‘Criminal Minds’ season 10: Series boss on Gideon decision
Obviously, we know that there are still many reeling in a way from Wednesday night’s “Criminal Minds” episode. What was so interesting to us about is was that somehow, the show manage to create this huge emotional moment around a guy in Gideon who had not been a part of the show in a good eight years. Killing him off sent some shockwaves around the team, and especially for some of the fans who remember when he was front and center in the early days.
So why kill the character off now, versus back when Mandy Patinkin originally left? Speaking to TV Guide, showrunner Erica Messer (who was not an executive producer all those years ago) explained that they did not want to originally do anything to the character just as a result of the actor’s decision, or even some of his comments years later that were less than complimentary of the show. Instead, she explained that they wanted to do a story that felt much more organic:
“When Mandy left eight years ago, there were a gazillion ways to go. We chose the most honest version, which was to write what was really happening. Sure, for a heartbeat it might’ve been on the table, but creatively, we didn’t ever want to seem like it was punishment, like we were killing a character to punish him. This certainly is not that. This is playing to the heroes and the wins and the losses that they have over their careers. Like you said, Gideon was haunted and took things home with him. It seemed fitting that he was killed in his home because of a case he never let go of. It was the origin of keeping things in his wallet, the origin of his bird obsession. All of these things were a nice tribute to a character who we really only knew for two years, but he has a deep, long legacy in the mythology of the show. And why not explore that?”
Ultimately, we feel like this is something that needed to be done in time to eliminate the hanging chad. Mandy was never going to be coming back, so there was never a reason to really think about that aspect of things. This way, at least there is some sort of closure to the story.
You can read our full take on Wednesday night’s episode over at the link here. Also, sign up now to get some further TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: CBS.)