It is night. And it i raining. We see a truck driving down the road, the radio is saying that California is gonna have some severe storms until the morning. The driver then tries to screech to a halt when a car is in the middle of the road - but he falls and with the slick roads, speed, etc, the car is totaled. The car flips like a billion times. He radios for help “four-wheeler. Sittin duck”. He gets out of the truck and sees a deceased couple on the inside.

Back at the BAU Reid asks everyone if they wanna get Indian food (a man after my own heart), and Prentis says she has a date with her hot tub. Lucky bitch! But as everyone is getting ready to go, JJ comes in and is like - not so fast! She says there have been a series of suspicious accidents in Reno. Morgan is like - are you sure this cant wait til tomorrow? And she’s like, sorry no. - what kind of hours do FBI agents get? Is it on call? Can they ever go on vacation???

In the conference room JJ shows them photographs of another accident - a truck hit a car, the truck driver was fine, but the couple in the car was DOA. but, there was no blood spatter in the car, no seatbelt burns, and no airbag lacerations. Dead before the accident - blunt force trauma, and evidence of rape. There have been two other deaths with a similar MO. one thing they all have in common - they disappeared 48 hours before the accident.

Cut and we see another couple in a car. The woman is super sleepy and barely awake, and the man driving is also extremely tired. They almost hit a truck on the road due to drowsy driving, but they manage to swerve and survive. We see them pull up to a motel? He goes in and she says she want to call his mom and “check in width he kids”. They joke about how she needs to lock the doors, but she says she’s fine. But there is no cell service, or radio, so she just chills in the car. An owl hoots ominously, and then Ian - her husband - spooks her when he arrives back at the car. Apparently they are the only ones there, and they make their way to their cabin.

But - this is bad news - as they walk to the cabin a fluorescent sign outside the motel says “no vacancies” - but they are the only ones there?? UH OH.

On the plane we can see that JJ is actually super pregnant now. JJ puts headphones on her belly with Beethoven playing so the baby cannot hear what they’re talking about.

They begin discussing the case - all were on highways outside of large cities, and according to Emily, “all cities with a large and diverse transient population”. Also locals mixing with seasonal workers. They believe the unsub likely works or lives in the area, but the good thing is that the media outlets are only reporting there has been an accident - not disclosing details about this being a murder investigation - therefore, the unsub has no idea they are investigating it.

Now we get to see the charming interior of the cabin the couple we previously saw. They are in bed naked - they definitely fucked. But they’re waking up - and she says she wants banana pancakes like fucking menace - FUCK HER NAME IS ABBY. as they canoodle and talk about pancakes, we can see that someone i s spying on them through a knot in the cabin.

The BAU is now at the local police department. JJ explains to them that they cannot have the public knowing anything about this case. The first couple to go missing were visiting from Germany, and the second were from Oregon. The most recent were from Arizona. All three were staying in he area without reservations, and the only transactions on their credit cards were from gas stations hundreds of miles away. So, they had no paper trail, making them the perfect victims.

Rossi and Prentis go to visit the crime scene. The truck driver is there, and he really just wants to go home and tell his wife he didn’t kill the couple in the car, but the police and BAU beg him to keep his mouth shit, and promise they will clear his name. He promises, and leaves. The BEAU and cops talk about how the unsub is intentionally leaving the bodies in the car and somewhere where there will be an accident. The police think its because he is taunting them, but Rossi says no, that isn’t what’s going on. The risk of leaving the bodies where he actually killed them must be too great, so that’s why he takes to staging these accidents.

They get some satellite images - al of the accidents are near a curve in the highway where there is a blind spot. He must be organized, and it looks like the plans his escapes in advance as well.

Now Hotch is speaking to the father of the recent accident. The father asks for the full accident report because he is going to be suing the truck driver and his employer. Hotch now has to explain that he hit the car, but didn’t kill them. He does not seem to understand what is going on. This actor does a fantastic job. Hotch asks about the camping equipment that was in the trunk of the car, and the father of Rebecca says that her husband liked to camp - Hotch asks if he knows any specific locations of where he liked to hike, camp, etc, but the father just says “I don’t know”. He eventually says that Rebecca had a sweet tooth, and john would bring them donuts.

Prentis and Morgan show up at the restraint Flo’s - that’s where Rebecca apparently liked to go. The waitress is not especially cooperative, but she does remember Rebecca and John, saying that they left her a lot of tips.

Now we’re with Ian and Abby in their cabin again. Abby is getting up out of bed, but cannot find her underwear (AH). there is a knock at the door and Abby runs into the bathroom, Ian answers and it is breakfast that is handed to them. They start eating, and Abby notices a chair in the room is bolted to the floor. Ian says that if he finds Abby’s underwear she owes him lunch, and she’s like okay, “at least you ordered breakfast”, and he’s like “I didn’t order this.” she doesn’t believe him. He’s like no, really, I didn’t, and she didn’t order it either, so she queries “Okay, so who knew I wanted banana pancakes?”, and he’s like “its time to go”.

Back at the BAU they reach out to Garcia to get information on Sherwood - since that is close to where the Ballens were given that they had been at the diner.

Abby and Ian try to leave, but suddenly their door is locked. And the windows are being covered from the outside as well. AH.

The next morning, JJ shares information with the rest of the team about Abby and Ian - they have been missing a day.

Ian and Abby are still stuck in the cabin; Ian is trying to pull back the carpets - suddenly an alarm blares and there is banging from outside the cabin. Ian looks through the peephole and gets a knife in his eye.

Now the BAU sort of shares a profile?

It is very similar to before - a couple traveling, no credit card transactions, not on the interstate, so they may be looking for someone who works in motels. They suspect he would be in his 30s - abducting a couple is very ambitious, and he has had time to perfect his skills.

Profile

Given that he beats up his female victims, he is an Anger Excitation Rapist - a sexual sadist who cannot get off unless he is watching and torturing his victims.
- part of the torture is psychological; and one of the reasons he takes couples. Chances are he forces one to watch his power over the other.
Because only the women are sexually assaulted, he is likely a Malignant Misogynist - this typically stems from an extreme hatred towards a woman who was relentless in her psychological and physical abuse.
Its highly unlikely he has ever been in a relationship or marriage
He also likely is very good at hiding his hatred of women because he works in the service industry - but this doesn’t mean they should rule out anyone with a record
He requires a lot of privacy given how much time he spends with his victims
- Therefore they should focus on remote hotels

Cut and we're back with Abby and Ian. A light opens up in the bathroom, and Abby goes to investigate. Someone bangs on the window of the bathroom scaring Abby. They are starting to get snippy with one another - now is not the time!! They air grievances with each other. Oops! And now the water is turned off. Abby finds a tooth in the sink.

The BAU starts investigating different motels; questioning different managers. Etc.

Abby and Ian continue sniping at each other.

Hotch is visiting a different motel - i think this guy is sketchy! A guy comes in after Hotch, and the manager tells the other guy that they don’t have any space. So this is definitely our unsub. I’m also surprised at how quickly Hotch leaves.

Back at the police office, Prentis says she heard from Garcia and sound a connection that all the women have in common - none of them had underwear on. - the accidentals are the final act of rape.

Back in the cabin, Abby and Ian are stressing over their kids. Suddenly the lights go out, but then back on again, and off. And some other woman’s underwear is hung up for them to see.

Garcia calls and gives them information regarding five rapes that occurred over in Selbyville; there are similarities, but they caught the guy - the connection is that the last victim of these rapes - the only one who died, was perpetrated by the Unsub, not the perpetrator they caught.

Back in the cabin, Ian is losing it a bit trying to bang his way out of there. He bumps into Abby and hurts her by accident. Ian goes into the bathroom and the unsub must be hiding in there because he closes the door and knocks Ian out. He opens the floor, he has a baseball bat and turns on Abby.

The BAU starts going through different files - they’re trying to find someone who would been interviewed for the Selbyville murder.

Now we see that the unsub has knocked out Ian and has him in the chair that is bolted to the floor. Abby is tied to the bed, and telling them how people know where they are, etc, but the Unsub is like “that’s not what Ian said when you checked in!” Abby is like “what do you want!” And our unsub is like “I want to know, whey you are with a man who doesn’t take care of you? And then you let him push you around like that. Have you ever wondered what its like to be with a real man?”

The BAU finally realizes that Hotch interviewed a guy at the motel who has been in jail for attempted rape, etc. They’ve literally already met the unsub. The team rushes over to the motel, and the couple is starting to wake up. It looks like they’re both been beaten and assaulted.

Hotch is starting to beat himself up over the fact that he already met the unsub. Garcia shares that Floyd Hansen 0 our unsub - definitely didn’t have a chance. His mom drank herself to death, father recently died, etc.

Ian is able to get one of the legs of the chair loose from the ground. But then Floyd enters the room. He says that someone always gives up - he starts antagonizing them. Floyd hits Ian with the baseball bat.

The BAU shows up and starts searching the different cabins. Reid goes inside the main office and looks through papers - it looks like the unsub has been following the investigation - he has a bunch of newspaper clippings. Additionally, he has a bag of underwear in his desk as well.

Now it looks like the unsub is getting prepared to sexually assault Abby, but Ian somehow with hulk strength pulls the rest of the chair out of the floor an charges Floyd knocking him over. Hotch hears the commotion, and they make their way towards cabin 6. The BAU runs in, but Floyd has already hit Ian with the baseball bat. He somehow escapes, Prentis calls an ambulance and unties Abby. Morgan and Hotch take off after Floyd. They keep running, and Floyd runs into the road and is hit by a huge truck.

Hotch continues to beat himself up; since he talked to the unsub. Rossi comforts him - saying it happens to the best of them, and “welcome to the club”.

Rating Criteria:

Criminal/Serial Killer: 20/20

Character development/ character arcs: 12/20
Forensics/Context: 15/20
Script writing: 20/20
Background characters: 20/20

Overall: 87/100

S4E4 - “Paradise”

S4E5 - “Catching Out”

S4E3 - “Minimal Loss”