- People who apparently have nothing in common are being shot randomly in New York City and the team must determine whether it is the work of a single shooter or a team.
- People who seemingly have nothing in common are shot at random. The BAU is dispatched to New York, where they have to determine if the shootings of victims at point blank range are the work of a single killer or a team of killers. The BAU discovers is deadlier to them than they anticipated.—Anonymous
- In the subway stations of New York, a gunman has been killing people by a .22 caliber shot to the back of the head. He is brazen in the fact that all the killings thus far have happened during the middle of the day in busy stations, most in full view of surveillance cameras. The gunman is always wearing a dark hooded jacket, but his face is obscured from the cameras by the hood being pulled over his head. The BAU are working on this case with the New York Police Department and the FBI's New York field office, that division led by Kate Joyner who the BAU team members notice looks a lot like Haley, Hotch's ex-wife. Beyond working on the case, Joyner has a specific professional interest in Morgan, which she shares with Hotch and which ultimately places a strain between Joyner and Morgan and by association Hotch. As the collective work on the case, it takes a turn for the worse when the unsub changes his MO. The case is made even more difficult when Garcia notices from the surveillance footage of two of the killings some discrepancies. As more and more obstacles face the authorities in catching the killer, Prentiss, with the NYPD's Detective Cooper out in the field, makes an observation about a potential unsub. The authorities then begin to realize the vast nature of the plot with which they are dealing. A car explosion ultimately rocks the case. Meanwhile, J.J. is forced to share some personal news with the rest of the team.—Huggo
- The FBI profilers are called to New York City, where a serial killer seems to be killing random people in public places. The victims seem to have nothing in common to each other, which is strange for the targets of serial killers, They briefly stepped away from larger crowds, and then were then attacked. The profilers notice that the killer seems to be copying elements from previous crime cases, suggesting that he had access to relevant records. Garcia notices that surveillance footage of the killer indicates different heights at different times, establishing that there are actually multiple killers. The profilers realize that a team of killers are intentionally trying to cause panic in the city, but also that the killers have been spying on both the police and the FBI. Prentiss works alongside a local police detective who takes a liking to her. He keeps flirting with her, but she rejects him. She is disturbed when he is gunned down by one of the killers. As the profilers start fearing that the killers are planning a terrorist attack, they are themselves the targets of a car bomb.—DImos I
- In New York City, a shooter dressed in black is shooting people in the back of their heads at point blank range with a .22-caliber revolver. The whole team, including Garcia, travel to the local FBI office where they, after Garcia does further analyze the surveillance tapes, deduce that they have more than one UnSub. Soon, the number of possible UnSubs grows even larger...—J. Rieper
- New York City -- A man glances nervously at a cop before entering the subway. Once the train comes to a stop he exits, pulling a map from his pocket. The man is only a tourist. He stands on the deserted subway platform when another man in a black-hooded sweatshirt approaches. The man pulls a gun and shoots the unsuspecting tourist dead.
Hotch gets a call. "We're all familiar with the case," Hotch says to the voice on the other line. "When was the latest murder? Has anything in the MO changed?"
Jennifer is also on the phone. "So what's your flight number?" she asks. "I can't have you free to pick out a crib without me." Hotch enters. He tells Jennifer to get the team together. Jennifer tells her mysterious caller "not to get on the plane just yet."
The team is heading for New York. Says Rossi, "Five shootings in two weeks, it's about time we got a call." The murder uses a 22 caliber pistol. Single shots to the head in all cases. No known connections between victims.
"Son of Sam all over again," observes Spencer.
The team, including Garcia, board a private jet. Kate Joyner is heading up the investigation in New York. Hotch notes that he once worked with her. The plane takes off.
At the F.B.I. Field Office in New York, Kate barks orders to her staff. Hotch and the team exit the elevator. Hotch introduces the team. Kate introduces Detectives Brustin and Cooper. "I guess this is when we play nice and ask you what you need," Brustin growls.
Kate asks for a word in private with Hotch. Jennifer and Emily suspect a former romance.
Hotch notes that Kate is getting resistance from the NYPD. Kate asks: "What can you tell me about Derek Morgan?"
Cut to a dingy apartment. A mysterious man slides on a black hooded sweatshirt and pockets a 22 caliber pistol.
Garcia, meanwhile, settles into a desk to access the city's surveillance system. Garcia looks for faces in the crowd after the killings, noting that criminals sometimes like to come back and watch the police clean up their handiwork.
On the subway, the unidentified killer searches for another victim.
Derek, Jennifer and Rossi visit the scene of the last crime. Brustin explains that witness accounts have been unreliable some say the killer is a light-skinned black man, others say Asian or Puerto Rican. Rossi notes that the pistol is the same model that Mossad uses to carry out executions.
The killer, meanwhile, has left the subway. He walks down the street in broad daylight and shoots a man in the head, dropping a Tarot card in the process.
Back from commercial break, the team gathers at the latest crime scene. Kate is short with Derek. Hotch explains that Kate is under pressure to solve the case. If she doesn't, Derek is line to replace her at the F.B.I. "Politics here are different," Hotch says. "And you can see she doesn't pull punches."
Rossi has picked up the card, noting that the killer is finally communicating. The Tarot card reads death. Rossi notes that the DC sniper left similar cards. "He studies other cases," Rossi says. "He's telling us he knows were here."
The team heads back to FBI headquarters. They examine surveillance of the last two shootings. The killer walks away slowly in one video and quickly in the other. Garcia notes that the slow walker is 6-foot-1 while the sprinter is 5-10 "tops."
"We've got more than one unsub," Hotch says.
Derek wants to hit the streets. Kate argues against it. Hotch steps in, telling Derek, "It's not your call."
At the hotel, Jennifer gets a surprise. Will has flown into D.C. and is waiting in the lobby. Jennifer admits to the group that she is pregnant. "I've asked J.J. to marry me," Will says. Will wants Jennifer to remove herself from the case because it is too dangerous. Jennifer refuses, but gently. The two embrace.
A NYPD officer working surveillance with Garcia notices a man in a black hooded sweatshirt prowling a subway stop. Hotch gets the call. "We could have been right there!" Derek exclaims. Kate scowls. The man pulls a gun and shoots another victim.
Derek explodes in anger. Hotch steps in once again, telling Derek it is "not his place" and to "focus."
"From where I'm standing, all your focus is on her," Derek snaps back.
At the hotel bar, Rossi approaches Derek. Derek says he doesn't know whether he would take the F.B.I. job or not. "BAU wears people out," Derek observes.
Back at the F.B.I. office, Derek apologizes to Kate for questioning her authority. Kate accepts the apology, saying she respects people who speak their minds. It's quickly back to business after that. Garcia has analyzed the latest surveillance video. This shooter is different from the last two.
"There's three of them now," Rossi asks?
The team splits up and heads to all the sites of the killings to see if the dominant killer in the trio (or maybe more?) will return. Back at the office, Rossi suspects that the killers are ramping up to something and that the death card, since it was not followed by other cries for attention, is a very personal message to the team.
Back at the office, Garcia makes a disturbing discovery: an unidentified source has hacked into the city surveillance system.
Just then, a man in a hooded sweatshirt gets off of a bus. He approaches a woman at an ATM and shoots her dead. Garcia, working surveillance, gives the location. Emily and Cooper head for the scene. They spot a man in a hooded sweatshirt and give chase.
They round a corner. The man shoots Cooper. Emily shoots the man. Cooper is alive -- barely.
Back from commercial, the team arrives at the scene. The man in the hooded sweatshirt might not live. Emily notes that the man must have stopped and waited for Cooper. She thinks the killers chose this spot, because "they knew we were here."
Rossi arrives on the scene. "We think we might have a serious problem," he says. "We have multiple unsubs. They're disciplined, They're using counter-surveillance. They know the FBI movements. There's a hierarchy. What does that usually mean?"
"Terrorism," Hotch answers.
The team huddles back at HQ. The theories come fast and furious now, but they all lead to one thing: a terrorist group planning a massive attack. All the murders have taken place near a bridge or a tunnel. There have been seven different shooters. The killings are being used as practice to test police response time so the terrorists know when to bring in a second bomb.
"The goal is always to take out a first round of civilians, followed by a second wave of emergency responders," Kate explains.
Derek gets a call from Garcia. Garcia explains that the group has hacked into the surveillance system and has been watching the team the entire time. "The one advantage that we have right now is that they don't know that we know they're watching," Kate says.
Jennifer gets a package in the mail. Will is going back to New Orleans tonight because he doesn't want to "be in he way." Inside the envelope is a badge. Will is quitting his job. Jennifer heads back to the hotel.
A montage shows the team members climbing into separate black SUVs. Suddenly, one of the SUVs blows up!
But which one?
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