To Bear Witness
Directed by Rob Bailey
Written by Erica Messer
A German UnSub kidnaps his sister and her boyfriend, performs lobotomies on them and inserts tiny cameras into their eyes, causing them excruciating pain. He does this because his sister kept outshining him all their lives, and he wants his father's attention.Written by Erica Messer
Morgan: "Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too was a gift." Mary Oliver.
Tropes
- Always Second Best: The specific problem of the UnSub. He was born in a wealthy family, and he had a medical inclination. But he only earned the education of a veterinarian, and his father thought he was a disappointment. His sister was a brilliant medical student, and constantly overshadowed him with her achievements. So his solution was to lobotomize her to take away her brilliance.
- And I Must Scream: Sam's lobotomy takes away all his motor functions except his ability to blink, but his consciousness and memories remain.
- Meaningful Name: The UnSub says his father named him Anton because it means "invaluable".
- Secret Relationship: Sort of. The new Section Chief and JJ know each other from a previous, still open case and for some reason can't tell the team about it, despite them apparently being good friends.
- Sibling Rivalry: The UnSub wanted to hurt his sister most of all. Rossi calls it the worst case of this trope he's ever seen.
- The Un-Favorite: The UnSub to his parents.
- Hotchner: "Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside of us while we live." Norman Cousins.
