1.15 Unfinished BusinessThis is a featured page

Season: 1 Episode # 15 Original Air Date: March 1, 2006



Unfinished Business


Synopsis:
A serial killer reappears after 18 years of silence and contacts the BAU through Gideon's retired mentor, Max Ryan, who had made his life's work tracking the killer, with the promise he will kill another victim in the next five days.

Best Moments Between Characters:
  • On the plane home, Elle and Hotch have a heart-to-heart about how he balances a wife and child with work. He tells her that when he's home, he makes his family his priority and when he's at work, the job is his priority. He tells her that the job would eat her up if she let it but to find a way to not let that happen.
  • When Gideon talks to Ryan about how things have changed and their is a whole team of great FBI agents waiting to help him, he just needs to let them in.

Best Lines:
  • Max Ryan: "Is there anything worse than cop-shop coffee?"
    Gideon: "Day-old cop-shop doughnuts."

The turning point in the investigation:
When Ryan realizes that the reason the unsub changed his methodology is not because he wanted to but because he had to. They are able to pin down that he had an accident and Garcia pulls up records, leading them to Walter Kern.

Whodunit?
Walter Kern, who was dubbed "The Keystone Killer" and known for the intricate knots he tied on the ropes of his victims hands. He was responsible for killing seven women by strangling them with his bare hands and using a rope but he suddenly stopped. He began again 18 years later but the team didn't know why he had changed his methodology to hitting the victim over the head, suffocating them with a plastic bag and binding them with flex cuffs.

They profiled the unsub and realized he had been injured and came up with Walter Kern's name. He had been in the military and recently had been installing home alarms, with another unsub, Scott Harbin. Eighteen years earlier, he had been on his way to kill Carla Bromwell when he was involved in a car accident which left him with minimal use of his right arm. He resurfaced and began to kill again 18 years later, but used a different method due to his injury. The victims he went after were originally targeted 18 years prior and he was finishing his "unfinished business".


Goofs:
  • In the beginning, Max Ryan stated it had been 18 years since "The Keystone Killer" had killed. Later when the team regrouped at the BAU to get briefed, Morgan said it had been 20 years.
  • There were also inaccuracies when they claim the unsub's right side was affected by his injuries, yet it was his left side that appeared affected and his right side was stronger
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#1hotchfan Unfinished Business inaccuracies 6 Apr 4 2008, 9:01 AM EDT by TiffanyQ
Thread started: Dec 30 2007, 5:17 PM EST  Watch
I just finished watching "Unfinished Business" again and noticed quite a lot of inaccuracies.

First, throughout the episode; they keep switching the timelines. Max Ryan states it's been 18 years since "The Keystone Killer" has killed; Morgan and Hotch refer to it as 20 years but later, one says 20 years, the other says 18 years. It is a bit confusing.

Also they refer to Walter Kern's injuries stating that he had a severed nerve in his spine, affecting his right side and limiting use of it. However, throughout the episode, it is his left side he favors and his right side/hand and arm that he uses to hold the gun and bag his victims heads.

The other curious thing is; if Max Ryan is a retired BAU Agent; yet he goes in with the team to take down Scott Harbin and he's got a gun, vest and he's wired. Normally, wouldn't he be considered a civilian and be asked to remain outside until they've secured the house? Later when they go to Walter Kern's house, he and Gideon knock on the door and neither has their kevlar's on; but they show them later going to the latest victim's house and both are wearing their kevlars.

Last thing; rewatching this episode... the character of Max Ryan reminded me a LOT of Rossi. Both stubborn, think they are right, solo acts and have to relearn to work with a team. They are abrupt to the team members, to the point of offending them but they do come around. It's amazing the similarities between Rossi and Ryan....

Thoughts anyone?
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