Mandy Patinkin, Ben Savage

Gideon's back! Sort of. Ben Savage will play a young version of Mandy Patinkin's character on Criminal Minds later this season, TVGuide.com can exclusively reveal.



The 13th episode — which executive producer and showrunner Erica Messer co-wrote with star Kirsten Vangsness and previously described as a "love letter to fans" — will feature flashbacks to the early days of the BAU in the '70s when Gideon and Rossi (Joe Mantegna) first got their start. A present-day case will force Rossi to recall a case they had worked on back then. Robert Dunne, who played young Rossi in Season 8, will reprise his role for the flashbacks. The episode is currently slated for January.

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"I've wanted to go back to how the BAU all started and now being in Season 10, it feels like it's time," Messer tells TVGuide.com. "I'm really excited about it to show our heroes from the beginning in the bomb shelter in Quantico. [Rossi's] memory drives us into the flashback, but it's also very reflective for the whole cast. It's not a typical episode."Though Gideon's been mentioned on the show, this will be the first time a version of him has appeared onscreen since the second episode of Season 3, when he drove off into the distance, emotionally distraught and burnt out after his girlfriend Sarah was murdered and he had inadvertently caused Hotch's temporary suspension. The Homeland star infamously left the show over creative differences and was replaced by Mantegna.Savage currently stars on the

Boy Meets World spin-off Girl Meets World. His BMW father William Russ previously guest-starred on Criminal Minds in Season 7.Criminal Minds airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on CBS.Baby girl and beyond! Watch a supercut of Morgan and Garcia's pet names on Criminal Minds:(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS.)