S2E11 - “Sex, Birth, Death”
Open in Washington, DC and we’re coming in hot with The Pixies “Where is my Mind” so you know its gonna be a good episode. We cut between scenes of sex workers on the street and the computer screen of someone writing a story? A book? Who knows. Its a lot of language about extermination of “whores”. Cut and we see a sex worker being attacked, her hair being cut off and then being left for dead.
Cut and we see Reid leaving the metro - clearly they are using stock footage from somewhere else though, because that is NOT what the DC metro looks like whatsoever. As he is running up the stairs, coffee in hand, a kid approaches him and is like ‘YOU ARE DOCTOR REID” and Reid is like “sorry, do I know you?”. We find out he just “know what you do” and he talks about how he watched his speech about hte MCK. Goobs is like, you went for fun? And he’s like “I don’t have a lot of friends” and we find out he’s a junior at Northwest High school, and he has an interest in true crime. They exchange a couple words, and then he’s like “so they kill a lot of prostitutes?” and Goobs is like “yeah they are the number one target of serial killers” and then this KID is like “is that for sex? Or because they think they’re dirty and need to be punished?” and the VIBE SHIFTS. This is when Goobs is like, were you waiting for me here? Kid doesn’t answer, and instead is like “what would it mean if somebody were stabbing them and cutting off their hair?”
Goobs invites him to the BAU but hes like “gotta go to school!” and leaves before MGG can get any information on him.
Cut to the BAU and Goobs asks JJ for the number of Detective Barnes and asks for information about any sex workers who have been killed in the same fashion the kid just talked about. Goobs is worried that DC may have a serial killer and he “just let him get away”.
Cut and we’re in a morgue, looking at the body of the sex worker we saw at the beginning. The words “help” are carved into her stomach - but it is shallow - maybe a lot of hesitation. Maybe he was asking the police for help? Gideon says this aligns with the kid MGG met - actively reaching out and seeking help. Prentis and Morgan goes to visit the alleys and sex workers to ask if they’ve seen anything and learn more. Morgan shows the sketch of the kid, they say they've seen him, but he doesn't really interact with them - just lurks around.
Hotch is visited by Agent Karen Steyger. She asks that if the BAU stays on the case of there being a potential serial killer in DC that they don’t publicize the case, but Hotch is like, I cant promise that. She threatens to say that she might not invite them onto the case if he cannot promise, but she doesn't want this to be published because she introduced a bill to reduce crime, etc. basically the press would make her look bad. Ugh. bureaucracy. She threatens him again and then tries to flatter him and then leaves. Hotch watches as she leaves and then gives Prentis a hug. Reid and Garcia try to track down the kid. Garcia talks about how he was probably lying about his age, and Reid recalls what he was dressed like and looked like - he remembers he said Northwest high, and they find him. Sophomore. Nathan Harris. And now we see Harris in his room, writing more graphic shit on his computer and listening to rock music, you know. Like a teenager.
Gideon and Goobs show up at the house, and his mom is like BRO WHAT. But Harris is like its fine. Lets talk privately. They go up to his room, and Harris is like “i knew if you were really good you’d find me”. They see his writing on the computer and he’s like, its the writing for a graphic novel, and they’re like “ABOUT KILLING PROSTITUTES???” and he’s like “yeah, its about Jack the Ripper”, which does actually make sense. Morgan is like “this isn’t a game, kid”. Reid is like okay, so you knew graphic details about a case that hasn't been publicized, to which he says “I didn’t kill her...I just really wanted to.”
Cut and now Harris is in custody being questioned. He talks about how he saw the body, it was early morning around K street and “they take men down there for sex” which kind of just makes me laugh, and then how he sees this happen a lot, he just sort of “ends up there”. Harris’s mom is saying how he is a good boy, really bright, but he “lives in his head more than other kids”. We learn his dad died when he was young, and he is very close with his mom. His mom says he treats him like a man because he always handled his responsibilities. Nathan says he thinks about killing the sex workers, so he saw Goobs at the lecture and the saw him at the metro stop and thought Goobs could maybe help him. MGG is like, “how?”. Harris says he’s unsure, but he saw the body and felt “excited” and really scared him. He ran away from Goobs because he got scared Goobs would say he’s crazy.
They request for Harris to have a juvenile psychological evaluation, with parental consent. Prentis asks if he is the unsub, and Morgan explains that Harris says he didn’t do it, seems sincere, but is also very smart, and part of a sexual-sadist profile is to be able to mimic honesty and sincerity.
Cut and we see a fantasy of Harris picking up a sex worker, having sex and then stabbing her in the stomach. Next Harris is being escorted out, and while leaving he’s like “Dr Reid, I know i don’t deserve any favors, but whatever my psych eval says, you promise you’ll tell me the truth?” honestly this just makes me sad. Goobs nods, and then says out loud “I promise” because Harris is like, my mom says it doesn’t count unless you say it out loud. In the conference room, JJ shows them photos from the first victim, from three months ago. And then after those three months, we get the body of the sex worker we saw at the beginning.
The BAU spitballs through a possible profile:
The “help” written into the body still has shallow cuts, showing his ambivalence.
What we don’t know is why he chopped the hair off - especially since he didn’t take it with him and take is as a trophy. Gideon suggests its a way to minimize their power - rob them of their femininity.
Additionally, that theory fits in with them being killed in the early morning - a time of day when sex workers have the least power, sexually.
Prentis points out that this fits Nathan Harris, but Hotch is like ‘NO.’ Both Morgan and Prentis are team Its Harris. Hotch is resistant to entertain that in the event it isn’t him because he wants to make sure they still have a working profile.
They continue
The stabbing with a knife means he could be impotent.
Goobs suggests that perhaps it isn’t just a sexual need of power and there is more to the pathology - in DC power isn’t just sex, it is a commodity, and perhaps he is feeling powerless in his life or job.
JJ points out that in DC there are three main hubs of sex work - near FL Ave, off Logan Circle, and McPherson Square (I wonder if this is still true).
He probably works in or around Capital Hill.
Hotch is like, aight, good night, but JJ is like, shouldn’t we get the word out to the papers? And he’s like “no” and she’s like “we can still make the morning papers” and he’s again like “I said no”, so as we can see he is under the thumb of a powerful woman.
Cut and we see a blonde woman - sex worker, looking for “Little Holly”. She calls her phone but then hears it ringing - very loudly in an ally nearby. She goes to look and sees her body - exactly as the others have been found - chopped hair and “failure” carved into her chest. After Holly’s body is discovered, we learn that Little Holly was actually only 16! Hotch says that the unsub is clearly getting angrier and blaming the police for his kills. Reid also notes that the unsub no longer has a cool off period.
Cut to Nathan’s evaluation. Gideon is doing the evaluation I guess? Nathan’s lawyer is also present. Gideon asks Nathan what worries him and Nathan says that he’s been “thinking about stuff” meaning killing women. Nathan confides to Gideon that he hasn’t hurt anyone yet, but he killed a bird once (no NOT THE BIRDS). Gideon asks him why he killed birds and Nathan says that it was because he was sad. Gideon asks how Nathan felt after killing the birds, and he says “better” because he was alive.
So anyways… Gideon tells Nathan’s mother that Nathan should be hospitalized. Nathan’s mother doesn’t want to put him a hospital. She believes that locking Nathan away will confirm Nathan’s belief that he is a monster. Gideon tells her it’s not good enough. Compares by a psychopath to being an alcoholic? She says that she has access to all the best health services at her job, and that she’ll make sure Nathan sees someone everyday. So Nathan is not going to be hospitalized.
Hotch takes his frustration on Congressman Steyer on Prentis. He questions the conversation he saw Prentis having with Steyer. Prentis says that she knows Steyer because Steyer used to work for her mother. Hotch asks Prentis if she has a political agenda and questions her motives for joining the team. Prentis tells him that because her mother is a politician, she has no interest in being one and thinks the politics are EVIL! Then she excuses herself from the conversation.
Cut to Nathan’s apartment. His mother realizes that he’s snuck out for the night. Finds collages inside a porn magazine. Because psychopaths being arts and crafting. Morgan and Reid go on the hunt for Nathan. Reid feels responsible for letting Nathan out of his sight (although, let’s be real, it was Nathan’s mother). He says that he understands Nathan because “I know what it’s like to be afraid of your own mind”.
Cut to the street of Washington. We see someone pick up a lady (I guess we are assuming it’s the unsub and a sex worker?) The BAU later get a call that her body has been found. Her hair hasn’t been cut, no message has been carved, and she was killed using a knife, a different signature then the unsub. Later we learn that the team does not suspect Nathan. Reid says the kill seems like a devolution, as opposed to an evolution as it would’ve been Nathan’s first kill. Gideon also says: “It was sloppy and angry. Nathan’s smart and directed. He’s used to achieving. If he decides to kill, it’ll be clinical and efficient.”
Meanwhile the DC cops find Nathan in a church. Nathan states he’s been at the church for four hours, but has no one to back up his alibi. Nathan says: “I’ve been sitting here and thinking. The only way for me to save people’s lives in the future is to kill myself.”
The BAU discusses the latest victim and how the unsub is clearly devolving. While the unsub did thankfully not carve a message into the last victim, dumping her body across from the capitol building three days before Congressman Steyer’s big speech about how effective her anti-crime bill is a statement within itself. JJ points out that Steyer’s press conference has not been publicly announced yet. Only someone who inside knowledge of the anti-crime bill would know about the speech. The BAU suspects someone involved with an anti-crime group who lobbied for the bill.
So Hotch holds a press conference to tell everyone about the serial killer on capitol hill. He does this as a twofold effort- to piss of Steyer and to let working girls know about the danger out there. Hotch then brings Steyer in to sit down with local sex workers who have had encounters with an individual who the BAU suspect to be the unsub. The BAU wants the sex workers to describe the unsub to Steyer to see if Steyer will recognize the description as someone she works with. Steyer asks Hotch why he’s treating her to this “sideshow” and the workers go off on her and tell her that many of the men she works with everyday regularly “treat” themselves to sex work. And to her credit, Steyer does apologize. Steyer identifies the unsub as Ronald Weems who runs Decency Watch.
Cut to Ronald Weems. His wife Linda is sitting at home knitting and minding her own business and Weems is just like “I have to get back to work” and she’s like ??? Why? It’s late? I’m knitting? And he is SUPER rude to her! Right after he leaves the BAU shows up at the Weems Residence. Linda is ready to close the door in their face and literally does not bat an eye with the BAU shows up. She doesn’t even ask why they’re at her doorstep, just asks them to come back. Gideon stone cold goes: “In the last six months did your husband start asking you to play out sexual fantasies?” And she’s like “What?” And Hotch is like “When it finally stopped about a month ago you were relieved.”
Linda lets them into the house and allows them access to the Weems Files. The BAU finds lots of rambling essays (?) by Weems. The BAU go out on the streets trying to find Weems. They show everyone pictures of Weems. But they keep missing Weems. Finally Weems asks a curly-haired sex worker to engage with him and she recognizes him and blows a rape whistle?? And then Holly’s friend maces him!!
Back at headquarters, Nathan talks to Reid. Nathan reveals that he and his mother have talked, and he is going to stay at a hospital starting tomorrow. However, later we see Nathan solicit a sex worker named Crystal (?). We see Nathan get upset and pull a blade on her. Cut back to BAU headquarters Garcia talks Reid into a night out. They’re about to head out in Garcia’s vintage orange convertible named Esther, when they get a call from Crystal who tells them that Nathan has tried to kill himself. Reid and Garcia race over in Esther and the paramedics arrive just in time. Reid grapples with the idea that by saving Nathan’s life, he may he inadvertently hurt people. But Reid baby that is not on you!! Gideon tells Reid that profiles can be wrong. “What if it’s not? What if next time he kills somebody?” And Gideon says: “Then you catch him.”
Rating Criteria
Criminal/Serial Killer: 7/20
Character development/ character arcs: 15/20
Forensics/Context: 15/20
Script writing: 17/20
Background characters: 20/q0
Overall: 74/100