The latest episode of the hit crime series, Criminal Minds, aired on Wednesday featured the possible bloodcurdling effects of an abusive and hostile home environment to a child as demonstrated by the nerve-wracking crimes committed by the most recent UnSub the team faced, according to Spoiler TV.
The episode, which was titled Scream, opened with the image of a seemingly normal man who goes about his typical routine during the day such as fixing his bed, making breakfast for himself, and reading the paper. Despite the ordinariness of his daily habits, the viewers are in for a shock as he goes his basement to retrieve a pair gloves, a baseball bat, and an apron which are soaked in blood.
His calm demeanor then morphs into something frightening as he begins to shout at a woman tied to a chair about her irresponsible housekeeping, citing the lack of a warm meal waiting for him after a long day at work. The woman, evidently frightened, attempts to squash her fear and reassures him that she will do a better job next time.
Meanwhile, the members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) team learn about the case and discover that two dead women were linked together due to similarities in their deaths. As the team study the photographs of the victims, it could be observed that both women have the same features as the tied-up woman in the basement earlier.
In an effort to determine the further similarities among the victims, the team researched some more and focused on their backgrounds. However, no other similarities were found. The team eventually realized that both women, including the missing victim, are classified as submissive types. They used this piece of information to build the character of the UnSub as someone who preys on meek and docile women.
The UnSub was later on discovered to be a counselor who volunteers to lend support to victims of spousal abuse. Further investigation revealed that he grew up in an abusive environment with his father constantly beating his mother. Both his parents eventually passed away through murder-suicide, where his father slashed the throat of his mom then killed himself afterward.
All these were seen firsthand by the UnSub as a boy. However, he placed the blame for his terrible and traumatic childhood to his mother who he feels failed to protect him from the abuse. Hence, he began targeting women in the same situation.
The next episode for Criminal, titled Lockdown, will air on March 4, 2015 at 9 PM on CBS. Speculations surfaced that the subplot of Scream, which showed Kate (played by Jennifer Love-Hewitt) anxious over an online friend of her niece, might be an indicator of the subsequent chapter's plot.
