CRIMINAL MINDS - Thomas Gibson ('Criminal Minds'): "Someone will die tonight" - Interview

by Nathalie Chuc

A beautiful deep voice sounds on the phone, it is Thomas Gibson, - alias, Aaron Hotchner of Criminal Minds, the Unit Chief of a team of FBI profilers. In all simplicity, the actor tells us more about the double episode that ends tonight, Season 8 on TF1.

NC: The killer, "The Replicator", seeks, more than ever, to harm the team of profilers: someone will die... A cast member said goodbye - we don't disclose who. Thomas Gibson, how was it?
TG: It's always difficult, especially since it's an actress I've known for a long time. We played together in theater in the 80s. All good things come to an end. But I can tell you that she'll be back in Season 9... in flashbacks! [laughs] In series, goodbye is never final.


NC: In this double episode, your character spends quality time with his girlfriend and his son, it is rare to see Hotchner smile!
TG: Indeed! It's nice for me too. I think it's important to show that our characters have a life after work. Like real FBI agents, they are struggling to balance career and personal life. In particular Hotchner,  who is very - perhaps too - invested in his job. He is torn because he would like to be the best father and take care of his girlfriend, Beth. In Season 3, we saw that his marriage failed because he was working too much. He has learned several lessons since then.

NC: Will we see again, in Season 9 for example, his girlfriend Beth?
TG: Yes, but it's complicated because Bellamy Young, the actress who plays Beth, is a regular in another series, Scandal. She plays Mellie Grant, the First Lady! So it is difficult for her to find time to come to Criminal Minds, but our common goal is certainly to bring her more often.

NC: His private life is definitely at the heart of the intrigue tonight, because everything begins with his reunion with his brother Sean...
TG: Yes! Moreover, we had not seen Sean (Eric Johnson), the brother of my character, since Season 1. It's been a while. So, with this plot (Brothers Hotchner), we understand what happened to him during that time. And fans of the series will be pleased, I think, to discover another facet of Aaron, to see him as a big brother.

NC: You've directed an episode of Season 8, the 14th: will you repeat the experience?
TG: This is very timely because I am right there preparing to direct another! I cannot wait actually. It's a good story too; will begin to film right after the Christmas holidays - the team takes a break. With directing, I'll be busy in January! [laughter] It should be Episode 16. I love being a director and I'm pleased that they let me. It's a lot of work but it's so interesting and I have the support of all.

NC: Mark Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, plays a key role in the finale...
TG: It was fantastic to have him among us, it's Luke Skywalker afterall! He's just lovely. He's an icon in the United States. On the set, we all asked him to take photos and to sign us autographs. He happily played the game. For me, it is one of our best guest stars. And the icing on the cake, he's a fan of the series, which is always a plus.

NC: Jeanne Tripplehorn (Basic Instinct) was a rookie this Season 8: your verdict?
TG: Jeanne has really found her place. It turns out that I also knew her well before she came among us - we went to the same school in New York. In fact, if you work long enough, like me, in Hollywood you always end up finding old friends on a shoot! We are lucky to have her with us. Her talent is obvious. And she watched the series too...

Thomas Gibson is 51 years old. He began on stage at the age of 10. In 1997, he was revealed to the public thanks to the role of Greg in the sitcom Dharma & Greg, with Jenna Elfman. Recognition became global in 2005 when he landed the role of Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner in Criminal Minds.


Due to the fact that the original interview was published in French, we have posted it in its integrity after being translated into English by us. To read the original feature go to: Le Figaro

Criminal Minds: Review of Episode 8.24 'The Replicator'

As a season finale, "The Replicator" had a lot going for it: a villain that the writers took time throughout the season to build, Strauss being the main victim, the team being targeted in a twisted need for revenge over her and newest team member Alex Blake...

What it really needed, to be an awesome episode, was two hours. As an hour episode it felt a bit too packed, too much was going on for just one hour of television. What was well done was how they did tie all the little pieces they had scattered along previous episodes; nothing was left out, and all made sense.

There were many great scenes: Rossi losing it after he was drugged and was convinced Morgan was 'The Replicator', stood out. The tension in that scene was palpable, and Joe, Shemar and Thomas were very good in it.

Best moment was, without a doubt, Strauss dying in Hotch's arms. Totally sad, but such a powerful moment, especially when she told Hotch she did love all her children, and he told her he had been wrong (see the episode 'In Name and Blood' from season 3). Excellent work by Jayne Atkinson and Thomas Gibson; those two always played well against each other's. Will miss Erin Strauss.

The most uncomfortable scene was when we saw Strauss at the M.E. office, death, having lost her usual formidable presence.

Criminal Minds has had lots of very good stunt scenes in its run; my all time favorite was the flipping car on the highway in 'Normal', but loved the helicopter crashing. And on a purely aesthetic level, lovely shots of those helicopters on flight!

The ending was left open ended: is 'The Replicator' really dead? Could he have escaped his own trap?

As much as I wish the final had been a two hours event, what I really wish was that Mark Hamill had played Curtis without the 'mad, doctor' flavor. Unlike Frank Breitkopf (played by David Carradine), who was creepy and scary, or George Foyet (played by C. Thomas Howell), who was dangerous and crazy, Curtis just seemed... tame? I never felt he was scary; yes he could hit the team, but Hamill's performance needed a bit more for his character to be as good as Frank, Foyet, or even Hankel.

The ending was OK; loved that Rossi used Strauss one-year medallion to jam the door. Zugzwang indeed!

The family theme was even more present at the end with the team toasting Erin Strauss's life. Loved that they did the toast and the remembrance of things that happened with Strauss, this is what a family does when one of them is lost.

As a season finale, "The Replicator" delivered; may not have been as good as my all-time favorite "Lo-FI", but it was well written and entertaining. It ended a good season for Criminal Minds. Let's hope season 9, which starts in less than one week, will be even better!


~~~~Merlin

NOTE: All the images can be seen full size clicking over them.

Criminal Minds Boss on The Replicator Reveal, the Finale Death and What's Next in Season 9

By Joyce Eng

So it was Luke Skywalker after all.

Criminal Minds' season-long unsub/stalker The Replicator was finally unmasked on Wednesday's two-hour finale as Mark Hamill's federal agent/biochemistry nut John Curtis. At the end of the first hour, Curtis breaks into Strauss' (Jayne Atkinson) hotel room, after which he forces the recovering alcoholic to drink before drugging her with "Doctor Death," the meth/ecstasy mix at the center of the case the BAU had just solved. He lets Strauss wander the New York streets, where the section chief dies on a bench in the arms of Hotch (Thomas Gibson) - not her BAU-member-with-benefits Rossi (Joe Mantegna).

So who is John Curtis anyway? And why was he targeting the BAU? It turns out Curtis worked in the Department of Justice, which receives the team's case reports, and like Blake (Jeanne Tripplehorn), he was screwed over by Strauss when they had to take the fall for a mishap in the Amerithrax case 12 years ago. Needless to say, he did not take it well that Blake managed to join the BAU all these years later. Strauss had actually been investigating The Replicator rogue after having told the team that the case was dormant in the 16th episode. Believing that The Replicator was on the inside, she doctored the team's case report from last week, listing a fake M.O. that The Replicator used on Strauss.

After kidnapping Blake when the BAU's chopper was forced to crash-land on his property, Curtis planned to kill the whole team via a bomb in his house, but Rossi - whom Curtis had drugged earlier to lead him to believe that Morgan (Shemar Moore) was The Replicator - instead locks Curtis in the booby-trapped room and escapes the room by using Strauss' sobriety chip as a wedge in the lock. The house explodes... but we never see Curtis' body.

So is The Replicator really dead? And why did Strauss have to die? Showrunner and executive producer Erica Messer answers our burning questions.

Read more about the season finale, why no cliffhanger, why Strauss, and what to expect for season 9 going to SeattlePI.com

Criminal Minds Comments Thread for episodes 8.23 'Brothers Hotchner' and 8.24 'The Replicator'

Here, you can post comments and talk about tonight's Criminal Minds season finale episodes titled 'Brothers Hotchner' and 'The Replicator', written by Rick Dunkle and Erica Messer respectively.

Enjoy tonight's 2 hours Criminal Minds season finale!

Criminal Minds Boss Previews Finale Face-Off With The Replicator: 'He Throws the First Punch'

By Matt Webb Mitovich

It is time for The Replicator to be revealed — but at what cost?

This Wednesday at 9/8c, CBS’ Criminal Minds closes Season 8 with a pair of episodes, the first of which tests one family – the brothers Hotchner – and then the finale proper, which will put the BAU bunch in jeopardy as they close in on their aforementioned season-long stalker.

Showrunner Erica Messer spoke with TVLine about delivering this dire denouement, ruling out one “suspect” while teasing grave consequences for at least two characters.

To Read More: TVLine.com

Criminal Minds: Lily Kershaw new song that will be featured in the season 8 finale this Wednesday at 9pm on CBS

Lily Kershaw is known to the Criminal Minds fans as the talented singer/song writer who wrote the song 'As it Seems' that was used in the season 7 finale dancing scene at JJ and Will's wedding. Lily is back with a new song  'Ashes like Snow' that will also be featured on the Criminal Minds season 8 finale!

The song will be available tomorrow on Itunes and for more information about Lily Kershaw and her music you can follow her on twitter at @Lily_Kershaw

You can see the video and listen to 'Ashes like Snow' here: youtube.com

Mark Hamill plugs Criminal Minds season 8 finale on Jay Leno

Thanks to @suceress for the heads up about this video!

Criminal Minds Sneak Peek for the season 8 Finale

Joe Mantegna on 'Criminal Minds' Finale, Revisiting 'Glengarry Glen Ross'

By: Brittany Frederick

Joe Mantegna is one of the great actors in show business. Whatever the medium or the genre, he always delivers an outstanding performance. On television, he's best known as Special Agent David Rossi on CBS's long-running procedural Criminal Minds. Mantegna joined BFTV yesterday to discuss next week's double-length Criminal Minds season finale and what it's been like for him to bring Rossi to life for the last six years.

"It's a two hour episode," the actor said of Wednesday's final installment. "It's like a little movie in a way. We're able to pull out all stops and devote our energy, our finances and all that for two separate episodes into one, which I think it makes it more exciting. We get some time to explore this thing. We're able to give a proper end to our season. I think it'll be very satisfying."

One of the things the season finale does is put a period on the mystery of "The Replicator," the Unsub that's been stalking the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) team throughout this cycle. It's the latest recurring-villain plot for Criminal Minds, and Mantegna told us, "I think we've done a good job of kind of playing both sides of that street. We're certainly not like a soap opera, where it's continual story that you kind of have to tap in every week.

"For the most part, probably 80 percent if not more of what we do are stand-alone episodes and I think that's a good thing. That's what really happens in...

To Read More: Starpulse.com

Criminal Minds Promotional pictures for the season 8 finale 'The Replicator'

Criminal Minds Promo video for 'The Replicator' from CBS

Criminal Minds Promo Video for The Season 8 finale 'The replicator' from CTV

Criminal Minds Press Release for 8.23 'Brothers Hotchner' and 8.24 'The Replicator'

THE REPLICATOR RETURNS TO TARGET A MEMBER OF THE BAU, AND HOTCH’S BROTHER IS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TEAM’S LATEST INVESTIGATION, ON THE TWO-HOUR EIGHTH SEASON FINALE OF “CRIMINAL MINDS,” WEDNESDAY, MAY 22

Mark Hamill Guest Stars

Bellamy Young Returns as Hotch’s Girlfriend, Beth Clemmons and Eric Johnson Reprises His Role as Hotch’s Brother, Sean

“Brothers Hotchner” and “The Replicator” – The Replicator zeroes in on the BAU when the killer targets one of the team as the next victim. Also, the BAU is called in to investigate a string of deaths in Manhattan tied to apparent ecstasy overdoses, and Hotch discovers that his estranged brother, Sean, is caught in the middle, on the two-hour eighth season finale of CRIMINAL MINDS, Wednesday, May 22 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Mark Hamill guest stars. Bellamy Young returns as Hotch’s girlfriend, Beth Clemmons, and Eric Johnson reprises his role as Hotch’s brother, Sean.

CHEAT TWEET: #TheReplicator faces off w/the BAU – who will win? Find out on the 2-hr. season finale of #CriminalMinds 5/22, 9pm http://bit.ly/15XTdvC

SERIES REGULARS:
Joe Mantegna (David Rossi)
Thomas Gibson (Aaron Hotchner)
Shemar Moore (Derek Morgan)
Matthew Gray Gubler (Dr. Spencer Reid)
A.J. Cook (Jennifer “JJ” Jareau)
Kirsten Vangsness (Penelope Garcia)
Jeanne Tripplehorn (Alex Blake)

GUEST CAST (“Brothers Hotchner”):
Jayne Atkinson (FBI Section Chief Director Erin Strauss)
Bellamy Young (Beth Clemmons)
Eric Johnson (Sean Hotchner)
Cade Owens (Jack Hotchner)
Kara Luiz (Liz Leonte)
Annabelle Borke (Anna Johnson)
Sean Maguire (Thane Parks)
Steve Wastell (Jim Peters)
Matthew Grathwol (Greg Matulic)
Brie Eley (Kimberly Sullivan)
Paul Shaw (Bernard Hatchitt)
Meghan Strange (Catherine Hatchitt)
Avery Kristen Pohl (Kiegan Hatchitt)
Tony Mirrcandani (Walter Beaird)
Richard Augustine (Larry Feretich)

GUEST CAST (“The Replicator”):
Jayne Atkinson (FBI Section Chief Director Erin Strauss)
Mark Hamill (John Curtis)
Nicholas Brendon (Kevin Lynch)
Teresa Huang (Dr. Weiss)
Kara Luiz (Liz Leonte)
Brian Appel (Agent Anderson)
Mark Moses (Senator Cramer)
Breanne Hill (Strauss Child #1)
Emma Marcus (Strauss Child #2)
Jordan Ledford (Strauss Child #3)

WRITTEN BY: Rick Dunkle (hour one); Erica Messer, one of the series’ executive producers (hour two)

DIRECTED BY: Rob Bailey (hour one); Glenn Kershaw (hour two)

CRIMINAL MINDS’ Ramping up to the Season finale

                   picture taken on location while filming episode 8x23 'Brothers Hotchner'. Picture @CM_setreport

The Replicator is going to rear his ugly head in the season finale of Criminal Minds, and, with a two-hour finale in store, you know it’s going to be big. Shemar Moore tells me he’s excited about the upcoming clash.

To read more go to EW