Agent Derek Morgan, played by Shemar Moore, was at the front and center of episode 16 of the American police procedural drama TV series “Criminal Minds” on CBS that aired on March 2.
He should be since the episode title alone “Derek” meant that it would be leaning towards his character especially when he was shown being abducted by an unknown assailant towards the end of episode 15 where the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) headed to Los Angeles to face an UnSub who was pretending to be an FBI agent himself.
Just before Derek was abducted, his girlfriend Savannah called him up and told him to buy her ice cream on his way home because she will be telling him something.
Every fan of “Criminal Minds” was right on their haunch because Savannah was indeed ‘infanticipating’ with Derek’s child. But she was not able to say it yet and had Derek did not survive episode 16, there was no way for him to know that he is about to become a father.
A torturer for hire
Derek was apparently held captive in a remote cabin by a torturer-for-hire named Edgar Solomon, played by Charles Mesure, and his team of goons. It was not clear who hired Edgar and his team to abduct and torture Derek.
As Edgar tortures Derek, a trail of white phosphorous smudged down his torso. It seems to be like a chemical of some sort. It was then that the BAU agent started hallucinating first about having an idyllic home life with Savannah and their two future kids.
But as he begins to feel more pain, his fantasy of a family life was changed by the memories of his late father Hank Morgan, played by veteran actor Danny Glover.
Hank served as a guide for Derek during his ordeal and offered two options for him – either to die easier or hang on and bring his torturers to justice, notes TV Line.
Then another flashback scene popped up to his mind back when he was only 10 years old, the very same day that his policeman father was fatally gunned down while trying to stop a purse snatcher. Then there was also a flashback of him at the age of 15 when he was abused by a pedophile.
While his captors were already going easy up on him after he faked a near-death state, Derek takes on a John Rambo aura and gunned down most of his captors, except for two. He was about to call his colleagues at the BAU when he finally passed out because of the strain on his body. When he woke up, he struggled again with one of them just to be able to put the SIM on the satellite phone. Derek overcomes the assailant and was able to call his BAU friends.
Derek was about to be killed off by his remaining assailants but Spencer Reid, played by Matthew Gray Gubler, and the others showed up just in time to gun down the would-be killer and save Derek.
However, Derek flatlined at the ambulance even as his father urges his son to fight on and be the father he needs to and will be.
True enough, after three days in the hospital, Derek awoke in the hospital and pours his heart out to Savannah and asks him to marry him. Savannah easily said yes. It was also then that Savannah confirmed that he is going to be a father soon.
The 250th episode
Incidentally, CBS has also released the synopsis of episode 17 of Season 11 of “Criminal Minds” to be aired on March 16, or two weeks from the airing of the show’s 16th episode.
Episode 17 of Season 11 marks another key milestone for “Criminal Minds” as it is actually the 250th episode of the show on CBS.