S5E9 - “100”
Recap by Jen from Wheel’s Up in 30 Pod!
The episode starts in a dramatic montage featuring the aftermath of a murder scene. We see the BAU is there and each of them are very visibly affected by what just happened. There are blood stained rugs and covered bodies, but nothing identifiable about them, so we know something bad has happened, something regarding Foyet, but we don’t know what exactly. Notably missing from the montage however, is Agent Hotchner.
We then cut away from the scene and back to FBI headquarters in Quantico, VA as Hotch quotes Nietzsche, so we can all but assume some really serious shit went down. Erin Strauss is conducting an interview with JJ regarding Hotch and we begin to piece together what happened. JJ is at a pharmacy with Will and Henry when she gets a call from Andersen about tracking the letters Foyet sent to Karl Arnold in prison. They were apparently also tracking the medication regimen that Foyet was taking to deal with his extensive stabbing related ailments without much luck, but when JJ gets to the pharmacy counter, the pharmacist suggest using an over the counter medication when the prescribed one was not available, which gives JJ the idea that Foyet was likely using over the counter substitutes when he could.
Now, Garcia is being interviewed and we learn that what happened has to do with Hotch’s family. We pick up again with the retelling of the story and they are narrowing down on Foyet’s location, he’s somewhere outside of DC, who would’ve thought? Garcia and Kevin go to work to figure out which drugs to look for and then Reid figures out the likely alias he is using-Peter Rhea, which is an anagram for The Reaper. Garcia gets a hit in Arlington.
Strauss is interviewing Rossi now, and you know that shit won’t go anywhere, but we learn that the team decides to stake out Foyet’s apartment, but he’s not there. It does look as though he left in a hurry, as if he knew the BAU was coming. They know he won’t be coming back there, but Hotch points out that when Foyet is startled, he starts killing. Aa Garcia looks through Foyet’s laptop, she finds photos of the US Marshal assigned to Hotch’s family, Foyet had been following him for a while.
Now it’s Reid’s turn with Strauss. The team scurries on over to the US Marshal’s home and find him on the ground after Foyet tortured him. He didn’t give up Jack and Haley’s location, but Foyet finds Kassmeyer’s phone and starts calling numbers until he finds Haley. He poses as another US Marshal and tells Haley that her contact has been killed and her location has been compromised. He also tells her that Hotch is dead and gives her instructions on what to do next. So unknowingly, Haley is walking right into Foyet’s trap.
Next up is Prentiss and I really just need to say that she is so hot. Like she does not need to be looking that good in an episode like this cuz i feel like an asshole for being horny when Hotch’s family is about to get killed. Also her distaste for authority is on full display in this episode and it is hilarious despite how intense this episode is so her interaction with Strauss is my favorite one. She picks up where we left off as the team now can track foyet’s general location using the Marshal’s phone. Even though Haley and Jack had been living in witsec in New Jersey, Foyet was still local. Hotch calls Foyet and all but begs him not to kill his family, but Haley has arrived at the meeting spot Foyet set up so he hangs up. And Hotch is rightfully losing it as he continues to drive.
Morgan is being interviewed now and tells Strauss that using Foyet’s profile, they figured out pretty quickly that he is at Hotch and Haley’s old house. Since Hotch heard Foyet’s phone call with Haley asking her to open the gate, Hotch knows that too. So he has a head start but the rest of the team is on their way to the house as well. Foyet calls Hotch again and Haley is on the line. Now that she knows Hotch is alive, she realizes that she fell into the reaper’s trap. Foyet tries to get under Haley’s skin but to her credit, she stays composed AF given the circumstances. During the phone call, Hotch says to tell Jack that he needs him working the case. Jack comes on to talk to Hotch and little man is so cute . Hotch is crying as he tells Jack to go work the case and Jack understands. After Jack leaves, Hotch apologizes to Haley as the team listens in to the call. And Haley is delivering her last wishes to Hotch and she makes him promise to teach him about love and show him that Hotch wasn’t always so serious. It’s sad AF. Hotch promises and then there are three gunshots. After that, Morgan says he doesn’t know what happened.
Hotch arrives at the house and it seems empty but then he sees a blood trail that leads him upstairs. Hotch discovers Haley’s body in the bedroom and in the mirror, sees the reflection of Foyet’s shoes behind the curtains. Hotch shoots at the curtains like ten times and Foyet falls, but he’s wearing a vest so he punches Hotch and runs off. Hotch chases after him and they fall down the steps together. Intense sparring ensues. Many a furniture is broken. Foyet taunts Hotch by telling him he’d find Jack and show him both of his dead parents and Hotch gets the upper hand and starts punching Foyet. Foyet surrenders, but Hotch keeps going, punching him to death and then some. The rest of the team has now arrived and Morgan has to pull Hotch off of Foyet’s body. Hotch then runs off and we are shown a flashback scene of Jack hiding in a chest in his office and when Hotch opens it and asks Jack what he’s doing, he tells him he’s working the case. So now we know what Hotch meant earlier. He opens the chest and Jack is there. Now that he knows Jack is safe, he returns to Haley’s body and Hotch just has moment with her.
Finally, we see Hotch’s interview after he finished filling in the details of what happened. Strauss is there with several other bureaucrats and is visibly shook as she tells him that Haley didn’t suffer when she died. She then asks him what Hotch thinks would have happened if he hadn’t killed Foyet. Hotch says he doesn’t have to think, he knows Foyet would’ve tried to also kill Jack. Strauss says that answer is good enough for her and all of the other bureaucrats are speechless.
The episode ends with Hotch’s dramatic return to the BAU where he is reunited with Jack. And that’s the 100th episode of Criminal Minds.
Rating Criteria:
Criminal/Serial Killer: 20/20
Character development/ character arcs: 20/20
Forensics/Context: 20/20
Script writing: 20/20
Background characters: 20/20
Overall: 100/100