On tonight’s episode, a serial killer targets families in the midwest and Detective Morgan gets a surprise visit from someone we met earlier this season.
The main storyline of “Safe Haven” focuses on Sterling Beaumon (he played young Ben Linus on LOST; you can read our interview with him here) who turns in a fascinatingly creepy performance as Jeremy, a 13 year old boy who takes revenge out on surrogate mothers, since his own mother hated him his entire life and always blamed him for everything. LOST fans like myself know that Ben Linus was one very creepy character, and with lines tonight like “I like taking things apart. Do you ever wonder what’s under your skin?” Beaumon did his old LOST character proud.
We find out in the end that his mother hated him because she was originally pregnant with twins, but one fetus consumed the other. She tells him that she always knew he was rotten. After being arrested, Jeremy tells Morgan that he’ll be able to see his mother and sister in five years when he turns 18. Morgan promises to make sure that doesn’t happen by appearing at all of his parole hearings.
The secondary storyline book-ended the episode. We see at the beginning that Ellie Spicer – who lost her father in the season opener – ran away from her foster family and came to see Detective Morgan. The BAU makes a call to the foster family to let them know that she had been found safe, only to find out that the family didn’t even realize she had gone missing. They are able to track down her mother in the end, though Ellie wants nothing to do with her – until Morgan explains to her that he lost his father too and knows just how hard it is, but also how much his mother meant to him. It was a nice moment.
I have a feeling she may resurface again later this season. I don’t have any inside information on it but I just don’t see why they’d bring her back just for this. It added something to the episode, yes, but not much. What do you think? Did you like seeing her again or had you already forgotten about her storyline? Do you think we’ll see her again? Grade: B
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It would be really nice to see Ellie reappear on Criminal Minds. Although, next time, I think it should be done as an extension of Derek's personal life on the show.
I wouldn't say Ellie's appearance didn't bring much to the episode. Actually I think the opposite. It's clear that the reason Ellie was in the episode last night was to create a mirror between her storyline and the unsub's, showing the different outcomes in their very similar stories, due to the influence of their family figures. It was to show that although Ellie had lost her father, had a troubled relationship with her mother, and was also on the run (just like the unsub), she could hardly have become into a criminal, because she had built a rather strong background and had people she could count on. In other words, Ellie had Morgan; Jeremy had no one. And while Ellie manages to come to terms with her mother, Jeremy tries to hurt his mother by killing his younger sister. Ellie's mother had left her but never stopped caring; Jeremy's mother kept professing her hate for him. In short, the episode succesfully mingled Ellie's storyline and the unsub's, and brought a proper closure to both characters.
Nevertheless, I think Ellie will keep being a part of Morgan's life forever – the promise he made to her father is not the kind of commitment that goes away. I think we'll keep hearing from her now and then in the show, like when she texts him or something. And, of course, she may show up in later episodes, just to reinforce Morgan's permanent role in her life as a father figure.
I wouldn't say Ellie's appearance didn't bring much to the episode. Actually I think the opposite. It's clear that the reason Ellie was in the episode last night was to create a mirror between her storyline and the unsub's, showing the different outcomes in their very similar stories, due to the influence of their family figures. It was to show that although Ellie had lost her father, had a troubled relationship with her mother, and was also on the run (just like the unsub), she could hardly have become into a criminal, because she had built a rather strong background and had people she could count on. In other words, Ellie had Morgan; Jeremy had no one. And while Ellie manages to come to terms with her mother, Jeremy tries to hurt his mother by killing his younger sister. Ellie's mother had left her but never stopped caring; Jeremy's mother kept professing her hate for him. In short, the episode succesfully mingled Ellie's storyline and the unsub's, and brought a proper closure to both characters.
Nevertheless, I think Ellie will keep being a part of Morgan's life forever – the promise he made to her father is not the kind of commitment that goes away. I think we'll keep hearing from her now and then in the show, like when she texts him or something. And, of course, she may show up in later episodes, just to reinforce Morgan's permanent role in her life as a father figure.