The episode starts out with the BAU on the private jet - they gotta incorporate it somehow - it looks like a flashback though. We got a lot OG glow going on. JJ goes to Gideon to say that the girl on the video has been officially ID’d as Rebecca Bryant.

The BAU is stressed out because despite the Unsub having access to FBI files, the things he knows about them would not be in the files. This is personal information - how would he know that the guy on the baseball card for Gideon was a baseball player he cares about, or that JJ used to collect butterflies?

Morgan, Hotch & Gideon go to VA to visit where Rebecca Bryant was snatched from. Hotch is anggrry. Anderson fucked up because he dropped Elle off. Elle has been shot and the BAU jet is her purgatory. They’re doing the bzz bzz thing on her chest and “rules” is written in blood on the wall of her house. Hotch is blaming himself for the fact that Elle has been shot. Goobs is trying to figure out what book it could be from. He’s thinking it is specifically a book from 1963.

The guy who delivered the package to Hotch’s wife has turned itself in. the guy admits that he did it for $1000 in cash. The guy who paid him had severe burn marks all over his face, so they are able to narrow the Unsub down to someone who is a burn victim. Garcia realizes that Sir Kneighf is the identity of who hacked in.

Goobs asks Garcia to GOOGLE THE LINES FROM THE POEM WHY DIDNT THEY ALREADY DO THIS. It’s Chaucer “Fowl” the first valentines poem. His mom used to read it to him when he was a kid. I would love for jane lynch to read poetry to me. Reid does big brain Olympics and figures out there is a book written by John Fowls “the collector” the collector has a cover with a butterfly, a key, and a lock of hair. There is a phone call for them, someone who calls himself “the fisher king” - the grail king. Sir kneighf is an anagram for fisher king. He’s all “THERE WERE RULES” “Agent Greenaway did not have to die!” and they’re not just realizing she’s been shot? Apparently she dialed 911 herself and he snatched her id and gun before he left, so the ambulance didn’t have an ID for her.

Goobs is talking to a librarian and trying solve the code with her. This is gonna be so tedious omg. God bless librarians. Reid realizes that its a riddle that he sent them with all the numbers - is anyone really surprised? OH MY GOD ITS ABOUT HIS MOM. its about Jane Lynch!!
JJ and Morgan are in VA trying to track down RB and the original investigator for her case. JJ gets a phone call from the BAU tells Morgan that Elle has been shot. Morgan immediately pulls over and breaks a lot of traffic laws, saying he wants to go home. Its actually very sweet. Hotch and Gideon are talking about how he is extremely organized, with clear rules. Hotch thinks he’s delusional. Anderson comes to tell them that they might have found a fingerprint in the “rules” message on Elle’s wall.

Sue Sylvester is getting flown to BAU. Reid is talking about how everyone tells him his secrets because he has no one to betray him to. But he writes letters to his mom and tells her everything. He mentions that schizophrenia is genetically past. So that’s what his mom is likely at the sanitarium for. Morgan and JJ are at Rebecca’s house, but all of her stuff is in the garage. The OG detective is saying that Rebecca was a delinquent and that’s why all her stuff is packed away. She was adopted out of foster care at 5yo. Her original last name was “Garner”. Apparently, there was a Rebecca garner adopted in Neveda.

Cut back to the Unsub and where he has Rebecca locked away. Rebecca smacks King Fisher on the back and demands he just kill her. But he says he “loves her too much” They still. Do not. Have enough for a profile. Jane lynch rolls up and tells Goobs he’s skinny because he drinks too much coffee. She’s all “you know I hate flying!” and “Then why did you have those fascists arrest me”.

Garcia finds a bunch about Rebecca Garner - her house burned down when she was like 4 the father was a teacher, and severely burnt, but gave up parental claim to her because he was so hurt and spending so much time receiving care. AND THEN after he was released, he was admitted to the same sanitarium that Reid’s mom has been in.

I love. Jane. lynch. She’s very anti government. Goobs shows her the tape to see if she’ll recognize her voice. She says she’s sure its “Randell Garner” and says he’s very emotionally disturbed. DING DING DING ITS HIM. “He believes he’s the keeper of the grail - the only reason the organization is so good is because he thinks its real. He has to understand its not real.” - Gideon to Hotch.

Jane Lynch is talking about how garner talked about Rebecca as if she was a metaphor. JL says that he believes the BAU are all knights of the round table. JL also reveals she got a letter before she was snatched, its a photo of a house with the address on the back and its in Shiloh VA.

They show up at the house and Elle’s wallet/ID is on a table in there. Its dark and empty but really pretty? Reid, Hotch and Gideon along with like SWAT team are sleuthing’ through the house. They go upstairs and approach the one room with some lights on. Its the same office-y room that we’ve seen before. Reid is all “I’m gonna move to where he can see me” and says he’s gonna ask the right question. Garner thinks he’s Sir Percival. Garner reveals himself and he’s strapped in explosives and gonna make it all blow if Reid doesn’t do it right. Reid doesn’t know how to tell the others about the bombs because they cannot see it, so he just tells them to go downstairs but they don’t listen to him. They’re very focused on Rebecca. Reid asks “can you forgive yourself” garner says he already gave Reid’s mom a map of where Rebecca is, and Reid is kinda like oh fuck.

He says he cannot forgive himself and detonates the bombs, Reid shouts “run” and the rooms explode, somehow Reid, Hotch and Morgan survive. Reid realizes that Rebecca is in the basement because in the photograph he gave Jane Lynch there were lights on in a small window in the basement. Reid has the key to unlock Rebecca, it is very tense because the whole house is on fire now.

Elle is outta surgery and gonna be okay. Rebecca is also in the hospital but she should be fine. Reid is tells his mom that she helped save Rebecca. She’s journaling, but she is kind of...not with it. She asks if its time for lunch and preparing for a lecture. Music montage outro - we see Reid reading out loud to his mom on the plane and it is great. Hotch is at Elle’s house cleaning the “rules” off the wall - aw cause he feels guilty

Rating Criteria

Criminal/Serial Killer: 17/20
Character development/ character arcs: 20/20
Forensics/Context: 12/20
Script writing: 10/20
Background characters: 20/20

Overall: 79/100

S2E1 - “The Fisher King Part 2”

S2E2 - “P911”

S1E22 - “The Fisher King”