Things have been quite active in the world of the BAU in many ways this season! So far they’ve dealt with a hit man group, a macabre street artist, an unsettling community of offenders, a shady encounter at the NSA, jilted lovers, team members coming and going, and the prospect of protective custody, to name but a few of the biggies. And that’s just been within nine episodes! Whew.
Fortunately, the tenth episode’s case is comparatively calmer. Oh, it’s a weird one, that much is certain. But considering the sorts of dangers they could be facing as the show enters its mid-season finale, it’s surprisingly tame. I’m not exactly complaining about that – best to enjoy the lull before whatever storms may come next year, right?
The Case:
It’s late, and a couple is on a rather unusual date. They’re wandering through swampy woodland, hunting frogs. Probably not all that uncommon an activity in Florida, though, I suppose. Every state’s got their things.
Despite her initial uncertainty, the young woman actually has a bit of success! She’s ultimately right to be wary of this activity, though, because shortly thereafter, she stumbles upon a dead body. Reason number one why staying away from swamps is probably a good idea.
Needless to say, this dead body signals the start of a case for the BAU. Turns out there were actually two bodies hidden in the swamps, one a male, one a female. The female’s been exsanguinated (a preferred method for a disturbing number of unsubs on this show), and there’s lacerations everywhere. The team goes through a couple possible theories. Maybe the deaths are drug-related, maybe the unusual methods of death are tied to some sort of Satanic or vampiric cult. Florida’s certainly had its share of bizarre and unusual murders over the years on this show, and it seems this case will be no exception. Off to the Sunshine state once again!
Before then, however, we see another woman making a creepy late night trek, this time to a cemetery. She appears to be planning to meet someone there – always a bad sign on a show like this. The man she’s meant to meet arrives…and he’s brought a blindfold. The young woman is rightfully hesitant to continue this little rendezvous at this point, but before she can even turn around, she’s snatched up and taken away.
“Dear Diary, just when I thought I’d heard it all...”
The team learns a little more about their victims, old and new, as they begin the case. The cuts on the bodies were the result of animals, not torture, and the locals are indeed in a “blood-worshipping cult” panic as a result. The woman, Cheyenne, was in her early twenties, very active, “flighty”, kind of a New Age vegan type. The man, George, was in his seventies. He was a shut in, had Parkinson’s and other health issues. A rather odd mix of victims, to be sure. There’s a surgical cut in the shape of a triangle on George’s body, furthering the initial cult theory, but then news about Cheyenne’s blood seems to throw a wrench into that possibility. Turns out her blood was transferred into George’s body, thus implying some sort of freaky medical experimentation is going on. The transfer of blood from a young body into an elderly one provides a potential motive as well.
As for the latest victim, aka Cemetery Girl? She’s revealed to be Andrea Gambrell. She’s also young, around Cheyenne’s age, and worked as a waitress alongside her. It’s not a huge connection point for the team, but it’s a start. Hotch calls on JJ’s media liaison abilities to help stem the cult panic amongst the locals, which made me smile. Unfortunately, we never got to see that in action – would’ve been nice to see her in her old element throughout the episode in general.
So where is Andrea while all this investigating is going on? She’s being held in a little side room in some sort of medical facility. And she’s not alone, either – there’s an elderly man next to her. He doesn’t last very long, though. At one point he suffers a seizure, and the unsub desperately tries to save him, but fails. Looks like he’ll be needing a new body for his experiments.
Shortly thereafter, we meet an elderly couple, Ben and Eileen Cavale. They’re at a hospital, and awaiting what appears to be very important, serious news. We soon learn that Eileen is sick – with what, it’s never said, but my assumption is some sort of cancer. And sadly, according to her doctor, Laura Braga, she has, at most, six months to live (it’s always six months, isn’t it?).
Surprisingly, she’s handling the news much better than her husband is. Ben is beside himself, desperate and distraught and angry that their long trip down here seems to have been for naught. He’s been hoping for some sort of treatment to save Eileen, had been looking forward to the two of them spending their golden years together now that they’d retired. Ben has my utmost sympathies right off the bat. Unfortunately, aside from the usual pills and continued treatment they’d been working with, the doctor reiterates there’s nothing else they can do.
At least, until a man comes to usher Eileen and Ben away. The man? Our unsub. Not hard to figure out where this story’s going.
“Aquarium sales in Florida. That’s like tracking snow shovel sales in Alaska.”
Or at least, that’s my initial thought. Further examination of poor ol’ George’s body brings an intriguing, and incredibly bizarre, curveball to the case. Turns out Cheyenne’s blood wasn’t the only thing in his system. He also had heavy doses of a Parkinson’s drug…and jellyfish and turtle DNA in his body. Can we say, “random”?
The unsub may have a valid reason for the unusual animal usage, though. Thanks to some “Dr. Reid”-style research courtesy of Rossi (aw), he discovers that jellyfish are used to help treat cardiovascular disease. Between that and the transfer of blood, this unsub apparently seems to be looking to heal people, albeit in a very warped way. Garcia decides to start tracking aquarium and fish sales in the hopes of finding more information.
Her searching also turns up an interesting, mysterious group known as the Mad Scientists Club. The group is no longer together, but their main purpose was discussing experimental medical procedures. And they met in a cemetery! Naturally the team jumps on this rather significant clue, and are fortunate to find a former member to interview.
She proves fairly helpful, too, recalling one specific young man who attended a couple of the group’s meetings. He creeped everyone out, though, which is saying something, considering the group met in a cemetery. According to her, he spouted a bunch of nonsensical babble, went on and on about some special spot in the area, and took their discussions about experimentation a little TOO seriously. The woman couldn’t quite pin down his exact name – Robert or Richard – but he was referred to as “The Magic Man”. Not the most concrete of clues, but again, the team takes what they can, and Garcia’s off on yet another search.
This further confirms their general profile of the unsub’s conflicted motivations. On the one hand, he may be desperately trying to save someone he cares about, or himself, from a serious illness. On the other hand, he may be trying to profit from medical experimentation in the hopes of making a name for himself. Either way, he’s got a definite God complex about him, and the grandiose nature of those sorts of unsubs makes them especially dangerous.
Returning to Ben and Eileen, we see Eileen continuing to get sicker and sicker. Her husband refuses to give up hope, though, and he soon finds himself at the mercy of, you guessed it, our unsub. The man vows he can save Eileen. “I have everything I need in my vehicle,” he says. Now, see, that would be a massive red flag for me, but desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose.
And initially, Eileen does seem to actually be feeling better! She’s up and moving around, she and her husband enjoy a bit of dancing. Of course, given that many of his other patients thus far have died, I’m wary of Eileen’s health lasting long. But for now, she’s happy, Ben’s happy, and against all odds, and despite the fact that it was an unsub treating her, I’m rooting for this experiment to work for her and Ben’s sakes. They’re just so sweet together! He wants to see the Northern Lights with her! I want that for them, too!
Our unsub’s work is not yet done, though. He sneaks into Doctor Braga’s office, attempting to steal a few items. Once she catches him in the act, however, before she can even make it to the door to call authorities, he strikes her down and gets away with the supplies.
Meanwhile, thanks to an off-screen call to Reid, Rossi gets some more information about the unsub’s choice of animals. They all have long lifespans. And thanks to the interview with the woman from the Mad Scientist club, Tara deduces that this “special spot” their unsub is talking about is the infamous Fountain of Youth…which is not too far from where the team happens to be (sidenote: did not know the Fountain of Youth was in Florida. Learn something new…). This is the clincher. They know what their unsub’s purpose is.
Further investigation finally allows the team to figure out the name of their unsub: Bobby Bowls. He’s a local, a misfit, and he was homeschooled. He also worked as an orderly at the hospital where Braga was killed. Ta-da.
Bobby gives us, and Andrea, a little deeper backstory behind his motive for his crimes as well. Turns out, when he was seven years old, he went to visit an uncle in a nursing home. He got lost along the way, though, and wound up meeting an old man who scared the bejesus out of him. The old man taunted Bobby, telling him he too would end up like the man someday, and Bobby has been haunted by that statement ever since. As a result, he’s been desperate to find ways to stay young, and began experimenting on people as a means to discover that secret. Chilling.
By this point, the experimental treatment Eileen’s been using is backfiring horribly, and she’s now at death’s door. Ben continues to plead with Bobby to help him, and Bobby sets his sights on Andrea being Eileen’s saving grace. Perhaps, Bobby thinks, if he gives Andrea’s heart to Eileen, Eileen will live.
Fortunately, he never gets to go through with that horrific plan. The team bursts in and nabs him shortly thereafter, and gets Andrea the hell out of there.
Eileen, on the other hand, isn’t so lucky. There’s nothing more that can be done for her, so all that’s left is Ben standing by her side as she passes away. A heartbreaking ending to a very bizarre case.
Despite the extremely unusual nature of the case, however, I rather liked this episode. There were a lot of similarities to the episode “God Complex”, which helped for me, since I like that episode. And as utterly creepy and horrifying as the unsub’s methods were, the topics it raised were relatable and sympathetic ones, especially where Ben and Eileen were concerned. Anyone who’s watched a loved one suffer a debilitating disease or illness, or who’s suffered one themselves, could relate to the longing and desperation to do anything necessary to try and treat the disease or illness, if not cure it altogether. Look at how popular all those New Age products and alternative medicines are in some circles.
The issue of the appeal of youth was an interesting aspect, too, and again, a relatable one, given all the “anti-aging” products on the market. Some might even be able to relate to the unsub’s childhood experience as well, as some children have indeed been spooked upon seeing elderly people, and some people have a serious fear of getting old. This was an example of what I like most about the case side of things with this show: the issues and topics that the cases address, and the debates and discussions that accompany them. Since this case brought up some good food for thought, it worked for me overall as a result.
And after the hectic nature of a lot of the cases thus far this season, I also liked that this one was a little quieter in comparison. It was strange, but not overly complicated, and having that sort of a breather to end the first half of the season was nice.
The little nod to Reid was sweet, too. I liked that it was Rossi who called him on this case – I’ve always enjoyed the bond between those two, and it was cute to see that touched on here, and see Rossi putting the information Reid shared to such good use. Some seemed a little bugged about the imitations he and Morgan did of Reid a couple episodes back, so hopefully this episode made up for that for those people. All in all, a generally decent way to wrap up the first half of the season.
Meanwhile, on the personal front…:
Garcia’s continued time in protective custody takes a dramatic turn this episode. At the start, she’s playing poker with Rossi, and it’s a cute scene. Unfortunately, however, she’s losing. Her being cooped up is distracting her too much, evidently, and Rossi is the latest team member to reassure her all will be okay.
Fortunately, his words of comfort and assurance may come true, and sooner than Garcia thinks at that! While sneaking out to the break room for a late night snack, she’s interrupted by Hotch, with some big news. Seems there’s been a major break in the case involving Montolo’s gang, one that may have Garcia out of protective custody in the near future. They scurry off to the elevator, and we’re left with the ever-dramatic phrase, “To be continued…”. Considering the ominous uses of that phrase in previous episodes, I’m hesitant to be too optimistic that things are going to be over so quickly for Garcia and the team in general in relation to this case, but my curiosity is certainly piqued all the same.
Unfortunately, we have to wait until January to find out what this major break consists of, and how it will affect the case as well as Garcia and the team’s safety going forward. Until then, feel free to speculate on what you think will happen in the comments! We’ll also see Reid return to the show in January, so that’s another thing to look forward to as well. In the meantime, though, happy holidays to everyone, and a happy new year as well! See you all in 2016!
What did you think of the episode? Did your heart break for Ben and Eileen? What lengths would you be willing to go to, if any, to be healthy and live longer? What do you think is going to happen with the hit man group and Garcia going forward? Did you enjoy Rossi getting all Reid-like? And do I even need to ask if anyone else is excited to have Reid back when the show returns from break? Share your thoughts in the comments!
