'Criminal Minds' fan recap: Morgan's last stand

Season 11 | Episode 18 | “A Beautiful Disaster” | Aired Mar 23, 2016

It’s been a roller coaster few weeks for Morgan. One minute he’s being tortured, the next he’s getting hitched. Hell, he had to learn about Savannah’s baby bump via his long-dead dad (who just happens to be Danny Glover). But at the tail end of last week, things went from unstable to downright scary. What occurs this week isn’t just a tension-filled knuckle-biter. It’s a landmark episode in the Criminal Minds canon.

It all starts with Morgan carrying Savannah into a hospital after she’s been shot. The ER rushes her into operating room in an attempt to save her and her premature baby. Morgan, with blood on his hands, is devastated. When asked who the hospital staff should call, his first thought was Baby Girl.

When the team arrives at the scene, they realize there isn’t much to go on. Just some security cameras and a rifle on the roof. After the BAU sets up shop in the hospital, Hotch gives Morgan some bad news: He can’t work this case. He’s too emotional, and Hotch needs everyone level-headed and detached to work the problem. Infuriated, Morgan storms off.

The investigation
Since Morgan’s been back, the team has been combing through the Montolo family, trying to ensure all the legs on the “evil table” have been sawed off. Running facial recognition from the security tapes is coming up empty, until Reid hits on a theory. Maybe they should be looking at dead people as well. Garcia changes the search and discovers Chaz Montolo (Giuseppe’s father) was at the hospital. Unsub!

Meanwhile, Reid sits with Morgan in an attempt to calm him down. Using some adorable science, Reid tells Morgan that they all love him the way he loves Savannah. All they want to do is keep him safe and get the bad guy. That seems to chill Morgan out … for now.

Garcia then comes upon a chilling discovery: Chaz was at a payphone feet away from Morgan and was the one who called Garcia, alerting her to the shooting! JJ runs to the phone and finds a mysterious note.

Back in the waiting room, Morgan is combing through his mind picking out clues when Tara comes in. When Tara questions why the killer would shoot somebody outside a hospital, it all clicks for Morgan. He knows it’s Chaz and why he did it. Chaz thinks he killed Giuseppe and wants him to feel what he felt.

JJ, unsure of the decision to not let Morgan work the case, takes him aside and show him the note. It mentions seeing red, something Morgan reacts to. He says it’s nothing, but we’ve been watching him for 11 seasons. We know what’s up!

The ramp-up
Meanwhile, the entire team is struggling with Morgan’s unstable state. Hotch, believing Morgan knows exactly what the note is referencing, confronts him. Morgan refuses to give a straight answer and accuses him of dividing the team. Afterward, Morgan goes to Savannah’s hospital bed and apologizes to her. For what? We’ll soon find out!

Soon, as in, immediately. Thanks to a nurse-call fake-out, Morgan escapes the hospital and is on his way to Chaz. He knows exactly where he is based on the note. Hotch calls and tries to bring him back, but it’s too late. Morgan has gone rogue! He even calls Hotch “Aaron.” Chilling.

A few minutes later, Morgan arrives at a home with a bright-red door and creeps in, gun drawn. After seeing a table full of monitors, each one tuned to a different room in the hospital, a gun is pressed against his head. It’s Chaz. He tells Morgan that he has agents everywhere in the hospital. If they don’t hear from him every five minutes, the entire BAU is doomed.

The closing-in
With Morgan gone, the BAU pieces together the few clues they have. Why did he call Hotch Aaron? To bring up the Reaper and his family? The “seeing red” line in the note may indicate a home or a door, and while Morgan’s house doesn’t fit, he’s been involved in a number of renovations. A quick search of Morgan’s renovated properties reveals one that’s owned by a C.R. Joseph. C for Chaz, R for Rosie, and Joseph for the American word for Giuseppe! The team rushes off!

Meanwhile, Morgan and Chaz are talking fatherhood. Chaz wants Morgan to admit to killing Giuseppe, but Morgan refuses. Chaz attempts to play Russian roulette with Morgan, but he won’t budge. Morgan even goes so far as to antagonize him. In a moment of absolute horror, Giuseppe adds another bullet to the gun, clicks three times, and gives Morgan a chance to say good-bye. Morgan calls Garcia, has her patch him through to the team, and asks them to care for Savannah. A gunshot ends the scene and brings the commercial.

When we come back, we learn Morgan has turned the tables on Chaz. He has the gun to his head and one bullet left. Chaz begs Morgan to finish him off, but he refuses, just in time for the BAU to come in and make the arrest.

The good-bye
Back at the hospital, Morgan is reunited with Savannah and his new baby boy. They share a sweet moment where Morgan’s life changes forever. He’s officially a dad!

After a quick celebration with the team, Hotch comes in to chat with Morgan. They talk about the wonders of fatherhood. But when Hotch tells Morgan he should take some time off, Morgan wants to continue the conversation. And the entire Criminal Minds audience knows exactly what’s next.

Back at the office, Morgan is saying his good-byes without really saying them. After JJ gives him a gift, Morgan confronts a very upset Reid. Reid is shattered that he’s leaving, but knows it’s for the right reasons. And then Morgan drops the big one: He’s named his son Hank Spencer Morgan. The two embrace like only brothers can. A terribly emotional moment between two dear friends.

The last good-bye is Garcia. She’s holding it together, but they’ve shared so much over the last 11 seasons, it’s impossible to hold back the tears. Morgan tells Garcia how much she’s meant to him and how everything they did was magic. It was. It absolutely was.

The saving grace of this ending is we know they’ll all be in Morgan’s life. Like JJ said, little Hank will have plenty of babysitters. And as Morgan hits the elevator button, he looks over to see the team hard at work. Reid looks up, sees him, smiles, and returns to the team. This tells us Criminal Minds will continue on, but won’t be the same without Morgan. There will always be baddies to catch, unsubs to uncover, and lives to save. But without Morgan’s wise-cracking, ass-kicking, tough-guy-with-a-heart-of-gold smile, there will be a tiny hole in the Criminal Minds family.

Oh, by the way …

Mind blown?! Tune in next week for the return of Emily!

Criminal Minds airs Wednesdays at 9/8C on CBS.