I really enjoyed watching last night’s two part finale of the Criminal Minds 8th season. And I especially liked the 2nd part, The Replicator, which finally exposed the identity of the shadowy but brilliant “copycat serial killer” – John Curtis – that had been stalking the BAU throughout the season…
I must admit, though, that I hadn’t seen the promo before watching the show. And I guess I wasn’t paying attention to the opening credits either, because I ended up spending almost the entire episode puzzling over just who the vaguely familiar actor playing the part of The Replicator was…
When it finally dawned on me that it was Mark Hamill – a.k.a. Luke Skywalker – my jaw dropped so hard that I had to catch it before it slammed into the floor! 😯
Now, in fairness to Mr. Hamill, I’m actually hoping the image on the right does his true appearance more justice than the “brooding psycho” look given him for his role in the show. Because when I figured out who he was, my immediate reaction was “Damn Luke, time has treated you almost as badly as it’s treated me!” 
But then it hit me: The makeover given to him for the show, in combination with the revealed background of the John Curtis character, is so similar to the Darth Vader character that Luke’s father Anikan Skywalker turned into that casting Mark Hamill as The Replicator amounted to a real “circle of life” type stroke of genius! 😀
Anyway… As usual, this post has evolved (or devolved) into something much larger than I intentioned it to be. What I really wanted was to post the beautiful song that was playing at the end of the episode…
In case it didn’t register, that song is by Lily Kershaw. Yes indeed – the very same Lily Kershaw that did the beautiful song I included in my post about last year’s (season 7) Criminal Minds finale: Hit & Run. But don’t waste your time going to that post. It seems that, for whatever “mysterious” reasons, “The Gawds” have taken offense. Not only have they taken down the video with the song, but the episode promo video as well! 🙄
So, just to thumb my nose in their “lordly” direction, I’m including an alternate video of that beautiful song, complete with the song’s lyrics:
I’m thinking you might want to watch it, and the other videos in this post, while you still can. You know, had he been able to see the future, I’m thinking Nietzsche might well have included big, blog killing corporations on this list… 😕
I want ice water.
See more of my Random Ravings
I Want Ice Water! 
Wow. I was humming the Lily Kershaw tune as I opened your post and began to read.
Why? I literally just finished watching the season finale of Criminal Minds. Thank you DVR.
Serious synchronicity. I DVR the shows I enjoy, but rarely watch them the day after they air. Sometimes it will be at least a week.
That tune is haunting. THANK YOU for finding and posting the music. Had the same feeling about Mark Hamill that you mentioned; hadn’t seen the previews either. What the hell happened?! Then… I looked in the mirror. D’oh!
Dug the Star Wars metaphor you used 🙂
Thanks for the piece Mak. Love it when things like this happen.
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Thanks Rachael! I love it too! 😀
I also DVR all my TV favorites, but I watched this particular show only a few hours after it aired. And after closing out two season finales in a row, I’m becoming a big Lily Kershaw fan. According to her IMDb page, she even appeared in the “To Hell…And Back” episode back in 2009. As for the “Star Wars” metaphor, I do think it was apt. Looks aside though, I wish the “circle of life” had been as kind to my bankbook as it’s been to Mark Hamill’s! 😆
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I missed the show, and therefore the song. I’d never heard it before. It was beautiful (made me very, very sad, however), but the video was spectacular.
I’d agree with you that Hamill hasn’t aged very well, except I’m in no position to talk about aging people who’ve gotten fat … 😦
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You know PT, I suspect that Mark would fit quite well into our motley group of decomposing bloggers! 😆
As for your having missed the show, you’re in luck. The entire two parter is available for watching right now at Criminal Minds Video – Brothers Hotchner/The Replicator. And what’s even better is that they’ve apparently left out all the ads, because the run-time is only 1 hour, 24 minutes, and 9 seconds! 😀
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I buy the dvds of these shows. I’m usually at work or studying while a show is on.. I don’t even know where and when it’s aired. +_+
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If you’re not watching Criminal Minds, then you’re missing out on a great show Renxkyoko. I don’t know if it’s available where you are, but if you’re interested, I just gave Pied Type the link to where you can watch this episode online. 😀
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My favourite show. I have the boxed set up to season seven. Have not watched season 8 yet. I like to watch on DVD. Every year I pray they don’t friggin axe it. My fav still has to be the ep starring Bud Cort , where they crimate the little kiddies (it was directed by Matthew Gray Gubler aka Spencer Reid)
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Oh my Loon, what a party I could have with 7 seasons of Criminal Minds on DVD! I really love the show too, and the Spencer Reid character is my favorite of the bunch. But frankly, I thought it was all over when Mandy Patinkin decided the show “was very destructive to my soul and my personality”. But I’m glad it survived his loss. But then, I think he always preferred a “lighter” fare when it comes to acting:
He even did this funny video about the series itself:
I think I’ll always miss his Jason Gideon character, but I’ll watch Criminal Minds as long as it’s on the air – even when it’s only in reruns! 😀
BTW, in case you’re wondering, I collected all that stuff for another post that I never got around to doing! 😳
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Princess is one of my top five movies. When I saw Mandy Patinkin on Criminal Minds my reaction was the same to Mark Hamill: WTF?! To me Mandy always represented Inigo AND Che. Was lucky enough to see him in Evita on Broadway. Hell of an actor.
Thanks for posting both of these vids Mak 🙂
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Oh wow Rachael, I hope you check out my response to Rosie’s comment! 😀
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Glad to see this blog, it made my day!!! I watched the 2 hour show and thought the replicator looked familiar….but did not watch the credits……and now I know the rest of the story. LOL
I loved the songs, but having lost one child, and the future uncertain about a second. child…….I too felt very sad.. …and absolutely moved by the lyrics….. Her voice is so clear and magnificent, I am glad that the accompany music was so soft, I even had to play it again while typing this….I could hardly remember hearing anything but her voice….Nicely done. and Oh,BTW , I got a great laugh out of the last video/record promotion..I had never seen this. I too miss Gideon, and did not know that he played the part in Princess Bride…I would not have recognized him at all.
Thanks again for a great read this morning..Great Stuff….as always!!
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looks like Mak has spawned a cottage industry for in-the-closet Criminal Minds fans. Lily’s music makes me tear up as well. Health and love to you and your family.rosecolour
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Perhaps a little too much of that “gazing into the abyss” thing on my part Rachael. And Rosie is one of the few who understands where I’m coming from, which is why she’s just about my best friend in this whole world! 😀
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Thank you so much Rosie! I like how well this turned out, though it was a bit of a struggle to stay focused enough to keep out the extraneous stuff. As you know very well my friend, “my issues have issues.” Of all the people I know in “the real world,” you’re one of the very few I admire, and yet I can only dream about handling my troubles as well as you handle yours.
Something I left out of my reply to frigginloon was that I’d been searching for a particular clip from The Princess Bride, to do a blog post, for a very long time – the part where the guys are all chanting “well kick her butt then!” That movie, and especially that clip, means a lot to me because it’s one of my clearest memories of me and my kids actually enjoying something together as a family.
The funny thing is that I actually watched Criminal Minds for the longest time, wondering just what the hell it was that I’d seen Mandy Patinkin in before. I finally got around to doing a search a few month back, and that’s what gave me another idea for a post. The “was very destructive to my soul and my personality” and video/record promotion things came from yet another search, just last week, when I got to wondering why he’d actually left Criminal Minds.
Now I’m left pondering a post that seems just too big to get my head around, because it involves so many questions about my life, my family, and the effects my insistence on “gazing into the abyss” might have had on both… 😕
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Had the exact same reaction when I saw Mark Hamill. By the way, Lily Kershaw is apparently related to a producer or someone on the show, which is why her music gets such great spotlighting, not to imply that she isn’t wonderfully talented, just that her music meshes so well with the CI plots and characters.
Also, I’ve been a Mandy Patinkin fan for years, but apparently, he doesn’t play well with others, which is why his stays on series television usually only lasts a few seasons. Still, his Gideon was remarkable, and my all-time favorite episode featured Patinkin–Riding the Lightning (1.14)
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Yeah, Mark Hamill’s look was a real jaw-dropper wasn’t it? Did not know that about Lily Kershaw, but it does fit with my impression of how things work in Hollywood. And that Riding the Lightning episode is one of my very favorites from the show. Wanted to post about it way back when, but gave up when I couldn’t find the video(s) I was hoping for… 🙂
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