Criminal Minds Boss Previews BAU ‘Tension’ in Final Season — Plus, the One Return That Won’t Happen
For CBS‘ Criminal Minds, the end begins this Wednesday at 9/8c, with a two-hour Season 15 premiere that updates us on Rossi’s ongoing obsession with “the Joker to his Batman” as well as forces JJ and Spencer to address the elephant that for them has been standing in the room for a long, “sad” six months.
Showrunner Erica Messer shared with TVLine a preview of the hunt for the BAU’s final Big Bad, and how during this farewell run several agents will be led to ponder paths not chosen. Plus, which series vet’s expected encore actually won’t be happening during the 10-episode farewell run?
TVLINE | How goes the hunt for The Chameleon?
It’s been six months since the Season 14 finale and Rossi (played by Joe Mantegna) has been obsessed with finding the Chameleon. Rossi has been “down in the basement,” back to the roots of the BAU, in hopes of finding a connection he’s been unable to see. There has been some tension between Rossi and Prentiss (Paget Brewster) since we last saw them, and it’s completely fueled by Rossi’s drive to find Everett Lynch (Castle vet Michael Mosley).
TVLINE | The first half of the two-hour premiere has barely any JJ/Reid interaction. Does the second episode pointedly revisit the events of “Truth or Dare”? [In a TVLine poll, 47 percent reacted to JJ’s declaration of love with a “Woo-hoo!,” 35 percent argued that JJ (A.J. Cook) and Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) have always been more like “sister/brother,” and the rest of y’all wanted the hiatus to chew on it.]
Yes, we wanted to dive into that as soon as we could and by the time the second episode is over, a lot is out in the open.
TVLINE | So, what have their conversations been like for the past six months…?
We all imagined it was just a little sad, that something had shifted between them and the comfort level of their friendship had been compromised. We didn’t want to spend our final 10 hours with them in a space they haven’t lived in before, so we pull them out of that funk and get them back on their feet as the closest of friends.
TVLINE | Will this be the sort of “TV final season” where all of the characters get reflective and consider other opportunities?
Everyone is definitely reflective because that’s what we’ve all been doing behind the scenes. It’s so unusual to work at one place for 15 years — it makes you wonder what you’ve missed. “What else is out there?” and how your skill set can help, even if you don’t report to the same office every day.
TVLINE | I imagine you have at least one or two returns planned for the final season. Would they necessarily be in the finale, or might they land elsewhere?
They’re in other places. Our finale ends up being such a freight train that it was hard to stop and have an emotional beat with a character coming back, but we were able to bring them back in other ways that will make sense once you see the finale. We have this amazing flashback to what I want to say is the season finale of Season 1, and it just makes me smile every time I see it, because not a single one of the team members is there anymore, except for Reid. It’s a nod to everybody who’s been watching all of these years.
TVLINE | Are you naming any of the in-the-flesh returns…?
You’ll see Jane Lynch again [as Reid’s mother, in the second hour of the season premiere], I’ll give you that, but no….
I’ve been asked if Shemar [Moore] is coming back [as Derek Morgan], and it’s no. He’s very busy shooting S.W.A.T. Again, I wanted to be able to acknowledge the history of the series, certainly in that finale, and was able to do it in a different way.
TVLINE | Is there any sort of UnSub that you always wanted to get to that you got to check off in this final season?
Oh, that’s interesting. I don’t think so, in terms of a specific bad guy, but there’s an entire episode that Breen Frazier and Stephanie Birkitt wrote that’s called “Saturday,” and it’s “What is the team doing on a day off?” — and there’s a lot of fun in that. I mean, the truth is we still had to reign it in and it became an episode of Criminal Minds, but the whole intent for that was to be, “Let’s start off a little differently….”
TVLINE | Lastly, there has been some debate about the origin of the series finale’s title, which was revealed to be, “And In the End”….
It will all be clear in the final 10 minutes of the series. “And in the end… the love you take is equal to the love you make…” Those were the final lyrics ever recorded by the Beatles, a group the characters always loved.
Want more scoop on Criminal Minds, or for any other show? Email InsideLine@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.
The results of that Reid/JJ poll are rather interesting :). Hm. I like the idea that they’ll come out of this awkwardness okay in the end, and since the season’s so short and they’ve got so much to try and get through, I get why that’ll be resolved a lot more quickly as a result. But even after they manage to get their friendship back on track, I am curious to see how her confession will affect their interaction in other ways going forward, if at all, and hopefully we can see little hints of that along the way, too.
.
Sad as I am about Morgan not being able to actually make an appearance, the explanation is understandable. Again, maybe if the season had been longer… Eh, well. The hints at how they plan to give a nod to the history of the team, and the flashbacks to season 1, and whatnot, for the final episode sound very intriguing, though-get the feeling I’m gonna need to have some tissues on hand for that, then :p.
.
I’m both sad and excited for this-can’t wait to see how it all unfolds!
As I’ve said previously, if they try to put JJ/Reid together in the end, Will needs to kill them both and move back to New Orleans.
I am so with you on that!!!
I don’t even like Will all that much but I concur..
Those two together seems incestuous and creepy.
Bring Hotch & Elle back, and reveal that Gideon elaborately faked his death.
Hotch & Gideon I can get behind, but not Elle. She annoyed me to no end. (Just my opinion)
Would also have liked to have seen Seaver but that was never going to happen, such a missed opportunity by the writers.
I’m totally on board with your statement :D
The season 1 finale ended with Elle being shot. I’m not sure I like where this is going, Erica.
About Morgan not showing up, Shemar gave an interview in August where he said as much.
And I’m not holding my breath for an appearance from Hotch, as much as he was the only one I wanted to see back there, he’s also the only character that left but didn’t die that they can’t get back. If I’m wrong, I’ll eat my hat.
Nah, it has nothing to do with Elle being shot. The flashback is just a chance to see those characters, and the way the do the flashback/reason for it is pretty organic.
Might be wrong, but JJ and Garcia were there in S1 aswell, right? She only mentioned Reid.
I don’t think that they were regulars at first. I think that they started out as guest stars or recurring or whatever. They were there from the beginning but, they weren’t regular cast members.
JJ was a regular for sure, not sure with García.
Garcia was in the 1st episode doing her thing but she wasonly in one scene
Even billed in the baxk credits
For some reason this interview makes me less excited to see the final season. J.J. & Garcia have been on the team since season 1 not just Reid.
JJ left for about a season so wasn’t always in the cast.
Forgot which season was that?
Neither were in the pilot.
Garcia actually was in the pilot. She had one brief scene talking on the phone with Morgan.
Also, fun fact: Kirsten has appeared in the most episodes of all the cast members and there is only one episode she’s not in. Kind of cool since she wasn’t originally meant to be a long term character
Bummer about Shemar not coming back. I know Erica said he’s busy with SWAT but Shemar responded to someone on Instagram a while back saying he wasn’t invited (and SWAT wasn’t filming in May when the Criminal Minds finale was filmed). I get that they most likely had a lot to pack into that final episode and might not have been able to fit in an appearance by Morgan, but it still would have been nice if they could have tried to get him in there even if for only a couple seconds. Oh well. At least it sounds like we’ll get to see Morgan (and Hotch) via flashback so that’s better than nothing
Not even an insert cameo for Shemar? That sucks!
I actually think the Reid/Prentiss relationship was more bro/sis and the Reid/JJ was more of a 1 sided love that got away but he still holds out hope.
I am so sorry to see this end. I watch reruns whenever I can no other show touches Criminal Minds I wish Hotch world return for the finale.
I’m hoping for a Reid/Blake check-in even if it has to happen via video conference or a phone call at a phone booth.
I am super excited about tonight’s premier…I watch reruns weekly on ION. I totally agree a check in video chat from Blake is necessary & fitting. I am disappointed they couldn’t have done the same with Derek/Garcia.
Reid and Blake had such chemistry. She was my favorite of all the female characters.Kate was the next coolest girl!
I wont watch it anymore because Hotch is no longer there . The end.
With regard to the following:
“We have this amazing flashback to what I want to say is the season finale of Season 1, and it just makes me smile every time I see it, because not a single one of the team members is there anymore, except for Reid. It’s a nod to everybody who’s been watching all of these years.”
… Penelope also been there right from the start. Not just Reid.
I really enjoy this show, but it’s never one I go to for reruns. I think its time has come. Would love to see MGG in something else.
The only return I want is Hotch!! The show hasn’t been the same without him.
I am all over the place about JJ & Reid. It’s always seemed so one-sided in his puppy love before. After her love story with Will…and her character journey I am finding it hard to buy that she loves Reid in that way. I do so badly want Reid to have a happy ending so this is so hard.
When JJ slid downhill and ~couldn’t see this coming~ Reid caught her, I was gearing up for a stupid fest. But the writers surprised and left it there.
Until his conversation with Diana. Suddenly he was the guy who’s been waiting for a life with JJ? Remember Maeve? I just don’t think it rings true to his character but boy did I get chills when Diana told him he was a man, not the boy wonder everyone needed him to be. THAT rang true.
And anyone else sure that the face in the car was NOT daughter but friend? Con artist/federal prisoner/soon to be escapee Grandma was subtly wailing “I know her hands” while clutching the photo. And Rossi falling for it. He’s going to lose his sanity and maybe more soon.
That said, I’m so happy that they are not holding back when it comes to these last unsubs. Reminds me of Frank and Crazy Jane from the Gideon days.