The Longest Night
Written & Directed by Edward Allen Bernero
Having killed detective Spicer and abducted his young daughter, the "Prince of Darkness" (Tim Curry), so-called because he times his murders to city-wide blackouts, tries to bond with the child he sees himself in.Provides examples of:
- A God Am I: Billy believes this because he decides who lives and who dies.
- Break Them by Talking/Brutal Honesty: While JJ explains the supposed role of a real mother to Billy, she quickly admits that while she's supposed to empathize with him, she can't and quickly changes her tone to be calling him out. He realizes that she actually does have a point and lets Ellie go, but takes other hostages instead.
- Closest Thing We Got: It's not quite a Field Promotion, but Hotch tells JJ she's a hostage negotiator for this case.
- Failed a Spot Check: Billy didn't check if the family of his soon-to-be victims had more than one son, and that's what ultimately saves the mother's life.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Billy's insistence on trying to brainwash Ellie into becoming his accomplice doesn't work. Instead, she spends the episode rebelling against him and foiling his plans because he killed her father and mortally injured her aunt.Billy: Why'd you do this? We were gonna—Ellie: I told you, we're not a team!
- Hostage Situation: Ellie was the hostage at first, but then it became a young couple after he let her go.
- Important Haircut: Ellie has her hair forcibly shortened by Billy to make them fit the police description less. It's also when she becomes less of a hostage and more rebellious against him.
- Kick the Dog: For the first half of the episode, Morgan lashes out at Garcia after failing to save Matt, much to the shock of the other members of the BAU.
- Matricide: Billy as his first kill, on top of her being a Disposable Sex Worker.
- Multiple Gunshot Death: Billy, given by Morgan.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: JJ spends most of the episode trying to get in control of the emergency response system.
- Torches and Pitchforks: A heroic variation. When Ellie tells one of the brothers to run and tell the neighbors about the Prince of Darkness being in his house, the neighbors grab whatever they had available to charge him.
- Villainous Breakdown: Starts happening to Billy after Ellie foils his plans.
- Jareau: "A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden." The Buddha.
