5x01 - Nameless, Faceless
With Hotch missing and the events of their previous case still weighing on them, the remaining members of the BAU coordinate with local authorities in McLean, Virginia to protect an emergency room doctor and his son from a former patient determined to avenge a wrongful death. Meanwhile, a serial killer from the team's past (C. Thomas Howell) enacts a sinister master plan involving one of their own.

5x02 - Haunted
When a Louisville, Kentucky man suffers a psychotic break and stabs several people at a pharmacy, the BAU juggles putting together a profile and working with local authorities to track him down. Meanwhile, Hotch continues recovering from Foyet's attack and Prentiss notices a disturbing change in his behavior.

5x03 - Reckoner
When three Commack, Long Island residents are shot at close range and mutilated post-mortem, the BAU sets out to track down a hitman hired to commit a series of vigilante murders. Meanwhile, Rossi finds himself forced to face his past after discovering a connection between a childhood friend and one of the hitman's intended targets.

5x04 - Hopeless
When a series of escalating vandalism incidents culminate in a quadruple homicide, the BAU works with the Metropolitan Police Department to track down a three-person killing team who commit crimes for the thrill of violence. Meanwhile, Morgan finds himself forging a personal connection with a woman related to one of the victims.

5x05 - Cradle to Grave
When three Albuquerque, New Mexico women are abducted, impregnanted, and strangled to death minutes after giving birth, the BAU sets out to track down a serial killer with an unusual motivation. Meanwhile, Hotch starts giving Morgan additional duties after receiving a surprise visit from Section Chief Strauss.

5x06 - The Eyes Have It
With Morgan officially replacing Hotch as Unit Chief, the BAU sets out to profile and track down an Oklahoma City, Oklahoma serial killer who removes his victims' eyes and keeps them as souvenirs.

5x07 - The Performer
When three Los Angeles, California women are bludgeoned to death and drained of their blood, the BAU juggles working with an ally from their past (Ian Anthony Dale) and considering whether or not a Goth rock star (Gavin Rossdale) is responsible for the crimes committed.

5x08 - Outfoxed
When two Hampton, Virginia military families die while the fathers are overseas, the BAU determines the crimes are similar to those committed by incarcerated family annihilator Karl Arnold (Neal Jones) and works with him to capture the killer. Meanwhile, Hotch grows increasingly unnerved after receiving an ominous message.

5x09 - 100
Following an encounter with George Foyet at Hotch's former residence, the BAU submits to individual questioning about the events leading up to and surrounding their attempt to prevent him from further threatening Haley and Jack.

5x10 - The Slave of Duty
With Hotch taking a leave of absence to contemplate his future with the FBI, the BAU travels to Nashville, Tennessee to apprehend a serial killer who stalks women and romances them against their will before killing them.

5x11 - Retaliation
While concluding a case involving a Lockport, New York ex-convict and his daughter, the BAU find themselves searching for an ulterior motive when the man escapes with the help of a previously unknown accomplice and embarks on a killing spree.

5x12 - The Uncanny Valley
When two Atlantic City, New Jersey women are found dead from drug-induced paralysis, the BAU sets out to profile a female serial killer who abducts certain types of women for an unusual personal obsession.

5x13 - Risky Business
When four Evanston, Wyoming teenagers commit suicide within a two-week period, the BAU concentrates their efforts on an online "choking game" that manipulates high school students into participating and seeing who can outdo everyone else.

5x14 - Parasite
When an agent from the FBI's White Collar Crime Division suspects the con artist he has been tracking is responsible for a Miami, Florida woman's murder, the BAU sets out profile a budding spree killer who kills the people he cons to prevent them from exposing his activities.

5x15 - Public Enemy
When three Providence, Rhode Island residents are stabbed to death in locations considered to be pillars of the community, the BAU sets out to profile and track down a serial killer bent on generating mass hysteria.

5x16 - Mosley Lane
When an eight-year-old girl goes missing in Ashburn, Virginia and a single mother (Ann Cusack) claims the abduction is connected to that of her son, Charlie (Evan Peters), the BAU finds themselves forced to track down a predator who has been responsible for kidnapping twelve children over the course of a decade.

5x17 - Solitary Man
When the FBI's Highway Serial Killer Database suggests five women found strangled to death across multiple jurisdictional lines were killed by a budding spree killer, the BAU attempts to track down a trucker based out of Edgewood, New Mexico on a personal mission.

5x18 - The Fight
When a San Francisco, California homeless man is found dead and a father and his teenage daughter are subseqeuntly abducted, the BAU works with SSA Sam Cooper (Forest Whitaker) and the Red Cell Unit, a rapid response team with nonconventional methods, to find a connection between the two cases.

5x19 - A Rite of Passage
When three decapitated human heads are unearthed in Terlingua, Texas, the BAU sets out to profile and track down a serial killer who targets illegal immigrants crossing the Mexico–United States border.

5x20 - A Thousand Words
When a Tallahassee, Florida college student goes missing the same night a man commits suicide and local authorities discover photographs and newspaper clippings of women who have been killed over the past decade, the BAU juggles profiling the deceased man and rescuing his latest victim.

5x21 - Exit Wounds
When three Alaska civilians are killed over the course of a single week, the BAU attempts to identify a serial killer with an obsession for hunting. Meanwhile, Garcia accompanies the team and finds herself in a dangerous situation.

5x22 - The Internet Is Forever
When three Boise, Idaho women go missing and videos of their deaths are posted on the Internet, the BAU juggles profiling a killer who uses social networking websites as his hunting ground and tracking him down before he kills his next victim.

5x23 - Our Darkest Hour
When a Los Angeles, California spree killer uses rolling blackouts as a cover to commit murder, the BAU juggles tracking him down and dealing with an unexpected connection that promises to change the course of the investigation.