Criminal Minds (TV Series)

The Tall Man (2018)

Kirsten Vangsness: Penelope Garcia

Quotes 

• Jennifer Jareau : Last night, three teenage girls went searching for the Tall Man. It's a-a regional ghost story. According to the survivor recovered this morning, they found him.

  Luke Alvez : [seeing pictures of Ally]  She looks like she went through hell. She say what happened?

  Penelope Garcia : Uh, that would be Ally Macready. And according to her, the Tall Man held them and cut them repeatedly.

  Jennifer Jareau : Now, that is consistent with the legend. So, the Tall Man is your classic "don't go into the woods" dare. Survive the night, you survive him. He catches you, he cuts you until you reveal your deepest secrets.

• Matt Simmons : Let's go back to the victims for a second. Did they sneak out or did their parents know?

  Penelope Garcia : They told their parents that they were going to a party, and they actually did.

  Matt Simmons : Okay, so then off the bat, we have two theories about the unsub. One is that he knew they were planning this.

  David Rossi : Which puts him in the girls' inner circle.

  Matt Simmons : Exactly. Or two, he waited in the woods opportunistically. But that strategy only works if he plays the odds right. So, how far-reaching is this-this ghost story?

  Penelope Garcia : Maybe I can answer that. The story JJ grew up with, it's gone viral, and the Photoshop work is on fleek.

  Emily Prentiss : Tall Man is a story. What happened to these girls is real. The first 24 hours are crucial in an abduction case, and we are now down to 18. Let's move.

• Penelope Garcia : I'd like to direct your attention to two oddities. Oddity number one is Ally Macready's medical exam.

  Emily Prentiss : Give us the headline.

  Penelope Garcia : Despite outward appearances, Ally had a sum total of zero wounds on her. So whose blood is on her clothes, you ask? DNA report is not back yet, but typing and matching points to the other girls.

  Dr. Tara Lewis : She could have escaped before the unsub got to her. Holding three girls takes a lot of control.

  Emily Prentiss : What's oddity number two?

  Penelope Garcia : That would be a text exchange between Bethany and Chelsea. Bethany says to Chelsea "What if we do it in the woods tonight?", to which Chelsea responds "We'd have to do it fast. Ally can't see us coming."

  Dr. Spencer Reid : Vaguely threatening. Although Ally didn't say anything like that in her interview.

  David Rossi : Two of the girls had some agenda besides the Tall Man. We need to see if it played a part in their disappearance.

  Jennifer Jareau : Chelsea's dad, Tom, he dated my sister in high school, so I can talk to him.

  Emily Prentiss : Good. Do that. We will divide and conquer when we land. We will investigate this as if Bethany and Chelsea are still alive, and we will not sleep until we find them.

• Penelope Garcia : The police recovered all three girls' phones in the woods. And you know how teens and myself spend way too much time on our screens? Well, the breakdown on the lab report from the girls' cell phones suggests a surefire way to get us all to stop. Please look at that report on your tablets.

  Dr. Spencer Reid : Fentanyl, as in the opioid derivative?

  Penelope Garcia : Yeah, trace elements were found on all three screens. Now, the medical patch it comes in knocks you out instantaneously.

  Emily Prentiss : Wait, hold up. Full stop. Let's retrace the girls' timeline. They went to a party, then somehow the unsub manages to get his hands on all three of the girls' phones to lace them?

  Matt Simmons : He could have been at the party.

  Emily Prentiss : But then he'd have to time that out with when they went into the woods. No one's that good. Factor this in now: you're a teenage girl. You keep your cell phone on you at all times. Who would you maybe hand it over to?

  Dr. Tara Lewis : Your best friend.