S11.E18: A Beautiful Disaster

[thewhiteowl]

When an UnSub targets the BAU, and the team goes into action to find out who is responsible.

 

 

 Directed by MGG written by KV and Messer

Additional info welcome but please hold your thoughts till after airing.

[smoker]

this episode they are using KV for promotion,

 

http://tvline.com/2016/03/22/criminal-minds-season-11-preview-kirsten-vangsness-derek-shooting/

[thewhiteowl]

If you are not adding info about the episode, you're posting in the wrong place.

[ForeverAlone]

Hmmmm...the actual last 15 minutes after everything calmed down and Morgan was getting ready to leave and said his good byes to his friends, was heartfelt. I liked it, particularly his interaction with Reid. I always loved those two as friends, and it was wonderful to see it on display one last time, and I am sorry that we likely won't see it again. 

 

I credit all the character moments I did like to Kirsten. I don't know if that is actually the case, but I have seen enough of Erica's writing that if she was capable of writing some of  the better character moments, she would write them more often. In particular I loved the two scenes between Morgan and Reid. The one at the beginning when Reid was trying to comfort Morgan by talking in scientific terms was like a perfect fanwank of how I imagine Reid talks. He always talks like in my fanfiction stories in my head, so I was delighted to see that on display here. And of course, I can't say enough good about the final Morgan and Reid scene together.  

 

BUT. to get to those nice moments at the end, I had to control my eyes from rolling out of my sockets for the 45 minutes that preceded it. I often felt like I was watching a pastiche of ripoffs of better Criminal Minds plots. Everything from 100, Revelations, to some Aftermath thrown in for good measure. I was never a fan of this convoluted torture plot that was Morgan's exit arc, and always wanted a more optimistic arc where he chooses to leave for other reasons (such as him getting a team of his own to lead). But I knew it was not to be on this show anymore, but at least it is now over with. I am sorry to see Morgan leave, but I am not sorry that we won't have this arc hanging over the viewers' heads anymore. I do thank the writers for not killing Savannah or their baby. I could not countenance the murder of the seventh female love interest, but I still was not a fan of them choosing to shoot Savannah for the sole purpose of giving Morgan manpain. That is pretty much the cliched definition of fridging, and you would hope that a show with a female showrunner and a significant amount of female writers would choose not to go to this extremely dry well over and over again. 

[SSAHotchner]

The only moments I enjoyed were Morgan's goodbyes with JJ and with Reid. I felt ripped off that we didn't see him with Hotch, especially after the way he snapped at Hotch earlier and called him "Aaron" in that dismissive way. But the scene with Garcia at the end, while probably causing some fans to fall apart sobbing, didn't bring one tear to my eye. First of all, they dragged it out too long. And also, like so many of the other scenes, the dialogue was just so contrived. Well, at least it's finally over. I'm not even a teeny bit sorry to see him go after the way they handled his exit. Less is more, folks. 

[ForeverAlone]

Here is an interview Shemar did about his exit.

http://tvline.com/2016/03/23/shemar-moore-criminal-minds-leaving-season-11-derek-exits/

[Reghan]

I loved every moment.I liked that they dragged out the Garcia scene at the end because I think that's more realistic. Garcia isn't going to be like bye and run off. She doesn't want to say goodbye. It makes more sense that way because she's putting it off. I love that they used Emily's final quote for Derek's as well. This is better than many of the season 11 episodes. Plus it seemed like the whole team got a fair amount of screentime. Matthew's directing was amazing as usual. Loved it!

[smoker]

The only moments I enjoyed were Morgan's goodbyes with JJ and with Reid. I felt ripped off that we didn't see him with Hotch, especially after the way he snapped at Hotch earlier and called him "Aaron" in that dismissive way. But the scene with Garcia at the end, while probably causing some fans to fall apart sobbing, didn't bring one tear to my eye. First of all, they dragged it out too long. And also, like so many of the other scenes, the dialogue was just so contrived. Well, at least it's finally over. I'm not even a teeny bit sorry to see him go after the way they handled his exit. Less is more, folks. 

I hate when they allow Morgan to disrespect Hotch, I hate their scenes in season 3 finale and season 4 premiere :(

and I hate it more knowing KV and Messer wrote it >(

Edited March 24, 2016 by smoker

[Reghan]

To be honest, if there was a moment I didn't like...I'm going to blame EM....

[alihart41]

I haven't watched at all this season and tuned in tonight because I knew this was happening. I also wish he had a goodbye with Hotch, especially since the other ones were so well done. Reid's was my favorite. Shemar says in this interview that there were 17 minutes cut, so I'm going to assume there was a Hotch goodbye there: http://www.tvguide.com/news/shemar-moore-leaves-criminal-minds-interview/

ETA: He also says in the interview that he's seen tonight's episode 41 times. O.O

And here's a nice roundup of Morgan/Reid moments. They really were great together. http://www.tvguide.com/news/criminal-minds-morgan-reid-shemar-moore-matthew-gray-gubler/

Edited March 24, 2016 by alihart41

[secnarf]

Well, I really did believe Morgan died when the unsub "shot" him on the phone with the team. It was suspenseful, since I knew Morgan was leaving this episode.

Didn't care much for the rest, though. It wasn't terrible, though there were a few cringeworthy moments - JJ "when someone does that to a baby" *sob* - I mean, I actually like JJ, but that was just ridiculous. And I was kind of bored during the goodbye scenes. I was never a big fan of Morgan so there wasn't a huge emotional impact.

 

And I should also add, once again I totally forgot about Lewis' presence until she popped up on screen at the hospital. Never once do I wonder where she is, instead, every episode I'm vaguely surprised to see her in her first scene and say "oh yeah, she's still here".

[Danielg342]

So should I watch this arc (I purposely missed it fearing it would be bad) or should I just jump to "Tribute" and pretend something else happened (like Morgan getting the NYC gig)?

[ForeverAlone]

So should I watch this arc (I purposely missed it fearing it would be bad) or should I just jump to "Tribute" and pretend something else happened (like Morgan getting the NYC gig)?

Well...that depends. If you like pointless torture, action scenes reminiscent of Die Hard, and a final ripoff montage of better Criminal Minds plots, go for this arc. Or you can just watch the last 15 minutes of "Beautiful Disaster" and pretend that Morgan is making a conscious decision to move on from the BAU, because that is what he wants, and not because he was tortured and his wife and child were nearly murdered. 

[ForeverAlone]

Erica's departure letter concerning Shemar.

 

http://www.cbs.com/shows/criminal_minds/news/1005127/shemar-moore-s-departure-criminal-minds-executive-producer-s-letter-to-fans-/

 

And note one of the hints of the season finale. IF this is done right, it could be actually interesting.

[zannej]

Not a single scene even brought me close to tears in this one-- and I was particularly lachrymose because it was the anniversary of my father's death. I thought the goodbye between Reid and Morgan was very sweet. I suspect there were other goodbyes that had to be cut. It seemed like the episode was just dragging toward the end though. Something about the length of the goodbyes was off and I actually checked a clock to see how much time was left. I think it could have been done better-- they should have thrown Morgan an office retirement party or something-- which is what normally happens when someone leaves.

 

I think it was a little over-emotional because it's not like he was moving out-of-town. He was just retiring from the BAU and would still be around for them to call and talk to. Sure, he wouldn't be at work or on cases with him, but it wasn't so final. It wasn't like Emily up and moving to London.

 

I think Kirsten had some good influences on the episodes. I'm trying to remember which ones she said she wrote.. I know she wrote "Act I" and I'm trying to remember if she said she wrote act III or IV. Erica wrote Act II and either III or IV. Anyone remember?

[smoker]

I just watched the whole episode.
Call me twisted, but I am disgusted of Morgan (writers) arguments to Montolo Sr., meaning Hotch is a bad father, as JJ said to Strauss 'I am a better person for my family when I am doing the job I love' (more or less).
I dislike the Mary Sue angle they gave to Morgan in this plot.
Don't get me wrong, I think it was a nice touch when Hotch reminded him how things ended for his family, to me that was enough.
I didn't like how Morgan called him 'Aaron' either, or his accusations about the team, they were childlish (like always in his case), the one thing in his favor was he got a good reason to be emotional.
The scene in the delivery room was pretty soapy the one in the hospital congratulating him was enough in my opinion.
About the one with the baby.... I think it was well done, but could be anyone that way that long with a premature baby?
What about their families? Not mention of them. They never call their families when they are hurt! :(

In my opinion JJ and Blake were the best farewells.
I am ok if they cut Hotch in the end because their scene in the hospital said it all, and JJ only took more time with Hotch and Penelope. Here I liked Reid and Morgan scene the most and the one with Penelope was awful.

The director's job... It didnt feel special, the same happened with 'Derek', I guess it was ok for the 'patchwork' script they got.

 

P.S. complaints hahaha
KV/Garcia heels! come on! even if she is wearing that she should take them off when there is an emergency
"Grandpa" Rossi, I hate his pleasant speechs since season 5, I miss the time when he was a prick and he was proud of it

Edited March 24, 2016 by smoker

[smoker]

Erica's departure letter concerning Shemar.

http://www.cbs.com/shows/criminal_minds/news/1005127/shemar-moore-s-departure-criminal-minds-executive-producer-s-letter-to-fans-/

And note one of the hints of the season finale. IF this is done right, it could be actually interesting.

Please, please leave Hotch alone, Jack is doing an appearance in the finale (scary feeling right now!!)

And it's being forever since they left things in a cliffhanger. Playing with Hotch sanity without knowing if it's going to be a resolution is sooooo mean. I hope they didn't have gone there

Edited March 24, 2016 by smoker

[Mislav]

I have serious doubts about continuing to watch this show. It just won't be the same without Derek, even if he hasn't had much character development lately. First Gideon (two times, in a way), then Elle, Haley, Emily, Maeve (though she was a minor character), Erin, Alex, Kate (though I never really cared about her)... it's too much.

The only "salvation" would be if they will now focus on Reid more. Or bring back Alex to fill the void. Or both. *hope*

But knowing them, if they bring anyone back, it will be Jennifer Love Hewitt. *shivers*

Edited March 24, 2016 by Mislav

[JMO]

Proverbial ‘feedback sandwich’ here (the good, the not-so-good, the good):

 

The first thing to say is ‘Thank you!’ to Shemar Moore and the character of Derek Morgan whose presence brought so much to CM over the past eleven years.  Morgan may not have been my favorite character, but he helped bring the others to life.  In particular, Reid, Hotch and even Gideon were formed, at least in part, by their relationships with Morgan, and vice versa.  It’s a good demonstration of the power of team interaction, and why that’s been so integral to the success of the show. Message to ‘show’:  That’s why we like episodes where members of the team interact together.  In a lighted space.

 

Secondly, and related to several items below, I hope the DVD restores the 17 minutes that the production ran over.  Because:

While I did love MGG’s use of shots through the various windows to tell his story, I really did want to see the full discussion between Hotch and Morgan, leading to Morgan’s resignation. I think it actually should have taken place in Hotch’s office, with Morgan having had time to think practically, and not emotionally.  (? 17 minutes)

 

What is Morgan planning to do with his future?  Seems a strange time to walk away from a paycheck, just when he starts a family.  Why didn’t he just take the time Hotch encouraged him to take, and then decide?  Did Hotch not fight him on it because he was never quite right after coming back?  Do we know any of those things?  (? 17 minutes)

 

The story felt choppy.  I know MGG likes to work with transitions, and there were some that seem to be part of his trademark, but there were others that were too abrupt, and left the prior scene feeling unfinished.  (? 17 minutes)

 

The music was noticeable. For me, that’s not a good thing.  It means it stands out, apart from the action.  To my ear, it was often reaching for ‘creepy’, when ‘creepy’ wasn’t happening on screen.  The most creepy thing about the episode was Savannah giving birth to a two month old. 

 

The whole scene at the house was bizarre.  It looked like Morgan was having ‘rapid mood swings’ (? 17 minutes), and none of it made sense anyway.  I don’t know if they were actually trying to pay homage to ‘Revelations’ and ‘100’, but whether or not, I didn’t think it worked.  It sounds like Shemar felt it was a good acting stretch for him, and it might have been.  But it was such a stretch that I didn’t feel like I was watching Morgan----just a character played by Shemar Moore.  Maybe it will make a good audition reel.  I don’t know, but it didn’t work for me.

 

The episode did nothing to explain the highly unsuccessful hit man arc, and especially the abduction, torture and seemingly planned murder of Morgan.  Since the torturers never identified who they were working for, and since that last character in ‘Derek’ was planning to kill Morgan, still without revealing an identity, there was no way for it to be vengeance.  Vengeance tells either the victim, or the people who care about the victim, that revenge has been wrought.  None of that nearly season-long arc made any sense.  It just left a faint distaste on some episodes, and a flagrant one on others.  Which is the danger of a season-long arc. 

 

It is totally out of character for JJ to have the kind of emotional reaction she had to Morgan’s being taken off the case.  (which wasn’t just a judgment call on Hotch’s part----it was procedural)  She’s the one who would see her colleague off the rails and remain cool and collected.  It was a throwaway scene that should have been thrown away.  (? 17 minutes---could have been 16, just sayin’)

 

Savannah was mighty chipper for someone just emerging from ‘touch and go’ trauma surgery, only to have a second surgery hours later.  Seriously, guys, can you hire a practicing MD?  Please?

 

 

What I liked:

The scenes at either end (KV’s work, per her interview).  I loved Morgan and Reid profiling each other in the hospital waiting room, liked Garcia’s initial conversation with Morgan in the waiting room as well.  I was glad to see team interaction around the case. 

 

I liked the goodbye scenes we did get, especially with JJ, Reid and Garcia.  Especially Reid.  I was taken by pleasant surprise by the baby’s being named after him.  And I liked that we’re to imagine Reid still having a role in Derek’s life, and vice versa.  Loved that Morgan did say ‘I love you’ this time, and noted how quickly Reid said it back.  Brought me back to that conversation in ‘Zugzwang’. 

 

My very favorite scene of the episode was the next-to-last, shot through the window.  Reid and Morgan make eye contact one last time, and each nods at the other. 

 

“Go, brother.  It’s okay.” 

 

“Thanks.  Take care of them.”

[JMO]

One more thing:  I think MGG directs himself in a certain way, telling us a bit about how he sees his character.  The Reid I saw last night was reminiscent of the one in 'Moseley Lane'---empathetic and intelligent.  I wish they all saw him that way.

[Russet29]

This is the first episode I've caught in a while, and wow. So much drama, so much cheese, so much overacting. There's been some pretty bad character arcs over the past few seasons, but IMO this one is the worst. Maybe it's because SM's acting does nothing for me (it just bounces between yelling and crying and sometimes both simultaneously) or because the cheese factor was painfully high. Or maybe it's because I miss the original incarnation of Morgan, back when he was a player and still managed to be a mature adult. It seems like the writers (and possibly the cast) think maturity = having a family. I'd be totally fine with Hotch and JJ being the only team members who have kids. Not everyone has to have a family of their own to be happy. We were first subjected to this unnecessary transformation with Rossi and now Morgan. It's sad to see how much this show has changed. I did like the last 10 minutes though I agree that the pacing felt a bit off. I also liked the closing quote which I believed was originally used in "Run."

Edited March 24, 2016 by Russet29

[Old Dog]

One more thing:  I think MGG directs himself in a certain way, telling us a bit about how he sees his character.  The Reid I saw last night was reminiscent of the one in 'Moseley Lane'---empathetic and intelligent.  I wish they all saw him that way.

This struck me also - although to be fair this season they do seem to have Reid as a grown up agent for the most part. I hope for the rest of the season, and Season 12 if we get it,  that they continue showing Reid as intelligent and professional and we get no more scenes of him as the socially inept butt of jokes.

[smoker]

This is the first episode I've caught in a while, and wow. So much drama, so much cheese, so much overacting. There's been some pretty bad character arcs over the past few seasons, but IMO this one is the worst. Maybe it's because SM's acting does nothing for me (it just bounces between yelling and crying and sometimes both simultaneously) or because the cheese factor was painfully high. Or maybe it's because I miss the original incarnation of Morgan, back when he was a player and still managed to be a mature adult. It seems like the writers (and possibly the cast) think maturity = having a family. I'd be totally fine with Hotch and JJ being the only team members who have kids. Not everyone has to have a family of their own to be happy. We were first subjected to this unnecessary transformation with Rossi and now Morgan. It's sad to see how much this show has changed. I did like the last 10 minutes though I agree that the pacing felt a bit off. I also liked the closing quote which I believed was originally used in "Run."

totally agree!

[normasm]

Well, after watching it again I have to say it was better than I thought at first.

The bad:

Sorry, but Shemar's emoting, especially during the gun scenes, is really subpar.

The music was over-the-top DRAMATIC!!!!!!!

Some of the story choices were eye-roll-inducing (JJ and the hurting babies thing, really, now).

The goodbye with PG was a bit much, but understandable.

Not sure if this was a good use of Lance Henricksen, although the second time around he/it was better.

Some of the editing was choppy, but I understand from JMO that there were 17 minutes cut out.
 

That said, the good:

Matthew's direction and the lighting of the sets - MGG tends to eschew the maddening camera wiggling that a lot of directors, including Joe, overuse. It was so nice to just have the pan into the scene, and the camera stops moving! A few times, when there were a lot of people in a scene the camera would move a little from one speaker to another, etc, but it was very minimal. Matthew has an elegance in his shot choices.

The scenes with Hotch made sense, the scenes with Rossi were nice, Tara was calm and comforting, and Reid was lovely. That goodbye scene was so nice, MGG's tears seemed and looked real, and Shemar ruffling his hair at the end was just so sweet. The nod between the 2 at the end was also nice.

 

In the end I enjoyed it, and waved bye-bye to Morgan, and hope he'll be back for guest spots now and then.

[ReidFan]

[Droogie]

Tore me right up.

[Bookish Jen]

To be honest, if there was a moment I didn't like...I'm going to blame EM....

Heck, I'm blaming EM for the lousy weather we're having in Milwaukee today. Snerk.

To be honest, if there was a moment I didn't like...I'm going to blame EM....

Heck, I'm blaming EM for the lousy weather we're having in Milwaukee today. Snerk.

Edited March 24, 2016 by Bookish Jen

[Bookish Jen]

Sorry about the double quote and my remarks showing up twice. I'm having trouble with the Internet today. I'll be back with more a solid critique of this episode later when I can collect my thoughts, got a lot on my mind right now. But I really enjoyed all of your thoughts on this episode, makes up for the mindless blather I read on various social media on "Beautiful Disaster." Considering Mr. Moore spent over a decade emoting as Derek Morgan you would think the Screaming Mimis would know how to spell Shemar's first name.

[SSAHotchner]

Well, I really did believe Morgan died when the unsub "shot" him on the phone with the team. It was suspenseful, since I knew Morgan was leaving this episode.

Didn't care much for the rest, though. It wasn't terrible, though there were a few cringeworthy moments - JJ "when someone does that to a baby" *sob* - I mean, I actually like JJ, but that was just ridiculous. And I was kind of bored during the goodbye scenes. I was never a big fan of Morgan so there wasn't a huge emotional impact.

 

And I should also add, once again I totally forgot about Lewis' presence until she popped up on screen at the hospital. Never once do I wonder where she is, instead, every episode I'm vaguely surprised to see her in her first scene and say "oh yeah, she's still here".

Most of the dialogue was cringe-worthy. Agree about Lewis. I don't mind her, but I also don't miss her when she's not there.

[ReidFan]

Tore me right up.

me too.... 

and what else tears me up?  I don't know why/how the pictures are always so small when I post them here. It's full screen at the source grrrrrrrr.

[MMC]

No surprise that this episode got a season high with a 2.2 demo and nearly 11 million viewers.However I do not expect CM to be able to maintain those ratings.

Ironically once upon a time a demo like that would have been considered a season low,but not no more.It is definitely a whole new ball game these days where the L+SD ratings are concerned.

[Racbec]

I had trouble following the plot in a few places, and there were several times I thought, "Wow, that would have been great if Shemar were a better actor." That said, this episode was better than the last one. I liked KV's parts of the script (first and fourth acts, I believe) more than the middle parts, and MGG did a great job as director. I won't miss Morgan much, but I will hate it if they bring in a young muscle-bound guy to replace him next season.

[smoker]

I know I'm being evil, but the scene where Morgan is telling Hotch if he is looking for microexpressions, I couldn't help thinking "yeeah dude, since 2005"

Edited March 25, 2016 by smoker

[akr]

Does nobody think about the meaning of a line like this and realize they got it wrong?  (Reid tells Morgan "your carotid tells a different story - I've counted 10 heartbeats in the last three seconds - that's about 20% higher than your usual when you're under stress" - well delivered line, but - ahem. 10 beats in 3 seconds is 200 beats per minute.  I initially was thinking, maybe the line was written as 3 beats in 10 seconds, but that makes for a total of 18 beats per minute, which is also preposterous. Maybe it was supposed to be 3 breaths in 10 seconds, which at 18 breaths/minute is a little on the fast side, but then he wouldn't have mentioned the carotid . . . .  Or more likely, nobody even thought about the math or the physiology, but maybe just that three and ten are numbers that people understand that don't divide easily into one another and so in the abstract they sound good. But it immediately took me out of the moment, as I immediately recognized that as utter nonsense (and was extra funny because of the contrast with the sober, calm, caring delivery of supposedly "technical" information so preposterous that somebody capable of the reasoning behind it would never say it). Should have been immediately obvious to anyone on staff who was supposed to review that and any other medical lines for basic plausibility, too.  

 

Smacks of everyone being so intimidated by numbers and the prospect of doing even second-grade level math, as to fail to recognize that his line was solemnly delivered nonsense, or so focused on blocking and tone of voice and so on as to forget that words have meaning. And so, we have the savant delivering mathematical word salad. 

Edited March 25, 2016 by akr

[BW Manilowe]

Not a single scene even brought me close to tears in this one-- and I was particularly lachrymose because it was the anniversary of my father's death. I thought the goodbye between Reid and Morgan was very sweet. I suspect there were other goodbyes that had to be cut. It seemed like the episode was just dragging toward the end though. Something about the length of the goodbyes was off and I actually checked a clock to see how much time was left. I think it could have been done better-- they should have thrown Morgan an office retirement party or something-- which is what normally happens when someone leaves.

I think it was a little over-emotional because it's not like he was moving out-of-town. He was just retiring from the BAU and would still be around for them to call and talk to. Sure, he wouldn't be at work or on cases with him, but it wasn't so final. It wasn't like Emily up and moving to London.

I think Kirsten had some good influences on the episodes. I'm trying to remember which ones she said she wrote..I know she wrote "Act I" and I'm trying to remember if she said she wrote act III or IV. Erica wrote Act II and either III or IV. Anyone remember?

I think a pre-ep interview I read with Kirsten (I think in TV Guide or on TVLine.com) said she wrote Acts I & IV & Erica Messer wrote Acts II & III.

[ForeverAlone]

Yep, and not surprisingly, the two acts Kirsten wrote are the only two acts I liked in this episode. The other writers really should consult with Kirsten more when it comes to characterization, because she gets it right more often than some of the other writers.

[Guesswht]

No surprise that this episode got a season high with a 2.2 demo and nearly 11 million viewers.However I do not expect CM to be able to maintain those ratings.

Ironically once upon a time a demo like that would have been considered a season low,but not no more.It is definitely a whole new ball game these days where the L+SD ratings are concerned.

Actually, "Last night Criminal Minds had its best ratings since October 2014!"

https://twitter.com/LLPOS/status/713164039291953152

 

I would say : 'Thanks to Shemar on 23/03/16 Criminal Minds had its best ratings since 9x24!' ... In 2014-15 (s10) the show suffered a tragic decline in ratings. I think many people watched only 10mins or less of 10x01 (aired on oct.1 2014) and then they decided to never watch CM again ;( So ratings for 10x01 aren't 'real'.

CM haven't had ratings this good since s9. 

[smoker]

It's a shame, there were better episodes in season 10, even this season, than Morgan farewell, but I understand people's curiosity.

I'm curious about why SM is being included in 11x20 too, I don't like when actors come back after they went out. Yes, that includes PB, not happy about next episode :(

Edited March 25, 2016 by smoker

[Guest]

So is Morgan going to become a stay at home dad? Because if he doesn't want to put his family in danger essentially any law enforcment related job is out of reach for him. What other jobs are available to an ex-BAU? Savannah is a doctor (surgeon?) so maybe that could work financially but I could see Morgan getting a bit restless in that situation.

[Old Dog]

It's a shame, there were better episodes in season 10, even this season, than Morgan farewell, but I understand people's curiosity.

 

I agree - Season 10 overall was far better than this season which, apart from a couple of episodes,has been disappointing. I guess people had picked up on the fact that this was the Morgan exit and watched out of curiosity which inflated the figures and I understand that. I liked the goodbyes to the team in this episode which were real and believable - the whole arc of the Dirty Dozen and Morgan's torture was so dragged out, convoluted and tortuous and I'm glad it's over now.

[smoker]

So is Morgan going to become a stay at home dad? Because if he doesn't want to put his family in danger essentially any law enforcment related job is out of reach for him. What other jobs are available to an ex-BAU? Savannah is a doctor (surgeon?) so maybe that could work financially but I could see Morgan getting a bit restless in that situation.

I have been thinking that for awhile too, since the Hotchners vs Foyet actually, I don't give him a year. I can picture Hotch doing other thing if Jessica wouldnt have been there, but it would have been a torture, I think Haley knew it too.

But coming back to Morgan, someone pointed it out before but I can't quote with my ipod, sorry, he should have taken some time off, I don't know 6 months or even a year, thinking about the rest of his life peacefully. He could teach, I mean tactics, just like he did in season 7. An action and out of the field solution.

Edited March 25, 2016 by smoker

[Lostinthehouse]

All that angst and drama in Morgan's "other" house!  Leads to:  "This house doesn't have a land line" ???!!!!  For the love of God.  That got some major eye rolls and snickers, from me anyway.

 

That said, I'm a sap.  I cried my eyes out at all those good-byes.  Especially with Reid and Penelope.  My eyes were still puffy when I got up this morning.  (Was out of town on Wednesday, and just watched it last night.)  I never was a big Morgan fan, but the ending just ripped me up.

[Snow Apple]

Doesn't Morgan also flip houses or some job like that? I guess he can still kick down doors, only for a different reason. 

[backgroundnoise]

Well, it was a fitting send-off for Derek, considering it emphasized all the things I've disliked about his character for years: his temper, his thinking he's above procedure, his knee-jerk reactions, his working against the team.  Even his getting himself caught was in keeping with his always getting hit by whoever they were after.  Ugh. 

 

I'm glad this dumb arc is over.

 

Best unintentionally funny line of the episode was Penelope saying about Morgan, "He just wouldn't go off on his own!"  Hello, has she ever met him.

[zannej]

The house not having a landline made me roll my eyes too. Someone could have had a landline added later on. It's also possible to have a phone and have something like U-Verse from AT&T (although, I don't know what sort of phone they would have). Speaking of landlines-- mine was out for over a week and I had to threaten to report the phone company to the public service commission and better business bureau to get it fixed.

 

I agree that the middle parts were weaker.

 

After reading the interview of what was included in the 17 minutes of cut scenes, I'm sort of glad they were cut and I have no interest in seeing them. If I can remember correctly, it was like 4 more minutes of Morgan and Savannah (possibly with the baby-- I can't recall), more of Morgan talking to Tara (I like Tara and all, but I thought that she and Morgan had enough time together considering their brief history), and I think more of Morgan with the unsub. Oh yeah, and the ending goodbye with Garcia was longer too. I already felt like the ending dragged, so I'm glad the Garcia goodbye wasn't longer.

 

Morgan can probably still work on properties so long as he has some cash flow. I think he has some rental income. He can also still stay involved somewhat by teaching at the FBI Academy. Doesn't he teach self defense or something? He could probably still stay on in that capacity. He doesn't have to straight up quit the FBI if they let him stay in some sort of teaching position. That way, he still gets paid and has better hours and isn't in danger.

Edited March 25, 2016 by zannej

[JMO]

The house not having a landline made me roll my eyes too. Someone could have had a landline added later on. It's also possible to have a phone and have something like U-Verse from AT&T (although, I don't know what sort of phone they would have). Speaking of landlines-- mine was out for over a week and I had to threaten to report the phone company to the public service commission and better business bureau to get it fixed.

 

I agree that the middle parts were weaker.

 

After reading the interview of what was included in the 17 minutes of cut scenes, I'm sort of glad they were cut and I have no interest in seeing them. If I can remember correctly, it was like 4 more minutes of Morgan and Savannah (possibly with the baby-- I can't recall), more of Morgan talking to Tara (I like Tara and all, but I thought that she and Morgan had enough time together considering their brief history), and I think more of Morgan with the unsub. Oh yeah, and the ending goodbye with Garcia was longer too. I already felt like the ending dragged, so I'm glad the Garcia goodbye wasn't longer.

 

Ugh.  I take back my desire to see the 17 minutes restored.  I was hopeful it contained substance I'd actually like to see.

[BookWoman56]

Well, it was a fitting send-off for Derek, considering it emphasized all the things I've disliked about his character for years: his temper, his thinking he's above procedure, his knee-jerk reactions, his working against the team.  Even his getting himself caught was in keeping with his always getting hit by whoever they were after.  Ugh. 

 

I'm glad this dumb arc is over.

 

Best unintentionally funny line of the episode was Penelope saying about Morgan, "He just wouldn't go off on his own!"  Hello, has she ever met him.

I thought it was also very typical of Morgan to get confrontational with the team at the crime scene, demanding to know what evidence they had found and coming across as angry that they did not have any additional evidence. He behaved as if he thought if he wasn't in their face, that they would just slack off and go out for drinks or something. And while I am not a fan of Hotch, either, Hotch made the right decision that Morgan shouldn't be working on his own case. That's kind of a no-brainer; as Reid said, to handle a case requires a dispassionate point of view, and Morgan certainly did not have that in this situation.

 

Also, why was he so stupid as to go after the unsub by himself? He paid lip service to the idea of not wanting to put anybody else in danger, but his actions made it seem instead as if he didn't trust the team to catch the shooter. He could easily have been killed (and realistically should have been; that scene with the unsub playing a variation of Russian roulette with him was just stupid), leaving behind a widow and a son who would never know him.

 

I thought Matthew did what he could directing to make this episode not quite as horrible as it might have been otherwise. But Shemar did not have the acting chops to pull off some of the more emotional scenes, and they felt very clunky.  Throughout all the drawn-out goodbye scenes, I kept looking at the time and thinking, Morgan, how can people miss you if you don't ever actually leave?

 

I do have a little more respect for Shemar after reading his comments in an interview about leaving the show, when he made it clear that he's not expecting to break into movies or whatever, but instead has simply decided he is ready to settle down and needs to find someone with whom to do so and start a family. While I did wonder why he was leaving when the show can't have that many seasons left, I can understand that he wants to focus on his personal life for a while instead of just staying until the show completely loses steam and is cancelled.

[zannej]

While I think that Hotch had a valid point and that in real life, Morgan would likely have been taken off the case, I didn't agree with them having Hotch take Morgan off the case because Hotch knows Morgan. He knows how Morgan will react and he knows Morgan has control and trust issues. He needs to feel in control. By taking Morgan off the case, he made him feel powerless and that was not what Morgan needed at the time. They could have said that Morgan technically off-the case according to the superiors, but that they were keeping him informed and using him for information-- trying to get as much detail as possible to figure out who did it and why. Maybe if he hadn't been taken off the case, he might have actually opened up to the rest of the team about the "I see red" thing.

 

Although, it was just contrived and stupid for Morgan to not tell the rest of the team and to basically run to a trap all on his own. I know that Morgan was emotional and not thinking clearly, but it was Angry!Morgan and not the intelligent and professional Morgan that existed in the first four seasons. But for whatever reason, Erica likes to write Angry!Morgan. I don't know if its because it turns her on, or if anger is just the emotion that Shemar expresses the best when he acts.

[Droogie]

After some reflection, I can see why Shemar was so excited to tout his centric episodes. He's had occasional focus over the years, true, but not a ton of depth, and I think he's a curious combination of vain and insecure, so I can completely understand, from his point of view, why he was promoting these episodes so much, and why he watched this one 41 (!) times. Not that I can relate, but I can understand. That being said, I think perhaps he is currently finding himself with a lot of free time and might be bored -- does anyone follow his Instagram? My goodness, is he ever posting a lot of selfies.

I find myself wishing it was MGG had left, and the circumstances had been similar. He'd have been the one to have three centric episodes, however badly-written, and then could've gone on and shown us what he's got planned for next, rather than waiting until the show fizzles out like a damp firecracker.

Who am I kidding, though -- they probably would've tossed it off with a line or two, saying he left the BAU to go back to Vegas to be near his mom.

Still, the Reid/Morgan goodbye scene is gonna stick with me for a long time. Felt very genuine, and I loved it.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Droogie

[needschocolate]

I felt the  good-byes were more like the ones when someone moves away, not just leaves their job but stays in the same location, especially considering that Morgan had recently been gone for 6 months after he was tortured.  I mean, they are kind of used to him being in town and not at the office. I wish they would have had a line or two explaining that Morgan and his family were relocating to a different city/state because working at that hospital brought back too many bad memories for his wife.  The way they left it, he could still play poker with Rossi and his famous pals.  

 

I thought Morgan using "Aaron" was supposed to be some sort of hint to the BAU about where he was going, but apparently it was just Morgan getting snippy with Hotch.  

 

 

Does nobody think about the meaning of a line like this and realize they got it wrong?  (Reid tells Morgan "your carotid tells a different story - I've counted 10 heartbeats in the last three seconds - that's about 20% higher than your usual when you're under stress" - well delivered line, but - ahem. 10 beats in 3 seconds is 200 beats per minute.  I initially was thinking, maybe the line was written as 3 beats in 10 seconds, but that makes for a total of 18 beats per minute, which is also preposterous. Maybe it was supposed to be 3 breaths in 10 seconds, which at 18 breaths/minute is a little on the fast side, but then he wouldn't have mentioned the carotid . . . .  Or more likely, nobody even thought about the math or the physiology, but maybe just that three and ten are numbers that people understand that don't divide easily into one another and so in the abstract they sound good. But it immediately took me out of the moment, as I immediately recognized that as utter nonsense (and was extra funny because of the contrast with the sober, calm, caring delivery of supposedly "technical" information so preposterous that somebody capable of the reasoning behind it would never say it). Should have been immediately obvious to anyone on staff who was supposed to review that and any other medical lines for basic plausibility, too.  

 

Smacks of everyone being so intimidated by numbers and the prospect of doing even second-grade level math, as to fail to recognize that his line was solemnly delivered nonsense, or so focused on blocking and tone of voice and so on as to forget that words have meaning. And so, we have the savant delivering mathematical word salad. 

 

I heard "ten beats in the last few seconds" - if "few" means 4, then it is 150 beats per minute, if "few" means 5 then it is 120.