- The BAU team searches for a serial killer who is preying on married couples. Also, Hotchner looks to one of the team to fill JJ's vacant role.
- The BAU travel to Akron, Ohio, where two sets of married couples have been murdered in the span of a week. The husbands, who had Viagra in their system but who were not prescribed the drug, were shot while the wives were stabbed. The couples were forced to have sex with the husband wearing a condom, before they were killed. In reviewing the crime scenes, Morgan and Prentiss determine that the unsub is not a sexual sadist as he was trying to set a romantic mood for the kills, and is compensating for a probable recent bout of impotence. In interviewing the victims' families, the team also determine that the husband is the key to the unsub's targets as stereotypical alpha male types. When the unsub hits a broader target, the team are only then able to figure out how the unsub is able to gain access to the victims without a struggle, and from where he has devolved. Meanwhile, Hotch is surprised by an applicant for the communications liaison job. Despite the applicant not being an obvious choice, Hotch gives the applicant a trial on this case with some surprising and not so surprising results.—Huggo
- We open in Akron, Ohio, where a naked couple appears to have just finished making sweet love. The only problem: the woman is weeping. Turns out the pair is handcuffed together -- and a dark figure watches from the seat. "Is that enough?" the naked man asks. "We did what you wanted." SHOTS ring out. The two are murdered.
CUT to BAU headquarters, where Derek announces that Ellie just got placed with a foster family. It's good news. Now bad news: a pair murders in the Midwest needs investigating. "They found a used condom on both husbands?" Rossi asks. Bingo. In fact, the unsub forces the married man to take Viagra, too. Garcia, meanwhile, approaches Hotch with a request: she wants JJ's job. "I'm ready to tone down my wardrobe choices," Garcia says. Hotch reluctantly agrees. "See you on the plane," he says.
CUT to the jet, where Reid wonders if the unsub, who forces married couples to have sex before killing them, is impotent. But what about the specific couples attracts him? Emily wonders if the unsub had met the couples before. Garcia enters, wearing traditional garb. Later, the team arrives in Akron, where Emily and Derek examine the most recent murder scene. "This guy has to control everything -- that would include the environment, right?" Derek says. Emily notices that the unsub had the heat turned up in the SUV. He also apparently found a soothing radio station. "It's almost like he went out of his way to make them comfortable," Emily notes. NOT the signs of a sexual sadist, in other words.
Rossi, in the meantime, interviews the father of the first victim and, later, the mother of the second victim. The common thread: both husbands were incredibly driven at work. Both were "alpha males." Reid theorizes that the unsub might be an alpha male, too. In short, he considers these other alpha males to be his only "competition." Garcia, meanwhile, has a tough time dealing with a sleazy reporter -- and Hotch takes her to task for it. "When it comes to dealing with the press, let me deal with it," he says.
CUT to a suburban home, where a naked, handcuffed man FIGHTS for his life with a shady assailant. He puts up a great fight, especially since his hands are clasped behind his back, but the unsub manages to reach his gun -- and SHOOTS the husband dead. The unsub then turns to the terrified wife. "Tell me you want me!" the unsub says. She does -- and he SHOOTS her, too. Blood splatters the couple's wedding photo.
The next morning, the BAU team arrives at the scene. They notice that the dead husband has bruises up and down his legs -- a sign of full-contact fighting. Reid theorizes that the man had some mixed martial arts training. Perhaps the unsub had trained as well? "It could be where he's finding his victims," Rossi suggests. Inside, Derek and Emily have formulated a theory about the condoms that the unsub forces the husbands to use (which makes no sense as he is only going to kill them). "Am I crazy, or is this guy a swinger?" Emily asks. Derek theorizes that the unsub could have been a part of "that scene" before he became impotent. "Now he's just trying to recreate it," Derek says. Bingo.
Garcia, meanwhile, is having trouble keeping up with her suddenly doubled workload. She brings in Kevin to help go through the names of every person who was a member or employee at the victims' gyms. Derek and Emily visit a nice home in the suburbs and meet a positively perky couple that turns out to be running a swingers' club for middle-aged married folk. "He has to bring a female companion or he wouldn't get in the door," the wife says. "There has to be at least as many women as men." But if the man gets off on being part of a two-man, one-woman coupling, how is that possible? The perky husband smiles. He explains that a married man might bring his wife and then choose a single guy to have sex with her. "It makes the cheating hotter," the perky wife explains. The theoretical husband would then step in and prove that he is the only one who can satisfy his wife. "Until his impotence destroyed his ability to do that," Emily says. So what happened to the wife of the unsub? Is she still alive somewhere, perhaps?
CUT to a swingers' party in full swing. The doorbell rings and the hostess answers the door. It's the unsub! He is identified as James -- and is apparently well known by the hostess. "Where's your wife?" the hostess asks. Says the unsub: "Maryanne is coming later." He then watches the debauchery for a few moments before pulling out TWO guns and opening fire on the crowd! It's a massacre. Later, Derek and Emily arrive at the scene. The hostess explains that the unsub, James, didn't even look at the women in the room. Only men were killed. Alas, the hostess doesn't know the man's last name.
Rossi then discovers a complicated lock at the scene. He theorizes that the unsub might be a locksmith who breaks into the gym lockers of alpha males -- thus discovering all he needs to know about them (address, etc.) before going in for the kill. The news is relayed to Hotch, who asks a flustered Garcia to get on it. "This office is a revolving door of people bugging me and I can't do two jobs at once!" she yells. Baby Girl is immediately sorry for yelling -- and apologizes to Hotch, who just doesn't have time for it. "More people are going to die," he says. "I need you to shut out all the distractions." She agrees.
Derek, meanwhile, approaches Hotch with yet another theory. Perhaps the unsub is devolving into his old habits of killing men. Maybe -- just maybe -- the man has a history of killing his wife's former lovers. Derek suggests looking into unsolved murders around Akron. Hotch agrees. Derek then goes into see his panicking Baby Girl. "You are trying to replace JJ -- nobody can replace JJ," he says. "She'd want you to find a way to do this job on your own terms." Derek then suggests that she go OG -- "original Garcia." So Garcia takes out her fancy contacts and puts on her crazy glasses. This simple accessory change lightens her spirits and -- apparently -- makes her a more efficient worker.
Garcia quickly calls a local locksmith and tricks him into giving up the name of a freelancer who goes by the name of "James." The unsub's name is "James Thomas." Garcia quickly does a computer search on the name and then runs happily to Hotch. "He did all the work at the gyms the husband's went to," says Garcia, explaining that the man also underwent a botched surgery that resulted in his prostate being removed. Bingo.
CUT to the BAU team breaking down the door of the man's apartment. They find Maryann Thomas, the man's wife, cowering in the kitchen. She is pregnant. WTF? Rossi shows her photos of the crime scene. "He knows he's not the father of your baby," Derek says. Maryann claims that James IS the father -- but it's clear she is lying. Reid, who is not an alpha male, volunteers to question the woman because he isn't a "threat." "I think that your pregnancy drove your husband to recreate those parties so he could feel in control again," Reid says. "How about killing the man who got you pregnant? Is he capable of that?" She INSISTS that James is the father -- until Reid shows her the picture of a man recently killed. Maryann breaks down. The dead man is clearly the real father. She agrees to cooperate. Maryann explains that she and James used to go to a bar, where he would watch guys hit on her and then pretend to step in and pick her up -- once again, asserting his authority and taking control.
So the team RUSHES to said bar, where -- sure enough -- the unsub glares at the crowd. The BAU team can't risk collateral damage, so they send in Emily, who pretends to be a swinger who has met James before. "I really don't remember you," James growls. He pulls a gun! A SHOT rings out in the club. Is Emily shot? No -- has shot James with the gun hidden in a purse. He bleeds out on the floor, asking them to "Tell Maryann...". Emily says that she will.
Case closed -- but not the episode. Later, Hotch visits Garcia at the BAU office. He explains that the team needs Garcia at her old job. Rather than getting another agent to replace JJ, Garcia and the rest of the team will share JJ's duties. "Oh, thank God," Garcia says. Baby Girl just wants to go back to her old gig. Hotch smiles -- and grants her wish.
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