S3E17 - “In Heat”
We open in Miami Florida to some sexy dancing. We see a sensual MILF approach a bartender. She hands him money, and we can see that she’s wearing a wedding ring. Cut to the same bartender and the MILF getting handsy in a boat docked on the water. He says “Mi linda, preciosia, hermosa” and they’re about to fuck, when a body floats up in the water next to them and kills the mood.
Cut to Garcia, coming home, all the lights are off, and she fumbles trying to turn on the light switch. Then we hear Kevin’s disembodied voice coming out of the darkness, he tells her that he shut the breaker off. He lights a candle and we see a fancy dinner set up on her kitchen table and says “because you said you couldn’t make dinner, I brought dinner to you”. He tells her that she’s too stressed out and deserves a vacation “in the land of no keyboards”. She says that she doesn’t know what she would do with herself, and Kevin pulls whipped cream out of nowhere and is like “I can think of a few things”.
Cut to BAU headquarters in Quantico VA. We learn that the body the MILF and bartender found earlier was that of Charles Luvet. He’s the third victim to be found in Miami in the past three months. Daniel Brown, the second victim, was found partially buried in sand dunes and Paul Hayes was stuffed in a dumpster. JJ tells the team that although the locations of the bodies have all been different, many of the elements of the crimes are still the same. All males, 25-35, all traveling, all asphyxiated with no signs of sexual assault. Morgan suggests that because the victims have all be tourists, the motive could be robbery. Reid points out that all of the victims were in shape, and there are no obvious signs of ligature marks or other trauma. JJ points out that Charles Luvet, the latest victim was a cop from New Orleans, who came to Miami for a local regatta. There are currently 4 missing white men in Miami that fit the description of potential victims, so the team prepares to head to Miami. Garcia shows up late, telling the group that her alarm didn’t go off this morning because her power was out. Hotch is like “everyone is allowed to be late once”.
Cut to Miami. We meet detective Tina Lopez from Miami PD. She and Morgan stare eye fuck each other. And… surprise! Detective William La Montane has arrived from New Orleans! He and JJ are like “Oh hi, nice to see you”. We learn that Montane and Luvet were partners. Detective Lopez is like “Oh you guys all know each other?” and JJ is like “PROFESSIONALLY. WE KNOW EACH OTHER PROFESSIONALLY.” As they’re headed to the Miami PD headquarters Bill is like “How are you?” to Morgan and Morgan says “Tight”. JJ corners Will and is like WTF?? Why didn’t you tell me that you were working this case? And Will is like “You still haven’t tolt them about us?” Meaning they have been DATING! And she’s like NO and he’s like “Are you ashamed?” And she’s like “No, it’s just in this team everyone knows everything about everyone. There’s no privacy. My personal life is one less thing they can profile.” And Will is like, that’s bullshit.
Rossi and Prentis look at Paul Hayes personal effects. He told his wife he was in FL on business but none of his suits have been worn. Rossi points out that Paul’s body was found wearing running clothes, but they find his wedding ring in the hotel room, and people who go running don’t take off their wedding rings!! Bill identifies Charles Luvet’s body. He is devastated. Later he, Hotch and JJ are looking through Luvet’s stuff. Hotch finds a receipt for a rental car and heads off to follow that lead to. After he leaves Bill touches JJ on the shoulder and JJ freaks out and Bill is like “standing in my dead partner’s room and you think I’m in the mood for grab ass”. But like, he kind of was??
Back at FBI Headquarters in Quantico VA, Garcia and Kevin are learning Italian. Hotch calls Garcia to ask if she can track down Charles Luvet’s rental car, and she does. Morgan, Reid and Detective Lopez find the car and search through the rental car’s GPS to find the last place Charles Luvet went. And Detective Lopez recognizes the address as a local gay bar. Hotch, JJ and Bill talk to a local regatta master, who tells them that there is no regatta during this time of the year.
Cut to a man getting out of a pool. We see another man, this one in a cowboy hat admiring him from an outdoor bar. Pool man introduces himself to cowboy hat, and introduces himself as a police office from New Orleans named Charles Luvet. He does have a pretty good accent. Cowboy hat tells Charles that his name is Deacon Rogers (or Deac) and he’s from Odessa Texas. Charles Luvet says “I hear that everything is bigger there”. So this is clearly the unsub, masquerading as Charles Luvet, zeroing in on his next target.
Cut back to Miami headquarters. Prentis and JJ complain about the heat. Then Prentis is like “At least we have something fun to look at, keep us on our toes” and JJ is like “What” and Prentis is like “LaMontague” and JJ is like “Yeah I guess he has a thing”. Meanwhile Bill is beating himself up because he didn’t know that his partner had this secret life. In fact Charles Luvet was going to be married in a few months, and Bill is like “What do I tell his fiancé” and Hotch is like “The truth”. Garcia advises the BAU, Miami PD, and Bill that in regards to the last four victims, two of them were openly gay.
PROFILE
An offender in his mid to late twenties
Familiar with the area and may be offering assistance to those who are not
Studies his victims habits and learns how to gain their trust. He’s charming, charismatic, and intelligent
May frequent or work at gay establishments
Given the technique with which he kills he may have had prior defense tactic training, may be a member of the military or recent discharged
Steals his victims possessions but doesn’t pawn a thing
The fact that he’s targeting gay me means this may be a hate crime and/or the unsub is struggling with his own sexuality
Cut to the unsub and Cowbody Hat Bigger In Texas Deac in a bar. Deac is trying to singing “My Way” by Los Lonely Boys and the unsub is not having it. He storms off and Deac is like “What’s wrong” and the unsub is like “I just need some air.”
Cut to Miami headquarters. JJ walks outside and catches Bill telling Charles Luvet’s fiancé about Charles. Bill is upset about his partner and also upset about JJ not telling the team. He’s like: “Should I be worried? It doesn’t take a profile to see that you’ve got one foot out the door in this relationship.” And JJ is like “Can you please keep your voice down” and Will is like “HEY YO I’M CRAZY ABOUT HER” to nobody. JJ is so uncomfortable.
Cut to the unsub and Deac smoking weed. Deac is like “Look at me. I’m breaking the law with a cop. I’m a bad, bad boy. I’m badass. Hee hee HOO! Does that mean that you’re gonna have to handcuff me. Cause you can handcuff me if you want.” Deac prepares to give the unsub fellatio, and the unsub freaks out and is like “YOU’RE DISGUSTING! FILTHY! DIRTY!” Deac is like “That really hurt?” And then the unsub starts mimicking his accent. So creepy. Very a la that one episode of Dr. Who with ALONSAY! And then the unsub strangles Deac.
Cut to the next day. The BAU and Detective Lopez find Deac’s body. The Unsub also ditched Charles Luvet’s police badge nearby, almost shedding his identity. A bus boy from the night club where Deac and the unsub were before tells the BAU that the unsub identified himself as a cop. Reid is like “Transference”. And Prentis is like “Could be suffering from Cluster B.” Reid tells us that Cluster B is “a cluster of personality disorders, also called the erratic, traumatic emotional cluster. An enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that differentiates itself markedly from the expectations from the individuals culture.” Rossi is like “Escape into the fantasy protects him from ever having to look at himself.” Morgan is then like “If the unsub lives in their skin (meaning the victims) odds are he also lives in their hotel rooms.”
The BAU show up at Deac’s room and they have JUST missed the unsub. He left the tub water running. Prentis says that the Unsub was looking for an identity “anything to possess a new one”.
Cut to the UNSUB, driving in a car, Los Loney Boys “My Way” He’s wearing Deacon’s cowboy hat and speaking in a southern accent. He picks up a hitchhiker who is from Germany, because he has to keep finding random gay men with accents so that the episode can continue.
The BAU then make the leap that the unsub is actually one of the missing potential victims. They think the unsub us Steven Fitzgerald, who has been missing for two months. Hotch, Morgan and Rossi go to question the Fitzgeralds, so that’s Papa Trash Fitzgerald (you’ll find out why in a second) and sister Sarah. Hotch is like: “Can you confirm that your son Steven is gay?” And Mr. Fitzgerald was like: “There were a number of issues that he needed to sort out.” Also Mr. Fitzgerald is not concerned for his son at all “Wherever Steven is I trust it’s a better place for him” Rossi is like “Well that’s a remarkable kind of strength” and Mr. Fitzgerald is like “It’s because of my personal relationship with the Lord” and Hotch perks up like “You apply that philosophy to your job as well” and we learn that Mr. Fitzgerald is a prison guard. The BAU talks to Sarah, Steven’s brother, and she tells them that the last time she saw Steven he was happy. She also blames herself because she gave Steven the money to go to Miami to get him out of the house.
Cut to Deacon’s car. The body of the German hitchhiker is still in the car. Morgan finds a receipt for a youth hostel dated from last night, and we learn that the German hitchhiker was named Michael Aldridge. So the BAU heads to local youth hostels looking for the unsub because “he’s not becoming his victims by choice, he’s doing it because he has to.” Cut to Morgan and Detective Lopez finding the unsub at a youth hostel. They evacuate the youth hostel. They find Steven playing cards. He refuses to turn around or acknowledge the name Steven. So Morgan is like “Micheal Aldridge” which gives the unsub the chance to use a German accent. The actor who plays Steven was actually BORN IN GERMANY! He also played Travis Wanderly in AHS.
Anyways Morgan gets Steven to stop being German.
Then at the end Detective Lopez offers to show Morgan “the real south beach” the next time he comes to visit. And Morgan is like FUCK YEAH. She says “Come on out Papi, I’ll take good care of you”.
Cut to JJ and Bill. She gives Bill Charles Luvet’s police badge. Bill says goodbye to JJ. And JJ watches him walk off. The Prentis walks up to JJ and is like “You should go for him. You’d make a cute couple!” And then JJ runs after Will and is like “I didn’t wanna tell anyone because the minute I do it becomes real. And when it becomes real people get hurt. And I’ve always run from getting hurt, and I don’t wanna run anymore.” And then Will smooches her. And Prentis, Morgan and Reid are like FINALLY WE KNEW ALL ALONG.
Rating Criteria
Criminal/Serial Killer: 10/20
Character development/ character arcs: 15/20
Forensics/Context: 10/20
Script writing: 10/20
Background characters: 20/20
Overall: 65/100