Criminal Minds - “Ashes to Dust”
Whooo! Hotch-centric episode! This week the team is looking for a serial killer who sets fire to houses while the family is still inside and then uses a fire suit to stay inside and watch them burn. It’s learned that the fathers of the households were employees of companies that were found guilty of hiding leaking underground benzine tanks and the team suspect the leader of the eco group EDF.
Hotch and Prentiss tail the leader. It looks like he’s getting ready to run until he stops at a hospital. He has leukemia caused by years of inspecting the tanks for companies. Figuring that the killer is at least a member of the group, Hotch gives him the profile and is pointed in the right direction.
Side note: Hotch tells the guy a story about how everyone knew his father was having affairs and he went to confront him about it. Only it turns out that his father had lung cancer. Okay. Correct me if I’m wrong, but in “The Tribe” Hotch’s brother says that their father died of a heart attack at 47. BAD continuity people! No cookie!
Anyway, the leader has the killer meet him at an old warehouse standing over benzine tanks that has been rezoned for an elementary school. Leader and bad guy go boom. Hotch is sad. The EDF leader left him a letter to give to his estranged son, which he does while wearing a fleece pullover, marking the third time we’ve seen Hotch in something other than his Three-Button Suit (of Justice).
If that continuity screw up wasn’t so bad, I might have forgiven the writers for having Reid talk about addiction. When giving the profile, Spencer mentions that fire is and addiction for this guy and he’d be unable to stop without help, throwing a significant glance at Gideon. Thank you, Spence. That was EXACTLY my point three weeks ago.
All in all a good, enjoyable episode.
