Criminal Minds spoiler thread for "Outfoxed" written by Simon Mirren and starring Joe Mantegna, Thomas Gibson, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore, A.J. Cook, Matthew Gray Gubler and Kirsten Vangsness.
** Simon Mirren will be in the chat room to discuss the episode Thursday **
** Beware of spoilers in the comments **
** Quote and song info will be posted once the episode has aired on the east coast **
91 comments:
Number 99!! I can't wait to see how it ties into #100. I am so looking forward to this episode and then 100 & 101!!
GO CM!!
Bringing back the Fox will make this episode very interesting but most of all I can't wait to see how it will bring us to episode 100th.
oh a few hours away from another CM episode! Can't wait! Simon Mirren is a great writer, this episode should be great.
I don't have any spoilers to bring to the table because I'm just a humble fan, but I am beyond excited for this episode. "The Fox" was just a riveting episode and the villain was so very creepy. Oh, the anticipation!
Looking forward to this interesting episode. I´m sure it will be another great one, from Simon Mirren.
Can't wait for the much anticipated episode from Simon Mirren.
do you know when will the actors be back to chat again?I'm writing from italy and I'm a very big fan of CM.
Time to rev the engines en route to the 100th! This looks like a great lead-in... hope it meets expectations! :)
I can't waite for this episode!
Can't believe it's only one
more week til they hit the 100 mark! Wow. You guys rock!
Go Criminal Minds!
Everyone (friends, family, etc.) knows that No One interrupts this hour in my viewing. This is the only show that has that mandate. LOL
ITA, CM has always been outstanding but this season they are ROCKING and knocking it out of the ball park!!! This show's work is perfection and they have raised that level beyond, beyond. The drama is explosive. In each story, you can feel the heightened affect and direction to and for each of its characters. As a viewer, I appreciate the professional, creative and exceptional work that each and every member contributes to the production of this show.
With that said, I cannot wait for this episode and next weeks! Thank you CM.
So who is this "Fox" person again? Was he on a previous episode? Was he the guy that was killing the families who were supposed to be on vacation and making the kids draw stuff? So he's going to threaten Hotch? Geez, can't the bad guys pick on someone else for a change?!!??! LOL! And awwwww, that pic of the Hotchner family is so cute. Do you guys think Hotch and Haley are going to get back together? I seemed to get that vibe from ep 5.01. Although I think Hotch is probably more willing than Haley. She was so "me me me" in 5.01 and Hotch was all "forget about me being stabbed 9 times, as long as you and Jack are safe" LOL!!!! If they do patch things up, Hotch is a better person than I am because didn't they imply in one of the past epis that Haley was cheating on him? Dude, total deal breaker!!! LOL. How could they (the writers) imply something that huge and then never bring it up again?? Oh well, can't wait to see how everything turns out. I will definitely be tuning in, same bat-time, same bat-channel!! Wheeee!! :)
I can't wait for this episode! I was so creeped out when in the promo the 'Fox' said 'I know all about Emily Prentiss'. Can't wait to see what thats about :)
Excited to watch #99! Thanks for all the superb and quality entertainment!
I just don't remember the Fox guy being this creepy!! I mean he was psycho, but he's REALLY creeped it up a level!!
Loved it. The whole team working together. Great set up for next week with the letters from Foyet.
Loved the amount of JJ.
Simon Mirren is ducking brilliant! Thomas Gibson is beyond words and I am beyond thrilled with this ep!
Simon Mirren hit it out of the park with this one. Great freakin episode. The Fox is one of our creepiest unsubs ever and what a great lead in to the 100th!
Absolutely loved it!
Fantastic all around.
CM is on a ROLL this season, and it doesn't look like we're going to slow down anytime soon!
well.....7 days......
OMG is it episode 100 yet??? I've never seen Hotch look as intense as he did storming out of that jail! I'm ready for Hotch to do some serious butt-kickin'!
Morgan is slipping a bit. He just let a crazy chick almost kill him. He needs to kick down a few more doors to get back on his game. :)
Oh no I just saw the preview for next week and as much as I despise Haley, I hope they don't kill her off. I think that wopuld send our man Hotch over the edge. I'll be biting my nails til then. I think the writers are trying to give us all heart attacks!
This was a very interesting episode! Not only was the unsub a woman, which is rare, but we also get insight as to how Foyet is connected in this episode. How scary. Hotch looked so intimidating and scary at the end of the episode...I hope he kicks The Reaper's butt good and hard, and more!
I felt sorry for Emily when she was discussing her feelings to Hotch at the end as well. She pulled it off amazingly well though, and kept a calm composure while getting 'intimate' with the Fox. I imagine that must be very difficult, the way he was acting around her.. *shudder* We all know Em's a complete badass though, so it's all good. Plus, she helpedmajorly with the case.
Morgan, I thought, did a great job as unit chief, once again. He handled everything and everyone rationally. He looked great.
I was a little suspicious about the beginning with Reid...It made me think about how on that one episode description how one of the team members might lose it. I'm thinking it's our boy genius here now. I don't know if that's what was intended to go through your mind as you watch Reid looking through the house and all, but that's what I thought.
Rossi and Garcia were great...didn't get to see either of them as much though, but they put in valuable input.
JJ as well. I thought it odd that Morgan had called her Jennifer at the end...Was that the first time he said her actual name before? Hm, still trying to keep up the professionalism as unit chief I guess..
And the preview for the 100th episode looks so hardcore! I'm getting a bit paranoid after seeing that body on the floor....Does this mean something for Haley?
Well, I'm not sure I'll survive until next Wednesday now! I really don't want Hailey dead. Jack needs BOTH his parents.
But Foyet can die. Preferably slow and painfully. And with Hotch grinning the entire time.
Great show tonight!! And that promo was beyond amazing!
That ending!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was Foyet sending the letters and not the unsub?????????????????? Wozers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Loved when Morgan was fighting the lady and turned the gun on her. Also found it strange when he called JJ Jenifer. Now I know that's her name and all, but when was the last time someone actually called her that?
Over all it was a great eppy. I was getting freaked out at parts and starting looking around when I heard things in the hallway outside my apartment door!
Great episode. I thought that the Fox was going to grab emily or something. Emily did an amazing job on finding out it was not a man that was doing this killings. Next week looks amazing. I keep on watching the preview for the 100th episode. I hope that Hailey doesn't die. The part when JJ and Emily are crying got to me. I have a feeling that Hailey might be dead. I hope this week goes by fast.
Awesome episode! I have to say the Fox is one of my favorite unsubs. So damn creepy, and yet I find him sarcastically hilarious(Don't ask me why.LOL)
I felt for Morgan at the end, oy.
It was a great team effort. And I LOVED the ending! Pissed off Hotch is always a a hot thing
The Fox is one of, if not the most haunting episodes of Criminal Minds. That image at the end with all the wedding rings has stuck with me since I originally saw it.
I am one who does hope Aaron and Haley get back together. After the great moments we had with them in the first two years of the show and their back-story, I’ve always thought what they did to Haley’s character was a cop-out. So I know I am biased, but at the moment I am just really hoping the writers haven’t decided her character is expendable and will kill her off next week. I am resigned to the fact Aaron and Haley may never get back together on the show, but I don’t what the possibility of it happening to be gone.
Talk about a cliffhanger! I'm counting down the hours til next week.
This was an unbelievably creepy episode, revisiting an unbelievably creepy unsub. It couldn't have been any better. Kudos, Simon!!
Oops, that should be don’t want the possibility
Overall I thought it was a great episode, but - correct me if I'm wrong here - I don't recall there being any sexual component to Karl Arnold's crimes that was discussed in The Fox. They certainly didn't bring it up explicitly. I see how they needed something to differentiate this unsub from Arnold, but it seemed odd to me they would use something that wasn't really so relevant to the original episode. Just wondering if anyone else noticed this...
FAN-FRIGGEN-TASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!! Well written, well acted, well just perfect!:)
Bring on 100!!!! Hotch please kick Foyet's butt!!!!!
This show never ceases to amaze me with it's consistant excellence!!
Simon Mirren is ducking brilliant!
OMG, what a great episode and the actor who plays Karl Arnold is amazing. So ookily creepy and I loved how creeped out Emily got by him.
I am going to have to watch this again, but some impressions and not in chronological order:
Garcia afraid to hack into a database? I guess since it is the armed services, I could see that, but JJ saves the day and gets her clearance to do it.
Rossi looked so sad when he was looking at the pictures on the murder board. These murders hit everyone very hard.
Morgan technically was in charge, but it felt to me as if Hotch was driving the investigation even though he wasn't even on scene.
The last family that was killed, the way they were shown burried with their hands sticking out of their graves. Wow.
AND, we got our green screen back. It was very cool not only to see the team in/on the green screen, but to see Karl Arnold with Hotch and Prentiss at the virtual scene was way cool. It was also interesting to see how profesional Karl Arnold was at the "scene" with the questions he was asking and his demeanor and stance. Very well done.
Did we know that the children that Karl Arnold killed were physically abused by him? I re-watched The Fox last night in preparation for tonight and don't remember that ever being mentioned.
Karl Arnold was a psychologist so he knows how to screw with him, but it really creeped me out with how he reacted to Emily - like Jacob Hawes in Riding the Lightening did with JJ. SHUDDER! And, he really enjoyed screwing around with Hotch, about his not wearing a wedding ring, and how he laughed when Hotch started checking Karl's log because of the cryptic things he was saying at the end. And then Hotch seeing the "eye" and Emily saying "Foyet" at the very end.
The actual case was good, with military families where the husband/father was deployed being murdered. Morgan nearly lost it when he had to tell the colonel that his family had been murdered. I was kind of surprised that JJ didn't step in, but I think all of them were really affected by these murders.
Interesting that it turned out to be a woman who had lived through a massacre in Serbia/Croatia. Casting did a great job with casting the UNSUB and the UNSUB as a child - they looked alike.
Simon, thank you for a great episode and I can't wait to see what you all come up with for the 100th episode.
Prentiss was so nervous around the Fox. Even she was creeped out. Hotch could have killed somebody with that hate stare of his. He is going to shread the Reaper into a thousand pieces.
omg, really that was one of the best CM episode I have seen! How you can do this almost every week, I don't know but damn do I enjoy it! You Mr. Mirren are one brilliant writer! I was on the edge of seat for the entire episode and that say alot since I am sick as a dog with the flu!
The whole case was interesting, never thought the killer was a woman. Looking at all those dead kids was hard. The case being profiled by first part of the team at the crime scenes and Hotch and Prentiss interviewing Arnold was brilliant. Hotch and Prentiss were really getting into a very sick killer's mind, very creepy. What was even more disturbing was how Arnold got into Hotch and Prentiss minds too! He did get them to tell him what he wanted and did delivered one hell of blow at Hotch!
Gotta talk about the acting in this episode. Paget Brewster was amazing in that interview with Arnold, from the student a bit in 'awe' of meeting the subject of her study to the badass FBI agent who take no crap from serial killers. Paget Brewster was just great!
Neal Jones as Karl Arnold was so, so very creepy! Jones was so good, when he did lean towards Emily, you could see in his eyes how focus on her he was, watching that scene, when he did lean towrds Prentiss my reaction was to move a bit back!
The man playing the army captain to whom Morgan and JJ had to tell him his family was gone was also very good.I felt so bad for him, watching him cried made me want to cry too.
Thoams Gibson is like Laura_G said, beyond words. What a great actor. The last scene scene was fantastic! Hotch going from interested if a bit annoyed by what Karl was saying to frantic when he was going through Arnold notes to total close down, focus on getting out of there left me wanting to see the 100th NOW!
Love the start of the episode with Reid at the lecture then going to one of the victims home to start the profile. nice to see MGG can walk a bit better now.
I like that we had lots of team work even if the team was split.
Oh and I have to say that the scenes at the prison was disturbing, all the noise the prisonners made while Hotch and Prentiss were walking in. The ending with Hotch storming out like a man on a mission was reinforced with all the sound the prisonners made but to which Hotch seems oblivious too. Shows how much he was focused.
I'll probably have more to say later, once I have watch the episode again. Congrats to CM because once again you guys did it hit the ball out of the stadium! can't wait to chat with Mr. Mirren tomorrow!
oh and the CTV preview for the
100th episode makes me watch to see it now! Just can believe Foyet will get to Haley and little Jack!
Brigitte
The promo was as great as the episode. I didn't guess that the unsub was a woman. Morgan sure wasn't having a good day and Hotch is out for blood. Game On!
that was one hell of a very intense episode! CM is THE best show on TV!
only negative thing I have to say about tonight is that I did miss the cbs promo for next week!
Outfoxed was a GREAT episode! I have to say that, as I write these words, I'm still filled with different emotions. The way the story unravelled was amazing. I love the way we were gradually taken to this unsub, never letting us know that in the end it was a woman. something that we don't see often.
Also, it was interesting on how the way the one case becomes a two case. Family annihilator that supposedly was sending The Fox some info was all this time Foyet.
The team was awesome! The way they got to the unsub showed us that they are the best all together. The fact that Morgan his temporary boss didn’t affect that at all.
Superb team work! Hotch and Prentiss interrogating the Fox together was way great. I was soooo happy to see Rossi back in the action again. I missed those moments of seeing him in the field. :o
Now I have to watch it again and will repost later.
Simon Mirren wrote a very good story. My hats up to him.
I knew towards the end that the "admirer" was Foyet, so when he told Hotch I was literally jumping up and down in front of the TV screaming KILL HIM GO KILL HIM, HOTCH! For goodness sakes, it's now 45 minutes later and I'm still freaking out. Next week's episode is going to be great. knock on wood.
this sounds so good from what i read so far, i have a hour and 10 in to waite tell it comes on. i can hardly waite tell next week.
I object very strongly! There was no mention of any kind of the Fox molesting the children in the original episode. He was delusional and egotistical, but not a child sex offender.
I guessed the woman angle from the start. I did not like this episode at all. The "Silence of the Lambs" prison walk was also just gratuitous. Blah!
Bring on Hotch and the end of Foyet.
Lociloco
Anon,
I respectfully disagree with you. They always knew that this was not a straight copycat killer because there were several differences in the mo but it was the letters to the fox that made them know there was some connection. Foyet is toast next week. Hotch rules!
This was a very disturbing episode.It made you feel if you were riding a rollercoaster of emotions,from suspense to fear,to anxiety and disgust. The fox was one creepy dude. The ending was just brilliant as was the acting of Thomas Gibson.
I must say the evil cunning cleverness of the reaper has surpassed that of any other unsubs I have seen in the last 5 seasons. He,in my opinion is the worst. I didn't get to see the CBS promo but the fact people have said that JJ and Emily were crying does not bode well. I'm not fond of the character of Haley but I do not want the reaper to kill her> it would be too emotionally devastating for Hotch, it would mean the Reaper had won.
Now there are just a few things that made me wonder. I don't remember there being any sexual components to the fox episode
Emily's fear seemed out of character for her,was it on purpose to show she might be losing it?
Also the beginning with Reid seemed to suggest to me that it was going to be a bit of a Reid centric episode, then he sort of disappears. Anyways I apologize for being so long winded. I look forward to next weeks show.
This episode was mind blowing. Perfect lead up to the 100th episode. Thank you Mr Mirren, you're awesome. This is by far the best episode for me.
The case got to everyone, so heartbreaking watching the men finding out that their families had been murdered. The teamwork was great, even though they worked separately. I also liked the flashbacks to "The Fox".
I can't wait for "100", just hope tomorrow is next Wednesday.
Great job, CM cast and crew and thank you very much.
Holy hell, dude. I freaking love this show!!!
It was nice to see the green/blue screen background thingymabob again. A very nice seamless transition from looking at the photos to being transported to the crime scene. However, I would have to agree with others that in the Fox's previous appearance no mention was made of sexual assault on the victims which would have been a huge deal to the profile, and would definitely have been mentioned and considered in creating the profile, no? Also it was fairly obvious to me that the big difference between Arnold's case and the unsub's case was the sex of the last victim (the important one), and I was yelling in my head (didn't want to scare the neighbors and all - haha) "It's a WOMAN! The killer is a WOMAN!!" LOL. I also found it unbelievable that big muscle-y Morgan would be unable to throw off a smaller, lighter female. However, the twist that it was Foyet sending the letters was brilliant. I will have to respectfully disagree with the Foyet arc naysayers and chime in with my two cents that the character development it brings and the nice change from the standard one-off episodes is very enjoyable. Also, it makes people really excited for the next episode to see what happens (guilty as charged). Usually shows save stuff like that for end-of-season, to get the viewers to come back the following season, but I'm so happy you guys aren't holding back. It's so riveting!!
It was nice to see JJ do a "liason" thing other than choosing cases or press conferences. LOL. Work your magic, girl. I think this was the first time I ever saw Prentiss get really shaken up by a bad guy - even when she was being beat up by cult members she was hard as nails!! Totally creepy Arnold. I wish people who harmed children weren't separated from the general population so the other inmates could take care of the problem. But, being a psychologist himself he was totally up to par for a mind-fight with our profilers!! And the change in Hotch as he goes from annoyed/bored/ready to leave, to intense curiosity, to a reserved panic, to determined fury/rage - wow could Thomas Gibson BE any more awesome? LOL. He was so pissed off he didn't even pay any attention to the crazed loonies in the prison going ape-crazy. And yet another great preview for the next episode. I really like the new style/format of previews they're doing. But noooo, please don't kill off Haley or Jack. That would mean Hotch would lose it and go bye-bye. Noooooo!!!! Please let the man be happy, he's gone through a lot. Maybe JJ & Prentiss are crying because Haley is being transported to the hospital, but in the end she pulls through, right? Right? Gaaaaahhhhhh
Holy hell, are they really going to make us wait a whole week for the 100th episode? *sigh*
Dear Fringe/Walter/Olivia Dunham,
I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, but CM has officially become my #1 show this season, knocking you guys down to 2nd. Maybe if you guys can pick up the pace to keep up you may regain your spot. But don't worry Agent Dunham, you're still my favorite female FBI agent this season.
Dear Simon Mirren,
I wonder if you are related to the beautiful, classy Helen Mirren. Regardless, thank you for writing a wonderful episode.
Dear entire CM Team,
Thank you thank you thank you for all your hard work. It shows in the excellence of your show.
Dear Paget Brewster,
You rocked this episode hard. You were such a great addition to the CM cast!!
Dear Thomas Gibson,
You are a freaking awesome actor, but can you please try to be a little less hot. You are costing me at least 1,000 Hail Marys just by standing there on the screen. Any man who can have a serious cowlick and still be sexy has some serious mojo. You should bottle up the sexyness that oozes out of your pores and sell it and make a kajillion dollars.
Dear Thomas Gibson's wife,
Please forgive me for drooling over your husband. Also, I hereby declare you the luckiest woman on the planet.
Dear Ewan McGregor's wife,
So sorry you lost your title to TG's wife. If you are too disappointed in your husband now, you may send him on to me at 1234 Cheeto Way.
Dear Aaron Hotchner,
Oh Hotchy-pooh. That silly Mr. Darcy means nothing to me. You are my one and only.
Dear Mr. Darcy,
No need to run back to that silly Lizzie Bennett. That silly Hotchner fellow means nothing to me. You are my one and only.
Sincerely (and facetiously - LOL),
CB
CheetoBreath said :" I think this was the first time I ever saw Prentiss get really shaken up by a bad guy - even when she was being beat up by cult members she was hard as nails!!"
I pretty agree with this comment though we already saw Prentiss shaken, in Demonology, but she was involved personally as seeing the victim was a friend of hers.
Anyway, th Fox is really machiavelic. He managed to provoke fear in listeners just through words and gestuel (he kept his "coolness" almost until the end). Incredible!
I just regret not to know more on Prentiss past. It seems the Fox know more on her than us in 3 years! :-( Maybe later in the season...
I can't wait the next episode because I begin to fed up with all Foyet arc. It is time to finish this story! Our nerves begin to be seriously reached!!!!
Oh and of course, nothing bad to say about acting.Great like often, especially Hotch, Prentiss, JJ and even Rossi (and I'm not a fan, neither Rossi or Hotch besides!)
Morgan was again a little behind, almost lost. Are you sure he is the boss?! :-p
Bye,
wow nice episode! I really enjoyed watching it and mr Fox was doing a bang up job!
Aoart from a nice and creepy case also a nice build up for the 100th!
Way the go everyone! 100! Tehee
intense episode. I do see how the writers are tying this all in to #100. I can see how some members of the team are questioning if by doing this job, do they lose themselves in the process. Interesting episode as far as subtext goes. Sad episode as far as unsub/case.
It was a great episode and totally get me crazy about the 100th episode next week!
I'm absolutely speechless because of Thomas Gibson's acting. Would I be able to love this man even more?
Go, Hotch and kick some butts!:))
hugs,
Gabrielle
Probably the best episode of the season. That makes four really striking ones now together with 'Hopeless', 'Eyes Have It' and 'Reckoner'. As a few have commented already in the posts above, the Foyet business becomes a bit wearying/gratuitous. And I for one will be glad when it's over.
But that's the arc.
This individual story was great. The family scenes were beautifully shot and believeable. Direction was brilliant on this episode. Seems different -- a step up from the usual. It was good to see Reid back on his feet and to have a little more Garcia and a tiny bit more Rossi than last few weeks. I still miss that guy though. He's your outstanding actor and you don't use him? That's crazy.
I liked very much seeing James Fallon at the beginning and getting some more of the thinking behind the criminal mind. That was the real good thing about this episode. One way to stop the show being formulaic is to go deeper into the neuroscience or the sociology or the whatever ology lies behind those patterns of behaviour. Then it's not just gun and knife. There's something more keenly humane and saving there.
NB Do audiences really need the Balkan conflict footnoting so soon? Give us some credit. Srebrenica and Gorazde are modern scars.
NB 2. A bit awkward to have a female unsub two weeks running and still to be exclaiming at how unlikely it is. Not that the averages are affected by a mini cluster but it just looks odd.
Great episode! It lived up to the expectations of a Simon Mirren episode.
Of course seeing Reid actually doing something was great - thank you.
I thought the scenes with the Fox were excellent. It was so creepy. I really felt Prentiss's discomfort and disgust. Especially with the flirting. Makes me squirm even now.
Hotch - oh my gosh! He can give such ferocious looks - but this one topped them all.
I was surprised by the unsub tackling Morgan - I think he was too - Shemar did that well.
Overall, this was one of my favorites so far this season.
Bravo and thank you to all!
Ugh, I'd forgotten that bit -- Prentiss flirting with the killer was perhaps the most creepy thing we've seen on CM. Why did she do that? These killers don't seem to need willing partners (else they'd have willing partners instead of victims) so she probably needn't have tried so hard with him. That was a bit exploitative, I think.
Such a great episode, from the writing to the acting, everything was just awesome!
The Fox was one seriously dangerous guy, he did creep me up!
Hotch was so intense at the the end, The Reaper is about to have his ass kick!
I'm so glad that Elle left and was replace by Prentiss, she is a more interesting character than was Elle.
oh and that promo for next week? I'm scared, looks like The Reaper will kill Haley! That would so screw up Hotch, lets hope not, the man DESERVE a break and be happy.
OMG! What an episode! Hotch and Prentiss talking to the Fox was so nerve-wracking! Thomas and Paget were fantastic in that scene!
I'm looking forward to next week's episode!! I can't wait.
Go Hotch, kick the reaper's ass!
I really liked this episode. It had an interesting plot and the twist was awesome at the end. I would never have thought the unsub would have been a woman.
And that fight scene between Morgan and the unsub was intense. One of the best ever. So different from the usual tackle and handcuffs.
The best part was seeing Emily (my fav character) interview the fox during the whole thing and putting together some of the pieces. I kept thinking 'Go prentiss!' which was nice because she stands in the back a lot.
And seeing Hotch tear out thinking of the reaper was bittersweet. Can't wait for the next episode.
Great job on this ep!
I haven't had a chance to read the comments yet and can't wait to see what everyone thought. But, I wanted to post right away.
All I can say is this was an unbelievable episode along with sliding in Foyet. The ending attacked all of the senses, the psyche and it physically assaulted from every angle. How are they doing this? To me this show was always been at the top of its game. How are they surpassing every aspect presented to us this season. How is it possible to not only maintain its superb integrity and history but raise the bar above and beyond! While I am not a fan of gruesome stories (sounds odd since I watch this show), I am awed by the way this show is presenting its writing, editing, directing, production, acting, etc. The casting is outstanding. There has never been a single flub in any guest performance.
Our regular ensemble is perfection. This episode had great interactions with everyone and resulting different cases. The cases are getting more and more difficult and are affecting each team member with the darkness and the levels to which they need to go to catch the unsubs. Within the boundaries of each character, the effects are presented true to who they are and they are starting to show more strain and struggle to reach their own safety level in their lives.
Watching Hotch realize what and who was behind, and in a way, running the interview was heartbreaking. The weaving of these stories is mind boggling. Thomas Gibson was TREMENDOUS. (I still need Hotch back as leader though!) PB, SM, MG, JR, AJC, KV handed us amazing performances. Poor Emily in getting down and dirty with the interview – she is getting rough stuff to handle. I like that they pair Emily and Hotch together. Hotch felt uncomfortable asking this of Emily but he also did give her a chance to back out. Garcia added major foundation to the unsub research part of the team’s efforts. Morgan’s reactions with the shooting were totally believable. I love watching Reid think. Rossi, I just enjoy him no matter what he is doing. Same with JJ, I enjoy her and her role is changing.
I cannot wait for next week’s 100th episode.
Congratulations to all the people involved in making CM an excellent show! This episode was just incredibly good! Thanks!
Loved Emily during the interview and how she expressed her feelings and fears to Hotch, they work so well together. The actor that played the Fox was so good, he is even creepier than before. Loved the flashbacks!
The face Joe M makes when seeing the photos of the dead families almost made me cry, such despair.
Great writing and amazing story, can´t wait for the next episode (what an episode that one is going to be!)
Finally, my hat off to Mr. Thomas Gibson. Wow! Amazing acting all around but the end when he is almost done with the interview and gets to see the log and understands that Foyet is behind the Fox´s remarks, plus walking out of the prision with that stare. He did an amazing job portraying a lot of different emotions (boredom, confusion, extreme anger) without saying a word, that is superb acting....you could really feel his anger at the end, amazing!
CM rocks!
Michelle R said….
Another fantastic episode … I want to fast forward two weeks so we can see what happens in ‘100’ Hotch was absolutely amazing, the intensity & determination was awesome, saw it coming with the way the Fox kept pulling him back, so felt for the poor guy the torment he is going through .. another amazing performance by Thomas Gibson .. agree with Laura G. beyond words amazing, amazing actor. Emily was awesome, they work so well together, they all do, they complement each other so well working together, even fabulous Garcia from her little room far away …
Morgan lighten up will you .. what’s with calling JJ ‘Jennifer’, come on no one calls her Jennifer, unit chief or otherwise .. there was the bit in Riding the Lightning, the card playing scene with Hotch she insists that Jacob calls her Jennifer … at the risk of sounding like a broken record, have to say this again, love Morgan, and he did a decent job in this episode but don’t like him as unit chief, just doesn’t cut it I’m afraid … bring Hotch back, agree with Lori did seem like Hotch was driving the investigation
Absolutely great team work though, even with the split team, there was a lot of the team, the effect the case had on everyone was clear, was distressing to see military fathers lose their families after their sacrifice for their country, my heart went out to that poor father when Morgan told him his family had been murdered … the storyline was amazing & and all the bits fit really well together, but then it always does … amazing writing, casting, directing, the works, awesome acting
From the comments above seems like we have a lot to look forward to, haven’t seen any of the promos for next week or ‘100’ waiting for someone to post these ..
On the plot and the Fox, Victoria I must say I did notice this as well, the ‘Fox’ episode was a haunting one, can never forget Gideon turning out the rings from the box with the others sitting around the table … but there was never a sexual angle raised in the original episode, and I must say I never saw him as being that evil either, having watched the episode again … amazing episode! I guess they needed an angle to tie in the story so I let this go
Oh I do love that picture of the Hotchner family, I too I’m not completely against Haley & Hotch getting back together, and they were good together in early episodes, with everything that has happened I get the feeling that this is something that Hotch would want, I don’t think that Hotch ever wanted the separation or divorce & dialogue from 5.01 stuck with me when Hotch says “I’m sorry we will catch him and you’ll come back and I promise that I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you” … can’t wait to see what happens. I get that the job is demanding and they all sacrifice a lot, and there’s the whole implied affair thing … but would be nice to see at least one of the team have a family and make it work. (there is JJ, Henry & Will even though we haven’t heard/seen much of them). If they do kill Haley off, that will mean Hotch would get custody of Jack and how’s that going to work out!!
I’ve have to watch this again but one hell of an episode … well done CM team, ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC
Love all the comments too … thanks everyone
I heart you Simon Mirren! This episode will go down as a classic! Really good team performances, but yet again topped by our wonderful Thomas Gibson. Can he set the bar any higher??!! Please bring him back to Unit Chief soon! Even when he says nothing, he's the leader.
Loved to see Hotch & Prentiss working together; they play off one another so well in an interrogation.
As for the ending... poor Hotch. But the Reaper is going to get his butt kicked severely. I don't hold out much hope for Hailey (from the previews) which really breaks my heart since we all know what that will do to Hotch. Jack better come through ok!
Great job CM team, a fabulous way to roll into epi 100, sure to be an all-time epic!
Great work CM! Another wonderful episode with awesome performances from everyone, but special mention to Thomas & Paget! You guys rock hard and we're in for one helluva ride next week.
Morgan... what happened to your backup? Seemed the rest of the team got to you kinda slowly. But other than that, enjoyed the revival (of sorts) of creepy Arnold and the way H/P "showed" him the pictures... something different and really cool.
Can't wait for next week! Kleenex is at the ready...
Forgot something...in theater, I love the live connection of the actor and audience. There are rare times that feeling comes through the tv set for obvious reasons. However, this season they have blown those reasons apart. CM has been able to pull us into that same experience as they hurl us with ever increasing speed towards their goal. I enjoy the control and pace they are using to accomplish this. Great stuff!
First, let me say that i LOVED this epi - one of the most intense, well-written and exciting we have ever seen. Could not look away for a second, it was so mesmerizing. All the characters were played in truly superior fashion - even better than usual at all that they are known for.
Having said that, I must comment on something that I don't see discussed much here: where was the rest of the team when they crashed the unsub's house and Morgan was the one to confront her and she got a jump on him? It seemed that they were all just behind him and then she practically takes our hunky man out! What were the others doing during this couple minutes and why were the others not hot on his heels and seemingly oblivious to the commotion in the room he was in? The home did not look that big.
Someone pls explain as I don't have time to watch again before the wkend and it's bugging me!
Another brilliant episode by Simon Mirren. He did a great job of intertwining the new unsub with Karl Arnold and then Foyet. I really liked the fact that the newest unsub was not at all who we expected - a woman from another, war-torn country triggered by the military families she found all around her in America.
And Thomas Gibson, always giving stellar performances. Amazing as usual, the look on his face as he storms out of the prison... well, he probably didn't even need the score to leave me feeling high on adrenaline and impatient for next week.
And Paget, what a great job playing with Karl Arnold. The way she played Emily was perfect, and to see the disgust she felt after the fact, how dirty she felt, was perfect. I loved the quiet moment between her and Hotch, when she says, "but nothing's going to change the way I feel right now," and Hotch very quietly says, "no."
My one biggest issue was the end, with Morgan and the unsub: WHERE WAS HIS BACKUP?! You see him coming up the stairs and they appear to be right behind him, yet it takes them way too long to get to him. That was a little obvious. But, seeing as how it's Criminal Minds and Simon Mirren, I will overlook it, because the rest was STELLAR!
You know you're a Criminal Minds freak when you are 100% sure you can't stop watching, but you are also 100% sure that continuing to watch is going to give you an ulcer.
Another "anonymous" said of THE FOX "I must say I never saw him as being that evil either, ... "
Are you serious? A man murders entire families... but you can't really see him as "Being that evil"??????? WTH?
This was a great episode and completely involved every single aspect that I love about CM - the writing, casting, acting and emotional roller coaster. Such a sad, disturbing case.
Woooow what a great episode. Thanks so much for this. Interesting teaching at the beginning. Great writing, great acting.
Specially TG and PB. The moments in the prison with Karl Arnold let me stop breathing. Neal Jones was very creepy.
Touching moment not only for me also for JJ and Morgan when the army captain breaks down to the floor.
Never thought the unsub is a woman. A strong fighter, i´m afraid about Morgan. lol
Love the flash backs and the scenes in slow motion.
And the end....can´t wait to the next one.
Done !!
There seems to be a lot of comments on the lack of a sexual component to the Fox's kills. However, I thought their discussion of the sexual component made sense since the series have always repeated the fact that when serial killers take the life of their victims the pain and fear they inflict gives them sexual gratification. The sexual component is vicarious "feeling the life leave the body" as the Fox expressed to Prentiss and Hotch. So the sexual component isn't actually raping the victim before killing them, but in the killing gaining sexual gratification. Case in point would be Nathan Harris, he wouldn't rape the women he kills, he'd just kill them and that would be satisfaction enough.
Besides that, I loved this episode! The way it interwove science and psychology, how the brain indicates an inclination towards becoming a serial killer, but only in certain circumstances. Case in point, the woman emotionally impacted by the violence and death she witnessed in her childhood, which she relives over and over again when she kills. As a writer, Simon Mirren, creates fascinating murderers, who aren't necessarily cold-blooded, just stuck in a vicious cycle where they repeat terrible events in their lives, not as the victim, but as the perpetrator. I felt myself being as sympathetic to her as I did the serial killer in "The Big Wheel," which he also wrote. The visual echo of the mass graves in this episode and the "Big Wheel's" boy looking on at his mother dies or is dead... it's frightening. Mirren is very good at reinforcing the horror of traumatic events in people's personal lives.
And of course the character development of Emily Prentiss is always welcomed. It's as if little by little we're finding the person beneath the competence. I'll always remember the scene with her and JJ, JJ's comment about how things just don't seem to effect her and her replying that she compartmentalizes better than most. We're finding the few things she can't compartmentalize: she refuses to compromise between her values and ability and political machinations, she hates simpering (she's fine being in your face, which she did so well in "Seven Seconds") which probably goes back to her animus towards politics, she still has mixed feelings towards religion, and she takes very personally the neglect and hurt of girls (she wanted to adopt the female survivor in "Children of the Dark" and her bearing down upon the mother/attempted murderer in "Seven Seconds").
Damn. Criminal Minds is a great show and the more I watch it, the more I like it.
Great acting by everyone in this tense episode. Prentiss is a real trooper to be the bait again to such a creepy guy, ugh!! Nice foreshadowing to next week's showdown between Hotch and Foyet. Can't wait for an end to holding his family hostage and he can be reunited with them. Get the Kleenex ready for next week, folks!!
It was a bit of a stretch that Reid could have pinpointed the look of the mass grave to the Balkan region when there are lots of other immigrant groups with a history of military atrocities but hey, that's entertainment.
And yeah, the team was as quick as the police that was just outside Lila Archer's house in Someone's Watching when it comes to one of their own battling the bad guy(or gal) alone. (;
All in all, an intense yet enjoyable episode and can't wait for the collaborative episode next week.
Wow.
This was an intense and complicated episode, and they did a great job of maintaining the tension throughout. Some people have issues with the Hotch arc, but I don't. I think the most successful episodes this season have woven his predicament together with that week's case, and this is one of them. After all this time, they have the crime-procedural angle down pat, and it can't be repeated ad infinitum without variation. In 4+ seasons and all the character work they never get credit for, they have introduced themes and questions that bring a coherence to the CM universe. Watching some of it come to fruition now is kind of like CM bringing its other arm out from behind its back.
The team is split, with Hotch and Prentiss going to see the Fox, and the other members converging on the crime scenes. The crime scenes are startlingly lovely, with brilliant sunshine, beautiful houses, green grass, and blue skies, everything, I suppose, that was blasted away in Srebrenica. Reid's fragility and innocence complement the setting as he approaches. On the other hand, Hotch and Prentiss are in the Underworld, filled with screaming, moaning madmen. They approach Karl Arnold through a series of doors, like passing through the seven circles of Hell, as Hotch gives Prentiss the crash course on the Fox's psychology. They have to peel back layers, too, to uncover the heart of the mystery. Brewster and Gibson are fantastic here, not to mention Prentiss herself, who does a far better job pretending to be a fan than in her half-hearted efforts with Dante. One of the things that CM does best is these tense intellectual battles with an unsub, and Prentiss simultaneously has to battle her own revulsion at cozying up to a psycho. Hotch seems to have less trouble, almost bored with Arnold's BS, until Arnold reveals the identity of his fan. Hotch's composure cracks in a memorable wordless sequence that leaves Prentiss trotting helplessly after him as he storms from the prison.
There's a lot of heavy "father" material here. Karl Arnold attacked families because he believed the father was weak and didn't protect them. Although his full motivation wasn't revealed in the original episode, we find out here that the villain and role model in Arnold's life was his own father. He both identifies with the victims, in punishing the father, and with the perpetrator, as he becomes his father to deal out the punishment. He wants to kill his father for not saving him and kill himself for not being worth saving. We know that Hotch is the kind of absent father that would have attracted Arnold's attention were he still at large, and the puppetmaster Foyet evidently sees it too. Foyet uses the situation to let Hotch know that he's found his family (what stupid thing did Haley do this time?). He does not immediately go after them and kill them, but instead appears to be engineering a confrontation. One has to wonder what Foyet's daddy issues are to so obsessively fixate on a man he couldn't dominate the way he did his other victims. We also have to wonder about Hotch, who surely must carry a mental burden from a father who was at various times workaholic, cheating, sick, or dead. Hotch failed at domestic life himself and now finds his wife and child threatened.
The episode does leave us with some questions. If there was a reason why Hotch and Prentiss didn't go through all of the Fox's stuff and spot the Reaper-embellished clipping before confronting him, I missed it. Surely Arnold is in a maximum security prison -- is he even allowed to have stuff? I also wonder whether Foyet had some kind of contact with the unsub, maybe through PhotoBug, or he and Arnold simply exploited an existing news story?
Anonymous said...
The sexual component is vicarious "feeling the life leave the body" as the Fox expressed to Prentiss and Hotch. So the sexual component isn't actually raping the victim before killing them, but in the killing gaining sexual gratification.
But the Fox also said "I showed them what their fathers and brothers were capable of", implying an actual physical act. Unless I read into it wrong. But anyway, it's nothing I got too worked up over - it did make the Fox even creepier than before (as if he wasn't creepy enough already LOL).
Besides that, I loved this episode! The way it interwove science and psychology, how the brain indicates an inclination towards becoming a serial killer, but only in certain circumstances.
Yes, I love that too about the show. Especially when they throw in the little details, like the tardive dyskinesia in schizophrenic patients. Although in that episode with the train, they showed the guy hallucinating visually and with schizophrenics, auditory hallucinations are more the norm. That is why people often confuse schizophrenia with multiple personality disorder. People hear "he hears voices" and they think "Oh, he's got multiple personalities!". However, the auditory hallucinations are usually a different entity, often religious in nature, and either commanding or accusing or perpetrating their paranoid delusions. Persons who suffer with multiple personality disorder usually are unaware of the other personalities, with the exception of the "dominant" personality perhaps. And regarding the brain thing, schizophrenia and clinical depression both have strong links to genetics/inheritability, leaning towards "nature" in the "nature vs. nurture" debate. Although, in both, a stressor in the environment certainly does contribute in activating or triggering the onset of illness. I hope I got all that right, it's been YEARS since I took that Abnormal Psychology class as an undergrad. LOL.
RMF said...
If there was a reason why Hotch and Prentiss didn't go through all of the Fox's stuff and spot the Reaper-embellished clipping before confronting him, I missed it. Surely Arnold is in a maximum security prison -- is he even allowed to have stuff?
I could be wrong, but I got the impression that they didn't want to give him the satisfaction. They wanted to make a point that his work isn't important or interesting, they're there because they just need him to help find the unsub. Good point about the maximum security prison - I doubt they would let him have personal effects. LOL.
Why is Prentiss flirting with all the suspects and killers these days? There was no need to flirt with this man. All she had to do was sit there stony-faced and he'd have interpreted a connection to her because he's that kind of a guy. He thinks whole families belong to him without any sign from them. The families he killed didn't flirt to reel him in, he turned up all on his own. So why is Prentiss acting this way? And again, why? It's not just to do with some dynamic between her and Hotchner is it? It's a bit rum.
I like Prentiss and fear that she's been trivialised in this aspect of her 'development'. Seems unprofessional and a bit icky. And probably less character-driven than it's part of the prog seeking a different demographic.
What a great episode. Simon Mirren worked some magic again. As did Paget Brewster. I loved the depth and the subtlety with which she played the more difficult moments for Emily in this episode.
It was great to see all the team action, and Hotch and Emily working together.
It was also wonderful to see the balance the episode had.
It's a perfect build-up to the 100th episode next week. I can hardly wait for that.
A big thank you to all the team for a wonderful episode.
Michelle R Said …
To clarify … when I said that I didn’t see the Fox as being that evil, it was the reference from the original episode to this one … Karl Arnold was 100% evil killing entire families and taking trophies, the level of ‘evil’ though was so much more intensified in this episode …
It certainly wasn't one of my favorite episode.
The storyline was interesting, but there was too much focus on Karl Arnold and his interview.
(and a sexual motivation in Karl Arnold's crimes was never mentioned in 'The Fox', he kept saying that he was an extremely good father and he took pride in this).
The only thing that they figured out by this interview (which took about half of the episode) was that the Unsub was a woman.
They could have figured that out way quicker.
Actually, the only real purpose of the whole 'Karl Arnold/Hotch/Prentiss' moments was to announce the reaper's come back (Hotch/Foyet II - revenge is a dish best served cold).
Too bad because the actual case was interesting.
I just hope that Haley will still be alive when the whole thing is over. I know that it looks less and less likely but I'm still hoping. Hotch has had enough dramas in his life to last him a lifetime and some more.
this one was so good it was a heart stoper,the fox was just as creepy as the first time he was on.
i can hardly waite tell next week 100 show.
I would just like to say, that
this episode was awesome! I loved
every minute of it. Criminal Minds
you really rock! Wow, one more
way for the Reaper to torture
Hotch. Use the Fox to get to
him. The scene where Morgan was
battling with the unsub was
scary, and i jumped out of my
skin, when the unsub pounced on
Morgan. I was not expecting that.
Great episode all the way
around. Can't waite for next
weeks 100th episode to see what
surprises are in store for our
beloved team, and the take down
of the Reaper by Hotch and his
team. Thanks Criminal Minds for
bringing us the most awesome
episodes every week. We here on
the Criminal Minds Fanatic board
love you all, and we don't know
what we would do without you.
Keep up the awesome work, and
again, i can't waite for next
weeks episode.
Hi folks,
first off, try to remember Karl Arnold's ex-wife from "The Fox". Clearly his family living in terror with him. Also, he would terrorize the wife and kids in front of the father to show up their 'failure' to protect and care for his family. Wacko, for sure.
Next, try to recall the conversation between Morgan and Rossi in "Lo-Fi". Rossi told Morgan that he didn't see him as the New York Chief because he knew that Morgan was most comfortable being part of the team than leading it. Also, Morgan is the chief only because Hotch asked him to take over to keep the team together. It's a very tough job and in past episodes Morgan has been vocal on the toll that the responsibility was taking on Hotch. The drama for us is will Morgan quietly step down from the leadership position or sideways to the CM spin-off, perhaps? Hmmmm....
Finally, Hotch asked for Prentiss to go with him because she is beautiful and her presence would distract Arnold so that Hotch could interview him and hopefully get truth than posturing. Just to set us up for "100" Arnold reveals Foyet, and sets Hotch on fire! Go, Aaron, go! Go save your baby and the woman you love! (Even though she may have cuckolded him - trollop!) Later, darlings!
I love Simon Mirren... that episode was ridiculously amazing!! Paget was fabulous and I cannot wait for next week... did anyone else get the chills when they watched the promo?? I sure did!!!
This episode was an instant classic, CM at its best. Really loved the mind games in this episode. Though The Fox didn’t creep me out in the original episode, Karl Arnold was one hell of a villain in this one!
Superb acting of both Thomas Gibson and Paget Brewster in this episode! The rest of the team was great as always, but these two were outstanding this week. I was happy to see more of Reid (lovely glimpse into his private life, now we know what he does when he gets a three-day-weekend off), and the old Hawaii Five-0 fan in me squealed when the father of the first murdered family was named Dan Williams though I suspect that was pure coincidence. Also, good to know that there are some limits to where in bit-land Garcia is willing to venture on her own; I was positively surprised that she didn’t even try to hack into the military’s databases and that JJ found a way to legitimately do so.
Count me in on those who are glad when the whole Foyet story arc is finally over, and I really hope that anything like this is never again done on CM EVER. So not a fan of storylines like that!
Hey, guys, does anyone who's seen the group photo on this blog writing about the "100th epi", news article, that Reid's hair is WAY shorter? Still very wavy and abit unruly but not slicked back like we have seen before? Could we be looking at a recent haircut? Whoo-hoo, I would love to think! A few whiskers on that baby-face of his, too, he looks really good! Sorry I am talking about this here - not a place to blog on the write-up about the article itself. Let me know what you think!
I agree Gubegirl, and thought that Rossi's hair looked better too. Not so boot polished! Be careful though, I got my post deleted for talking only about hair. Not serious enough probably. (Oi, stylist! Salt and pepper for lovely Rossi. Slight trim for the willowy Reid. I'm jumping up and down. No more jet black. Give us back our Rossi!! GIve us back our Gube!!)
So I'm going to add in here that James Fallon was a terrific part of that episode and didn't his lecturing style -- unemotive, clear, just engaged -- help clarify matters? It would be great to have more of that real background to the BAU world and type of thinking as a part of the programme regularly.
Way to go University of California, Irvine!!! Glad to see the school was featured in the show. Certainly made my day :)
Good episode. Didn't understood why Morgan was so focused the profile of the fox to solve this case. Admirers or fans of serial killers who become killers themselves (copy cats) rarely have the same personality (in fact never). They kill for very different reasons and their psychological make-up is different. In this case the mis-lead could have cost them the case and many more victims the life.
Morgan still looks lost as unit chief but at least he looks professional in his suit.
Enjoyed the interrogation with the Fox. Nice little insight into this perp's creepy mind.
gubegirl, I agree with you. I wish we could comment on the posts about the articles. That photo looks like it could have been from a past episode. But if it is a future episode that would be great because I agree with you, that length and cut looks GREAT on Guberoo. And the hair coloring for Joe Mantegna looks much less harsh than the all-black. I love it when the wardrobe person puts Reid in a sweater/sweater vest (either by itself or even under a suit like in that picture) - it's so geeky but hot at the same time. LOL.
The greatest scenes were inside the prision.
Hotch and Prentiss should have asked Arnold why he said he knew all about her. They didn't even care.
And then when they found out that Foyet was in contact with Arnold, they should've asked more.
Prentiss was very intense and I really like that...I loved her dignity. I hope Karl Arnold stays forever in prison because if he escapes, he'll definitely be going after her.
Recap:
It begins with a girl swimming in the pool in Hampton, Virginia. Then it cuts to Reid at a lecture at UC Irvine on the brain chemistry of serial killers as the lecture goes on in the background the mother and one of the boys are in the kitchen where the unsub is pointing the gun at them. The other boy is running toward the closet in the bedroom. The entire family gets murdered one by one. The mother first and the girl last.
Three days later Reid is walking through the house alone and ends up standing over the pool. While he is standing there a plane flies overhead. The rest of the team then comes and Prentiss asks him how his weekend was. He responds with “scary yet informative. Was the whole family was killed? Rossi introduces him to field agent Anne Hudson and they shake hands. Hudson answers that the father is serving in Iraq and three nights ago his family was found dead. Prentiss says that Lucy the oldest child was still in her swimsuit and Hotch asks how much the father knew. Hudson answers “some of it he was on patrol that night and that it took his unit a couple of days to reach him and he arrives today.” Rossi says that last year the Williams family was found and killed the same way, they lived in Newport News.” Morgan points out that the father was also serving overseas. Hudson says that “the police are overwhelmed and getting serious heat from the military we need some answers fast.” JJ adds as do the media they’re already calling this the work of a serial killer and Hotch says that they’re right. Hudson asks why bury them and adds it can’t be to hide the bodies. Rossi tells her it’s a sign of remorse and Morgan says “when they’re done being remorseful this will happen again.”
Cut to opening credits
Commercial
The opening quote is said while images of a memorial on the front steps and the crime scene are being shown. The quote is voiced over by Morgan: “Man usually avoids attributing cleverness to anyone unless it is an enemy”- Albert Einstein.
Hotch and Rossi are at the crime scene going over what happened: Hotch points out that there are no signs of a struggle and Rossi answers that when the unsub is holding a gun to one of her kids head what can she do? Hotch: footprints belong to Paul somehow he managed to get away. Rossi: mom gets it first then the youngest. Hotch: he hides in the master bedroom then the unsub finds him and shoots him. Rossi: and carries him out to the backyard and Hotch points out that the mother was dragged out. Rossi says that it’s quick and proficient but Hotch says that with the mother and boys that might be true but Lucy was drowned not shot so why the change in MO? They walk outside.
Morgan and Hudson are together outside when a plane flies overhead and Morgan identifies it as an F-22 raptor. Hudson tells him that it’s going to get way noisier and busier because it’s Langley’s 50th Anniversary air Show. Morgan asks where the father of the first family is now.
Hudson says that he put in for another tour of duty and he was killed by an IED two months before. Morgan says that whoever did this knew that both fathers were serving overseas. Prentiss says that Laura’s (the mother’s) wedding rings were missing and asks if any other valuables were also missing. Hudson says they’ll have to ask the husband but in the Williams case only jewelry and watches were missing. Reid points out that the unsub only took what they could carry meaning they were most likely on foot. Rossi says that there was a photo on the wall in the kitchen and he would like to see it. Hudson says sure. Hotch says there were no signs of sexual assault in the Williams case and asks what about Lucy. Hudson answers that there was nothing in the coroner’s report and asks if there were multiple suspects. Hotch answers that the mother was dragged and if there had been multiple suspects she would’ve most likely been carried. Morgan points out that they knew the father was absent therefore so was the dominant threat so it could be a single suspect. She adds “no sign of forced entry.” Hotch said there didn’t need to be because Lucy was in the pool therefore the back door was open which means the unsub walked right in. Reid says that means Lucy died last. Hotch says that in both cases the girls were suffocated and not shot which he doesn’t think was a coincidence. Garcia calls JJ and JJ tells her she’s on speaker. She says they just got a call from Virginia Supermax Prison and that an inmate received two envelopes one with media clippings from the Williams case the other with clippings from the Downey case and a note that said “look at what I’ve done” signed by “an admirer.” JJ asks who the inmate was and Garcia tells her it was Karl Arnold and JJ says “The Fox.” Garcia says “he’s back” and they hang up. Hotch says that it’s a family annihilator, absent father, missing wedding ring- similar. Hudson is confused and Morgan explains to her that 4 years ago Karl Arnold (aka The Fox) killed 8 families and took the wedding rings as trophies and he would hide in the bushes outside their homes and watch them.
Flashback to Morgan watching the Arnold interview on tape: “and I watched them for a number of days always at night, saw how they lived and they loved. I would keep them apart until the last night and would bring them one by one to the basement- the youngest first father last” Morgan: why Karl? Karl: “so he could see what happens when the head of household isn’t strong- wives wither” back to the present: Morgan (finishing off Karl’s statement: “children perish.” Hudson asks if they have a copycat. Hotch says it’s too early to assume and Reid adds that it might bias the profile. Prentiss adds that the police, media and military would jump all over it. Morgan says that “until we know for sure none of this information leaves the 7 of us” and then tells Hotch that he collected the evidence for Arnold’s trial so he should be the one to interview him. Hotch says he wants to take Prentiss with him and tells JJ to have Garcia check on all correspondence and visitor’s he’s had in the last 4 years. Hotch and Prentiss leave. JJ gets a text message that says that Captain Downey has arrived at the police station.
At the Virginia State Police Department: JJ, Anne Hudson and Morgan are interviewing Captain Downey. He asks to be told everything that happened. Hudson begins “at 9:30 three nights ago your neighbors called police when…(she can’t bring herself to tell him and breaks down) “I’m sorry”, Morgan takes over for her: “sir, we believe it was the work of a serial killer…captain Downey your family was murdered all of them.” JJ asks if there’s someone he’d like them to call. The Captain breaks down and Morgan and JJ are trying to comfort him. Morgan tells him “I’m so sorry.” Rossi is in the other room looking at crime scene photos from both cases.
Red Onion Supermax Prison in Virginia: Hotch and Prentiss are going into interview Karl Arnold. Prentiss asks why if they had been communicating for the whole time why is there a note only after one year? Hotch answers that that’s the first thing they need to find out. He then tells her what will happen once they get in there with Arnold he says “he has a big ego and will answer a question with a question, will try to gain the advantage with me by asking why I don’t have my wedding ring, then he’ll turn his attention to you, your presence will throw him off guard, he’ll want to tell you every graphic detail of what he did to pull you into his fantasy. He’ll want to see the pictures of the children more than anything.” Prentiss says “we can’t let him see those” and Hotch tells her that they’re a way in. He then tells her to keep her eyes forward. As they’re walking toward Arnold’s cell you can hear the prisoner’s screaming in the background, Prentiss sees one of them and she asks “isn’t that…” and Hotch reassures her that “it’s reinforced glass” and she replies “easy for you to say he tore apart fourteen women.” The guard then opens the door to the room where Karl Arnold is waiting for them. He is surprised to see a woman with Hotch and says “I didn’t know you were bringing a…they only said 2 agents.” Hotch starts to introduce Prentiss but Arnold cuts him off “Agent Emily Prentiss…I know all about you.”
Commercial
Morgan, Rossi, JJ and Reid are at the police department working on the profile. We see a shot of the crime scene photo board and then Morgan who says “if this unsub is copying the Fox then we profile him like the Fox.” Rossi says that Karl Arnold was a psychologist’s assistant and Reid adds that that’s what made it easy for him to watch, target and learn about the victims from a distance and Morgan adds that it’s also what made him hard to find. Rossi says that “like the Fox our man here found a way to hide in plain sight” and JJ points out that he’s pulling from two completely different units- Williams was a medic and Downey an army captain. Rossi says that it must be someone who knew about the military connection and Morgan adds that both families were attacked within a month of the father’s being deployed and Rossi says that it gave them time to settle in and get used to the father not being there. Morgan says that Karl Arnold lived with the families before he killed them and became the father. Rossi notes that “this unsub just walked in and dispensed of the family living with them wasn’t part of the fantasy.” Anne Hudson walks in and says “Agent Rossi- the picture you requested thanks to you we
pulled some prints off it and the prints matched that of the Newport News killing.” Rossi points out that all the prints were on Lucy and the bullet hole was through the father. Anne Hudson adds that it’s the same killer. Morgan says that family annihilators start with one victim and Rossi adds move on to other victims when they feel comfortable and Morgan finishes not entire families so there are more victims that haven’t been found yet.
Back to the prison: Hotch tells Karl that it appears he has a fan and Karl says “admirer not a fan big difference right?” Hotch doesn’t say anything and Prentiss asks if this is the first time he’s been contacted by his admirer. He answers that he has many fans even his own website. He continues “you’d be astounded by some of the questions they ask would you like to read some?” Emily answers that she would love to. He tells her “’yes here look” while pointing to the black book beside him on the table. When Emily reaches for the book he leans in toward her either to look down her shirt, smell her or possibly both. Hotch hands her the book and she puts it down in front of her and says maybe later. She says that “he’s taking wedding rings just like you” but Hotch adds “maybe not for the same reason.” He answers “You took all mine” and then it flashes back to Hotch finding the box of wedding rings in “The Fox”. He adds “but I see you lost yours.” Hotch: “ eight rings four families or was it one ring for each family.” Arnold: “how did you come to lose yours? Let me guess a casualty of the job.” Hotch: “my job is what put you in here.” Arnold: “True but then it’s the children who suffer most” Hotch: “you would know more about that than me.” Arnold: “that’s why you came isn’t it?” He then asks if he can see the pictures. Emily asks Hotch if they can have a word and Karl asks if there’s a problem. Hotch says no and he and Emily step out. Emily says that they can’t show him the pictures. Hotch tells her that they’re just images and a way in. She says she doesn’t feel comfortable using a 12 year old girl in a bathing suit as a bargaining chip and why are they. Hotch tells her it’s more than a picture to Karl and they need to know why. She says she’s never done this before and Hotch tells her she doesn’t have to now but she says that she does. He tells her when he feels Karl is ready to talk he’ll leave and she should stay on the script.
Garcia is in her office and she calls JJ. She says that “a couple of wackjobs contacted him but nothing as direct as this admirer person.” JJ asks her about the prints and she says she’s still running them and then asks her how she’s holding up. JJ answers “military families always fear the worst, they know their men may never return but after this to see a father lose so much.” Garcia says “I wish I had something for you I truly do but I can’t find a damn thing that connects these families.” JJ suggests that what about their communication. Garcia protests that it’s military communication and she’s not allowed to access it. JJ says “come on you got into the FBI by being a hacker” and Garcia says she loves her job and would like to keep it. JJ say she’ll make some inquiries.
Reid, Morgan and Rossi are continuing on the profile. Reid points out that Lucy died last which alone doesn’t mean anything but when you look at the Williams case a majority of the prints were in Karen’s room which meant the unsub spent a majority of the time with her. Hudson adds that he must have separated her from the rest of the family. Rossi points out that Lucy was alone in the pool so that much was already done for the unsub. Reid says that this isn’t a coincidence but a possible signature.
JJ is on the phone trying to convince the military to allow Garcia access to their communication. She assures him that Garcia is the best they have. He relents she thanks him and hangs up.
Back to: Rossi, Morgan, Reid and Hudson. Rossi says that each of the victim’s needs to be looked at individually with lives outside the family to find possible ways in. Morgan points out that each one had their own connections outside the home- school, work, tutors, friends, colleagues and Reid adds that each one is considered an access point into the family. Hudson says that that could take weeks. Morgan says that from remorse to the desire to kill again the unsub will go through a gamut of emotions. Reid adds that it could be another year before he kills again. Hudson says that as horrific as the crimes are they don’t have the resources to keep the investigation opened that long. JJ comes in and tells them that they have access to all military records of the fathers. Rossi says at least they have access to the main hub between families- the fathers. Morgan says they should see what connects them.
Back to: Hotch and Prentiss at the prison: They both re-enter the room from their previous conversation outside. Hotch tells him to stand up and asks him if he wants to see. Karl says very much and Hotch tells him that they’re going to show him. Prentiss lays out the pictures of the Downey family and home. Karl first focuses on the family photo. Hotch explains that this is the home of the Downey family and there were three children. Karl asks how old the children were and Hotch says they were 12, 9, and 4 a girl and two boys. Karl then asks where they were found and Hotch answers over there. Karl observes that they were buried and Hotch continues- the mother and two boys were killed in the house. Karl asks about the daughter and Hotch shows him the kitchen where the mother and youngest boy were killed and the other boy was shot in the closet. Karl then asks about the father and Emily tells him that he was overseas and Hotch adds that the killer knows this. Karl says that he (the unsub) knows everything about this family and watches them carefully to make sure he achieves what it is he needs and that the how is key and how he was able to catch him. Karl says he watched the families for weeks but this guy doesn’t need weeks because if he did he’d stay longer. Emily asks why and he answers so that he can enjoy them. He doesn’t understand why the children weren’t separated because that would allow for more control. He asks again how the girl was killed and Hotch tells him she was drowned. He wants to see but Emily stops him and asks what was so special about the girl. He says that to suffocate her and feel the life leave her body means everything to this killer. Hotch answers “to you maybe but not to him, not in the same way. Karl says he only did it to
show them how week father’s can be. Hotch said that Karl abused all the children he killed. Emily adds that for this killer there is no sexual gratification. Karl smugly replies “at least I spared the father’s the grief of living.”
Cut to: the mom pulling up in front of the house and the girl looking down from her window while the unsub holds a gun to her. She begs the unsub to stop. The mom and brother come in and the mom is calling out the girl’s name (Dani). The girl doesn’t answer and she comes down the stairs with the unsub holding a gun to her throat. The mom screams and drops the grocery bag she was holding. The girl is scared.
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The team arrives at the scene while the crime scene techs are processing it and they walk through to the backyard where the bodies are shallowly buried. Morgan asks if the girl was suffocated and not shot and Hudson says yes and that her name is Dani and she’s 14 and that the father is in Afghanistan. She asks if this rules out remorse and Morgan says that it does and that the unsub is escalating because of the change in time frame from 1 year to 3 days. Reid says that something has dramatically changed in the unsub’s life and he’s experiencing a stressor and says that sights and smells from the unsub’s past are triggering the need to kill. Rossi asks if any military maneuvers or tactics were happening in Langley a year ago when the Williams were killed and Hudson says that the Langley air show was happening but nothing as big as the current one. Reid suggests that the air show is the stressor.
Back to: Prentiss interviewing Arnold. Karl observes that luckily for him the unsub has killed again. Prentiss asks why. Karl says that because now they’re alone. Prentiss asks why he stated earlier that the families don’t know the killer. Karl doesn’t answer right away and says now we wait for my admirer to contact me...you and me…he will. Emily says that his case was one of the first she studied and she’s been fascinated ever since. He asks her if she wants to know what he did to the children and she says yes. He says he could show her exactly what he did. She encourages him to tell her. Karl says that children are so precious and they need guidance. Prentiss asks why and Karl answers that because they have so much more to lose and it’s been proven that the female body can handle so much more pain. She asks him what he did and he says he showed them what men are capable of. She asks him how and he asks her if she’s sure she wants to know and she says yes. Hotch is outside the room on the phone with Morgan and says that if the Langley air show is the stressor than Karl’s admirer doesn’t fit the profile. Morgan says that a psychopath suffering a major break doesn’t brag about it and Hotch tells him there’s nothing he could’ve done to save the family. They realize Karl’s admirer has nothing to do with the current case. They hang up and Hotch continues watching Prentiss interview
Karl. Karl continues “it always amazed me how little the father fought the inevitable.” Prentiss asked what that was and he said dying.
Garcia is on the phone with the others and tells them that she can’t find any connection. Morgan tells her to widen the search and she says that she is as wide as she can go because VICAP is a national database. Reid is looking at the photos and remembering back to the lecture where the lecturer was talking about abuse. Morgan goes back over what they already know and the fact that the graves show no remorse. Reid has a moment of enlightenment and realizes that the graves resemble mass graves and that the unsub was born into conflict. Rossi asks where and says that mass conflict hasn’t been experienced in the U.S. and Ried says not in our lifetime. Morgan realizes that VICAP is national not international which is why they got no hits. JJ asks Garcia about international databases and she says Intrpol is the biggest and searches it.
Back to Hotch Prentiss and Karl. Hotch observes that he never though Karl would be as honest as he had been. Karl says that it takes a good woman to make an honest man and let’s face it she’s prettier than you. She asks him why he killed all the families. He said he already told her. She says he told her how not why and Hotch adds that the reasons in this case are very different than in his. Prentiss agrees. Hotch says that all of Karl’s motivations were about sex and Prentiss adds motivations he learned from his father. He tells Hotch that it must be distracting working with someone so beautiful. Prentiss says that by killing the fathers last he was killing his own father and ultimately himself over and over again. He then turns his attention to Hotch and says “this isn’t over at least not for you Agent Hotchner.” Prentiss turns to Hotch and says that for Karl it was all about the fathers but for this unsub it’s all about the girls- none of them are shot, all laid out last, no signs of sexual motivation…what if we applied that logic? They realize the killer is a woman. Prentiss leaves to call Morgan. Hotch then turns to Karl and asks him what he meant when he said it wasn’t over for him. He says “he’s just getting warmed up, you don’t see it now but you will.”
Morgan is on the phone with Emily and says that they’ll work that into the profile. He hangs up and tells the others that Prentiss thinks the killer might be a woman. Rossi says that that explains why they couldn’t find a sexual motive. Garcia says she has 3 hits in Interpol- one from Zagreb, another from Italy and one from London, England. Reid says that Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia. Hudson asks the significance of that. Reid says that between 1991 and 1995 Croatia and Serbia fought a bitter battle for independence and Rossi adds that Serbians tried to ethnically cleanse over 40,000 Bosnian Muslims. Morgan says that sometime within the past two years she moves to the U.S. JJ observes that she’s on the run and Rossi adds that she ran right into a city filled with military families. Reid says that the mass graves the unsub created were all over Bosnia during the war but none of them rival that of Srebrenica . Garcia adds that
Dutch UN forces made it a safe haven for refugees and that UN, Bosnian and Serbian forces surrounded the town. Rossi says that a psychopath born into the middle of a conflict like that isn’t a good mix. Reid says that she’s exacting her life experiences on to the victims. Hudson asks if they think she’s in Langley. Morgan says “think about it Langley is filling up with civilians and military vehicles just like Srebrenica . Hudson asks if they can determine her age. Morgan says that none of the girls are older than 15. Reid says that the Balkan War lasted between 1993 and 1995 so if the girls represent the unsub she’s somewhere in her late 20’s. Hudson asks how did Srebrenica end? Reid said that it was a massacre.
Cut to: the unsub is having a psychotic break and is yelling in Bosnian and is talking to her reflection in the mirror and then shoots a whole in the mirror.
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Prentiss and Hotch realize that this unsub has nothing to do with Karl. Prentiss is upset that she encouraged Karl, flirted with him and made it personal and how getting intimate with a killer is so different. Hotch tells her it’s what they do. She asks Hotch “there’s no way to fix how I’m feeling right now is there?” Hotch says no but it helped the case and she did what she had to. From inside the room Karl tells Hotch that he has one more thing he’d like to tell him before he goes. Prentiss is still visibly feeling upset and gross and says “let’s just get this over with.”
Back to the rest of the team giving the profile before they go after the unsub. Morgan says that she’s armed and suffering a psychotic break and don’t underestimate her. JJ adds that she’ll be Eastern European and speak little to no English. Garcia realizes that they’re all connected to the same site. JJ continues that all media outlets are being alerted of the clear and present danger to the public. Morgan thanks them all. The phone rings. It’s Garcia. She tells them that she found they all use the same site- photobug. JJ says it’s the perfect way for military families to communicate. Reid says that someone would only have access to the info if they worked for the company. Garcia says that she hacked into their employee records and used the profile to find potential matches. She finds one, Miranda Jakar, who was an orphan born in Sarajevo in 1982 and adopted by a family in Srebrenica.
JJ, Morgan, Rossi. Hudson and the SWAT team are going through the unsubs house. JJ finds pictures of the families and finds the next target. The father is a Marine. Morgan tells JJ to use her contact. JJ dials her phone and says that they’ll need all he has on US Marine Sargent Young in order to save his family.
Cut to: The unsub watching the Youngs. She has their photo in one hand.
Back to: the prison. Karl tells Hotch that he thinks they found his admirer- it’s a woman. Emily says “no we found the killer.” Karl says it was with his help of course. Emily answers “your
admirer is like everyone who contacts you lost.” Karl says he’s far from lost and shows them the note that says “look at what I have done.” Hotch says they’ll find whoever sent him the note. Karl answers “no I rather think he’s already found you Agent Hotchner.”
Back to the rest of the team going at the Young’s house. The unsub tackles Morgan and disarms him. The gun goes off in the struggle and he shoots her. Morgan sits up and JJ and Rossi come in and JJ asks Morgan if he’s okay. Morgan says he’s alright.
Back to the prison: Hotch is flipping through the folder and trying to compose himself. Prentiss: “Hotch?” Karl: “I can’t believe you can’t see what he’s doing?” Prentiss: “what’s going on?” Karl: “he’s torturing him!” (laughing evilly). Prentiss asks who. Karl: “it’s great to see you squirm Agent Hotchner.” Hotch is still flipping through the book and then sees a newspaper clipping with the Reaper’s signature (the eye with the triangle around it and the three lines) on it. Then we see flashbacks of the Reaper. Emily realizes that it’s Foyett. Hotch drops the book on the table with the clipping still visible and they leave. Karl says “he knew you’d come” and he is laughing menacingly along with the screams of the prisoners in the background as Hotch and Prentiss are walking out of the prison.
The End
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