suspects, including a local Buddhist monk and a man who works as a part-time driver for an NGO, but nothing seems to lead them to the right direction.

Finally, when a video surfaces giving a gruesome clue as to what might have happened to the victims, the team must race against time to track their whereabouts before it is too late. What follows next is a dangerous and challenging investigation that takes the team to the depths of the Thai countryside and the murky labyrinth of Bangkok, all the while fighting against cultural differences and language barriers, in an attempt to bring the perpetrators to justice and rescue the missing volunteers.

"The Harmful One" does a great job of setting up the premise of the series, which is to have a team of FBI agents operate outside the constraints of jurisdictional boundaries and work tirelessly to solve crimes while navigating the unfamiliar terrain and beliefs of different countries. With an interesting cast of characters and a gripping story, viewers can expect a harrowing, emotional journey through a wide variety of cases where the team must rely on their instincts to solve the crimes and save lives.