The Return
Directed by John Terlesky
Written by Kimberly Ann Harrison
A man is so agrieved by being let go from the police force that he starts kidnapping children and training them to carry out terrorist attacks.Written by Kimberly Ann Harrison
Morgan: Alfred Hitchcock said, "There's no terror in the bang, only the anticipation of it."
Tropes in this episode:
- Arc Number: 53699. Officer Gulino's badge number, and the number he assigns to all his child soldiers.
- Casting Gag: An extremely dark version. The actress who plays the mother of Daniel, a boy who was abducted at the age of twelve, was herself kidnapped when she was twelve.
- Child Soldiers: The UnSub kidnaps children and forces them to carry out his revenge mission.
- Empathy Doll Shot: At the crime scene at the beginning of the episode, there's a shot of a stuffed bear. Subverted in that the bear's owner, a seven-year-old girl, survived.
- Hospital Hottie: Savannah, Morgan's girlfriend, is a doctor in a hospital and a very pretty woman.
- Literally Loving Thy Neighbor: Morgan is dating his neighbor.
- Police Brutality: The UnSub was fired for beating up suspects until they confessed.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The UnSub wants revenge for being fired from the Chicago PD.
- Smurfette Principle: Invoked by Garcia when she declares that Savannah is Morgan in heels.
- Workaholic: Morgan is somewhat troubled by his current girlfriend's workaholic tendencies, and her willingness to prioritize her work over any other aspect of her life. Garcia points out that Morgan is also a Workaholic, which is why his romantic relationships never worked out. He is simply getting a taste of his own medicine.
- Would Hit a Girl: Morgan shoots one of the UnSub's child soldiers to stop her from suicide bombing police headquarters.
- Jareau: "The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse." Edmund Burke.
