Trama

The BAU is called to California when a sadistic serial killer appears and begins killing people in the dark during the rolling blackouts.

In two separate incidents, an unsub has raped and/or killed in Los Angeles, California. The first victims, two females, were raped, tortured, then killed in the downtown area. Three days later in the suburbs, a woman, in her home, was raped repeatedly in front of her husband, the latter whom was ultimately killed. The wife was purposefully kept alive. These incidents have taken place in the area of the city where rolling blackouts have occurred that evening, the blackouts to combat excessive power use due to the heatwave. Garcia determines that the unsub has been at work for at least twenty-six years - raping and murdering during blackouts - the individual incidents never having been connected since he has never killed in the same city consecutively until now. In speaking to the detectives in charge, the BAU makes a connection to one of the first killings as the reason the unsub has returned to Los Angeles. From there, the BAU thinks they know who the next target will be. They have to rush to reach the target before the unsub does.—Huggo

The BAU heads to Los Angeles, CA. to find a serial killer who has been killing people during power outages at night. The unsub has killed and raped two women, he has killed the husband and raped the wife, and he has killed a single mother within the Los Angeles area. But it is soon discovered that the unsub has been killing in different areas of the United States and the unsub plans on targeting Matt Spicer, a detective, who is helping in the investigation.—dawsonpersi

A creepy man in a van lights up a smoke -- and listens to a radio report about rolling blackouts throughout Los Angeles. Just then, the lights inside a nearby suburban home go out. Inside, a husband and wife light candles when a sudden BANG is heard from downstairs. "Maybe a garbage can blew over," the wife says. Nope. The killer has entered the home. Murder ensues.

Cut to the BAU headquarters, where Jennifer runs down the grisly particulars. The husband was killed, while the woman was left alive after being repeatedly raped. The case matches that of two others in downtown L.A. One plane ride later, the team arrives in the City of Angels and meets detectives Kurzbard and Spicer, who observes that the victims appear completely "random." Reid and Rossi, in the meantime, visit the wife at the hospital. She is not in good shape, having attempted to kill herself -- twice. "It wasn't about you," Reid whispers. "This man only thinks about power and control." Sobbing, the woman can't provide the pair with any solid clues.

Later, a young mother returns home to find that the power is out. She carries her child inside, puts him to bed and then turns around to discover the killer waiting. Another victim. The next day, the team arrives on the scene. Kurzbard explains that the child was left alive, but mom is dead. "Hunting in the dark is definitely part of his signature," Hotch observes. A message written on the walls in blood reads: "Hello ther" -- a message for the BAU in all likelihood. "Uneducated," Rossi theorizes. Derek and Spicer, meanwhile, talks with the little boy, who saw his mom die. But, once again, the witness can provide little information of value.

Back at police headquarters, the team gives its profile. The unsub has major intimacy issues and might be compensating for some kind of physical deformity, no matter how small. "He feeds on making them powerless," Emily says. Jennifer also explains that the press has named the serial killer "The Prince of Darkness," which will only feed the mystery man's ego. "Once we unravel his need for darkness, we'll find him," Hotch asserts. Derek and Spicer, meanwhile, argue about whether to further question the child. Spicer, whose own parents died when he was young, says no. Derek, who also lost his father to a murder, says yes. He argues that the bad things in our lives "shape us." "That's why you have that badge," Derek says. Spicer seems to understand.

Garcia calls with bad news: Garcia has found similar cases in EVERY state stretching back alost three decades. "He's the worst I've ever seen," she says. Oddly, Los Angeles is the only city the killer has visited twice. The last spree in Southern California was in 1984. "Why did he come back?" Hotch wonders. Good question. Later, the team is called to yet another crime scene. "Son of a bitch left a baby in there," Spicer tells Kurzbard. "A baby!" Back at the office, the team finds it odd that all the murders took place in the detectives' area. Odd. Even worse, a quick search of the records reveals that Spicer's parents were among the killer's first victims. The detective is SHOCKED. He thought his parents died in a car wreck. "You were the first child he left alive." Hotch says. Adds Derek: "This guy knows who you are."

So Spicer agrees to have his memory jogged by Derek. In a FLASHBACK narrated by adult Spicer, we see the killer entering the home of young Spicer and whispering, "Hello there." Then child Spicer watches from the closet as his parents are murdered. "I can't see him," the detective cries. "I'm sorry!" Hotch theorizes that the unsub believes he turned the boy into a city hero -- and he might try to target Spicer's teenaged daughter. Cut to Spicer's darkened home, where the killer enters quietly -- and watches Spicer's daughter and sister sleep. Uh oh.

Some time later, Spicer and the team enter with guns drawn. The bed is empty -- but a newspaper article on Spicer has been left on the sheets. "He took them somewhere," Derek observes. "He probably took them to Santa Monica to your old house." Unfortunately, traffic is snarled due to the blackouts and cell phone service is dead. That means Morgan and Spicer are on the own when they arrive at the latter's childhood home. They enter the house to find the current occupants dead -- and Spicer's sister and daughter tied to the bed. The killer sneaks up behind Derek and knocks him to the ground. Spicer bursts inside to find the killer holding a gun to his daughter's torso. "I love you," Spicer says to his ladies. Then BLAM -- the killer shoots the detective.

The sister screams and the killer drags Spicer's daughter from the room. "I don't usually take much to kids," the killer growls. "This one's just special." Screams an incapacitated Derek: "We will find you, you sick son of a bitch!"

To be continued.