This blog contains spoilers. If you have not yet watched the 3/9/16, 3/16/16, or 3/23/16 episodes of Criminal Minds and you plan to, stop reading now.
When Criminal Minds first aired eleven seasons ago, I did not watch it. There were several reasons for this. First, my children were between the ages of 11 and 17 and were keeping me quite busy with all their activities. Second, DVR was not common in my household at that time. Third, I wasn’t sure I wanted to watch a show that revolved around creepy criminals. A few years ago, though, and I don’t remember exactly how or why, I managed to catch an episode here and there, and for whatever reason, I didn’t change the channel. And I learned something. This was a show I wanted to watch in spite of the creepy criminals because the awesome BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) was made up of characters that I truly liked. Thanks to marathons on ION Television, I could catch up on lots of episodes rather quickly. I think I have managed to catch every episode that I had missed along the way, and now, my DVR is regularly set on Wednesday nights so I don’t miss an episode, because now the BAU is made up of characters I love.
The core BAU members – Hotch, Rossi, Morgan, J.J., Reid, and Garcia – are like a second family. The character development over the years has created characters who are believable and lovable. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with these people? You don’t want bad things to happen to these characters. When Haley (Hotch’s wife) and Mauve (Reid’s potential girlfriend) were murdered, our hearts broke right along with Hotch’s and Reid’s. When J.J. was tortured, we were tortured. And in the episode that aired two weeks ago featuring Derek Morgan, a.k.a Chocolate Thunder, being tortured, it was almost more than we could take, especially when we had figured out that Savannah was about to reveal her pregnancy to him. I was worried when the previews hinted that Danny Glover might be playing a role in Morgan’s torture and was relieved when it was revealed he was Morgan’s father’s spirit, there to help Morgan survive. Of course, I was even more relieved when Morgan was rescued and was alive and relatively well in the hospital having just proposed to Savannah at the end of the episode. All was right in the Criminal Minds universe once again.
But alas, it didn’t last. Last week’s episode was set six months after Morgan’s torture and showed Morgan returning to work with a wedding photo of him and Savannah. Morgan works the case with the rest of the BAU, and he and Savannah are happily together at the end of the show. Here’s the thing about watching these kinds of shows, though. At the end of the show, Morgan and Savannah are standing outside in the dark by his truck. When you’ve watched enough of these shows, you know that spells trouble, which in this case shows itself rather quickly when suddenly you’re looking at the two through a scope, you hear a gunshot, and the screen goes black as Savannah screams, “Derek!” All you can do is just sit and stare at the black screen on your TV as you hear the ominous words, “Stay tuned for scenes from our next episode.” You just sit there blankly staring, waiting for that preview.
When that preview finally came, I was relieved that I didn’t have to wait a week to learn that Derek Morgan was fine. He was not shot. That doesn’t mean I was happy that Savannah was, but as characters go, I have a lot more invested in Morgan than Savannah. If a character had to die, I was willing to sacrifice Savannah.
And all that leads us to last night’s episode, the one that left us in tears and heartbroken. Fortunately, we did not have to sacrifice Savannah or Hank Spencer Morgan (their newborn son). We did, however, have to give up Derek Morgan, not because he was killed but because after this week’s experience Morgan wants to focus on his family and not the job. Basically, Shemar Moore had decided to vacate the role of Derek Morgan, and as a result, the character had to be written off the show. This is not a character that can be recast. I wouldn’t watch anybody else in the role. Shemar Moore is Derek Morgan. And while I’m distraught and upset that Derek Morgan won’t be there when I watch next week’s episode, I am satisfied with the departure they gave him.
First, they didn’t kill him, which leaves the door wide open for future appearances. Second, the story arc they created addressed essential elements of who the character of Derek Morgan is, both his strengths and his weaknesses. It was a story that did justice to the character. Third, after that story arc, the decision Morgan makes is a logical one. As Reid said to him (and this is a rough paraphrase): I’m not going to ask you to stay because I know why you’re leaving and I understand. And finally, they allowed the character to say goodbye to the rest of the core team (and my focus is on the core; other than Prentiss and Blake, I can’t even remember the names of the other female characters who come and go. I haven’t become attached to any of them) in a way that was appropriate to his relationship with each. His see-ya-laters with Reid and Baby Girl are the ones that brought the waterworks. All in all, this story arc was well-written and well-acted.
I’m still processing that one of my favorite television characters is gone. I’m dreading watching next week knowing that Derek Morgan won’t be there. I must also give kudos to CBS for keeping the lid on this and making it a true surprise to viewers. I’m already dreading the season finale of another CBS show because they’ve already announced this is the final season for one of my favorite characters there. The fact we didn’t know Shemar Moore was leaving the show made these three episodes even more emotional.
While I am sad to see this character (and Shemar Moore) gone from the show, I wish nothing but the best for Shemar Moore. I would be content to watch him play Derek Morgan for another eleven seasons, but I do understand his desire to pursue other acting opportunities. I do look forward to those return visits to Quantico and the BAU, though, when Morgan walks through those doors and goes straight to see Baby Girl and then seeks out Reid. I suspect that won’t be anytime soon, so for now, I’ll have to be content to watch those reruns on ION, but even those will be different now because I know that there’s a show coming down the road that won’t have Derek Morgan.
Thank you, Shemar Moore, for bringing to life an amazing character who will be greatly missed. And thank you, Criminal Minds, for giving Derek Morgan the sendoff he deserved.
educatedguesswork 