History Recap / CriminalMindsS3E14Damaged

* ShoutOut: The BAU compare the Unsub to Lenny from ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen''.

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Joe, the UnSub of the episode, might be considered a downplayed example of one. He brutally killed the Galen parents, but he had no intention of doing so and immediately felt remorse, and it's questionable if he even understood what he was doing at all. When he's finally arrested, he's crying and screaming for his daddy in obvious terror as he's handcuffed.

Prentiss declares the chaotic state of Rossi's office to be a cry for help and takes the rest of the team to where Rossi is. Rossi is angry, at first, but accepts their help in solving the case. They profile the [=UnSub=] as simultaneously organized and disorganized, and at any rate either dead or twenty years older. When they go to visit the survivors, they tell Rossi to get lost and stop sending them toys every year, which surprises him, because he's never sent them any toys. From that they profile the [=UnSub=] as a mentally disabled person assisted by a parent or guardian.

* BittersweetEnding: It's mostly "sweet", with Rossi finally solving his cold case and truly settling into the BAU as a full-fledged team member, while JJ, Prentiss, Morgan, and Reid delight in Garcia's "scandalous" new relationship with Kevin. The "bitter" comes from Hotch, who reluctantly signs the divorce papers served to him by Haley, his now-ex-wife.

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Prentiss declares the chaotic state of Rossi's office to be a cry for help and takes the rest of the team to where Rossi is. Rossi is angry at first, but accepts their help in solving the case. They profile the [=UnSub=] as simultaneously organized and disorganized, and at any rate either dead or twenty years older. When they go to visit the survivors, tell him to get lost and stop sending them stuffed toys every year, which surprises him, because he's never sent them any stuffed toys. From that they profile the [=UnSub=] as a mentally disabled person assisted by a parent or guardian.

* AloneWithThePsycho: Hotch and Reid with Chester Hardwick, the death row inmate they are interviewing, during the 15 minutes that the guards are outside with the rest of the prisoners for the lunch shift change. Hardwick plans to use this time to murder them both while the guards can't save them and thus delay his execution, since there's no way he'll be executed the following week if he kills two FBI agents. However, Hotch is fully prepared to fight Hardwick, pointing out that the latter's victims were pre-teen girls while Hotch is a full-grown man. And we never find out who would have won anyway, since Reid makes up a profile on the spot to [[HoldingTheFloor hold the floor]] until the guards come back.
* ApologyGift: Every year since the murder of the Galens’ parents, Joe has been buying stuffed toys from the carnival and leaving them for the children as his way of trying to apologize for what happened. Naturally, all three are creeped out by the constant gifts and the eldest daughter initially suspected Rossi of leaving the toys.

* DefrostingIceKing: Since his debut, Rossi has become a little more polite and familiar towards his teammates, but still kept them at arm's length. This is where he fully defrosts towards them after they help him finally solve the cold case that's haunted him for 20 years. He starts out being quite demanding towards Garcia about getting more info for and making progress on the case, and is annoyed to discover she filled some of their teammates in, snapping that he doesn't need any help. When Morgan, JJ, and Prentiss arrive in Indianapolis, Rossi curtly tells them to go home and questions why they even care about helping him when it's not a BAU case...until they reply that it's because ''he'' cares. He then accepts their help, opens up to them on the details about the case and why it's so important to him, and at the end once they've solved it, tells the Galen kids that his team is waiting for him at the airport. When they return to the office, as opposed to previous episodes where Rossi just walked quietly along with the team, he's shown smiling and chatting with them.

* FreudianExcuse: Played with. Hardwick denies having this. Hotch points out that he had a worse childhood than he admits to. Then when they realize the guards have gone to lunch, Reid launches into a speech about why he has one, to buy them time.

* NeatFreak: Rossi is this the the degree that when he leaves his office in disarray it looks to Emily like a scream for help.

WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Joe, the UnSub of the episode, might be considered a downplayed example of one. He brutally killed the Galen parents, but he had no intention of doing so and immediately felt remorse, and it's questionable if he even understood what he was doing at all. When he's finally arrested, he's crying and screaming for his daddy in obvious terror as he's handcuffed.

* DefrostingIceKing: Since his debut, Rossi has become a little more polite and familiar towards his teammates, but still kept them at arm's length. This is where he fully defrosts towards them after they help him finally solve the cold case that's haunted him for 20 years. He starts out being quite demanding towards Garcia about getting more info for and making progress on the case, and is annoyed to discover she filled some of their teammates in, snapping that he doesn't need help. When Morgan, JJ, and Prentiss arrive in Indianapolis, Rossi curtly tells them to go home and questions why they even care...until they reply that it's because ''he'' cares. He then accepts their help, opens up to them on the details about the case and why it's so important to him, and at the end once they've solved it, tells the Galen kids that his team is waiting for him at the airport. When they return to the office, as opposed to previous episodes where Rossi just walked quietly along with the team, he's shown smiling and chatting with them.

* DefrostingIceKing: Since his debut, Rossi has become a little more polite and familiar towards his teammates, but still kept them at arm's length. This is where he fully defrosts towards them after they help him finally solve the cold case that's haunted him for 20 years. He starts out being quite demanding towards Garcia about getting more info for and making progress on the case, and is annoyed to discover she filled some of their teammates in, snapping that he doesn't need any help. When Morgan, JJ, and Prentiss arrive in Indianapolis, Rossi curtly tells them to go home and questions why they even care...until they reply that it's because ''he'' cares. He then accepts their help, opens up to them on the details about the case and why it's so important to him, and at the end once they've solved it, tells the Galen kids that his team is waiting for him at the airport. When they return to the office, as opposed to previous episodes where Rossi just walked quietly along with the team, he's shown smiling and chatting with them.

* DefrostingIceKing: Since his debut, Rossi has become a little more polite and familiar towards his teammates, but still kept them at arm's length. This is where he fully defrosts towards them after they help him finally solve the cold case that's haunted him for 20 years. He starts out being quite demanding towards Garcia about getting more info for and making progress on the case, and is very annoyed to discover she filled some of their teammates in, snapping that he doesn't need any help. When Morgan, JJ, and Prentiss arrive in Indianapolis, Rossi curtly tells them to go home and questions why they even care...until they reply that it's because ''he'' cares. He then accepts their help, opens up to them on the details about the case and why it's so important to him, and at the end once they've solved it, tells the Galen kids that his team is waiting for him at the airport. When they return to the office, as opposed to previous episodes where Rossi just walked quietly along with the team, he's shown smiling and chatting with them.