photo: cbs
Pariahville
Original Air Date: Nov 4, 2015
Caitlin- Senior Staff Writer
caitlin@thetwocentscorp.com
Glenport Village is an idealistic town. The kind of place where the sheriff (literally) waves at everyone he passes. Glenport Village is also entirely composed of sex offenders. But don’t judge. Really, don’t. They’re all non-violent, non-rapists, and non-pedophiles just looking for acceptance again.
Unfortunately, the constructed peace of this town is interrupted by a brutal, bloody murder. A woman was stabbed to death and then dumped in her own bathtub in a cheerleaders outfit. Her husband found her and tried to revive her, leaving him covered in blood as well.
One couldn’t blame Lewis if she wanted to turn away from the BAU after this, and Hotch gives her an opportunity by informing her of a job she’s been offered. She, however, doesn’t want to leave. And, for the moment, her presence in her current position is essential, due to the extensive research she’s done on Glenport Village. Apparently, despite might what you might think, it really is a peaceful place. Somebody should tell the kids biking through there on a dare.
Our victim was a former high school teacher who was caught kissing a student, presumably consensually. She managed to get into Glenport Village (there’s an application process), where she met her husband. Reid and Morgan talk to him, and he does mention having a cheerleader fetish. But says he worked hard to keep it private with quickly deleted texts. Why? Because, shocking as it might be, it turns out there are a number of caveats to living in a place like this.
Probably the most major, as the reverend who formed the town explains, is that residents are implanted with a tracker when they move into Glenport Village. But there’s a caveat to that, too: after five years from their conviction, residents are able to have the chips removed. This means that if the killer is a resident of the town- which would seem likely to most, but which already seems potentially doubtful to our team- finding him is not going to be a measure where we get a free pass.
Rossi talks to the coroner and learns that our killer has experience. A neighbor of the dead woman named Randy does not seem remotely like an experienced killer. However, he does look suspicious, and in talking to him, Lewis and Morgan realize he’s a pedophile who managed to slip past the system. Meanwhile, we meet the sheriff’s kids- a teen girl named Riley and a younger boy named Tommy. Riley learns from a friend that there is a party in town. Can you see where this is going already?
Surprisingly, Riley persuades her father to let her go to the party, though it’s a decision that won’t last long. Another victim turns up- this one an actual cheerleader and just a high schooler herself. She was killed well outside of Glenport Village, poking holes in the theory that the killer is a resident. Still, we must look at the residents, specifically the non-tracked ones. Rossi takes a free moment to talk to Lewis about his own experiences, telling her to follow her heart.
The reverend is starting to wonder if Glenport Village is going to turn out to be a failed experiment that will get them all kicked out of their homes. Soon after, though, the team confirms their suspicions: the killer is not a resident at all. That doesn’t make anyone feel any more comfortable. The sheriff tells his kids they’re going to have to stay at the station overnight. Riley is particularly upset, but she relents- until her friend calls and offers to sneak her off to her party anyway.
I had wondered if this kid could be the killer, but no, he’s just a total creep. When he and Riley realize the party has already been shut down, he tries to lean in and kiss her. She pushes him away and he kicks her out of his car and tells her to walk home. You’d think she might take that as a sign, but when another teenager, Matt, finds her in his car and offers to give her a ride, she agrees. It backfires spectacularly when Matt knocks her unconscious and takes off.
Lewis has an idea to find the unsub. Our friend Randy struck up a relationship with the first woman largely so that he could watch Tommy, as the sheriff and his family were her neighbors. He would also watch for Tommy outside, seeing her home in the process. And he did see something the night of the murder- a car that looks like the one Matt just kidnapped Riley in. The sheriff’s recognizes Matt’s name at once. He’s their next door neighbor. And he has a thing for cheerleaders.
Say what you will about getting into a car with a random guy, but Riley is actually quite smart. When she wakes up tied to a chair in a cheerleader outfit, Matt holding a knife in one hand and a lamp he’s using to make her sweat in the other, she keeps her calm remarkably well. Matt says he killed the other victims because they didn’t do what he wanted. Riley says she will, so long as he takes her to the bedroom. He father’s bedroom, because they’re in her house. And that’s where the guns are kept.
Unfortunately, her plans breaks down the moment she puts it into action. She reaches for the gun too quickly and Matt manages to wrestle it from her as the BAU and sheriff arrive. What he does with it after that, I don’t know, because when they enter the house, he just has the knife to Riley’s throat again. Lewis offers to talk to him, but it’s only a ruse. The moment he pulls back, she shoots and kills him. She’s left shaken afterwards- it’s the first time she’s taken a life.
The incident reassures her of the difference she’s making in the BAU, but, as she tells Hotch, she also knows how important the job being offered to her is. He tells her that she can take it and still consult with the BAU. From the way the episode ends, I’m guessing that means we’ll be seeing a lot less of her, though she’ll still be a recurring character. The good news is that happens just in time for JJ’s return, which looks absolutely adorable (I’ll just ignore the terrifying rest of the upcoming episode for now)
One complaint about the episode, or, more specifically, how it was promoted. After seeing it, I can get behind the idea of Glenport Village. Not all sex offenders are created equal, and those who have simply flashed or peeped at someone are not on the same level as rapists or pedophiles. (Speaking of which, what is going to happen to Randy? Guess we’ll never know.) They deserve the chance to be accepted again, but society rarely gives them that. So a place where otherwise good people can try to piece together good lives again? I can behind that. And I can imagine what the residents have to deal with from the outside world. The problem is, the promo expressed exactly those critical views for the sake of making the episode look good- “OMG, a town full of sex offenders!” I came into the episode expecting a perverted, dangerous place. The plot itself seemed to promote understanding of these people, and by making the promo the way it was, the show took away from its own cause.
Next Week: Target Rich