This two-hour finale marks the end of an era for Criminal Minds and a total of 324 episodes have aired so far. The long-running crime drama on CBS included an unexpected retirement party for Penelope Garcia (played by Kirsten Vangsness). For those who are keen to find out what happened – here is everything you need to know.
At the start of the episode it seemed BAU boss David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) would retire from the field.
But what was meant to be a retirement bash for him turned into an emotional farewell for Garcia.
Penelope, the technical analyst for the FBI, announced she was moving on to pastures new to work for a non-profit organisation nearby.
The party guests all toasted Garcia as she makes a heartfelt speech and thanked her friends for reminding her there was good in the world.
READ MORE: Criminal Minds season 16 release date: Will there be another series?
The Criminal Minds Twitter account included a clip of her farewell speech in which she is seen with tears in her eyes.
They quoted the last lines of her speech, during which she said: “Thank you for letting me be a part of this for so long and thank you for reminding me that there is an infinite amount of heroism and kindness in the world, no matter how bleak it seems.”
The post ended with: “Thank you for an incredible 15 seasons, #CriminalMinds family”.
Executive producer Erica Messer spoke to ETonline.com about the series ending and why it made sense for Garcia to leave.
She called Garcia leaving a “bittersweet” scenario and had spoken to actress Vangsness about the moment.
Messer said: “When Kirsten and I were talking about it, I said, ‘Do you think Garcia would consider taking her special skill-set somewhere else?’”
To which Kristen replied: “Yeah, I think she would. I think it’s time and I’m totally OK with that.”
Fans started to show their love for the series on Twitter after the last episode aired. One fan said: “Wednesday night will never be the same after tonight.”
Another fan Tweeted: “These characters – their development and their chemistry with each other is so touching and wonderful to see.
“We’ve seen characters come and go but they remain beloved by fans. I’m so pleased this show got to end on a high and on its own terms.”
