The BAU gets involved with a local murder in Georgetown due to the disturbing nature of the crime: the victim is a girl, Kelly, who was taken captive for three days and killed. When her body is found dumped in an alley, the police are astonished to find that her lips have been cut off.
When another girl, Penny, is abducted from Union Station, UnSub Rhett's pattern begins again. We learn more about the killer, and it becomes clear that his actions are connected to the recent death of his mother: he's even kept her body propped up in a wheelchair in their home. The UnSub has lived with his mother his whole life and has always done what she tells him; he's never really developed as an adult. His mother was an actress, though she only had one significant role in a film from the 1950's. It was shot on location in the Georgetown locales he's now using in his abductions and murders. She was obsessed with the glamour and stardom of that era, and had her son take part in her delusions.
The team – with Garcia playing a key role – must put together the pieces all while the UnSub tortures his new victim for three days…but time is running out. Using surveillance footage from Union Station and Garcia's research, the team has narrowed down the UnSub's location to a specific neighborhood, but going door-to-door would take days. Instead, they decide to use the UnSub's obsession with media and fame to lure him out. The BAU and police host a press conference which they know Rhett will watch. Then, at the end, they stage a phony interruption, saying they have the address of the killer. With cops patrolling the streets, our team is able to take down Rhett and save Penny when he attempts to flee.
