Plot

The team searches a gated community for a killer who has strangled several women.

Oak Tree Hills is a security monitored gated community located in Las Cruces, New Mexico. In the span of two months, three women have been strangled to death in their home in Oak Tree Hills, each successive murder being more brazen in that other household members were within closer proximity when the murder occurred. With the latest murder, security showed no non-residents on site, meaning that a resident is the unsub. Because the community is homogeneous, an unsub profile is somewhat meaningless. As such, Hotch and Rossi enlist the assistance of an FBI cadet, Agent Ashley Seaver, who may be able to shed some light from another perspective as she is the daughter of a serial killer who murdered twenty-five women before she reached age twenty. Hotch and Rossi make it clear to her that she is only acting as a consultant and is in no way to take action without the approval of someone on the team. Det. Felix Ruiz, the Las Cruces police detective assigned to the case who happens to also live in the community, and the community's security chief, Harvey Brinkman, are among the suspect list of seventy-one men. As the team amasses evidence, Seaver stumbles onto some behavior which may prove useful in determining the identity of the unsub.—Huggo

We open on a scorpion approaching the brick wall of a model-home unit in New Mexico. Foreshadowing? You betcha. A blonde woman types at her computer when she hears a noise outside. She rises and looks out the window ... and a wire is suddenly thrown around her throat.

CUT to BAU headquarters, where Hotch explains that three women have been strangled inside the same gated community during the last two months. Rossi, meanwhile, watches cadet training at FBI headquarters. A certain young woman, agent Ashley Seaver, clearly excels beyond the rest of the trainees. "I know you're too busy to just visit," she says.

Sure enough, Rossi brings Seaver to Hotch, who explains that the unsub likely lives in the complex ... and has children. Should the team be looking for certain signs in the neighborhood kids? "Give me 15 minutes. I have a change of clothes.", she says. Hotch says that he doesn't intend to bring her into the field with them, he just wanted to ask her some questions. "I don't think I can tell you what to look for without seeing the families for myself," Seaver says. We then learn that Seaver's father killed 25 women before she was a teenager -- so the lady probably knows her stuff. Hotch agrees to let her come along but as she is not to do anything on her own.

Seaver will join the team for the trip to New Mexico as a "consultant." Explains Rossi: "She has a unique perspective." Seaver then tells the rest of the team about her disturbing family history. "Her father was a serial killer?" Emily asks. She is clearly not thrilled. The BAU squad soon arrives at the model-home complex and meets Detective Manny Ruiz, who also happens to live in the neighborhood. That bit of info causes Hotch to raise an eyebrow. Later, Rossi notes that psychopaths love "official jobs" and uniforms. Hmm.

Emily, in the meantime, interviews resident and recent widower Drew Jacobs, who is ANGRY that the police have no leads. He calms down long enough to explain that the killer came in through the garage. Apparently, garage doors in the neighborhood have only five unique codes. Later, Reid shows particular interest in Seaver, who admits that she doesn't know a whole lot about her father's case. The boy wonder is apparently smitten with the temporary team member.

CUT to the neighborhood church, where the BAU team has called a town meeting. "We're hoping someone may have seen something but doesn't even know it," Hotch tells the townsfolk. Seavers, meanwhile, scans the crowd, looking for signs in the children. "If anything, my father was over solicitous -- too nice," she explains to Emily. "He was terrified someone would take me." She then says that her father would buy her gifts, but refused to purchase a pet. "It could be something," Hotch says. Reid notes that 18 men didn't show up for the meeting. Hotch suggests finding out if the names on the no-show list own a pet. Suddenly, a cop shows up with bad news: there has been another murder.

Emily and Seavers go through the files of men who didn't show up for the meeting -- and are interrupted by security guard Harvey Brinkman, who was among the 18. Though creepy, he offers to provide the pet information. Later, Seavers visits the home of Drew Jacobs. She explains that when the killer is caught, he is likely to have a family -- and that family will also be devastated. "They would do anything for things to be different," she says. "I just want to apologize for them." Jacobs then invites Seavers inside. Dun, dun, dun!

Elsewhere, Hotch suggests "starting over" -- i.e. ignoring the profiling work done by Ruiz and investigating all 71 male residents of the neighborhood. Ruiz had previously discarded four files: himself and the husbands of the three victims. That might have been a mistake as Garcia discovers Jacobs has a few assault charges in his background. Ruiz admits that Jacobs was his prime suspect until his wife became victim number 3. Meanwhile, Seavers begins to suspect that Jacobs might be the killer as he continually inquires how Seavers knows how the killer's family will feel.

Hotch then calls Seavers, who keeps her cool in front of the possible unsub and explains that she can't leave the house because she is keeping Jacobs' little girl company. Hotch reads into the response and immediately hangs up. "Jacobs has her and she has no gun," Hotch tells the team. "Let's go!" Jacobs, in the meantime, pulls a knife on Seavers, who begs the man to let his daughter leave. "If you let her see this, she will never forgive you," Seavers cries. She then explains that her father was a murderer. "He was like you -- he was a serial killer," she says. "I know how tired you are ... I watched him try so hard to be a good father, but in the end, he just couldn't stop the other thing."

Jacobs' daughter pleads with him to put down the knife. "Do you hate him?" Jacobs asks Seavers. The aspiring agent doesn't answer. Just then, Hotch charges into the room with gun drawn. Crying, Jacobs apologizes to his daughter -- and then charges Hotch, who FIRES. Jacobs falls to the ground ... dead. Seavers cries as she retreats to a squad car. Later, the team flies home and Hotch gently admonishes Seavers for putting the entire team at risk for going off alone to apologize to Jacobs. "I won't do it again," she says. Retorts a saddened Hotch: "No you won't." Seavers then tells Rossi that, as much as she wants to and tried to, she doesn't hate her serial-killer papa. "No matter what else he is, he's your father," Rossi says. "You're not responsible for the things he did." Seavers nods. "Thank you," she says.