9 Derek Morgan Moments We'll Never Forget

The last thing SSA Derek Morgan expected when he flew home to Chicago for his mother's birthday was to be arrested. After a child he had been seen with earlier in the day was murdered, the Chicago detective on the case was quick to arrest Morgan. With the help of the rest of the team—particularly Garcia—Morgan was able to exonerate himself and expose the real killer: Carl Buford.

"Profiler, Profiled" (Season 2, Episode 12)

When Derek was a child, he spent a lot of time at the Chicago Youth Center where Carl Buford, the owner of the center, began sexually abusing him. After returning to Chicago as an adult, being charged with murder, and finding out that Buford was still assaulting young men, Morgan came clean to his team.


"Profiler, Profiled" (Season 2, Episode 12)

Gideon, Reid, and Prentiss traveled to Guantanamo Bay to interrogate a terrorist who was leading a sleeper cell from the inside of prison. The terrorist had been detained when his home was raided and the authorities found a chemical weapons dispersal device. Through conversations and psychological tactics, Gideon was able to determine the planned attack—the grand opening of one of America's largest malls. True to form, SSA Derek Morgan took down the terrorists just moments before they were able to release the chemicals into air vents.


Season 2 Episode 10 "Lessons Learned"

Bombs had been going off sporadically all over D.C., and the BAU eventually figured out that all of the separate events were connected to a large-scale terrorist attack. Because the FBI cleared the streets in order to keep civilians safe, the roads were blocked to everyone but emergency personnel.

The team realized that the terrorists were still planning to attack the city's major hospital. In order to save everyone there, including an important government official, Derek Morgan drove a bomb-laden ambulance out to an empty field just in the nick of time.


"Mayhem" (Season 4, Episode 1)

In the finale of Season 5, the team investigated a serial killer who had been murdering families during the night for 26 years. Eventually the case led Derek and Detective Spicer, a local officer, to Spicer's home, where the killer was holding the officer's sister and daughter hostage. The killer disarmed Derek and forced Spicer to his knees, who then begged Derek to save his daughter Ellie. Derek promised he would and the killer executed Spicer. In one of the most intense cliff-hangers, the season ended with Derek being knocked unconscious by the killer.

In the premiere episode of season 6, Derek wakes up to find that the killer has gotten away with Ellie in tow. The team worked hard to find them and eventually the episode ended in a face-off with Derek and the killer. When the dust settled, Derek left the scene to see Ellie safe, wrapped in a blanket outside. The two embraced in a tearful hug.


"The Longest Night" (Season 6, Episode 1)

The BAU was called in after an FBI informant had been abducted by a murder syndicate where the victims were put up for auction, with the highest bidder choosing the manner of death. After the team descended on the compound, they initially found that the leader of the ring was attempting to escape with a female victim.

They shot the leader, but as SSA David Rossi was speaking to the "victim," he quickly realized that she was the ringleader. Good thing SSA Derek Morgan was suspicious, because right as the UnSub was about to kill Rossi, Derek shot her, saving Rossi's life.


"Supply & Demand" (Season 6, Episode 24)

After having to cancel vacation plans due to an impending case, Morgan realized that in order to move his relationship with Savannah forward, they would need to find a way to make time for each other. After Derek returned from his case, he brought Savannah to a suburban home he had been remodeling. What he described as their “permanent vacation”  turned out to be their new home together.


"Hashtag" (Season 10, Episode 7)

Our hearts stopped when Derek was horrendously tortured by Edgar Solomon and his crew. He managed to pull through, fighting for his life and to be reunited with Savannah. After breaking free from his binds and killing all of the henchman, Derek was able to make a call that pinged his location to the rest of the BAU.


"Derek" (Season 11, Episode 16)

While being held hostage, Derek experienced many out-of-body moments involving his father. Throughout these moments, Derek realized that Savannah was pregnant—an instinct that only heightened his determination to survive. When all was said and done, Derek awoke in the hospital to Savannah. He promised her that he would never leave her—or their unborn baby. It was a promise he sealed by asking her to marry him.

More on CBS.com:
Criminal Minds: Do You Remember These 10 Shocking Moments?
Watch Full Episode ‘Derek’ On CBS.com