Warning: this spoils a major character’s death. Do not read on if you have not seen Season 6 of Criminal Minds.
In this episode (6x20) of Criminal Minds, the team must each go through an assessment after Prentiss’ death. Hotch asks Strauss to let him be the one to assess the team members, rather than use someone from the outside. The episode begins with him explaining all of this to Morgan, who then assumes that Hotch wants to figure out where they all are in the 5 stages of grief. He so helpfully lists them all out for us: Denial, Bargaining, Depression, Anger, and Acceptance. Throughout the episode, as the team solves their case, we get flashbacks to each of them being assessed. What I realized when re-watching this episode, is that Morgan, Reid, Garcia, and Rossi each represent the 5 stages of grief.
Morgan- Anger
Morgan is perhaps the most obvious representation of his stage of grief. In fact, he even says it outright in the beginning. After listing 4 of the stages of grief he asks Hotch, “so where does that leave me?” and Hotch responds, “angry”. Morgan agrees, expressing his desire to hunt down and kill Emily’s killer. Morgan, who found Emily and heard what he thought were her last words to him, used his anger to really hunt down Doyle.
Garcia- Denial
In Garcia’s assessment, she expresses that she understands that talking is important in this situation but then says, “I don’t want to talk about her being gone. Can I talk about how she made me smile?” This is very fitting for the kind of person Garcia is. How she, according to Hotch, “fills her office with figurines and color, to remind herself to smile as the horror fills her screens”. Just as she uses her positivity as a tool in her everyday life, she uses it as denial in her grief over Prentiss.
Reid- Depression
Next comes Reid who represents the depression stage. He tearfully expresses the unfairness of Emily’s death and asks, “if we can’t keep each other safe then why are we even doing any of this?” This is quite possibly the most difficult of the stages and it later transforms itself into the anger that Reid feels towards Emily and JJ when it is revealed that Emily is alive.
Rossi- Acceptance
Because Rossi is usually the one Hotch confides in, his assessment involves more back and forth dialogue between the two. It’s a brief moment, but at the end of it Hotch says, “it’s been a hard year. We’ll get through it.” Rossi agrees: “yeah, we will.” He then raises his glass and toasts both Emily and Hailey. Rossi, who begins his assessment accepting his emotional attachment to the team, ends it with accepting his grief over Emily’s death and that they will get through it.
Morgan- Bargaining
The episode ends with the rest of Morgan’s assessment. Although his anger towards Boyle is still very present, the beginning of this scene makes it very clear that he now also represents the bargaining stage of grief. He tells Hotch, “60 seconds. If I had just gotten there 60 seconds earlier Emily might still be with us.” Not ending the assessment sequences on Rossi’s acceptance and instead ending it with Morgan’s bargaining is a very interesting choice. Rossi’s acceptance toast sounds very final and would be a perfect way to end the discussion over their feelings for Prentiss’ death. But, that’s just the thing. She isn’t dead. Morgan’s bargaining for Emily’s life is not, as it turns out, in vain. Because she is still with them. It’s a sign that it doesn’t end with acceptance. Their grief is still very at large and there is more to come.
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