Criminal Minds - Seek and Destroy - Review: “Teenage Wasteland”

After starting 2017 off in a big way, with “Profiling 202” featuring Rossi facing down an old nemesis from his past, things grew rather quiet and uneventful again with the following episode. “Seek and Destroy” was a typical case-of-the-week storyline, with very little mention of all the wild stuff the team had dealt with before, and barely a hint as to any of the big deal storylines yet to come that fans have been hearing and speculating about for the past few months. There is a brief mention of Mr. Scratch’s name at one point in the episode, but that’s about all we get in terms of a nod to the season-long storyline.

In some ways, that lack of acknowledgment is a good thing, as it’s always good to get a bit of a breather episode in a season that’s been marked by so much chaos and upheaval for the team. At the same time, though, even if this episode is just another example of the “calm before the storm”, it still would’ve been nice to hear the team as a whole at least discussing some of what’s been happening to them thus far, so as to kind of get a sense of where the team’s mood was in general up to this point.

Those issues aside, though, there were still enough interesting aspects to this case to keep things moving, and given the particularly creepy cases episode writer Erik Stiller penned before (a murder in a town of sex offenders, a family man stalking and assaulting women), this particular case story was a good change of pace for him. Still creepy, sure, but there were some clever twists and much more sympathetic unsubs this time around.

With that said, let’s get into the events of “Seek and Destroy”.

The Case:

Things are looking pretty rowdy when the episode kicks off, as we see a group of young girls throwing a party at someone’s house. The girls have brought a few guys with them, and there’s some making out, along with loud music, drinking, and some harder drugs. The making out, loud music, and drinking isn’t too unusual, but the moment drugs like cocaine get brought into the equation, and given the kind of show this is, it’s pretty obvious some serious trouble is on the horizon.

Sure enough, it doesn’t take long before things start really escalating, as one of the guys says, “Let’s do this” and everyone proceeds to trash the house. There’s broken valuables everywhere, spray paint all over the walls, furniture knocked over, windows broken… You name it, it’s destroyed.

One guy isn’t participating in all the chaos, however. He’s spent much of the party sitting quietly in the corner, sipping some drinks and merely observing the wild scene before him. Strangely enough, none of his friends seem bothered by his lack of involvement. Nobody mocks him for being a killjoy or encourages him to join the fun. Either they’re the most understanding friends in the world, or there’s a particular reason this guy’s so reserved.

After a while, the partying begins to take its toll on the group, and eventually everyone’s conked out, exhausted (or possibly unconscious, depending on what kind of drugs and alcohol they took). Mr. Quiet Guy makes his way through the room, surveying his friends, before heading to a closet. And that’s when we learn that Mr. Quiet Guy is far from innocent, as it’s revealed that a couple is being held captive in the closet. It’s obvious what’s going on here now – the group of kids have invaded this couple’s home. To make matters worse, Quiet Guy doesn’t have any intention of letting the couple go. Instead, he prepares to murder them.

The next day, Stephen Walker arrives very early at the BAU (we’re talking “first one there” early), and settles in to get to work. He doesn’t get very far, however, as he soon gets a call from somebody at an Air Force Base on the west coast (San Diego, to be exact) informing him of the above home invasion/murder. Apparently, that attack was just the latest in a string of similar home invasions and killings, all of which are taking place in upscale neighborhoods, and the San Diego police are requesting the BAU’s aid. Stephen brings the case to Emily, and it doesn’t take much convincing to bring her on board.

Emily and Stephen present the case to the team. The poor couple we saw at the start were Rick and Lenore Purcell. They’re the first couple this gang targeted, though – prior to this, the gang had killed one other victim, a woman named Janelle Klecker. She was married, but her husband wasn’t home at the time of the attack. The team immediately concludes that having the victims at home was an intentional part of their plan, to add to the thrill of the crimes.

Strangely, however, the gang did not steal valuable things like jewelry or art. But there’s a logical reason for that, as the team points out – that stuff’s easy to track. They did steal cash and electronics, though, and managed to slip away without any witnesses catching on. This indicates they’re organized and prepared, though with their drug and alcohol tendencies, those organizational abilities may not last very long.

The team also discusses the evidence indicating female gang members participating in this crime spree. Apparently twenty percent of gang members are female, according to Luke, and their reason for joining in is likely due to some sort of coercion and longing to be part of a family. All of this looks to be enough for the team to work with, and they’re off to San Diego.

On the jet, the team gets a little more information about the victims themselves. Rick Purcell was a financial planner, Lenore ran a high-end boutique, and Janelle worked as a CFO of an accounting firm. Her husband owned strip malls in the area. None of the victims had any children, there’s nothing shady in their pasts, and there’s no connections between them outside of their similar economic and geographical backgrounds. Clearly their economic backgrounds have to be a motive of some sort, but the team is stumped as to how this gang comes in contact with the victims.

Upon arriving, Rossi and Luke go to the coroner’s office to examine the bodies. There’s no sexual assault or defensive wounds on the victims, and household items were used to hold them captive. The same weapon is used as well, and the placement of the barrel on the victim’s body is always the same. Given these similarities, it’s obvious that one gang member handles the killings, instead of the gang members taking turns. This main killer must clearly be the alpha member of the group, and he’s likely the only sober member of the group, since it takes focus to be that methodical with one’s killings.

Emily and JJ, meanwhile, take stock of the Purcells’ home. The intense destruction indicates the killer must be strong, male, and struggling with severe anger issues. This indicates he could’ve had a violent childhood. The killer also evidently has a “devout right hand”, somebody who encourages his bad behavior. Their behavior at the scene indicates immaturity, though, indicating they’re the youngest member of the team. Perhaps a girlfriend?

But why would the killer hide the victims away from the rest of the group? Is there somebody he’s trying to hide his violent tendencies from? Why doesn’t he want the rest of the gang to know about his killing spree? Might somebody in the gang take issue with violence? Does the rest of the gang even know about the killings?

And how are these people getting into the homes when there’s no sign of a break-in? Obvious answer is that it’s got to be some sort of ruse, and thankfully, it doesn’t take long to get the answer. Early on in the episode, we saw some of the young girls in the gang coming up to people’s doors, but they look and act very different than they did at the beginning of the episode. They’re dressed all nice and neatly, and acting very polite and friendly. They’re also claiming to be raising money for a brother who’s sick with cancer. This, along with their innocent-looking demeanor and youthfulness, allows them to gain the homeowner’s trust, and gives the girls a chance to scout the home. They then make plans to return at a later date to either collect money or ask if they forgot something at the person’s home...and that’s when they and the rest of the gang strike.

It’s a pretty clever ruse, admittedly, but it doesn’t work on many of the people whose homes they visit, as we see a lot of doors closing in their faces. There is one woman, though, who falls for the ruse, and to the surprise of nobody, she becomes the gang’s next target, along with her husband. Once again, we see a wild party and a swath of destruction, but things play out a little differently this time around. After destroying the home and grabbing what they wanted to steal, most of the gang’s ready to leave. The killer, whom we learn is named Zeke, clearly isn’t on board with this idea, however, and he reminds the gang who’s in charge by dragging the couple out from their hiding place and killing them right in front of everyone. Most of the group is horrified by Zeke’s actions, to the point where a few of them later meet up to discuss how to deal with this shocking turn of events. One girl in particular, Kay, really wants to leave the gang and go somewhere else. The guy she’s hanging out with likes that idea, but in many ways is still a little more uncertain. What if Zeke threatens them?

Another girl, Viv, has no desire to leave. She assures the others Zeke knows what he’s doing, but Kay tries to remind her that murder is not part of their deal. Viv’s main concern is another girl, “Bea”, who’s apparently Zeke’s girlfriend. Viv reminds Kay that Bea’s been like a sister to the group, but Kay points out that Bea reacted with a sadistic glee to Zeke killing the couple. The debate is put to rest when Bea and Zeke arrive, and Kay and the other guy reluctantly continue to tag along.

Shortly after, the team investigates this latest crime scene. This latest couple were Joe and Claire Vendl, and unlike the other victims, they did have children. Fortunately, however, their children were adults and living on their own elsewhere. The family aspect does add a new motive for the case, however, especially when the team discovers a family photo where the family’s faces had been burned out. A gang of young people causing this kind of trouble? Clearly things were not good on the home front for them when they were younger, and the one who desecrated that photo has a particularly bad past with their family.

Surprisingly, nothing was missing from the home this time. But given the gang’s shocked reaction to Zeke murdering the Vendls in front of them, they probably felt they didn’t have time to take anything, or were too scared to take anything, now that they’re witnesses to murder. And now that the killer’s changed his method of murder, it’s clear he’s devolving.

Elsewhere, the gang’s now hiding out in a motel room, trying to figure out their next move. Zeke calls them out on their talk of leaving, and Bea backs Zeke up, reminding the others of the bad lives Zeke had saved them from. Zeke continues to promise the group a future if they stick with him, and they agree to stay. He later ushers the girls out so he can talk to the guy who’d been unsure earlier about the thought of leaving the group. The guy’s known as “Germ”, but he actually seems like a rather sweet, gentle person in many respects. He expresses sadness and remorse over the murders, and it’s clear he’s not comfortable with their crime spree turning so violent.

Zeke seems surprisingly sympathetic to Germ’s concerns, and tries to get him to buck up by telling him to stay strong, both for his own sake and for Kay’s. He assures him they’ll work through this craziness together, just like they always have, and his words of reassurance seem to brighten Germ’s mood a little.

Unfortunately, this nice little moment is very short-lived, as the moment Germ starts to turn away, Zeke points his gun at him. He doesn’t want any of the gang going soft on him now. The two men face off….and then Bea arrives. She immediately tries to break up the tense situation, and a struggle ensues for control of the gun. Who’ll make it out alive?

It doesn’t take long for us to get our answer, as Emily and Rossi later arrive at the motel room to find Germ dead, the rest of the gang long gone. A Texas photo ID next to Germ indicates that his name is Kevin Jones, but as Garcia does a little more digging, it’s revealed that ID is a fake. Further searching reveals that Germ’s real name is actually Michael Sale, and he sure fit the description of a troubled youth. He grew up in Iowa, his dad died when he was young, his mom drank herself to death shortly after, he had siblings he struggled to take care of, and he wound up in jail for drug charges.

While in prison, he met Zeke, who grew up in an abusive home, and the two of them crossed the country committing a series of burglaries (different from home invasions, as burglaries happen when the occupants aren’t home). The murders didn’t start happening, however, until after Kay, Viv, and Bea joined them. The girls had been runaways and prostitutes up to that point, and that’s how this sad little group came to be. They had been heading east a couple weeks back, but something made them turn back and head for California. Does Zeke’s family live here? Or does one of the women have a score to settle in that state?

As the team delves more into the gang’s past, said gang is on their way to search for their next victim. Kay is even more concerned about sticking with the group after noticing Michael’s not with them, but she continues to be overruled by Zeke. She finds a home, pulls out the typical ruse, and another attack begins. This time, the entire gang is wearing masks. The couple is held at gunpoint in their living room as the gang terrorizes them and destroys their home, but things aren’t going as smoothly with their plans this time. At one point, Zeke points his gun at his girlfriend to try and keep her in line, but she’s not having it. He soon finds himself outnumbered as Viv puts a knife to his throat and Bea points her gun at him in turn. The group is shocked as Bethany shoots Zeke dead, but there’s a bigger surprise yet to come. Bea whips her mask off, and the captive couple are even more horrified when they see her face. Why? Well, it turns out Bea is the couple’s daughter! Zeke was never the alpha in this gang. Bea was.

Once the BAU realizes that Zeke’s not the alpha, they ask Garcia to look up info on them. Garcia’s searching of Zeke’s past leads to a connection between him and Bea, and that’s when they start learning more about Bea’s life. Her real name is Bethany, and unlike the others, she didn’t live a life on the streets, nor was she saddled with crappy parents. She actually grew up in a comfortable suburban home in California with a loving family.

But all was not perfect. Bethany had been exhibiting serious behavioral problems from a young age, leading her to be kicked out of five boarding schools and causing her parents to constantly bail her out and pay other schools to take her in. Eventually, the relationship between Bethany and her parents became so strained that Bethany ran away from home and wound up getting involved with Zeke and the rest of the gang. She also tried to overdose on Oxycontin, and had Zeke listed as her emergency contact, This was one of the many ways she tried to manipulate Zeke to do her bidding.

Soon after, she learned that her parents had cut her out of the family and given her sister a cushy position in their company. This infuriated her, and as a result, she encouraged Zeke and the rest of her friends to head back to California to go after them. She also ordered the gang to target the other victims, for no other reason than the fact that they reminded her of her parents.

Once the team figures out the gang’s at Bethany’s parents’ home, they head out there, but in an unusual twist, they wind up being late to the takedown. While at the house, Kay gets a sudden jolt of boldness and grabs Zeke’s gun from the floor, pointing it at Bethany. There’s another face off, and as the team arrives, they hear gunshots from inside the house. Upon rushing inside, they see Kay alive but with a bullet wound, and Viv lays nearby, injured as well. Stephen tackles Bethany, managing to wrestle her gun away, and slaps the cuffs on her. Bethany’s parents, thankfully, are unharmed, though clearly traumatized.

Bethany’s still in a rage, though, doing nothing but screaming and laughing maniacally over and over as she’s led away, while her parents look on in horror and shame. Evidently, she needs far more help than anyone realized.

On the trip home, Emily compliments Stephen on his work in San Diego. Stephen appreciates Emily not dismissing him because he’s a newbie, but remains modest about his contributions. He compares the work he does to his old job, and says it’s similar to learning how to pick an instrument. He also tells Emily that he’s still keeping his eyes and ears open on any news about Mr. Scratch, who’s remained eerily quiet lately. Given all the talk about what’s yet to come in the remainder of the season in relation to Mr. Scratch, Reid and his mom, and the team in general, that makes Emily and Stephen’s conversation all the more ominous.

I felt the episode did a nice job of fleshing out some of the gang members, notably Kay and Michael. Their guilt and remorse was a good, strong contrast to Zeke and Bethany’s more nihilistic, violent personalities, and their redemption felt earned, to the point where I was saddened at Michael’s death, and rooting for Kay when she finally fought back against Bethany. And as terrifying as Bethany was, I even managed a tiny bit of sympathy for her as well. She’s been mentally unwell for a long time, and it’s hard not to feel sorry about the fact that there was little anyone could do, or did do, to try and help her before she found herself down such a dark path. I also liked that the show went against the grain and had the girl from the comfortable home be the most messed up member of the group, and allowed a couple of the others who’d had rougher lives to be the consciences of the group, as well as the heroes. Almost like their rough lives gave them an extra level of sympathy and compassion for others, to the point where they didn’t want people to suffer as tragically as they did.

I also liked the twist with Bethany being the real leader of the group, as I thought it was pretty well hidden. Almost too much so, in a way – as wise as it was for the show to keep Bethany’s manipulation of Zeke mostly off-screen to make the reveal that much more shocking, it also made Zeke’s behavior a little more confusing. He was pretty chilling when he planned the Purcells’ murder and when he shot the Verdls, thus indicating that he was perfectly capable of controlling people himself. That made it a little harder to believe that he was so easily manipulated by Bethany. I get that her objective was to make him feel like he was in charge when he really wasn’t, but I just don’t know if that always came across as clearly as it should’ve.

And while I thought Bethany’s screaming at the end was initially a powerful way of showing just how disturbed she truly was, I think they could’ve left it at her just doing one long, continuous scream up to her time in the police car. Once she was in the car, her screaming started to border on overdramatic, and took away a little from some of the intensity of the scene.

As for the team side of things, Emily and Stephen’s talk at the end of the episode was a nice touch. It was a neat way to learn a little more about Stephen himself (hoping his interest in music means we might get a scene of him playing something sometime on the show?), and I like the rapport he and Emily have. Her history working with him comes through strongly in their interactions, and they have a quiet rapport that’s kinda sweet. I also liked seeing Stephen’s work ethic in full force this episode – getting to work early, keeping tabs on Mr. Scratch (especially impressive considering he’s just recently joined the team), playing a role in the takedown. He’s clearly proving his dedication to the job, as good an indication as any that he’ll fit into this group just fine.

As noted at the start of the review, though, it would’ve been kinda nice to check in with the other team members at some point throughout the episode, and see where their heads are currently. How’s Rossi been doing after taking down Yates? Wouldn’t it be nice to have Emily checking in on Tara to see how she’s been doing since the threat on her family? Tara had mentioned her struggles in focusing on the case regarding the man impersonating her brother to Rossi in “Profiling 202”, but it would’ve been nice to hear how her family’s holding up, or see if she’s got her own game plan for dealing with Mr. Scratch. Is JJ starting to worry about her own family being targeted, after seeing what Mr. Scratch has done to her teammates’ families? Is Luke feeling overwhelmed at dealing with an unsub like Mr. Scratch?

Heck, for that matter, how’s Reid been faring in Houston? We know he and his mom will return in the next episode, but last season, when Reid was away for a few episodes, the show made note of the team getting texts and calls from him so they’d know how he was doing. It would’ve been nice if the show could’ve done the same here. Again, this side of things didn’t have to take up a large chunk of the episode, no, but a couple offhand conversations between team members here and there, or a brief mention of whatever fear the team’s feeling, would’ve been welcome, especially since they’ve been dealing with Mr. Scratch much longer than Stephen has.

At the end of the day, though, it Is what it is and we fans can likely pretty well guess what the team’s thinking right now. And given how serialized the remainder of the season is apparently supposed to be, we should probably enjoy these case-of-the-week moments while we’ve got them. If recent interviews, promo photos, and articles are any indication, things are about to get pretty wild for the BAU going forward. Here’s hoping they, as well as us viewers, are well prepared to withstand whatever’s coming.

What did you think of the episode? Did you see the twists coming? Were the interactions between the gang members believable? Did Bethany’s rage scare you? How are you liking Stephen Walker thus far? What do you think Mr. Scratch has planned for the team going forward? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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