Machismo
Directed by Guy Norman Bee
Written by Aaron Zelman & Andrew Wilder
Written by Aaron Zelman & Andrew Wilder
Hotchner: Anthony Brandt wrote, "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family."
The BAU are asked to assist in a case in Mexico. An UnSub who murders elderly women in their homes is the same one who rapes young women at knifepoint, and the former are the mothers of the latter. He masquerades as female to gain the women's trust, but is cis.
This episode provides examples of:
- Action Girl: The UnSub switched from raping young women to killing old women after one of the former — a trained kickboxer — literally kicked his ass. She returns to do it again and castrate him when he tries to go after her mother.
- Anvilicious: Foreign cops should trust profiling and rapists should be castrated.
- Artistic License – Linguistics: The solution to the case hinges on comparing the maiden names of murder victims and the surnames of the rape victims... but maiden names don't exist in Mexico.
- As Long as It Sounds Foreign: The episode reveals that Elle is fluent in Spanish. However, any fluent Spanish speaker can see that she's actually not. Nor is whoever wrote the Mexican newspaper she reads from.
- As You Know: After interviewing the rape victims, the team summarize what they all just learned to each other.
- Beware the Nice Ones: The UnSub poses as a (female) nurse to gain entrance to his victims's homes and has a nice chat and drink before murdering them.
- Bilingual Bonus: The episode is set in Mexico. Elle speaks Spanish. Reid, not so much.
- Blood from the Mouth: The UnSub has this the last time he is seen, implying he won't make it.
- Creator's Culture Carryover: Ironically, in an episode that is all about the additional challenges of catching a serial killer outside the US is... the resolution ends hinging on maiden names, which is something that actually does not exist in Mexico.
- Depraved Homosexual: Subverted. A victim's son and his boyfriend are both suspected, but innocent. It's discussed when Navarro asks about the killer's sexual orientation, and Gideon notes a gay killer would target men.
- Developing Nations Lack Cities: Despite having loose similarities with the Mataviejitas of Mexico City (the largest city in North America) and the Rostov Ripper (oldest city in Russia), the episode's case takes place in a fictional small town.
- Disguised in Drag: The UnSub dresses in drag in order to get close to his victims. It is explicitly noted that the UnSub is not a transvestite.
- Eagle Land: It's discussed by the team that other countries tend to act as if serial killers are a uniquely American phenomenon... generally just by classifying their serial killers with some other name or refusing to acknowledge their existence.
- Foreshadowing: While questioning Rosa, the BAU notices how personal her talk of shame sounds, almost like she's talking about herself instead of her brother.
- Formula-Breaking Episode: The team profiles a serial killer in a foreign country — with different means and attitudes towards crime and profiling.
- Groin Attack: The UnSub gets castrated with a knife by a mob of his former rape victims.
- Hilarious in Hindsight: The episode was written while the Mataviejitas case was still unsolved. The writers's guess that the killer was a submissive misogynist man with mommy issues turned to be bad profiling itself when it was discovered that the Mataviejitas was actually a woman. This would also have been a much more memorable twist.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Implied. The UnSub is the antithesis of the "Machismo" that gives the episode its title, and is driven to rape and murder to make up for it. After raping a woman, he'll ask if he did it well.
- It's Always Día de los Muertos in Mexico: Naturally, the episode takes place during the Day of the Dead. Reid even gives a brief explanation on its meaning and cultural significance.
- Lampshade Hanging: Elle points out that no one ever expects the killer to be a woman.
- Macho Latino: Deconstructed. This mentality is one of the main reasons why Police Are Useless in this specific occasion.
- Freudian Excuse: The UnSub keeps his mother's corpse in front of the TV at home. It's not stated but there seems to be an implication that she abused him and that his issues come from that.
- No Woman's Land: Zig-Zagged. Women are being obviously murdered by a serial killer while the government insists there is none, and they won't report being raped because the police doesn't listen to them... but the people are said to revere their mothers and the highest government official we see is a woman.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: The attorney general, who initially is more interested in denying that the murders are the work of a serial killer.
- Old Friend: Captain Navarro met Gideon in a seminar, which is why he asks him personally for help with the case.
- Police Are Useless: Played with, the police are portrayed as trying their best but not able to handle a serial killer. Not helped that the government insists it's not the work of a serial killer.
- Rage Against the Reflection: The UnSub breaks a mirror after putting on lipstick and testing his voice.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: The UnSub is revealed to be a former rapist; and is killing the mothers of his former rape victims to boot.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Zig-Zagged with Captain Navarro. The only one who thinks the murders are a serial killing spree at first and is willing to listen to Gideon, but he also misinterprets (or ignores) him when he rounds up a bunch of transvestites as suspects, and refuses to believe a woman about her rape (which turns out to be the piece to identify the UnSub).
- Ripped from the Headlines: Inspired by Juana Barraza, but written at a time when Barraza was still unidentified and at large. Several aspects of the UnSub are instead taken from Andrei Chikatilo, who is directly referenced.
- Sissy Villain: The UnSub dresses, puts on makeup, and acts like a woman during his crime sprees.
- South of the Border: Neither the script nor the stock footage leave Mexico in a good place, that's for sure. At least, it can be argued that the place is rural Mexico and not Mexico City like in the Mataviejitas case.
- Spiritual Successor: The spin-off Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders is basically this episode turned into a whole series.
- Uncertain Doom: It is not stated if the UnSub will survive, but seeing the general disinterest on his well being it's probably not the case.
- Vigilante Execution: The UnSub is castrated by his former victims, possibly fatally.
- Vacation Episode: In a way. The team goes to Mexico and works apparently for free just to make a favor to Navarro and Gideon.
- Where the Hell Is Springfield?: The episode is set in a small town in Mexico, but there is no indication to where in Mexico.
- Hotchner: Mexican proverb. "The house does not rest upon the ground but upon a woman."
