Hope you've enjoyed today's episode, and remember that next week we'll have a brand new one!
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
CRIMINAL MINDS Season 11 - 1118. A Beautiful Disaster - Comments Thread
Hope you've enjoyed today's episode, and remember that next week we'll have a brand new one!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I know there going to be allot of upset people me one.Sorry to see him go but he has a vision an I'm glad he's going for it. I for one will miss him.
ReplyDeleteI know there going to be allot of upset people me one.Sorry to see him go but he has a vision an I'm glad he's going for it. I for one will miss him.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing episode.... It made me laugh... it made me cry.... it made me want to throw something at JJ and Morgan.... and then.......... then........... It made me thankful that I was able to be apart of this amazing 11 yr journey of Derek Morgan.... Was it the best episode ever... No not by a long shot... BUT it was the absolute BEST written exit for Derek Morgan!
ReplyDeleteKirsten and Matthew were the best people to write and direct this episode! They did a great job and while I am sad to see him go, I'm sticking with my "criminal" family. ;)
ReplyDeleteNow...lets talk about Paget returning, shall we??? ����
Hmmm, Great episode. Funny though that Shemar is listed as a regular cast member in episode 20.....
ReplyDeletePress Releases are done probably by a template..and the person at CBS who does promo's, press releases etc hasn't been the brightest bulb in the box.... so I'm guessing it's a mistake
ReplyDeletegreat episode and loved how Morgan left, not in shame like Elle, not as a burn off like Gideon but as a man who did choose to be a husband and father over being an agent.
ReplyDeleteThere was so many intense scenes in this one, starting with the opening scene at the hospital up to when we heard the shot and thought Montolo had shot Morgan.
Even if I got angry I was excited that we had confrontation between team members! JJ went against Hotch's orders and told Morgan things she shouldn't. Morgan went against Hotch's orders and even blamed him for dividing the team, which of course Hotch didn't. As the Unit Chief and did what he had to do and take Morgan off the case. Morgan was true to himslef until the end and was a hot head!
Many wonderful scenes at the end with Morgan saying goodbyes. The one that got me was the one between Reid and Derek. This one made me cry! So well played by SM and MGG!
amazing writing from Kirsten Vangsness and Erica Messer! My god they should offer KV to be a full time writer, she is so good!
Will miss Morgan but so grateful that Shemar Moore gave us 11 years! Now he wants to do something else, so I'm wishing him all the best!
I'll give this episode a 9.5/10
Kate Callahan left for sensible reasons too.
DeleteIt wasn't just Morgan.
DeleteAnd that is probably why they haven't given the press release for next week's episode because it would have given it away that Shemar was gone. Not unless I missed it somewehere.
ReplyDeleteThey have published the press release for episode 20, and Shemar is still in the cast. But it could be anything from an oversight, to Shemar negotiating to stay in the credits after his exit. We'll know next week.
DeleteHmmmm...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.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
Agree. WELL DONE
DeleteThis was amazing. So well written, so well directed, the characters PERFECTLY in character, and thank god Savannah, Morgan and his baby all lived. Hank Spencer Morgan, god that is so beautifully symbolic! And I agree 100% with the person who said Kirsten should be a full time writer lol but that would be a tall order... I'm sad to see Morgan go, but he couldn't have had a better exit episode! Loved the last act, too.
ReplyDeleteLONG LIVE DEREK MORGAN, LOVE LIVE BB and most of all...
LONG LIVE CM!!!
I found it dull for the first forty-five minutes and like MSCCL above, a mishmash of scenes from earlier episodes. It was so anti-climax. I knew Derek wasn't going to shoot an unarmed man no matter how bad he wanted to and I knew he hadn't been shot when they went to commercial.
ReplyDeleteThe last fifteen minutes were nice and sweet. I thank Shemar for eleven years of a great character and I wish him the best of luck on his new endeavors.
Enjoyed it. Morgan's my least favorite character, so it's a bittersweet ending
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it, too. Morgan was never my favorite character, but he deserved a nice send off, and while I had gotten tired of the Morgan-centric episodes, this one was well-written and had the goodbyes just sappy enough to put tears in your eyes.
DeleteThey could have gotten a baby that was a little smaller, though, and used a scene where he wasn't smiling...a preemie baby doesn't smile because he doesn't recognize voices yet...lol.
Was there an onion in my eye? Lol. Sad episode.
DeleteLet me say to start that watching this episode and trying to get my head around CM:BB didn't work tonight. For some reason.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll be honest up front. I did not believe that SM was leaving and boldly said that on social media. I was wrong. But I knew that they would not kill off Morgan, especially with EM and KV writing it. That just wasn't going to happen.
Which brings me to the episode itself. After their superb work with "Nelson's Sparrow", the writing duo of EM/KV weren't at their best. And btw, I read an article that KV said she wrote Acts I and IV, while Erica wrote the middle parts and then they worked together.
I've been reading a lot of the comments on social media and some have compared this episode to "100". Sorry; this episode doesn't hold a candle to that milestone ep. Not even close.
JJ going against Hotch's orders wasn't a real shock to me. EM/KV telegraphed the red door. And a bigger one, that all of us at our little CM chat site caught was Morgan dropping the clip out of Glock, but not the round in the chamber which the unsub didn't catch. We all commented it would come back into play and it did. Bottom Rockie line: the unsub part was a C.
And thank goodness it was a boy! There's only one Baby Girl in Morgan's world. Kudos to EM/KV for that. And I loved the scene with the team when Morgan tells them.
The good-bye scenes with each cast member were wonderful. Hotch remembering Jack as a baby. Rossi being "Uncle Dave" again. They all were wonderful; and I agree, the one with Morgan and Reid was outstanding. It was a little cheesy in parts but still excellent. This part gets a Rockie A-.
What is really irritating me is all the social media numskulls that say they won't watch any more now that SM is gone. And yes, I know, I should tune them out. But I'm still going to say it. Shemar Moore choose this; he was written out at his request. Honor that!
If Morgan was someone's favorite character, and that is basically all they were watching the show for at this point, I can understand why they wouldn't want to watch again (whether or not they actually stop watching is another thing entirely). At this point, I mainly watch Criminal Minds for Reid, and if Matthew chose to leave, I'd likely stop watching the show, or at least I would not care about it nearly as much.
DeleteAnd I respect that fully. My point is this.....
DeleteFor all of the social media fans out there for a favorite character (which I deeply respect), not watching a show anymore because your favorite character is gone for the most part is not going to affect the ratings like they think.
Yes, there is a lot. But let's be honest. Maybe four figures (X,000) possible five. My proof however is NCIS.
Other than the pilot ep that ran in"JAG" (which I watched at the time) I've never watched an episode. Yet following social media, when "what's HER name left", her fans predicted dire rating falls. It didn't happen.
My point: it won't happen with CM either.
Well said, Rockie; I may disagree with your opinion; we as die hard CM fans have seen every other episode and know them like the back of our hand, so we, unlike other more "sporadic" fans, aren't easily surprised and can easily say that an episode was a rip-off (at some points) of another episode, when in fact the writers probably didn't have any other said episodes on their mind and are just trying the best they can; although I disagree with you on the writing, I highly respect your opinion, and you made your case quite elegantly, and well-articulated. Glad you were at least entertained, Rockie! :p Guessing CM:BB isn't your cup of tea? I'm someone who thinks Suspect Behavior should still be making new episodes so I'm definitely a minority when it comes to this show, perhaps a cock-eyed optimist lol but i'm wondering, do you think Beyond Borders is better than Suspect Behavior? And everything else aside, I'll bet you'll enjoy next week's episode :p and I can't believe we have to wait so long for Sharon's next episode... I haven't seen any SLW material since December 2nd!! lol ...thoughts?
DeleteI thought the ending and the farewells were all nicely done, especially between Morgan and Reid. You could tell it was all heartfelt on the actors' parts and it did give a really feelgood departure for Morgan. Apart from that I was kind of relieved that this drawn out arc was over. Maybe they felt that all the harking back to previous plots such as Revelations and 100 were a fitting marking of Shemar's 11 seasons on the show but it did feel a bit flat and the unsub part was lacking in suspense. But overall it was a nice wrap up for Shemar, beautifully directed as always by MGG and now I am looking forward to the new dynamic in the team and how they finish up the season. It will be interesting to see if they bring in another muscleman if the show goes into Season 12 - Rossi and Hotch are getting elderly, kicking doors in is not Reid's thing so maybe it will end up being girl power!
ReplyDeleteThis was a good but not stellar episode. B+
* A knife to my heart when Aaron asked Morgan, "And how did that work out?" when referring to Foyet.
ReplyDelete* Nice to see Morgan in his exit to be one step ahead of Reid regarding paternal instincts.
* Love Matthew's directing, particularly the close-ups.
* Even though we found out that Montolo was the unsub, JJ should have worn gloves when she was all over the phone and slip of paper.
* Liked Morgan busting Aaron's chops with, "How did I do?" when identifying Montolo's father.
* Glad Aisha's wig grew out. Now it needs a trim.
* Liked how JJ told Hotch right off that she showed the note to Morgan.
* Would liked to have seen the team working without division, Hotch telling Morgan they need his input, but must remain inactive, but appreciate the drama it brought.
* Rather than throw the gun away, Morgan could have turned off the GPS unless FBI phones are different.
* Lance Henriksen was very good as Montolo.
* Loved how Montolo's red ring was shining when he and Morgan were in the house.
* How I hate Russian roulette ever since The Deer Hunter.
* That was one very old looking preemie baby.
* I have a red door that Aaron can walk through any time with or without the vest.
I'll be an unsub any day just so he can catch me!
ReplyDeleteLine forms to the left...
DeleteSo what Agent Hotchner has is a line of crazy girls just wanting to be captured by him.... I'm first! I'll lead him on a pursuit!
DeleteFirstly, ‘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.
ReplyDeleteRelated 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 the story, I really did want to see the full discussion between Hotch and Morgan, leading to Morgan’s resignation. (17?)
What is Morgan planning to do with his future? (17?)
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?)
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 min), 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.
I thought it was 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 usually the team member who sees her colleague off the rails and remains cool and collected. It was a throwaway scene that should have been thrown away. (17?---could have been 16, just sayin’)
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. It was a pleasant surprise to have the baby 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’.
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.
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.”
Well, after watching it again I have to say it was better than I thought at first.
ReplyDeleteThe 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.