TV.com

Criminal Minds Season 1 Episode 6

L.D.S.K.

Favorite

Watched It I've Watched This 6

Next
Episode Previous
Episode

9.2

User Rating

598 votes

Your Rating: 10
Your Rating: 9.5
Your Rating: 9
Your Rating: 8.5
Your Rating: 8
Your Rating: 7.5
Your Rating: 7
Your Rating: 6.5
Your Rating: 6
Your Rating: 5.5
Your Rating: 5
Your Rating: 4.5
Your Rating: 4
Your Rating: 3.5
Your Rating: 3
Your Rating: 2.5
Your Rating: 2
Your Rating: 1.5
Your Rating: 1

Rate Now

EPISODE REVIEWS
By TV.com Users

Write A Review

Episode Summary

EDIT

AIRED: 11/2/05

The BAU is asked to identify a killer who is shooting at victims in broad daylight, and the team works with local law enforcement officers to recreate one of the shootings.

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (18)

Long Distance Serial Killer

9.5

By 7dixob, Aug 28, 2012

So far the best episode of the season which shows a LDSK shooting people but only wounding them so he can revive them but with some dying.It is said at the beginning that they have only caught 1 LDSK with a profile which makes things harder for the BAU.It gets even harder when Hotch and Reed are held hostage by the LDSK and Reed who had earlier on in the episode failed his shooting practice saves the day when he kills the killer.A really good episode overall just missing out on a ten.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
1 0

Flag
Share Hide
Specifically, does the unsub lack the skill to make the head shot, or simply the will to take it?

9.0

By Finnegan77, Feb 13, 2012

Skill v. Will. Does it make sense that Dr. Reid can’t hit the broad side of a barn with his hand gun on the shooting range at the beginning of this episode, and then makes a perfect head shot while under duress at the end? Only if the issue is not about his shooting ability, but about his frame of mind.

Clearly, to even become an FBI Field Agent, Reid would have been subject to many, many firearms qualifications both in the academy and periodically as he served the bureau. He must have passed them before – even before the last one where he “barely qualified.” So, what has changed for the young genius? We can only assume it is field work itself – seeing the bodies, the wounds and the deaths around him. Reid is cerebral, and, up until this point, he may have been able to see these firearms tests as an intellectual exercise – yet another test he must pass. But once he’s been in the field, his actions are no longer academic – they have become bloody and vivid and real. When you shoot them, people die.

So, if it is not his skill in question, as Hotch states so well, his will is. Is he willing to kill, and if so, in what circumstances? Can he kill to save himself? Can he kill to save another? It is not Reid’s marksmanship that is developed in this episode, but his makeup, and he learns that putting a bullet between someone’s eyes is not, after all, just a measure of one’s shooting ability, but a measure of one’s character. Reid has learned many things from Hotch and Gideon over the years, but some things one just has to figure out for oneself.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
6 0

Flag
Share Hide
Long Distance Serial Killer. Awesome episode!

10

By Sami5118, Oct 16, 2011

In this episode, the BAU is asked to identify a killer who is shooting his victims in broad daylight. The whole team ( not including Garcia) is sent to Illinois to investigate the three shootings that have happened in the past three weeks. All the people that were shot were shot in the abdomen, and only one of them died. They figure out that the shooter is experienced and that he shoots from far away ( hence the name Long Distance Serial Killer), and that he commits his crimes during shift changes- more specifically, shift changes at one of the hospitals. They eventually figure out that the serial killer worked at the hospital that the victims were brought to. The killer holds Reid and Hotch hostage in the hospital and Reid ends up shooting him dead.

Overall, I think that this was one of my favorites and definately one of the best of the season.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
2 1

Flag
Share Hide
Long Distance Serial Killer. Terrific and sublime episode!

10

By amazing_race, Oct 16, 2011

'Criminal Minds' continues to produce episodes of an exceptionally high calibre. Even though we are still in the wshow's early stages, it is still producing terrific episoes, which are highly memorable!

This episode was clearly no exception, and I really enjoyed the concept of a 'long fdistance serial killer'. It was a nice change from anything we've seen in the first five aepisodes.

I thought the end scenes, with Hotchner and Reid being held hostage, were magnificently done! It was a prime example of the show's core concept of profiling, and it showed the concept of how well a profile may be utilised by the BAU to beat an unsub, even when the unsub has a massive gun and every desire to pull the trigger.

Subliem episode! Great work by the actors, particularly Hotchner and Reid in the episode! It was sublime acting and I would highly recommend this episode!moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
4 1

Flag
Share Hide
An L.D.S.K. (long distance serial killer) keeps the team busy in this episode as Reid fails his firearms test and wonders if he will ever be permitted to carry a gun?moreless

8.0

By Lady_Lancaster, May 22, 2011

I enjoyed this episode but I admit that I was bugged by the problems that Reid was having with his firearms qualification. After all, whilst training at Quantico and obviously before joining the BAU, he certainly would have had to be able to perform more than adequately with a weapon and yet he is still not able to shoot accurately while, at the same time, being sent out into the field.

Meanwhile, in Des Plaines, Illinois, a sniper who is so as accurate as Reid is hopeless is on the loose. The strange thing is, he only wounds and does not kill his victims and it soon becomes obvious that the L.D.S.K. intends for it to be that way. The profile and the marksman's accuracy lead the team to deduce that he is somehow connected to law enforcement or an area where top-notch shooting is required.

When the killer has Reid and Hotch in a 'kill or be killed' situation, Reid comes through, putting a bullet right between the man's eyes. The fact that he was aiming for his leg is immaterial and Hotch declares that the young man has passed his firearms test in a way that is good enough for him.

Great to see the spotlight on Dr. Reid because, as we know, he soon becomes one of the most popular and beloved characters on the show.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
3 3

Flag
Share Hide

See All Fan Reviews

Cast & Crew: STARS

EDIT

A.J. Cook	SSA Jennifer "JJ" Jareau
Lola Glaudini	SSA Elle Greenaway
Mandy Patinkin	Senior SSA Jason Gideon
Matthew Gray Gubler	SSA Dr. Spencer Reid
Shemar Moore	SSA Derek Morgan
Thomas Gibson	Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner

See All Cast & Crew

Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

EDIT

Carmen Mormino	Jerry Middleton	Guest Star
Cullen Kirkland	Adam Middleton	Guest Star
Paula Newsome	Detective Shea Calvin	Guest Star
Kirsten Vangsness	Analyst Penelope Garcia	Recurring Role

See All Cast & Crew

Watch Online

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

FILTER BY TYPE

TRIVIA (8)
ADD TRIVIA
- This was the first episode in which someone other than Gideon presented the voiceover quotation.
  EDIT SHARE
- It is revealed that Hotch was part of SWAT.
  EDIT SHARE
- It would have been very difficult for Reid to have fired the shot that hit Phillip Dowd straight through the head because Reid was lying on the ground and the unsub was standing up.
  EDIT SHARE
- When Hotch asks Reid if he can see the trunk of the sniper car, Reid replies that he can see it. Then Hotch asks if he could see it pop right after it pops open, and Reid says he didn't see that. How could he have known if the trunk had popped if he couldn't see it.
  EDIT SHARE
- Hotchner: I know you shot 11 people in broad daylight
  
  Hotch had this wrong. Dowd only shot 10 people. He shot one at the first crime scene, two at the next, and three at the park and restaurant. He then finally shot the cop, which equals only 10 people. Surprisingly, Sergeant Weigart got it right by saying Dowd shot 10 people when he was talking to Gideon.
  EDIT SHARE
- L.D.S.K. stands for "Long Distance Serial Killer."
  EDIT SHARE
- We learn that Reid went to public school in Las Vegas and was bullied in school.
  EDIT SHARE
- During the outside cafe shooting scene, the sound of the gunshot is suppressed when the first woman is shot, but it wasn't for the other people.
  EDIT SHARE
QUOTES (13)
ADD QUOTES
- Garcia: (answering the phone) Rainmaker. How wet do you want it?
  EDIT SHARE
- Reid: You were right. You don't need a gun to kill somebody.
  Gideon: No, you don't.
  Reid: But it helps.
  EDIT SHARE
- Hotchner: Nice shot.
  Reid: I was aiming for his leg.
  Hotchner: Well, I wouldn't have kept kicking, but I was afraid you didn't get my plans.
  Reid: I got your plan the minute you moved the hostages out of my line of fire.
  Hotchner: Well, I hope I didn't hurt you too badly.
  Reid: Hotch, I was a 12-year-old child prodigy in a Las Vegas public high school. You kick like a nine-year-old girl.
  EDIT SHARE
- Dr. Landman: You're considering me a suspect.
  Gideon: Yes.
  Dr. Landman: Well, that's disconcerting. I heard what happened to your last suspect.
  EDIT SHARE
- Elle: Reid failed his qualification.
  Gideon: He can retest in two weeks.
  Elle: Yeah, but he's gonna be embarrassed, so let's not mention it.
  Gideon: Yeah, let's not.
  Morgan: Not a word. (Reid enters the room) Hey, We're all here for you. I'm serious. If you ever need anything… (places a whistle around Reid's neck and blows on it) …just blow on that.
  EDIT SHARE
- Hotchner: (about the FBI knowing the killer was in the hospital) They knew he was in here, they knew he was armed and dangerous, and they knew he was going to fight 'til the last round. And they sent me in here with an unarmed kid who can't shoot his way out of a wet paper bag.
  EDIT SHARE
- Det. Calvin: So what's the profile on one of these guys?
  Gideon: Arrogant, conceited, feels superior to everyone around them.
  Det. Calvin: (laughing) You've just described every surgeon I've ever met.
  EDIT SHARE
- Morgan: (to Garcia on his cell phone) Yeah... Morgan.
  Garcia: Isn't this spooky?
  Morgan: Isn't what spooky?
  Garcia: That right now you were thinking about me, and out of the blue your phone rings? And it's me. Huh? How's that for a spiritual connection?
  Morgan: Umm… Do I know you?
  Garcia: Why do you hurt me? (Morgan laughs)
  EDIT SHARE
- Reid: I know I should feel bad about what happened. I mean... I killed a man. You know, I should feel something. But I don't.
  Gideon: Well, not knowing what you feel, that's not the same as not feeling anything. This is gonna hit you and, when it does, there's only three facts you need to know. You did what you had to do and a lot of good people are alive because of what you did.
  Reid: What's the third?
  Gideon: I'm proud of you.
  EDIT SHARE
- Gideon: I don't care if you carry a gun or not. Deadliest weapon we have is a thorough and accurate profile.
  Reid: Of course, you believe that.
  Gideon: Footpath Killer... he had a shotgun to the back of my head. I'm here, he's not.
  EDIT SHARE
- Elle: What do we call them then?
  Hotchner: L.D.S.K.
  Reid: Long Distance Serial Killers.
  Elle: How many of these guys have we caught using a profile?
  Gideon: None.
  EDIT SHARE
- Hotchner: Shakespeare wrote, "Nothing is so common-place as the wish to be remarkable."
  EDIT SHARE
- Gideon: Nietzsche wrote, "The irrationality of a thing is not an argument against its existence, rather, a condition of it."
  EDIT SHARE
NOTES (3)
ADD NOTES
- The closing quote in this episode is misattributed. It was not William Shakespeare who wrote "Nothing is so common-place as to wish to be remarkable." This was written by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
  EDIT SHARE
- Marcus Giamatti and Timothy Omundson played together in Judging Amy for several years.
  EDIT SHARE
- The song heard at the closing was "Tears and Rain" by James Blunt.
  EDIT SHARE
ALLUSIONS (2)
ADD ALLUSIONS
- Gideon says they are dealing with "a hero killer," someone who endangers people so they can save them and appear heroic. Reid names hospital nurse Richard Angelo as an example. Angelo gave patients paralyzing drugs and put them into respiratory arrest so that he could earn praise for reviving them or attempting to do so. He worked at Good Samaritan Hospital in Long Island, New York.
  EDIT SHARE
- Hotchner: (about the LDSK's vehicle) Like the Beltway Sniper, it's probably a sedan.
  
  The Beltway Snipers, who terrorized Washington and Maryland for months in 2002, traveled in a blue Chevy Caprice. Their names are John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo. When a police officer jokes about the LDSK driving a white van, this is also a Beltway Sniper reference. The sniper was erroneously reported to be driving a white van at one point during the killing spree.
  EDIT SHARE