Honestly, this series finale was a bit of a let down. There was a lot of throwback to earlier characters and we did get to delight in C. Thomas Howell and Jayne Atkinson's brief returns to the screen. However, a good chunk of the episode just went by in flashbacks from earlier episodes. The writing felt too cheesy in a bid to have an emotional end to the show's 15 season run. Of course given that it's the end of the show there was bound to be a change to the team roster, but the focus of the episode randomly shifts too much onto Garcia, and it feels a little forced that her and Luke get put together romantically.
The last ten or so minutes of the episode turn into the Garcia show and while I can see the intent behind writing this episode, it doesn't bring the signature Criminal Minds' charm that the team has had in their casual interactions.
Everett Lynch makes for a fitting bad guy to end the show on but given that everything about this episode was just so off, the culmination of the chase to bring him to justice was... eh. I suppose the story only went where it could to the end.
In my opinion, the whole flashback with Reid possibly dying, would've mattered so much more if they'd managed to bring Gideon in for a cameo, instead of Maeve - a relationship I could never really get behind in the first place. The continuity of the existing storylines is completely ignored, and I was left feeling cheated that the writers had put such little thought to how they wanted to end this long run.
All in all, a disappointing end to a show that has in its hey days, been one of the best crime/procedural dramas in the last decade. Given where things went post season 11 however, this feels like a stab at redemption. Simply knowing that the journey is over makes me want to give it, which doesn't say much for the show anymore.
The last ten or so minutes of the episode turn into the Garcia show and while I can see the intent behind writing this episode, it doesn't bring the signature Criminal Minds' charm that the team has had in their casual interactions.
Everett Lynch makes for a fitting bad guy to end the show on but given that everything about this episode was just so off, the culmination of the chase to bring him to justice was... eh. I suppose the story only went where it could to the end.
In my opinion, the whole flashback with Reid possibly dying, would've mattered so much more if they'd managed to bring Gideon in for a cameo, instead of Maeve - a relationship I could never really get behind in the first place. The continuity of the existing storylines is completely ignored, and I was left feeling cheated that the writers had put such little thought to how they wanted to end this long run.
All in all, a disappointing end to a show that has in its hey days, been one of the best crime/procedural dramas in the last decade. Given where things went post season 11 however, this feels like a stab at redemption. Simply knowing that the journey is over makes me want to give it, which doesn't say much for the show anymore.
