Morgan has to confront the man who sexually abused him as a child while working to solve a string of murders.
I was blown away by Morgan on this episode of “Criminal Minds,” and it wasn’t just because of the jacket he was wearing. Seriously, was that black puffy monstrosity a distraction to anyone else? Once again, he was forced to come face to face with his abuser to try to solve a murder.
A little back story here on Morgan. Early in “Criminal Minds,” we learned Morgan was sexually abused by the man running the youth center where he hung out as a child. He thought he was the only victim. Later he learned Carl Buford had abused many young boys over the years. One of those victims dealt with his pent-up aggression and pain by going on a murder spree.
Flash forward, Morgan spends the whole episode trying to find other victims who were part of the abuse. I was so angry during this episode every time I had to look at the police officer who only saw the victims as messed-up kids. He never looked deeper at what may be behind all the behavior. He didn’t care. It makes me wonder how many other Bufords are out there, preying on young children, and going unnoticed by local officials.
Since the episode aired I’ve seen some people online question how Morgan got the names of other victims. Buford was only convicted of murder, so in prison he’s not known as a child abuser. Morgan threatens to expose him. I don’t think it was a bad move purely from the standpoint he needed to get those names to save innocent lives. That was the leverage he had.
I love how they ended the Chicago scenes with Morgan going on television and admitting publicly that he was abused by Carl Buford. Of course, this move leads to Buford’s murder in prison but it was still a powerful moment. It showed that victims don’t have to stay victims for the rest of their lives. They can overcome.
