Criminal Minds – Time to Say Goodbye

By: Mariah Thomas

JJ (AJ Cook) tearfully is laying on the couch as “As It Seems” by Lily Kershaw plays into a montage of her relationship with Will. Notably, this song also plays as they dance at their wedding in the season 7 finale. This is just one of many parallel nods to past episodes. Her daydreams are interrupted as her sons return home calling out for her. 

Back at the BAU, we see how this loss is affecting the team. Tara (Aisha Tyler) warns her girlfriend Rebecca (Nicole Pacent) she may be extra clingy in lieu of things. They discuss how heartbreaking of a situation it is and point out that Will and JJ had been together for 18 years. Tyler (RJ Hatanaka) and Luke (Adam Rodriquez) also discuss this loss. Eventually the pairs meet up and talk about next steps for working with Voit (Zach Gilford).

JJ’s mom, Sandy (Candy Clark) emotionally looks through a photo album of JJ and Will’s wedding. She tearfully brings up JJ’s sister, Roslyn, who committed suicide when JJ was young. We see the first of many instances where JJ puts up a front to comfort others in their grief. Soon, Emily (Paget Brewster) and Penelope (Kirsten Vangsness) come over to check on JJ. Once Sandy leaves, they try to get through to JJ. When Will’s phone rings, JJ answers and has to update the caller that he is dead. Penelope quickly steps in to finish the phone call away from JJ. In her absence, Emily checks in to make sure JJ is taking care of herself. She reminds her it is okay to put herself first as she grieves. JJ is adamant on needing to find the birthday gift Will got and hid for their youngest son Michael (Phoenix Anderson). The three women work together to search the house to find it. 

At the hospital, Rossi (Joe Mantegna), Tara and Rebecca prepare to talk to Voit. Lately, small things have sparked Voit’s memory. So, they have decided to reach out to Voit’s only known survivor, Ramona (Kerry Knuppe), to see if she would be willing to see him and hopefully jog his memory. “I hate to drag anyone else into this, but we’re stuck.” Rossi states as they all accept the possibility of re-traumatizing this woman. Tyler and Luke drive to Romana’s to see if she would be willing to help them. The two men share playful banter with Garcia on the phone as she waits to update them with information about Ramona. Compared to last season, this love triangle has shifted to different friendship dynamics between all three. 

The phone call comes to an end when Will’s mother, Connie (Linda Lavin) brings the boys home from their outing. The boys head out of the room as a more tense conversation picks up between JJ and Connie. Connie reveals Henry (Mehkai Anderson) told her Will had an Oncologist and she is shocked to find this out from him. Once JJ confirms this to be true and reassures her Will was fine, Connie is hurt. She feels betrayed she wasn’t let in on this news and could have spent more time with her son if she had known. She tells JJ she hopes the boys don’t marry someone who wouldn’t tell her if something was wrong with them. Connie emotionally heads out of the room claiming they need to find the present. Later that night, Emily and JJ head out. They were unsuccessful in finding the gift, but promise to keep looking for it. The trio share a group hug and JJ assures them she loves them and will be okay. As she closes the door, you see the mask she’s been wearing start to fall. 

Tyler and Luke visit Ramona and fill her in on who Voit is. It is clear this woman is a shell of herself and still processing the trauma that happened to her. She is hesitant to believe the amnesia story and Luke tells her he didn’t believe it either, but the doctors do. She breaks down and tells them they need to leave. Before heading out, Luke gives her his card in case she changes her mind. The next day, Ramona heads to the BAU with a change of heart. She doesn’t want to let Voit win and get away with his crimes. She talks through what happened when VOit abducted her with Tara, Luke and Rebecca. Tara once again lets her know, this is her choice and they don’t want to push her. She stays strong in her decision. 

The next morning, Connie makes breakfast for the boys who aren’t feeling too hungry. TheLaMontagne – Jareau family has a long day ahead of them with the funeral soon. JJ tells the boys it is okay to just go get ready and she is met by sass from Connie. She pleads with her for the two of them to remain neutral with each other on this day as it’ll be hard for both of them. She tells JJ they can try but she has no idea what she is going through. She says losing a child is different than losing a spouse. Will’s father was previously revealed to have died prior to season 2. JJ reminds Connie that this is hard on all of them and she isn’t the only one hurting, her boys also lost their father. Connie tells her she wouldn’t understand unless one of her boys died before her. This sets JJ off to tell Connie to “grow the fuck up or get the fuck out.” In the heat of the moment, Connie slaps JJ before storming off. This moment was witnessed by Emily and Garcia. The ladies had come over to help with transportation over to the church for the funeral. 

Ramona walks into the room with Voit. Tara and Rossi are also present for her safety. Voit tells her she looks familiar and Ramona bites back her fear as she can’t tell Voit who she is. They need him to remember naturally. Voit recalls a detail that triggers Ramona and she leaves the room tearfully. Voit is confused and pleads with them to come back. Tara convinces her to “play along” with the conversation and go back in there alone. She goes back in and gives Voit small bits of information about their encounter. However, she has to hold back on details of violence. He tries to grasp onto the memory and through this remembers his wife’s name. Ramona fearfully leaves the room again and Voit begs her to tell him what he’s done. Rossi goes into the room with him and Voit breaks down. He knows he has a family but can’t remember them or what happened to them. He assumes the worst and finds out his family is alive. He is broken and hurt that they haven’t come to see him. Rossi comforts Voit as he continues to break down in tears with this new found information. 

After her tense moment that morning with JJ, Connie is refusing to go inside the church for Will’s funeral. Sandy and Rossi sit outside with her to attempt to persuade her. Rossi has experienced the loss of two wives and a child. Sharing this, Connie is more open to listening to him. He shares that he regrets how grieving drove him and his wife apart. He reminds her that some actions in your grief don’t define who you are, but choices do. Connie tearfully reflects on how she will watch Will’s boys grow up while he can’t. She feels broken by outliving her son and walks off to be alone.

In the church Emily reveals former BAU members, Hotch (Thomas Gibson), Morgan (Shemar Moore) and Spencer (Matthew Gray Gubler) sent flowers in support as they couldn’t make it. Penelope is happy to find out Spencer reached out. In the corner of the church as JJ fixes her son’s tie, he says, “I told you he would come,” and the camera slowly reveals the return of Dr. Spencer Reid. He immediately embraces JJ and the boys before going to sit with the rest of the BAU. The team looked delighted and emotional to see him. This marks a long awaited return. 

Emily gives a chilling, beautiful eulogy as the funeral begins. She reflects on what she and Will went through together in season 7. Emily risked her life to save Will as he had minutes left strapped to a bomb. He made a promise to her that he would marry JJ if he made it out of that situation alive, and he did. Penelope tearfully recounts a happy memory with Will for his friends and family to have a small laugh in. Both eulogies hold references to past moments in the show for fans to pick up on. Next, JJ gives a heartbreaking and emotional eulogy herself. She tells the story of how Will would always leave a note for her to find, but he didn’t that day. She blames herself for not knowing something was wrong. She turns to telling Will that this wasn’t the deal they made, that the boys weren’t supposed to grow up without their father. She apologizes to him for not being able to help and then apologizes to her boys. She tearfully says, “I don’t know how to do this,” and makes eye contact with Connie who eventually chooses to go inside. In that moment, both women see how much the other is hurting. 

In his only piece of dialogue, Reid tells JJ that he would always be there for the team when she thanks him for coming. He heads outside and is instantly met with an emotional hug from Emily. He then is introduced to Rebecca and Tyler as he catches up with the team. Through an emotional montage, we see the burial of Will. JJ is held up by her boys as she walks down to his casket, in the same way she walked down the aisle on her wedding day. As the ceremony commences, everyone watches on emotionally as ‘If I should Fall Behind’ by Bruce Springsteen plays. One by one, everyone leaves until JJ is left alone. Spencer waits for her to walk her out of the cemetery. 

Garcia hosts everyone at her place after the ceremony. JJ and Emily walk in together as Emily is once again checking in on her. JJ jokes she could use some of Emily’s Cheetos. A reference to last season when the two got high together with edible Cheetos. JJ says she can’t numb herself and needs to feel all of this. Tara is the next to check in on her. JJ reveals she hasn’t been able to sleep because Will is in her dreams. She is left with the pain of waking up and facing the truth. Once they part ways, JJ and Rossi share a beautiful moment together. In season 16, we learn Rossi’s wife, Krystal (Gail O’ Grady) died. JJ knows he understands exactly what she is going through and takes comfort in that. He tells her to do more of what she did in the church earlier to show her boys it is okay to let it out. She lets her mask fall for a moment and tearfully agrees before they embrace in a hug.

Later that night, JJ reflects more with memories of Will. As she is, Connie walks into the kitchen and the two share a heart to heart. Connie says she wants to be around more for the boys and before leaving tells JJ “love you”, which she happily parrots back. When JJ goes up to check on Henry, she discovers he has had the gift for Michael. He found it and has been holding onto it. Will made Michael a “How To” guide book – How To: Fish, make his famous breakfast, shave and so much more. Henry tells JJ he will also be there to help teach Michael these things as he was lucky enough to learn from his dad. The episode closes out as Henry breaks down in his mom’s arms revealing he misses his dad.