Soul Mates
Directed by John Gallgher
Written by Erica Messer & Debra J Fisher
Two UnSubs cover each others tracks by having the same victimology and MO, and giving each other "alibis" by committing crimes while the other is held by police.Written by Erica Messer & Debra J Fisher
Reid: "No mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips. Betrayal oozes out of him at every pore." Sigmund Freud.
Tropes present in this episode:
- Broken Tears: After hearing her father confess to the crimes he and his partner committed, Andrea furiously hits her dad while crying and saying she hates him.
- Deadpan Snarker: When Rossi says that Reid was left in a basket on the steps of the FBI building, he says it so evenly and naturally that the cop he's talking to stares at him as if wondering if he's actually serious.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite him being a serial rapist and murderer, William Harris cares enough about his daughter to keep her from getting hurt. According to him, there seemed to have been a deal that kept his daughter safe from harm. Also, before they realize the BAU were telling the truth about him, Mrs. Harris and her daughter believe in his innocence.
- Foreshadowing: The team guesses Harris's partner would take betrayal poorly. So they plant a message that Harris is cooperating. That goes nowhere. However when the partner betrays him by taking his daughter, that's what causes Harris to flip.
- In Medias Res: This episode starts out with the profile already built and the local PD arresting the suspect, so that the BAU can get directly to the action of chasing his partner.
- Insane Troll Logic: Prentiss uses some of this when questioning the suspect's family, asking "Do you really think it's a coincidence that he's been accused of rape twice?" Considering that the first accusation is the major determining factor in leveling the second accusation, it's not a coincidence but it's also not any sort of evidence or rational argument.
- Mistaken for Cheating: William's wife assumed that his late nights out were him having an affair. The truth turns out to be so much worse.
- "Not So Different" Remark: William says that he and Morgan are alike in that they "both play games to make themselves feel powerful". Morgan retorts that he has dedicated his life to protecting innocent people while William hurts them.
- Pet the Dog: The only decent thing William Harris does is let himself be bugged by the BAU and confront his partner so that they would both get arrested. He also yells at his partner for taking his daughter, fearing that he would rape and kill her next.
- Smug Snake: William Harris spends most of his time in police custody being arrogant and protesting his innocence, assured that the authorities will never prove his guilt or catch his partner. He gives a smug “told you so” statement when Missy’s body turns up dead, confident that the authorities will release him now that the most recent victim was killed and dumped off. It's not until he learns that his partner has taken his daughter that his cocky facade drops.
- You Monster!: Once William's wife realizes her husband really is involved with the rapes and murders of the teenage girls, she slaps him and curses at him, especially since their daughter is missing and was last seen by his accomplice.
- Morgan: British historian C. Northcote Parkinson said, "Delay is the deadliest form of denial."
