(S03E19) Talk about ending a season in an explosive way!
In the past three years, this week's episode was probably the second episode of Criminal Minds that I watched in its entirety. It's not a bad show but I just can't watch everything that airs on TV. However, since I stop watching any American Idol season after Hollywood Week, so I wasn't going to watch the finale, and because my usual Wednesdays at 9 PM shows were done for the season, I tuned in to CBS and watched the BAU at work.
The team was sent to NYC to determine if random shootings of victims who had nothing in common were the work of one or more shooters. I, who is not a regular viewer of the show, enjoyed the case of the week because it had a good number of twists and turns (finding out there were more than one shooter, one of them waiting for the detectives to arrive and shooting one of them, etc.).
But the case of the week was thrown out the window in the episode's last 30 seconds or so. We saw each character enter a different car and then BOOM!, one of them blew up. It may not be an original ending, since a lot of series had bombs go off in their season finales, but it is a major game changer nonetheless.
Per the hits we got here at TV Squad on our Criminal Minds category minutes after the episode ended, and after reading some of the comments at official CM forums, it seems that the ending surprised a lot of fans. Comments on the forums range from "They can't do that to the team!!!" to "I hope they kill off Joe Mantegna's character because he's no Gideon!" Fans are not happy campers right now and most of them, according to what I've read on the web, hope that the explosion occurred in a car where none of the team was.
Hours before the season finale aired, TV Guide posted an article about it in which executive producer Ed Bernero reveals that "one of our team is going to be severely injured and viewers will have to wait all summer to find out who it was." Look at his choice of words: severely injured. Could it be that no one will die but that someone will spend weeks, if not months, in the hospital?
Dead or severely injured, depending on who was hit, the show could have totally different dynamics when it returns for a fourth season this fall. What did you think of the finale? Who do you think was hit by the explosion? Do you think the explosion is linked to the case of the week?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-22-2008 @ 10:58AM
Thomas said...
I hope it's not Paget Brewster's character, I'm useless at names but I'd watch her watching paint dry.
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5-24-2008 @ 2:04AM
jcall24 said...
It cant be emily because she got into a chevy, I believe it was a tahoe. The car that blew up was a denali.
5-22-2008 @ 10:58AM
Alicia said...
It is either Derek or Emily.
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5-22-2008 @ 11:41AM
Stanggirl2003 said...
Criminal Minds is on CBS, not ABC.
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5-22-2008 @ 11:41AM
Darla said...
Does anyone know where I can see the entire episode on line? My DVR messed up and I lost the ending. Thanks
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5-22-2008 @ 12:14PM
fred said...
Yeah it was a great episode! Maybe a classic finale cliffhanger, but who cares?
This season had its pretty bad episode, so I'm just thrilled it ended so well.
About the bomb, it's definitely not Emily, that's for sure. I think it's between Rossi, Dereck, and Hotch.
http://tvoholic.com/episode-reviews/criminal-minds-lo-fi/
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5-22-2008 @ 12:44PM
Sandra said...
I hope it wasn't JJ, but would be glad if it was that irritating Field Office Director. They must have made her intentionally unlikeable, because I could care less if she makes an appearance next season.
At the same time, why do women in positions of leadership always have to be bitchy on that show?
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5-22-2008 @ 1:13PM
chhimi said...
I think its on CBS and not ABC
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5-22-2008 @ 1:41PM
Dan Chichian said...
I think the SUV was the one JJ's boyfriend got into and since she was standing by the car she will be the one injured. Or not!
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5-22-2008 @ 1:52PM
dee said...
i believe jj is pregnant in real life. so feel it's her.
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5-22-2008 @ 2:41PM
ronia said...
It is the blonde from England. She was the only one we did NOT see enter a car. No brainer. It probably is about not whom we saw but whom we did not see.
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5-22-2008 @ 3:00PM
gmctv said...
"Severely injured" = Hotch. View the episode again and you will notice that everyone is shown heading to a car. And all but one of the team is actually seen getting into a car. Who isn't? Hotch and the Haley look alike. My guess is that next season we will see Hotch load her into an SUV and step back just before it blows the Haley twin up, injuring him.
Sadly I rewound this several times last night. The license plates for Morgan and Prentiss are different than the one on the SUV that blew up. Rossi was just brought in to replace Pantinkin this season, so it is doubtful that they would kill him. Reed and Garcia both had major story arcs this season, so not alot of sense to kill them either. So Hotch has my vote.
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5-25-2008 @ 6:49AM
sarah said...
It wasn't even an suv that blew up. If you watched it as closely as you said you did, you'd have seen it was a van. a chevrolet. Only one number plate is shown, although it is shown twice.
5-22-2008 @ 3:23PM
jay said...
I think it's J.J. that would spin the whole story with her. She will probably lose her baby and create some kind of mental issue with her that she will take time off to deal with. Not dead, but hurt enough to lose the baby.
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5-24-2008 @ 10:12PM
stace said...
I agree with Jay that it's JJ's character that's "severly" injured. There weren't talks about anyone leaving, not since Gideon. Rossi's a pretty good addition to the team, so no good reason to let him go so soon. It looks pretty obvious that they'll rewrite JJ's story since AJ Cook is pregnant in real life. She's probably taking some time off, and the writers will explain her character being injured and losing the baby, including her new beau "Will" aka Josh Stewart (boy, I love him)! Like all Season Finales, they have to be dramatic, but by the time they come back for Season Premiere, all is not totally lost, or at least characters are NOT REALLY written off, right? Now, that sounded pretty good, I could have probably written that script myself! LOL
5-22-2008 @ 4:21PM
Sandi said...
I was so stunned that I almost cried. I think it is Derrick Morgan because hmmm, well the last thing I saw was Morgan closing the car door and turning on the ignition. I do hope it isn't going to be the "end" of anyone. This is one of the only shows I watch consistently. Are they going to play this as a rerun this summer? If so I'll really concentrate and NOT be in anyway distracted. I am glad that there are so many others that enjoy this show as much as I do.
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6-19-2008 @ 12:06AM
nicholas chan said...
ya i am one who like the shows. so sad that i have to wait a period of time for original dvd. .
5-22-2008 @ 5:08PM
Inspi said...
I thought they were blowing ALL of them up. NCIS (also a CBS show) just disbanded their team as a "season" finale, (killing one, 'reassigning' all but one), so after showing all these identical SUVs and an ignition-tied explosion, I figured the execs were killing off these known faces too. If 'terrorists' know the team, know the team is there, are trying to gauge federal response to their acts, and are planning to die for glory (so risk is not a problem for the individuals) why stop at blowing up one of the team? Attack them all, right? And the 'one injured' statement - bull. The person sitting on the bomb died. Who starts a car on the street while a passenger is standing outside it? In your own driveway, maybe, but on the street at night? JJ standing outside the door while Will, all concerned for her safety, gets in first? Not what a New Orleans boy would do! Didn't enjoy the shock of the ending, but the "one injured" comment makes it a real cheat. It was a fascinating episode, really good writing, with them putting together the different killers and the terror angle. But if a group THAT tied in is going to blow up the team, they're not going to pick one person. If your plot says blow them up, maybe one gets away - not all but one. That would be a personal vendetta, not a terror group.
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5-22-2008 @ 10:10PM
emmie said...
yeah.. i think its hotch becuase morgan is just to sexy and important they couldnt hurt him and jj's bf was outside of the car and no bf next to the black suv. reid and garcia went through alot already so i dont think they would hurt them and emily i dont think they would do that i think it HAs to be hotch or that british grl.
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5-22-2008 @ 10:23PM
Mark Watson said...
Criminal Minds is one of the highest rated broadcast network television drama series in the history of ABC
Studios alongside former Wenesday darlings Alias, Felicity, Kevin Hill and My Wife & Kids.
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