S2E12 - “Profiler, Profiled”
We open on a lil science experiment. Reid is showing JJ and Garcia “magic” (remember how Reid is a magician) possibly menthos and soda? And the tube he’s using hits Emily in the head. But Emily is chill. Then Hotch shows up, and everyone is like ru-roh. We learn that Morgan is in Chicago visiting his mother for her birthday. Who’s watching Clooney while he’s away??
Cut to Morgan in Chicago at a cemetery. He’s standing somberly over a grave, and we don’t see the name on the gravestone. However We see that candid photos are being taken of him. Cut to Morgan walking with his sister Desiree. They are accosted by a neighborhood creep named Rodney who is hitting on Morgan’s sister. Morgan is ready to pummel him, but thankfully Rodney walks away. We see more candid photos being taken. Quick cut to Morgan at the local Youth Center talking to a couple local youths. We meet Friends Damien Walters and James Barfield. Morgan gives Damien a ride home.
Cut to Morgan’s mother’s birthday party. Morgan and his two sisters Desiree and Sarah sing such a weird version of Happy Birthday. It’s like: “Hap-py birthday to ya (pause) (pause) Hap-py birthday to ya!” Morgan has gotten his mother a remote starter for her bday. His mom is like: “You owe me grandbabies”. There’s a knock at the door at the local police show up and arrest Morgan. We do not know why.
We learn that the unit that arrested Morgan is headed by Detective Stan Gordinski. Gordinski HATES Morgan. He tells Morgan he should’ve locked him up years ago. I’m like?? Morgan is FBI?? They just literally arrested him in front of his family? And are refusing to tell him why he’s been arrested? And are literally treating him with such disrespect?? He’s offered a lawyer but declines. To which I’m like- Morgan. Get a lawyer! Morgan demands his phone call, stating he’s going to call his supervisor at FBI Headquarters in Quantico VA. And Racist Detective Gordinski is like “We already called him”. Okay, so is Morgan getting his call or??
Apparently Morgan is held overnight and still (to our knowledge) has not been told what he has been arrested for or had his phone call. We learn that Gordinski’s Goon Squad were the ones taking the photos of Morgan and following him around. Gordinski shows Morgan a photo of Morgan in the cemetery and demands to know whose grave Morgan was visiting.
We learn that the grave belongs to the unidentified body of a young boy who was murdered many years ago. We learn that when Morgan was 15, he found this boy’s body in a vacant lot by his school. We also learn that because the boy was never identified and the murder never solved. Nobody ever reported this boy missing and Morgan felt responsible for him and went around collecting for the boy’s burial and gravestone. Also Morgan only put the date on the gravestone and left room for the boy’s name and information, just in case his murder was ever solved.
Finally Gordinski shows Morgan a picture of him at the Youth Center yesterday, and confronts Morgan with the fact that he gave Damien Walters a ride home. Morgan doesn’t deny it, states Damien lives by his mother. Gordisnki then shows Morgan a shot of Damien’s dead body, informing him that Damien was murdered last night. And… and the picture of Damien being dead is just… it’s a lot. The actor’s tongue is like, stuck right out of his mouth. And I know it’s sad and he’s supposed to be dead, but… the tongue is just… too much!
Gordinski also shows Morgan the picture of another unidentified murder boy. We learn that this boy was murdered four years ago. It might be worthwhile now to say that so far all of the murdered victims were young black boys. Gordinski is white. Morgan mentions Rodney Harris as a possible suspect. Gordinski is like: “Rodney the Gangbanger? You think a Gangbanger did this Mr. FBI?” So basically the Chicago PD think Morgan is a serial killer responsible for the death of Damien, the death of the boy four years ago, and the death of the boy he found when he was 15. All boys were Black, around the same age, and manually strangled.
The BAU shows up in Chicago. Hotch is like “Where the fuck is my agent?” One of Gordinski’s Goons, a straight fool by the name of Detective Dennison tries to be like “You can talk to the suspect after Gordinski’s done with him.” And Hotch is like: “I have your superintendent’s personal cell number.”
Gordinski meets with the BAU. He personally thanks agent Gideon. “I had no suspects at all, until you looked over my case for me and sent me this profile. Everything in it points to that son of a bitch, Derek Morgan.” Reid is like: “A profile is just a guide” and Gordinski says: “Yeah and this one guided me to him.” Prentis says: “They’re really more useful in the elimination of suspects rather than the inclusion.” And Gordinski says: “That’s not the way you presented it to me.”
Gordinski attended a seminar Gideon held at CPD. And that’s apparently where Gideon offered to look over the cold case file (at that point only two boys had been murdered, as James was just killed). This is Gideon’s profile…
PROFILE (GUILT-RIDDEN OFFENDER)
Black Male, 25-35
Knowledge of the area
Nonthreatening to children; either knows them OR is normal enough that he doesn’t scare them
Probable criminal record
The placement of the bodies (gently on mattresses) indicates someone who was probably consumed with guilt, especially for the first victim
Apparently Gideon’s exact words were: “With a guilt-ridden offender the BAU postulates the first victim is the most important, and the unsub may still visit the place of the crime or even the victim himself”
Also the unsub might try to inject himself into the investigation
We learn that Morgan has a sealed juvenile criminal record!!! For resisting arrest, vandalism, and aggravated battery. Hotch and Gideon are surprised by the news, according to Hotch: “This isn’t in his personnel file. He said he told me everything relevant.” To which Gideon says: “Then he either lied or doesn’t consider this relevant.” Hotch says: “Since when is the criminal history of a suspect not relevant?” Gideon says: “You just called him a suspect.”
Hotch confronts Morgan about his criminal record. Morgan is like “The judge expunged this, it doesn’t exist anymore.” We learn that Morgan and his friends got into a fight with Rodney the Gangbanger and his friends when Morgan was a teenager. Rodney had to get stitches, which is why the charge is “aggravated assault”.
Prentis, Reid and Detective Dipshit Denison go to meet with Morgan’s family. Morgan’s family is irate and at wit’s end. Fucking Reid comes in with the statistics: “Law enforcement officials are just as probable statistically to commit a crime as anyone else.” Prentis is horrified. Morgan’s mother tells us that the Youth Center “saved” Morgan’s life. When Morgan was 10, his father was murdered while trying to stop a robbery. Morgan was with him and saw the whole thing. She says that a year later, Morgan was getting into trouble running around and was involved in a gang. We learn that the leader of the local Youth Center, Carl Buford, took Morgan under his wing. Buford still runs the Youth Center! We actually saw Buford briefly when Morgan met with James and Damien earlier in this episode.
JJ and Garcia look into Morgan’s past. We learn he was a quarterback at North Western, got a full athletic scholarship there. So… In North Mammon? When JJ was going on and on about her full athletic scholarship and Morgan was just like “what is sports” BRO YOU ALSO HAD A FULL ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP! Garcia also unseals Morgan’s sealed juvenile records. We learn that Carl Buford helped get Morgan’s record expunged by testifying to the judge in charge of the case, that Morgan had reformed and that having the record could jeopardize his chances at getting into college and moving on with his life. Because he is an “upstanding member of the community” the judge expunged the record.
Just as JJ and Garcia find this out, Carl Buford shows up at the police station. Hotch and Gideon speak to Buford. Buford is now like “Fuck Morgan he’s the worst. I never should’ve help get his records expunged.” Buford also admits that he hasn’t talked to Morgan in years, even though we know that Morgan goes to the Youth Center every time he comes to town. Hotch is like, what happened? Because clearly Buford and Morgan had some sort of falling out. Hotch tries to get Morgan to talk about his falling out with Buford, and Morgan outright refuses.
Meanwhile Gideon questions Gordinski at Buford. Buford… ALSO fits the initial profile. Gordinski is like “Carl Buford is a LOCAL HERO!” Morgan runs away?? He’s on the lam!! Gordinski is… loosing his shit.
Morgan meets with James Barfield at a vacant lot? Morgan and James throw a football around. Apparently James is the latest boy that Carl Buford has taken under his wing. Serious trigger warning! Morgan starts asking James if Buford has ever taken him to The Cabin. James says yes. We learn that Buford is a child molester and that he molested Morgan, molested James, and has been molesting other neighborhood kids for years.
So Morgan goes to the Youth Center and confronts Carl Buford. I really, really considered us re-enacting this confrontation because it’s so good, but Shemar Moore is such a good actor I was afraid we couldn’t do it justice? But essentially Morgan makes Buford admit everything, including the murder of Damien Walters. We learn that Buford killed Damien Walters because he was encouraging James to talk to Morgan about being abused. and we (the viewer) can see that Gordinski and Dipshit Dennison have shown up at the Youth Center and hear everything. They then arrest Buford for murder and rape??
Gordinski does not apologize to Morgan or acknowledge that he has treated him with so much disrespect (honestly I feel like everyone has??) . But I guess they’re okay because at the end of the episode everyone is at the cemetery morning Damien and the other two unidentified boys.
In my head I’m like- so Buford didn’t kill these other boys? It’s just a coincidence that they were all murdered the same way?? But I guess he only killed Damien? And unfortunately we end the episode with no resolution for the other two unidentified boys. Which is… awful.
Rating Criteria (out of 20)
Criminal/Serial Killer: 20/20
Character development/ character arcs: 20/20
Forensics/Context: 20/20
Script writing: 20/20
Background characters: 20/20
Overall: 100/100