[Warning: The next accommodates spoilers for the sequence finale of Prison Minds. Learn at your personal danger!]
It began with an unsub and it ended with a celebration. After 15 years on the air, Criminal Minds lastly stated goodbye on Wednesday night with a two-hour finale that noticed some previous faces return, a gun battle, two explosions, and a champagne-infused goodbye get together for an OG member of the BAU.
The primary hour of the finale noticed the staff as soon as once more chasing Everett Lynch, also called The Chameleon (Michael Mosley). They managed to nook him at a compound in the course of nowhere, however after a showdown together with his mother and an enormous explosion as a distraction, Lynch was capable of escape via a hidden tunnel within the basement. Reid (Matthew Grey Gubler) was the primary to determine that Lynch hadn’t truly died within the blast, however he fell right into a coma after sustaining a head damage within the blast and wasn’t capable of inform anybody the revelation earlier than he grew to become unconscious.
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Fortunately, the staff was capable of deduce the identical data as soon as the coroner’s report got here again from the explosion scene. Unluckily, Reid was caught on the ground of his condominium, revisiting previous ghosts as his mind bleed continued. The acquainted faces included Hotch (Thomas Gibson), Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), and Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), by way of well-placed flashback sequences. Reid truly received to spend a while with the definitive Prison Minds unsub, The Reaper (C. Thomas Howell), and his late girlfriend Maeve (Beth Riesgraf). Each have been capable of assist him discover out what he wanted to rejoin the world of the dwelling in reverse methods, whereas additionally reminding viewers of the darkest and happiest days of Reid’s life, respectively.
Within the meantime, J.J. (AJ Cook) discovered Reid at his condominium and received him to the hospital the place medical doctors may monitor his accidents. The remainder of the staff caught on to Lynch after he kidnapped Rossi’s (Joe Mantegna) spouse. They met him on the airplane hanger the place the BAU jet was saved. He and Rossi ended up in a single final gun battle on the jet earlier than Rossi was shot and fell from the aircraft, however J.J. got here in with the sniper abilities and despatched a flare in direction of the aircraft’s fuel tank and the complete jet blew up, killing Lynch within the cockpit.
The Criminal Minds Series Finale Trailer Brings Back a Lot of Familiar Faces
To wrap up the sequence, the complete staff met again at Rossi’s for a celebration. Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) shocked everybody and introduced that she could be the one leaving the staff to work for a non-profit that might require taking a look at quite a bit much less gore. Whereas everybody was unhappy to see her go away, her exit opened the door for a possible romance as Alvez (Adam Rodriguez) requested her out on an official date.
TV Information spoke with Prison Minds showrunner Erica Messer about saying goodbye to the present, blowing up the jet, and why now felt just like the time to lastly pull the set off on Garcia and Alvez.
The forged of Prison Minds
This finale had plenty of feelings in it, and never all of them have been good. Are you able to speak in regards to the determination to have The Reaper come again and have a terrifying aspect on this last episode?
Erica Messer: It was actually necessary for us to guarantee that we have been staying true to the present itself, which was, you possibly can’t actually have the light-hearted goodness all through the present. It is powerful to have the great and the dangerous. I really feel Like The Reaper was one among our series-defining villains. It wasn’t a lot when he was launched. He was a nasty man when he was launched, certain, however it’s what he did by the point Episode 100 rolled round. By altering the course of Hotch’s life and existence, it actually cemented our sequence into being one thing just a little bit surprising.
Tons of of episodes later — which sounds insane — this recognizable dangerous man nonetheless haunts the minds of our heroes…I used to be speaking to C. Thomas whereas he was capturing, and he stated the factor that he will get stopped on the road for many of all is taking part in George Foyett…I did not know that earlier than we got here up with the story thought. And I assumed, “Gosh, this was this was positively the suitable name to deliver him again.”
There have been additionally some heart-wrenching flashbacks within the episode. How did you select these when you’ve got over 300 episodes of fabric to select from?
Messer: That was actually onerous…I saved picturing, Reid, getting off the elevator and strolling into the bullpen as he has achieved a whole lot of instances., after which strolling to his desk, and this time, he hears voices that have not been there in [multiple seasons]…I do not forget that shot [in the Season 1 finale] particularly was like a oner. I although that might be such a pleasant acknowledgement. It wasn’t the pilot, however it was nonetheless the primary season. It is nonetheless the house that we inhabit as we speak, however a lot has modified since that second. To kick it off with that was then promising the viewers, “Now something can occur.”
When did you resolve that you just have been going to explode the jet?
Messer: That was one thing that has been talked about [during] the 15 seasons fairly often… It is simply by no means felt proper, to be sincere. Additionally, financially, meaning it’s possible you’ll must have a brand new jet set and that was by no means actually within the playing cards…On the finish of this, like most of our true villains, they straight have an effect on a member of the staff. So what was The Chameleon gonna do this was at that degree? We hoped he would not kill Rossi’s spouse. We have been like, ‘Please do not let that occur. Do not let it’s like one other model of Haley.’ We did not need Rossi to die when he received on the jet. We simply saved considering like, ‘However what’s what’s it? What may he do what could possibly be larger? What could possibly be no matter?’ Then it was, ‘Now could be the time that we truly kill a beloved character.’ That character, and placement was the jet. As soon as we stated that, all of it simply kind of fell into place.
Kirsten Vangsness, Prison Minds
Why did you select Garcia to be the one to go away the BAU?
Messer: Garcia leaving was one thing that was all the time in my head. Garcia has been kind of the middle of this — the factor that hasn’t modified, the factor that hasn’t missed episodes, proper? Garcia has been there via the ups and downs of all of it. I requested Kirsten, “What would you assume if Garcia was the one to go away?” She thought of it for a second after which stated, “Yeah, that is the suitable transfer. That is the suitable transfer.” It was kind of along with her blessing that we, as a result of we wrote this finale collectively, it was along with her blessing that we truly pursued that.
That opened the door for Alvez lastly asking her on a date. What made you wish to go down that street now?
Messer: It was one other little rule that we had, an unwritten position, that we that we did not have staff members ever in a relationship collectively. I imply, all of them have their very own relationships, however it was by no means collectively. And we actually loved how Garcia was decided to not like Alvez as a result of that might in some way be a betrayal to Morgan. Although they’re two utterly totally different characters, we simply thought there was a lot enjoyable that they’ve had over the previous couple of years taking part in that. That was one other factor Kirsten and I talked about like, perhaps he asks her out. Possibly it will not ever be something, however perhaps it’s going to be one thing we can’t be sticking round to search out out. We’re simply planting that little promise of staff members of the BAU are literally going to exit for greater than only a group dinner or drink. The viewers can think about what that might have regarded like.
If Shemar Moore had managed to return again for the finale, may it have been Morgan asking her out on a date?
Messer: No, as a result of we wrote him off to have this beautiful life together with his spouse and children. So I believe that might have unraveled all of that and made it approach too messy
Will we ever discover out what Garcia wrote within the be aware that she left behind at her desk?
Messer: No.
Prison Minds‘ last season is streaming on CBS All Access.