For those of you who don’t know, I began watching Criminal Minds in the spring of 2019. I spent about nine months dedicating myself to the first 14 seasons—314 episodes—of Criminal Minds so that I could watch the final season as it aired in January 2020. I was super annoyed when I found there would only be 10 episodes of season 15, but I dealt with it. I don’t know what I will do without my fix of Matthew Gray Gubler, Kristen Vangsness and the others each week.
The final two episodes of Criminal Minds aired Feb. 19, and I still can’t accept that the show is finally over. I’ve decided to recap how I felt during the finale to solidify my love for Criminal Minds on the Internet. Honestly, if you don’t know the show, this will be super confusing and if you do watch the show, there will be spoilers, but I needed a place to get my emotions off my chest and pay tribute to one of the best crime dramas on TV.
Shock was my initial reaction to discovering that Penelope Garcia was taking a new job. I thought Emily Prentiss and Jennifer Jareau (JJ) would be the two to leave—we find out that they don’t—but alas, it seemed as if Garcia would be the sinking ship. I didn’t like that. Garcia always kept the team together, and she would be the one departing the team; however, sometimes the job was too gruesome for sweet Garcia, so I guess I understood why she needed to leave.
I loved seeing young Jason Gideon again hammering away at David Rossi to think outside the box. Also, I completely forgot that actor Ben Savage played young Gideon and loved seeing him on screen. Anway, Rossi is always a tad stuck in his ways, but imagining what Gideon would do helped Rossi finally discover what they had been missing about the elusive Everett Lynch. Honestly, I knew they needed a big bad villain to end the show with. Lynch was perfect, but it went on for so long that I just didn’t want to see his face anymore.
At the end of the first episode, everyone believes Lynch is dead, but my favorite doctor, Spencer Reid, puts together the pieces before he collapses on the floor after the explosion at the end of part one. Too much, right? Well, the finale needed a bang, and letting the audience believe that Reid could die was definitely one of them.
Honestly, part one was a rollercoaster of emotions. It was nostalgic seeing Gideon again, then frustrating as Lynch repeatedly gets away and kills more people in the process. However, what else would they do for part two if Lynch wasn’t caught? They wouldn’t introduce a new bad guy, and it couldn’t be a whole hour of goodbyes.
The second part opened up with Reid at the BAU office, but what through me off was seeing old Derek Morgan, Elle Greenaway and Aaron Hotchner too. Then, seeing baby Reid made the flashback that much more real. Real Reid was obviously still passed out in his apartment, and not one of the team members thought to check on him, especially since Reid is always on time.
The beginning of part two was frustrating. I know the team had to come to the slow realization that Lynch wasn’t dead (thank you, DNA) and that something was up with Reid. However, the most annoying part was that they didn’t even think to bring back Morgan or even Hotchner for real and just let a few flashbacks do the talking. Instead, they brought back another annoying criminal within Reid’s weird half-dead hallucinogenic state and Erin Strauss, both of whom are dead. Also, I do like Strauss, I just wish more characters could have been brought back.
I didn’t think the writers or producers of Criminal Minds would kill Reid, but they certainly made us believe they would. Any person Reid saw while he was unconscious was dead, including Maeve. What really ticked me off was that they could bring back his former girlfriend Maeve, which was still satisfying, but they couldn’t bring Reid’s new girlfriend Maxine into the finale? They even brought back Reid’s mother Diana, but Maxine didn’t appear once. I want a redo on that part, writers.
As Reid is possibly dying, the team races against the clock to save Rossi’s wife who had been kidnapped by Lynch. While, thankfully, no one dies, Criminal Minds does lose an integral part of the cast—the beloved jet. As soon as the team’s jet exploded killing Lynch in the process, I quite literally started screaming. I’m sure my roommates thought I was crazy, but that damn jet had seen so much and the producers decided to kill it? I wasn’t happy, but at least it wasn’t a member of the team.
The last 10 minutes of the episode celebrate Garcia’s new job. Rossi throws a huge party in the backyard where all the significant others also come (but seriously, no Maxine?). As more and more guests arrived and the ultimate dance scene ensued, I had an incredible thought. What if the background characters were workers on the show? The other partygoers should have been producers, writers, interns and anyone else who made Criminal Minds successful behind the camera.
In another shocking twist that literally also made me scream, Luke Alvez asked Garcia on a date because they were no longer co-workers. I didn’t see that one coming, but I wholeheartedly approve of this relationship. If only I could see their romance actually happen.
Tears left my eyes as Garcia tried to sneak away without saying goodbye, but the team caught her, and fans got our final hugs. If the show had to end, Garcia closing the door to her tech room was the ultimate ending. I was crying and muttering to myself. It was over, but I didn’t want to deal with the fact that I just lost the show I dedicated my time to for almost a year. The finale was really good, and I really did love what they decided to do it with.
I wish Criminal Minds wasn’t ending. If Law and Order: SVU can run for over 20 seasons, why can’t Criminal Minds? I guess I have to survive with the first 12 seasons on Netflix, hope that the final three will be added and wish for a revival someday.