We open and we’re watching a family rush to get out of the car. We’ve got the mother, father, and cute little girl Sophia. The little girl is not hurrying fast enough so the dad picks her up and is like “What is Mommy feeding you?” and the mother goes “Great, way to give our daughter a weight complex!” They rush over, and we see that they are headed into a church.

We see a man arrive, even after the family does, and he sits in the pew behind the family. We can’t see the face, but see him pull on leather gloves, which is never a good sign. We switch back to the family. They do their communion, the little girl has a doll she wants to play with, but her mother is like- it’s praying time. And the mother says: “After communion we talk to Jesus” and the little girl goes “I don’t wanna talk to Jesus”. It’s very cute. Just then, the unsub sneaks up behind the father and mcfreakin slices his throat! The unsub then runs off as the little girl’s father dies, bleeding to death on the floor.

Cut to BAU headquarters in Quantico VA. We learn that this victim was Captain Paul Collins, he’s the 3rd victim in two weeks to be killed in Providence Rhode Island. Captain Paul had just recently returned home from his fourth tour of Iraq, and he’s also a decorated war hero. JJ tells us that the first two victims were not in the military, the unsubs is targeting victims who are convenient. Their necks were cut open, severing the carotid artery, bleeding out quickly. The first victim, Mike O’Donnell, was found under a sink in an upscale restaurant bathroom. The second victim Karen Lagrassa was killed in a Laundromat. The unsub has been identified as a white male. He’s… a spree killer!

On the BAU private jet. Prentis asks why the unsub is using a knife, if guns ensure the most number of fatalities. JJ suggests the unsub is training, doing a “dry run” before planning an attack of a larger scope. We learn about spree killers.

SPREE KILLERS

Always male
40s-50s
Socially isolated
Stressor is usually the dissolution of their last social outlet

Cut to Rhode Island. Rossi checks out the church where Captain Paul was murdered. He meets with Father Kendellen, who was the one giving a sermon during the service Captain Paul had attended. Rossi says: “I don’t like to see crime tape in front of church doors”. Rossi- I don’t like to see crime tape anywhere!

At Providence headquarters, Hotch and Reid meet with Detective Jake Moreland. Reid is doing his jeopardy surface. Detective Moreland asks Reid where the unsub might strike next. Reid and Hotch tell Moreland they have no idea where the unsub will strike, but they know that it will be in a more public capacity. Garcia is compiling a list of public events that might interest the unsub.

Cut to, a bus stop. A woman is just, minding her own goddamn business when the unsub shows up and is being creepy. She sees him initially and is creeped out, but she gets on the bus, and the unsub waves at her. And… I think it’s a plaid alert?

Meanwhile, Morgan and JJ go to meet Captain Collins’ family, his wife Meg and daughter Sophia. Meg Collins is… having a hard time. But instead of breaking down, she is just like, shutting the emotion down. I think the actress is doing a good job. She is YELLING at her daughter. She tells the BAU that she spent years waiting for a phone call to tell her that her husband had died in Iraq, only to have him killed in front of her and their daughter. Sophia tells the BAU that she shook the unsub’s hand when they did the sign of the peace. JJ decides that she’s going to stay at Captain Collins’ house to be the point person for the family. Meanwhile Morgan is like “this unsub is not psychotic, and he’s not going to go on a spree. He’s too patient.”

Cut to- the Laundromat. Prentis is walking through what the second victim, Karen, did at the Laundromat. And no offense- but Paget Brewster clearly has never been in a Laundromat before. She has no idea what people do at Laundromats. Detective Moreland and Prentis discuss why the unsub is disposing of the knives he uses to kill his victims, instead of keeping them. They also discuss how apparently guns are more lethal, but Americans are more afraid of knives? Rossi then shows up at the Laundromat. And he’s like “the unsub is attacking the crime scene itself.” Apparently each location has a history in Providence’s community. He’s attacking landmarks. Prentis says: “Probably the manifestation of a deep hatred for the city.” Providence girl, what did you do??

Rossi, Prentis and Detective Moreland go for a drive to visit the crime scenes. At the church, the community has come together to morn Captain Collins. There are extra cops, news crews, the public all paying their response. The BAU realize that the unsub is… getting off on the “public outcry”. Oh yeah, the public being upset, that shit really makes me cum! Detective Moreland is like, is he revisiting the crime scenes and Rossi is like fuck yeah he is.

Cut to, a diner. A bunch of cops are sitting at the counter reading the newspaper talking about the unsub. The diner employee goes out for a smoke, and watches as the BAU roll up to the local police station. So uh… Mr. Diner is the unsub.

PROFILE

We suggest that you think of this unsub not as a slasher but as an arsonist.
- Because the gratification he’s getting isn’t from the physical act of murder, but from the public’s reaction to it.
- Arsonists draw attention to themselves through the fire they set. The locations they choose are highly symbolic to them.
While this unsub will never set an actual fire, he has the same psychosis as one who does.
His locations have been pillars of the community- the victims he picks aren’t important.
By picking locales with the highest visibility, he’s creating the highest level of fear in that neighborhood, which reinforces his feeling of power.
This unsub definitely falls in the category of a sociopath. His victims are there only to achieve his goal, he doesn’t have the ability to empathize with them. To him they’re just tools for him to use, no different than a can of gasoline or a match.
How he kills tells us something- slashing a throat is a messy, visual act. It’s designed to create attention – just like a fire.
Arsonists are often mission-based. They need to make sure their first fire has burnt out before they set another one.
They’re also highly disciplined and focused. If the conditions aren’t right to set a fire, or in this case, slash a throat, they’ll move on.
In addition to his need to kill, he has self control. He has a short cooling off period because he’s enjoying what he’s doing.
This in turn feeds his ego and keeps him covering his tracks.
This makes him even more dangerous. If he gets frustrated, encounters too many obstacles, or suffers a blow to his narcissistic ego, he could go on an all out rampage.
Focus on men between jobs. Instead of working consistently, he is hunting at his next location.
And he’s revisiting his old scenes. We recommend you…

And the profile is cut off because…

Cut to farmer’s market. Although the first shot we see of the unsub there we also see balloon animals which is confusing. Balloon animals mean clowns which means circus! A lady is buying flowers, she asks if the flowers are organic, and the guy selling the flowers has been stabbed. The BAU rushes to the crime scene with police in tow. They’re going to use JJ to lure the unsub out. Hotch tells JJ to go to the crime scene, but she does not want to leave Captain Collins’ family.

Cut to the farmer’s market. Rossi asks a random guy at the Farmer’s Market what happened and the guy tells Rossi, so Rossi has him detained. Meanwhile, Prentis follows a trail of blood at the farmer’s market. JJ then confronts a reporter and tells her to minimize the unsub’s role.

Morgan talks to the woman who was buying flowers from the latest victim when he was attacked, and states that a helpful citizen had come forward while the victim was bleeding to death, to assist and call for help. So that’s… the unsub. Meanwhile, Prentis has found the unsub’s blood stained clothes. So we know the unsub has changed clothes. So the unsub is not content with just creating the crime scene, he needs to be part of it! Rossi runs to Detective Moreland and is like CREATE A PERIMETER AROUND THE CRIME SCENE THE UNSUB IS STILL HERE.

Cut to one of the cops, detaining a man named Connor, who was trying to leave the crime scene. We learn through conversation with the cop whose name if Officer Liddy, that Connor is our unsub. Connor then kills Detective Liddy and runs off.

The next day, at Rhode Island headquarters, the local Providence cops are pissed that one of their own has died. Detective Moreland rallies behind the BAU and tells the local cops to fuck off. Which was, super cool of him. The BAU then decides their new tactic will be to show the unsub that the community has to come together to rally and save one of the local landmarks that the unsub tried to destroy. So they choose Meg, Captain Collins’ wife, and the BAU asks JJ to ask Meg if she’ll read a statement about how people should go back to church. JJ is so uncomfortable with this, and Meg refuses.

Back at Providence headquarters, Hotch and Rossi ask why the unsub hasn’t killed again. They decide that it’s because the unsub has something that is feeding his ego. So then they make the leap that the cops are regularly interacting with the unsub at a local location. So they’re looking for police hang outs. Garcia finds the unsub- Connor O’Brien. His father went to prison for setting his mother’s apartment on fire and killing his mother. Connor, at age 10, then testified against his father on the stand. He’s employed at the Quality Café. And Detective Moreland is like- GUYS IT’S ACROSS THE STREET.

So the BAU show up and the cops are hanging out. Connor has FLED because the cops called the unsub a COWARD. The SWAT team shows up at Connor’s apartment on the other side of town, but he’s not there. Garcia then calls to tell the team that Connor’s father life sentence was recently reduced to the possibility of a parole in five years. This was decided a month ago, and this was the stressor that set Connor off.

Cut to- the library. Connor pulls a knife on a woman and her child in a wheelbarrow for children (what is it called). We learn later that Connor did kill this woman, named Julia Vecchia.

However, the BAU want to trick Connor into thinking that this woman is still alive. They want to tell the press that the woman is hanging on and they want to create a candlelight vigil so that Connor can’t resist. Because he’s mission orientated, he’ll have to come back to kill the woman. JJ uses that reporter who reports live and Hotch is really hamming it up. Just then Meg Collins shows up to Providence Headquarters and agrees to make a live statement to the press in support of Julia Vecchia.

Connor sees the fake news at a convenience store. And he sees FALLS FOR IT. Connor shows up at the candlelight vigil, and Morgan tackles him. Rossi is like “We know why you came down here, do you?”

And then the BAU has this conversation about sons and fathers. And at the end Sophia Collins is getting her first communion. And Rossi has sent her a check for $500. Then, at the jail, we see Connor murder his father.

Rating Criteria:

Criminal/Serial Killer: 17/20

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

Overall: 92/100

S5E15 - “Public Enemy”

S5E16 - “Mosely Lane”

S5E14 - “Parasite”