7 Things We Wished We’d Seen in the ‘Criminal Minds’ Finale (PHOTOS)
Shemar Moore back as Derek Morgan
Fans didn’t get to see Morgan again — he would’ve shown up at the party in Rossi’s backyard — due to Moore’s availability. “It was really hard to ever get him once he was on his own show, so it would’ve been very unlikely to have him part of any kind of takedown,” showrunner Erica Messer said. And while we did see him in a Season 1 flashback at the beginning of the finale, it just wasn’t the same.
Max at the party with Reid
Everyone else in a relationship had his or her significant other at Garcia’s farewell in Rossi’s backyard. Krystall was with Rossi, Mendoza with Prentiss, Will with JJ, and Kristy with Matt. Luke asked Garcia out. And if Tara’s started seeing anyone, we haven’t seen that on-screen. However, Reid did meet and begin dating Max this season, and she even appeared to be sticking around after Cat tried to ruin their relationship. So why wasn’t she by his side at the party?
What Garcia wrote in her note
Before shutting down her office until the next person comes along, Garcia hid a note, but according to the finale’s writers, Messer and Kirsten Vangsness, we’ll never learn what she wrote. “We want that to be whatever you want it to be,” Messer explained. But it’s still too bad that we didn’t get to see at least part of it.
The new jet
The old jet was sacrificed for the greater good — stopping the Chameleon — in the finale, but the team did get a new one. And while it was likely just something similar to the old one — and nothing like IRT’s on Beyond Borders — it would’ve been nice to get a glimpse of it (and perhaps one or two of its hiding places like Rossi and Gideon put into the old one).
An update on former team members
While the team hasn’t changed as much as it should have – “it is really unusual for anyone to stay in one position in the FBI in the BAU for that long without trying out running a field office in another city or maybe just being in a different division,” Messer acknowledged — some agents have come and gone. What happened to Elle? Jordan? Seaver? Blake? Kate? (And what about everyone’s favorite recurring Agent Anderson?) How’s Hotch doing?
A more concrete picture of the future of the BAU
The finale ended with the BAU — without Garcia — heading off on another case, the details of which we will never know. We got a vague idea of what’s to come next for the rest of the team — i.e., Reid continuing to teach, Rossi probably never retiring — but why not give us a better idea of the future for the current and future profilers? Is Prentiss back on track to be the bureau’s first female director? Will JJ be Unit Chief one day or is New Orleans not quite off the table? How’s writing with Rossi going for Matt? What could the next generation of the BAU look like?
More team moments
While the focus was understandably on Reid’s health and catching the Chameleon (and saving Krystall), the moments we got between members of the team near the end at Garcia’s party and in the roundtable room just weren’t enough. And as much as we love the newest members of the team (Tara, Luke, and Matt), it would’ve been great to see the vets together one last time.
Criminal Minds said goodbye with a finale that left quite a bit open-ended.
The Big Bad (the Chameleon) was stopped, and everyone survived to continue hunting down serial killers. (Garcia, however, chose to move on from the FBI.) And while the last episode was quite fitting for the CBS procedural, there are a few things we wished had been included in its 43 minutes.
Click through the gallery above for the returns, answers, and more loose ends it’s too bad “And in the End” didn’t address.
