Alright so we open with seeing a guy leaving a corner store. He bought ice, an we see him stab the bag with a knife and poor it into a cooler, than we see him put other sus stuff into the icebox. He drives away in his spooky van, and we just know he is not up to good. He parks, and gets out of the van. He is watching people through binoculars. Gross. And he camera shifts to focus on two young women who are walking home – he is watching them. I feel like he’s gonna put a body on ice.

He runs into the girls on a staircase, and there is awkward tense-ness, and then they go off in their separate directions. They are walking up a staircase in what seems to be a garage, and then, i guess after they passed him, he somehow doubled back. Anyways, point is, when the girls get off on their floor, he is somehow already there and slashes one of the girls in the throat with a knife. The other girl tries to fight him off for a moment, but that doesn’t last long at all, and she also is skewered.

Cut, and now we see Morgan getting coffee with Tamara Barnes. Ugh. Morgan seems to have already told Tamara about his promotion, and she went to the hearing with her. She tells him how she feels safe around him ugh. She tells him its nice to see him, and that is reciprocated by him. She asks if she can buy him a drink once everything has settled down. She then also gives him a necklace that her brother used to have – a cross necklace. Ugh, this just makes me so uncomfortable.

Back at the BAU, Garcia is asking the rest of the team if they know the actual reason Hotch is stepping down. Strauss is there asking Morgan if he has picked a case. Hotch and Strauss tell Morgan he needs to take Hotch’s office, but he refuses.

Now, JJ briefs the team on the case. She shows pictures of the girls we saw getting killed, and informs them that their bodies were found two nights ago in a parking garage. Both were 17 years old, and carotids severed. Then a man, age 61 was found dead in the woods, blunt force trauma to the head, four days ago. Completely different. But the connection? Their eyes were removed – an enucleator, as Reid informs us. Hotch explains that it is a rare subset of criminal behavior, a lot of them suffer from diagnosed mental disorders, usually men who lack social skills, their kills are disorganized and sloppy. Typically he gauges the eyes out, but doesn’t normally take him with him (however, i feel like our unsub will, just because we saw the ice box).

In this case, there is an interesting shift, given that he went from killing in a secluded area, so then killing in a public place, and he escalated from 1 victim to 2. What Morgan is most concerned about is that he waited less than 48 hours between the murders, which is why he chose this case. And because enucleaors are usually repeat offenders, he is probably going to kill again soon.

Back with our Nucc-y, we see him preserving the eyes in what looks like Windex. A little scientist! Science king.

On the BAU jet, Prentis shares that all of the victims had different colored eyes, and speculates that that probably doesn’t factor into victimology – I’m going to argue that he’s trying to produce a diverse collection. Reid says it probably depends on what he “sees in the eyes” – since most are delusional. They talk about how the first murder was more personal – blunt force, disposed of the body, etc. but the second murder seemed to have been more opportunistic – not as personal, and he didn’t dump the bodies. Morgan starts assigning everyone with tasks, but JJ steps in and says that the girls families have requested to speak with the team leader. Awkward! Morgan seems uncomfy.

Now in Oklahoma City, Hotch and Reid meet with Phil Braton – the OKC detective. He tells them how the murders took place 22 miles away from each other. Garcia calls them and tells them that she has not been able to find any incidents from the area that also deal with eyes. So this is either someone who has never done this before until now, or just got out of an institution or something like that. They speculate what he is doing with the eyes, and Hotch is like “he’s collecting them”, however Reid talks about how eyes do not keep well, since they are 80% water, and after a couple of hours will “wilt”. Ughdljgf. He also talks about how there have been cases before, where the unsubs have “consumed the eyeballs”, to which Phil is just like “...are you serious” and Reid awkwardly nods.

The scene cuts and we see our unsub eating hardboiled eggs – but it is shot so it looks like he’s eating eyes, good god. And he holds the fork SO WEIRD. We see him put the eggs in the fridge with the EYES.

Now we see JJ and Morgan meeting with the sister of one of the girls. They question her, and learn that she did not know the other man who was killed. However, the sister then makes a request – but she has a hard time getting it out. She says that her grandma saw her sisters ghost last night – and her eyes were just big black holes, and looking for her eyes (Bina). Grandma says that Bina is cursed, she is stuck for eternity looking for her eyes, and before she can be cremated, she needs her eyes. She asks that they find her eyes, and Morgan is like, we ill try! But like uh! And the sister is like “aight, so she will be cursed forever, she will never know peace”.

Back at the OKC police station, we learn that John – the man who was murdered – was last seen at a bar without incident. We also learn that the area his body was dumped was a remote farm road, the kind of road that only people who know about it would go – he didn’t just stumble upon it, he knows it. So they need to get a list of people who live or work in that area. Rossi expresses that he has a bad feeling about this unsub – he says he chose that parking garage, he was patient, and he hid, waiting for the “right” victims, right time and right place. All of it was strategic – so this is a lot more organized than that of a typical enuculator. It will be harder to catch him cause he may be a step ahead, etc. But then Phil comes in and says he got a call from the ME and says there is something they need to see.

At the morgue, she talks to Reid about how eyes are held in the eye sockets with like, 6 different tissues/nerves. Looking at the photos of John, his eyes were ripped out, probably by hand. However, Bina’s eye sockets are smooth on the inside, there is no bruising or sign of trauma. Uh oh! So they were surgically cut out – precise work. Crude with the first victim, surgical with the next. So he is definitely keeping the eyes.

We now see the unsub playing science for a second.

Next we see three people out for a jog – a fourth straggling behind them. Bitch why are you jogging at night!! The fourth girl falls behind, and then trips over a wire????????????? A WIRE?????? IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT? IN THE WOODS??????? So then of course the unsub goes, slashes her neck and then drags her away. Then we see him walk away with an ice box.

The next morning the BAU investigates. So this was also a public place, but at night. Still only one person. Her eyes have also been precisely removed. Garcia starts researching eye doctors with evidence or cases of malpractice. Garcia also asks after Morgan, to see how he is doing, and JJ says there is actually something Garcia could do for him.

Now out in the woods, Morgan talks about how the unsub hid in the trees and waited, and he blitz attacked her because he “lacks the social skills to charm her”. However, Hotch also points out that he would have made noise in these woods, they float other ideas, and how she probably would be been able to outrun him, and then Hotch finds the FUCKING TRIP WIRE. and is like “WE NEED TO LOOK AT HER ANKLES”. SO THEY DO, and yep, the tripwire is what did it. Morgan points out how this is the behavior or a game hunter. Next, we see shots of the Unsub cutting one of the eyes with an exacto knife.

Back at the station, JJ talks about how game hunting is a big part of this city’s culture. They are frustrated because usually guys like this are more sloppy and unravel, whereas this guy is getting more and more careful and precise. JJ approaches Morgan and talks about how this case is starting to make national news – they are calling him The Eye Snatcher. God. Next, she also calls him out because apparently he is ignoring Strauss’ calls. He’s like, well she is just keeping tabs, she can wait! You tell her. However, Hotch is like, you actually do need to talk to her. Morgan is like, fine but I am getting the profile out yet.

Rossi approaches Hotch and is like, how do you see this ending? Hotch is confused, but Rossi points out that Morgan is doing an excellent, job, he is a natural leader, and will excel at being their leader. However, this is only a temporary position, so what is going to happen when he is asked to step down?

Now we see the Unsub doing not science, but being a fucking blacksmith??? Heating up/sanitizing a little ice cream scooper? I’m assuming its what he scoops the eyes with. He puts it in an eyeshadow brush thingy and departs with his ice box.

And now we have Morgan giving the profile:

We believe the Unsub knew his first victim, yet the rest were random.
Most encuculators have a mental disorder and are frenzied and sloppy when they attack. This one has more control.
We are not calling him by any nickname, he is just a guy the FBI is trying to apprehend
He lays in wait for his victims, and he knows how to cut them so they bleed out. This indicates he might have a hunting background
The FBI is urging citizens to be hyper vigilant at night
He is killing in different areas of the city in public places
His large kill zone could be related to some kind of travel pattern in his life, which indicates a comfort with these neighborhoods
The escalation could be caused by a self-imposed timeline
He is acting in a delusion that is fueling this murder spree
We believe is a white male, 27-35, and believe he is driving a van or a pickup truck with a removable cab
- Something utilitarian that can get bloody and wash out easily
He may have applied for hunting licenses
He has some sort of medical or surgical training but fell short of making a career out of it
He may have been in a halfway house, or been granted leave from a treatment facility
Maybe his family moved him away, but now he is back
He kills at night, employs hunting tactics, and is patient
He will wait until he can be alone with his victims

Now we see the unsub watch a couple get in a car at night.

Morgan receives a call from Strauss, and he apologizes to her for ignoring him before. she asks about the strategy, and if there are any suspects. She is like, weirdly supportive of him??? But I still don’t trust her. Morgan has a moment with the necklace Tamara gave him.

Now we see a couple being gross on a bench at night. The unsub a little ways away is in the park, and somehow fucks with the power box that is keeping all the lamps lit. The boyfriend calls out to the unsub and is like “hello! Hello!” and the unsub is slowly turning all the outside lights out. The girlfriend is NOT about it. The gf tries to call for help, but there is no reception. They start leaving, and hide, but it is super dark, and they keep TALKING. The boyfriend is valiant and sends his gf away with the car keys. However while she is running, she falls, of course. She hears slashing noises, and he is def a goner. And she probably is too. As she STAYS ON THE GROUND calling for him, the unsub approaches her and we see that he has fucking NIGHT VISION GOGGLES.

The next morning at the police station, Rossi visits Morgan. Morgan is starting to unravel a bit. H is really frustrated that they haven’t had any movement in the case. Morgan slept at the station. Phil tells them about the couple that was killed.

At the crime scene they see that he cut the lights in the park, and Prentis IMMEDIATELY is like, yeah he had some kind of night vision aid. However, there is something very different about this case – he didn’t take the boyfriends eyes. At all. One of the eyes was cut, however, this could be the reason – it was damaged and not perfect. Morgan suggests a theory – he knows it is a little wild, but we hear him out, and he’s probably onto something. He suggests that this unsub is a taxidermist. So they would need to be in perfect condition – for the collection everything needs to be perfect. Reid explains how this does make sense, given that it makes sense.

Garcia calls, and says that John – the first victim, had recently written a huge check for Lloyd’s Wild Game Shop. a connection? It is only miles from where his body had been dumped. Also – this Lloyd died 4 weeks ago. However, his son has a crime record, so they start looking into him.

Now we see the son at this game shop, and we see him working on the eye of a deer. The phone rings, and he gets a voicemail from a bank. And now we see a flashback of the first victim - John, telling this son that the eyes aren’t right, he “cant do eyes right”, and he beats John over the head with an ashtray, killing him.

As the team zoomies over to the Taxidermy shop, Prentis asks about any record of mental illness. There isn’t, however, his mom has a degenerative eye disease, and she died when he was 8. He was expelled from school for trying to gouge a kids eyes out. Jesus! He has no record of any employment, no taxes, literally nothing except for a divers license. So he was entirely dependent on his father, who died several weeks ago. So he also just lost his dad, the house, and he is about to lose the business.

The BAU swarms the taxidermy shop, however it is seemingly empty. Morgan notices the blood stain from when he knocked John out. Prentis breaks the glass and they enter the shop – on probably cause I suppose. They clock John O’Hearns blood, but otherwise nothing looks out of place. However, it looks as if the son has been sleeping there. They also notice some specimens don’t have eyes – but one does, and it has human eyes.

We see that he has been hunting since he was a kid, and after being expelled from school never went back. So he was entirely socially isolated. We see him dropping a taxidermy piece off at a home, and the woman is like, okay great, this is great, and then he gets all dark and is like “I need something from you.” They find an address book, and basically he is dropping the goods off at the homes where he has made sales, and then sticking around the neighborhood/area and then hunting for victims there. They find some addresses that look recent, and go looking there.

Back at the home of lady he just dropped tuff off, they find the lady and she said all she owed was cash, so she’s fine. Hotch also realizes that the eyes in that taxidermy are glass.

They find his van in another area and are like okay, so he’s gotta be around here somewhere, since it is empty.

He grabs a girl from under those building-y thingies, however, they struggle and she maces him. Hotch hears the struggle taking place, and goes running after them. However, he has already knocked her out (maybe killed her?). Hotch apprehends him as he is getting ready to remove her eyes. He is doing the surgery like RIGHT THERE IN THE OPEN. she is still alive, however clearly in shock. Morgan scolds Hotch for taking him out solo – Hotch tackled him alone. However, Hotch is like, okay Morgan but would you have waited?

Back at the station, Sonny boy is upset that the FBI has some of his work. He also compliments JJs eyes. Morgan has the cops send him out. JJ tells Morgan they did find human eyes at the shop, and he says he may need more than an hour to get back. Now we see Morgan return to Bina’s sister, and tells her that they did find her eyes and that she can have them back.

Back at headquarters, Garcia and Morgan are like, why is Hotch still here? He isn’t writing up reports anymore. Garcia notices the necklace he was given and comments on it, however he doesn’t tell her what it is. She asks if he can help her with something, and the secret project that she was doing for Morgan was setting up an office for Morgan. It is super sweet. We also see that the reason Hotch is still there is because he is driving himself crazy over Foyet.

And now Morgan calls and asks Tamara out for a drink.

Rating Criteria:

Criminal/Serial Killer: 17/20

Character development/ character arcs: 20/20
Forensics/Context: 10/20
Script writing: 10/20
Background characters: 17/20

Overall: 74/100

S5E6 - “The Eyes Have It”

S5E7 - “The Performer”

S5E5 - “Cradle to Grave”