FBI: Most Wanted welcomed back an old face in their new episode.
After being away visiting her sick mother, Hana (Keisha Castle-Hughes) made her return in time to track a deadly new killer while adjusting to some new dynamics. That included the sudden absence of Crosby and new member Kristin Gaines joining up.
A deadly blaze erupts
Unhinged began with Hana arriving home, relaying to roommate Zadie that her sister was now taking care of her ill mother. She was affected by Crosby being gone as Zadie said he was now recovering in Oklahoma and she was going to stay with him.
In Allentown, Pennsylvania, Ramon Raos (Carlos Andrickson) pulled up to a bowling alley where William Duncan (Gregory Perri) let him and his son Michael (Liam Nixon Cesar) inside to fix a broken pinball machine.
In a car, a man (Tim DeKay) watched as a couple entered a side room to the bowling alley/arcade. The couple proceeded to pour gasoline around the kitchen area and when William found him, the woman (Dana Berger) claimed they were “here to help you.”
She was shocked when her partner (Danny Amboyer) shot William when he tried to call the cops. Finding Ramon and Michael inside, the man shot them too to the woman’s horror. He then set fire to the kitchen as the woman moaned, “this wasn’t the plan.”
A mortally wounded William saw the stranger from the car just absently playing pinball, ignoring the fire. He entered the name “Sicarius” into the scoreboard before nonchalantly stepping over William’s body to leave through the burning kitchen.
The next morning, the team was happy to see Hana join them at the crime scene, with Gaines introducing herself. William was still alive as they found the pinball clue odd, with Sicarius being the name of a poisonous spider.
Anna Raos (Bethany Lauren James) was devastated by the loss of her husband and son and felt guilty over being at a “girl’s night” during it. Her words made her realize the UnSub left the message behind.
In his hospital room, William was with his father Fred (Clarke Thorell), the owner of the successful bowling alley/arcade/fun center chain. He was hesitant about anyone going after the family, but William confessed he was a recovering gambling addict and had “relapsed” from a $200,000 debt.
As they prepared their car in an alley, the couple was confronted by “Sicarius,” who relayed the irony that he had gone to the bowling alley to kill William only to stumble onto the pair turning a simple arson into murder.
He then followed them to Fred’s home to watch him pay the two off. The man tried to run, but Sicarius pulled a gun on them both.
A deadlier killer is on the hunt
Finding video footage of the car used, the team identified the couple as ex-firefighter Todd Carter and former dispatcher Dana Berger. They also looked up Pat McKendrick (Thomas Belgrey), the local loan shark William had borrowed money from who said Fred had promised to pay off William’s debts and killing William would cost McKendrick money.
Jess and Barnes talked to Carter’s former firefighter chief, who revealed Todd was fired for stealing money from a fundraiser, with Vicky quitting in solidarity. The team deduced Fred hired Todd and Vicky to torch the place for the insurance, only they never counted on people being there and it all went sideways.
Sicarius followed an elderly couple to their home. When he said he and the wife, Sally Wiggins (Geraldine Leer) had worked together, she was horrified to realize who he was. Sicarius shot her husband with Sally begging for her life as “I was young then.” After seemingly ready to let her go, Sicarius beat her with a fireplace poker.
As Jess and Barnes mused about Fred being on the run, they got the report of the murder and checked out the scene, which included the bodies of Todd and Vicky in the car’s trunk.
William was shocked to realize his debt caused six deaths and had no idea who the Wiggins were. He shared that maybe Fred was searching for William’s sister, Rachel, who left home 15 years earlier and had never spoken to the family since.
At a hotel, Fred was shaken to see the news about the Wiggins’ murder and a text message threatening to “tell the world the truth about Sally Wiggins” if Fred didn’t pay up.
As Hana got to know Gaines a bit better, she found Sally had been known as Sally Hamish, who had a secret account paying her $250,000 a year over three decades…all sent by Frank’s father, who had died years before.
At an alley, Fred met Sicarius, shocked to recognize him with Sicarius saying, “time to make up for lost time.”
Who is Sicarius?
Hana claimed to be okay with Crosby gone, but Barnes sensed she was unsure yet assured Hana she’d like Gaines. Gaines entered to report Fred’s car was found in a rough part of Philadelphia.
A search revealed the payments to Sally began in 1986 after a 13-year old girl was raped and murdered at the Duncan house. Sally, the housekeeper at the time, was the chief witness for the prosecution, which convicted tutor Angelo Carpenter aka Sicarius. He served 35 years and had been released just a few weeks earlier.
Angelo had always claimed his innocence, even representing himself in court, and that Sally had lied on the stand about killing the girl as Fred was the real culprit, and his father hushed it up. Angelo was out for revenge on the man who ruined his life.
The team tracked Rachel (Erica Sweany), who revealed she had seen her father attempt to rape her best friend as a teenager, which drove her away. When she brought up her daughter, Abby (Amalina Ace), Jess realized the girl was Angelo’s next target.
Video footage showed Angelo bringing Fred and Abby (who had no idea Fred was her grandfather) to the compound the rape had taken place, Fred begging him to let Abby go. But, instead, Angelo wanted twisted revenge: to force Fred to attack his granddaughter.
The team arrived with Angelo running and Jess forced to shoot him. Rachel reunited with Abby while Fred was finally arrested for his long-ago crime.
Jess mused on the adage, “before you go on a quest for revenge, dig two graves” as Hana asked Ortiz out for drinks where she confessed she wanted more than just her career. The two bantered on who in the bar they would pick to take home as Hana said she was going to put herself out to meet new people.
The team learned a hard lesson on how a simple coverup can cause much greater tragedy but the end of Hana and Ortiz flirting with each other promised some interesting shifts to their dynamic.
FBI: Most Wanted Season 3 airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on CBS.