History Recap / ColdCaseS2E9MindHunters

The hunt for a serial killer commences when Lily and the team reinvestage the 1985 disappearance of Janet Lambert, a 31-year old mother whose headless torso was found by hikers. Subsequently, the team discover eight more victims of the killer, all of whom were beheaded.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Played with. A flashback shows that George tried to kidnap Janet earlier in the day, but backed off when he saw that she had her daughter with her. It might be this trope, but given that he had no qualms about killing a 14-year old girl and heavily implies that he threatened to harm Janet's daughter anyway during his second kidnap attempt, it's more likely that he didn't want any witnesses or the hassle of dealing with two victims at once.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Janet's husband smacks her around, but the minute their daughter is rude to her, he slaps ''her''and orders her "Don't you sass your mother!"

The hunt for a serial killer commences when Lily and the team reinvestage the 1985 disappearance of Janet Lambert, a 31-year old mother whose headless torso was found by hikers. Subsequently, the team discovers discover eight more victims of the killer, all of whom were beheaded.

[This description was copied in violation of our Administrivia/{{Plagiarism}} policy. Please replace it with original writing.]

* BerserkButton: Marks taunts each of the detectives about the traumatic events in their lives; Scotty's schizophrenic girlfriend, Vera mishandling a rape case, Stillman's failed marriage, and Lilly's childhood mugging. He taunts Jeffries over the death of his wife, but Jeffries remains stoic in the moment. He only loses it later as the case looks increasingly bleak.
** Janet endures her husband's abuse, but seeing him hit their daughter is the straw that breaks the camel's back. She hits ''him'' and resolves to leave him.

* DomesticAbuse: Janet's husband hit her and after her disappearance, continued taking his anger out on their daughter. In the present day, he has no remorse about this, to the point of explicitly wishing that he'd been Janet's killer and stating that their daughter deserved the same date.

* Janet endures her husband's abuse, but seeing him hit their daughter is the straw that breaks the camel's back. She hits ''him'' and resolves to leave him.

* IWantMyMommy: Tina's father asks the detectives if she called for him in her last moments. A flashback reveals that yes, she did.

The headless torso of a woman who disappeared in 1985, on the same day she filed domestic abuse charges against her husband, is found by hikers in a wildlife preserve. The investigation quickly leads to the grisly discovery of 8 more decapitated bodies, the victims of a serial killer.

* DamselOutOfDistress: Marks specifically targeted women who fought their attackers. Including a teenage girl who sprayed a man who tried to rape her in the face with ''tear gas'', a mother fought back when her abusive husband went after their daughter, a woman who broke away from and outran a rapist, and a woman who broke her would-be mugger's nose. The other victims presumably qualified, but no details are given.
* DownerEnding: Marks walks away free, and the whole team is haunted by their failure to arrest him as well as his taunts.
* EyeScream: In 1994, Tina James used tear gas her father made her carry on a man who tried to rape when she was eleven, blinding him for life.

* PubescentBraces: Closeups prominently display 14-year-old Tina James's braces as she begs for her life, which helps emphasize both her youth and [[WouldHurtAChild the depravity of the smirking man about to kill her.]]

* SequelHook: The police are forced to release George, who tells Lily [[ImpliedDeathThreat the two of them should go hunting sometime.]]

* WouldHurtAChild: One of Marks's victims was a fourteen-year-old girl.

The headless torso of a woman who disappeared in 1985, on the same day she filed domestic-abuse charges against her husband, is found by hikers in a wildlife preserve. The investigation quickly leads to the grisly discovery of 8 more decapitated bodies, the victims of a serial killer.

* BerserkButton: Marks taunts each of the detectives about the traumatic events in their lives; Scotty's schizophrenic girlfriend, Vera mishandling the a rape case, Stillman's failed marriage, and Lilly's childhood mugging. He taunts Jeffries over the death of his wife, but Jeffries remains stoic in the moment. He only loses it later as the case looks increasingly bleak.

* ConfessToALesserCrime: After George kills Janet Lambert, a park ranger hears the shots and confronts him, but merely assumes that George is poaching. George wordlessly seems to acknowledge this accusation, and the ranger lets him go with a warning.
* DamselOutOfDistress: Marks specifically targeted women who fought their attackers. Including a teenage girl who sprayed a man who tried to rape her in the face with ''tear gas'', a mother fought back when her abusive husband went after their daughter, a woman who broke away from and outran a rapist, and a woman who broke her would be mugger's nose. The other victims presumably qualified, but no detail are given.
* DownerEnding: Marks walks away free, and the whole team are haunted by their failure to arrest him, as well as his taunts.

-->"You have no idea of the things a woman will ''beg'' you to do, if you'll just let her live."
* PubescentBraces: Closeups prominently display 14-year-old Tina James' braces as she begs for her life, which helps emphasize both her youth and [[WouldHurtAChild the depravity of the smirking man about to kill her.]]

* WouldHurtAChild: One of Marks' victims was a fourteen year old girl.

* IWantMyMommy: Tina's father asks the detectives if his she called for him in her last moments. A flashback reveals that yes, she did.

* PerpWalk: Played with. The episode still gets its requisite perp walk...but its Marks triumphantly walking away as a free man.

* DamselOutOfDistress: Marks specifically targeted women who fought their attackers. Including a teenage girl who sprayed a man who tried to rape her in the face with ''tear gas'', a mother fought back when her abusive husband went after their daughter, a woman who broke away from and outran a rapist, a woman who broke her would be mugger's nose. The other victims presumably qualified, but no detail are given.

* DamselOutOfDistress: Marks specifically targeted women who fought their attackers. Including a teenage girl who sprayed a man who tried to rape her in the face with ''tear gas'', a mother fought back when her abusive husband went after their daughter, and a woman who broke her would be mugger's nose. The other victims presumably qualified, but no detail are given.

* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Marks is not only smart enough to leave no evidence linking him to the crimes, but incredibly versed in the law. He points out that the detectives cannot arrest or hold him without a confession, and eventually walks away aware they cannot stop him.

* [[IWantMyMommy I Want My Daddy]]: Tina's father asks the detectives if his she called for him in her last moments. A flashback reveals that yes, she did.

* BerserkButton: Marks taunts each of the detectives about the traumatic events in their lives; Scotty's schizophrenic girlfriend, Vera mishandling the a rape case, Stillman's failed marriage and Lilly's childhood mugging. He taunts Jeffries over the death of his wife, but Jeffries remains stoic in the moment. He only loses it later as the case looks increasingly bleak.

* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: Marks hunts women in the woods, specifically choosing those who had once been victimized and fought back. This stems from his own hatred of women rather than any desire for a genuine challenge.

* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:George Marks smugly walks away from the interrogation without facing justice for his crimes, based on a lack of evidence.