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Criminal Minds Season 3 Episode 11

Birthright

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8.8

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 12/12/07

The new sheriff in Fredericksburg, Virginia, requests the BAU's assistance in the investigation of a series of mutilation murders that appear to mimic similar crimes that had occurred over two decades earlier.

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (13)

The nature vs nurture debate is a personal one for me.

9.2

By tellygirl, Nov 02, 2011

As I help raise my 6 year old nephew after he was beaten and abandoned by his mother when he was 2,the nature vs nurture debate is a personal one for me,I often worry that his genetics will play a more prominent role in his development than the fact that he is now in a safe and loving environment. This story shows 2 examples of sons who never knew their serial killer father and were raised by 2 different mothers,thankfully the emphasis was that nurture takes precedence over nature. The serial killer was typically creepy,recreating his father's MO,the fact that the victims were young women seemed to affect JJ,I think AJ Cook played her part beautifully,showing just the right amount of stress,quite subtle but still evident. Hotch being served divorce papers was sad,not many women marry heroes,but I suppose it was realistic from what I've read about divorce rates in law enforcement. All in all a good episode that makes you think.moreless
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More criminals with crazy minds to figure out and this definatly was one of those crazy episodes.

10

By Sagitariusbri86, Feb 19, 2011

Two sons with a crazy dad who in the past was doing horrible things to females and one of them was able to get away from that crazy dude and live on with a son she recieved through rape. The guys dies and later in the episode we find out that the dudes wife was the one who killed him. Now the BAU are on a new case with simiular past issues that that town has seen involved in before. The BAU quickly make the link to the children that was left behid by the dude and solve there case. I just was watching and glad to see that it wasn't both sons that was crazy but besides that another solved case for the BAU.moreless
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Really shows you what kind of minds are twisted!

9.6

By JPPT1974, Feb 19, 2011

This shows you what kind of minds are twisted out there as we see that the minds of serial killers are very sickened. As the BAU tries to stop murders that occur about 27 years ago. And that these two sons have a twisted dad who mutliated and brutally killed scores of people. This kind of reminds me of what Ted Bundy did. But fortunately, the BAU team stops the killings before they get anymore worse than they are. Glad to see them work with law enforcement and become a team. OK, Rossi is doing his best to become a team player. Though IMHO, he does have a long way to go I think. Sorry to see Hotch get served with divorce papers. Makes you feel for him as a human.moreless
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Great story.

9.1

By allways_ty, Feb 19, 2011

Girls are being abducted and then the first one missing if found in pieces. The killer may be a guy that has already killed in the past.

JJ has some kind of relation/problem with this case.

I missed penelope in this episode.

Overall was a pretty nice episode, drama, suspense, the whole thing.

The story was nice, killer dad, killer kid, not happened in both ways.

Was a very nice episode, like most of criminal minds, but i was hoping for a more exciting one, like that one from the adoptive brothers, that was an amazing episode, that one i will take a long time to forget.moreless
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An ok episode not special and really most of the promise it could've had was wasted. A wonderful story of a serial killer/rapist son who grows up to follow in his footsteps.moreless

8.5

By danharr, Feb 19, 2011

An ok episode not special and really most of the promise it could've had was wasted. A wonderful story of a serial killer/rapist son who grows up to follow in his footsteps. Made all the more odd by the fact that the killer never knew his father. This was a perfect opportunity to argue nature vs nurture but sadly it was let go. The episode turned into a typical find the psycho case and it's cast of odd characters. The promised JJ meltdown was nothing but at least we got some updates on Hotch's marital problems. A watchable episode but in all honesty a great premise that was allowed to fall flat.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

EDIT

Shemar Moore	SSA Derek Morgan
Joe Mantegna	Senior SSA David Rossi
Thomas Gibson	Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner
Matthew Gray Gubler	SSA Dr. Spencer Reid
Paget Brewster	SSA Emily Prentiss
A.J. Cook	SSA Jennifer "JJ" Jareau

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Nathan Sutton	Justin	Guest Star
Lacey Beeman	Molly McCarthy	Guest Star
Jesse Bernstein	Danny	Guest Star

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- When Rossi and John Caulfield visit Mary Wilkinson, there is a camera clearly visible on the right-hand side of the screen.
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QUOTES (11)
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- Rossi: I want to show you something. (removes charm bracelet from his pocket and shows it to Caulfield) I carry this wherever I go.
  John Caulfield: What, your kids?
  Rossi: Indianapolis. Christmas Eve. One of my first cases on the job. Three kids watched their parents get beaten to death. Every year I call to tell them I haven't forgotten, I'm still looking. Last year, not one of them bothered to return my call.
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- Reid: (about the unsub) He was killing animals - it's clear he was already having murderous impulses and finding this must have made him feel like it was okay, like it was almost his birthright.
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- Hotchner: You okay?
  JJ: If you stop caring, you're jaded. If you care too much, it'll ruin you.
  Hotchner: Just know that you did everything you could. Sometimes we get it right with a little luck, and most of the times we don't. That's the job. It's never perfect. It's still better to care.
  JJ: You really believe that?
  Hotchner: I believe it's never perfect.
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- Morgan: Who's up for a drink?
  Prentiss: Ooo! Who's up for five?
  Rossi: Count me in.
  Reid: I don't know…
  Morgan: Stop with the "I don't know," you're in, kid.
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- Morgan: Garcia's got something.
  Garcia: (over Morgan's phone) Don't worry, it's not contagious.
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- Hotchner: Ever since we had Jack I always dread it when you bring me a case involving kids.
  JJ: Why are you telling me this?
  Hotchner: Every case we work, every case we don't work, comes across your desk.
  JJ: Yeah.
  Hotchner: And most of the victims are women, and most of them are about your age. It's okay if you lose it every once in a while. It reminds people that we're human.
  JJ: You never lose it.
  Hotchner: Maybe I should have.
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- Rossi: You couldn't have solved that case. Your killer was dead.
  John Caulfield: Not to me.
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- Morgan: Madonna-whore complex. He couldn't touch his pure wife, so he had to find disposable girls.
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- John Caulfield: Legend around here says I'm crazy.
  Rossi: Well, I'm not big on legends.
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- JJ: Wordsworth wrote, "A simple child, that lightly draws its breath, and feels its life in every limb, what should it know of death?"
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- Hotchner: The American poet Anne Sexton once wrote, "It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was."
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NOTES (1)
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- The song in the opening scene was "Where the Devil Don't Stay" by Drive-By Truckers. The unsub played "Honky Tonk Women" by the Rolling Stones, "Skin and Bones" by JET played during the second abduction, and "Decoration Day" by Drive-By Truckers was the song at the end.
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- Morgan: BTK resurfaced after 27 years.
  Dennis Rader killed 10 people between 1974 and 1991, and sent letters to the police after the crimes signed, "BTK," which stood for, "Bind, Torture, Kill." He dropped out of sight for several years and was arrested in 2005 after he resumed sending the letters. He pleaded guilty and is currently serving a life sentence.
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