Haunted
Directed by Jon Cassar
Written by Erica Messer
A psychotic man goes off his meds to remember his repressed memories. The memories that return to him are those of extreme abuse, and he logically wants his meds back, but the pharmacy won't give him any since his prescription is out of refills, so he does the only thing he can and stabs someone to death.Written by Erica Messer
Hotchner: Emily Dickinson wrote, "One need not be a chamber to be haunted. One need not be a house. The brain has corridors surpassing material places."
Tropes present in this episode:
- Flashback: Darrin has flashbacks to his experiences being kidnapped by the Hollow Creek killer in The '70s.
- Innocently Insensitive: Inverted. Reid, who often plays this trope perfectly straight, says to Hotch that he doesn't remember how long he's had his leg in a cast, since he got shot in the leg the day after Hotch was assaulted. Reid normally keeps track of exact dates and times when things happened, but doesn't want to remind Hotch of how he got his own injuries.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Darrin, after being off his medication, recovers memories that show that his father was the Hollow Creek killer, and confronts him.
- No Medication for Me: Darrin went off his antipsychotic meds (with the approval of his psychiatrist) in order to access repressed childhood memories. These memories end up being much worse than anyone had imagined, causing him to snap and go on a killing spree.
- Police Are Useless: The local police contact is particularly unhelpful this episode, portrayed as unintelligent and borderline antagonistic.
- Hotchner: "There is no witness so dreadful, no accuser so terrible, as the conscience that dwells in the heart of every man." Polybius.
