An UnSub kidnaps people and severs their spines. Garcia is still reluctant to return to the BAU, but when she gets contacted by a hacker who claims he knows how SOAR got hacked, she feels compelled.
Tropes
- Bad People Abuse Animals: You worry about Moose the moment the container killer asks about him.
- Body Horror: The UnSub cuts open his victims' backs while they're awake and severs their spine.
- Call-Back:
- Two people contacted by the UnSub are swingers like in that season six episode.
- The way Emily can just tell Tara is dating Rebecca, whom she introduces as her friend, recalls how the team knew about JJ and Will long before JJ was willing to admit they were serious.
- Driven to Suicide: This week's UnSub too. Rossi starts to piece together that it's a requirement if you are about to get caught.
- Gaydar: Emily discerns instantly that Rebecca isn't just Tara's friend, but her girlfriend. That's what you get around profilers, no doubt. She jokingly says the heat in the room rose immediately when they were near each other.
- Queer Establishing Moment: Emily can tell Rebecca is Tara's girlfriend at once, and Tara confirms this afterward. She also tells Emily Rebecca's not the first woman she's dated either. Previously, she had only been shown in relationships with men.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: Rossi figures the pandemic forced serial killers to start talking to each other to get their fix.
- Title Drop: Sicarius spiders are discovered in one of the containers, and the UnSub is subsequently referred to as Sicarius.
