S1E16 - “The Tribe”
We open in Terra Mesa, New Mexico where 6 college freshmen have broken into a partially constructed house to party and listen to bad psychedelic music. One of the group, a teen named Ingrid Greisen, is abducted. And we see a group of killers attack the other 5 students.
Cut to BAU headquarters in Quantico Virginia where we meet a Sean Hotchner, Hotch’s brother. He comes in carrying a motorcycle helmet so you know that he rides a motorcycle. He and Hotch get into a disagreement of Sean’s life path. Hotch wants him to be a lawyer and Sean wants to be a line cook. Also Hotch says that he is a lawyer? Since when? The $$ it must take to go both through law school and the FBI academy. “Don’t profile me Aaron!”
JJ introduces the team to the case. 5 college students are found dead, there’s no sexual assault or theft. Gideon immediately suspects a “pack” of unsubs. Reid says “Three or more that kill in unison. As in, the nature of the group dynamic, dictates that the pack’s survival is dependent on their ability to hunt successfully.” Hotch adds that “a pack will keep on killing until it runs out of prey or is stopped.” Also what is going on with Reid’s hair in this episode? It’s tamped the fuck down.
Hotch, Gideon and Reid go to the crime scene where they meet Sherrif Rhodes. We learn that 4 out of the 5 college freshmen were skinned alive????? This is called flaying (I know this from the Buffy the Vampire episode about it). The last victim was impaled by a 6 foot tall pole (a la Cannibal Holocaust). The team determines that 1: That the pack has abducted one of the teens because there were 6 sleeping bags (so 3 couples). And 2: Reid believes the killings mimicked Native American Plains Indians war rituals. Sherrif Rhodes is like… oh yeah this land did belong to Apaches and it’s an ancient sacred burial ground.
We meet John Blackwolf (an Apache) who is the reservation police. Played by an actual Apache actor Gregory Cruz!! Hotch goes to question Mr. Blackwolf about the killings because Sheriff Rhodes thinks he might be guilty. Blackwolf says that Gideon looks like a college professor, Reid looks like his student, and Hotch looks like FBI. Blackwolf sets the FBI straight. asks why Blackwolf doesn’t carry a gun and he says “21 Feet”. Hotch explains that: “The maximum distance an attacker with a knife can close in during the time it takes to react, draw your side arm, and fire- is 21 feet.” Blackwolf continues: “Inside 21 feet I win. Outside of 21 I have other options besides shooting a man.” FUCKING PREACH
Blackwolf is immediately like “Apaches did not do this.” He explains that the killings were meant to mimic the most brutal rituals of not only the Apache but also the Navajo, Comanche, Pubelo, and Sioux Indians. He states the no tribe has ever done them all. He also determines that there were at least 8 perpetrators and notices that they did take 1 hostage. Blackwolf also agrees to help the BAU because clearly they are so lost.
Profile: THE PACK
· Shares a singular vision (whether religious faith, racist ideology, or political manifesto)
· Each member of this unit has surrendered their individual identity to the group
· The act of kidnapping is a characteristic of political terrorist groups
· They are not Apaches or from a Native American tribe of any kind
· The rouse of Apaches attacking and killing these kids could possibly be meant to turn public opinion on the land deals that the Apaches are currently fighting
The BAU talks to Roy Minton who is a racist who runs a hate group called the ADU. But he’s not part of the pack. Gideon: “He’s using racist ideology to cover greed.”
Garcia figures out that Ingrid Greisen was the sixth person at the house. The BAU contacts her father, Peter Greisen. He says he didn’t know she was missing because she lives on her own and hasn’t talked to him in a couple weeks. Mr. Greisen exhibits strange behavior and the BAU is suspicious of him. This suspicion heightens when a man calls the BAU and tells Hotch that Greisen hired them to kidnap Ingrid. The kidnapping duo turn themselves and Ingrid in unharmed. The kidnappers tell the BAU that they kidnapped Ingrid before the five other college students were massacred.
The BAU believes that Mr. Greisen had prior knowledge of the murders of the other five students because he paid to have Ingrid kidnapped right before the kids were slaughtered. They also think that Ingrid may have been involved in the killings. Reid questions Ingrid who says “Greisen Ingrid, 943239487” over and over again. That’s her name and SSN. Garcia has also learned that Ingrid dropped at out school and vacated her off campus apartment. An unnamed patrol cop and that racist Roy Minton and his family are slaughtered (just like the five kids). The BAU realizes that Ingrid was part of a killer cult that idolizes Apache culture and ideology.
And… finally we have a Killer Cult!!
Profile: CULT LEADER
· Man between the ages of 25-35
· High level of intelligence
· Sociopathic underachiever
· Extremely abusive childhood
· Someone with an interest in Apache culture and rituals
· Criminal record for lesser types of crimes (drugs, theft)
Ingrid tells Blackwolf he is not real Apache. Blackwolf goes off on Ingrid! He says: “This is not the blood of the enemy. This is the blood of a little girl just like you are. You have been fed bits and pieces of a culture that you do not understand.”
We learn that the cult leader is Jackson Cally. They Cally alone at an abandoned motel in the middle of the desert. He only responds to “Grandfather”. He says his followers are out “hunting”. Blackwolf asks what Cally’s connection is to the Apache. And Hotch is like “None. If it wasn’t Apache culture, he would’ve found another culture to manipulate.” We learn that Cally’s motivation for the killings was similar to Manson- to start a race war.
The cult followers are about to attack the school at the Apache reservation. However, Hotch and Blackwolf get there first and hide the kids. Blackwolf requests that Hotch does not use gun. He kinda listens, he shoots only one of the cult followers. Blackwolf is like “You just had to shoot someone, didn’t you?” Hotch and Blackwolf take out the cult.
Hotch goes to see his brother Sean.
Rating Criteria
Criminal/Serial Killer: 10/20
Character development/ character arcs: 7/20
Forensics/Context: 13/20
Script writing: 5/20
Background characters: 20/20
Overall: 55/100