Megan Reeves

Last updated
Megan Reeves
Numb3rs character
Megan Reeves.jpg
First appearance"Judgment Call"
Last appearance"When Worlds Collide"
Portrayed by Diane Farr
In-universe information
GenderFemale
Occupation FBI Special Agent
FamilyUnnamed mother
Unnamed father
Unnamed three sisters

Megan Reeves is a fictional character in the CBS crime drama Numb3rs , played by Diane Farr. Created as a replacement for the character Terry Lake, who served in the same capacity, Megan is a profiler working with Don Eppes' team and serves as the head of the team when Eppes is away. Over the course of her appearance on the show, she has a romance with Dr. Larry Fleinhardt (Peter MacNicol) and receives an assignment with the United States Department of Justice, which causes her to rethink her career in the FBI. Megan was written out when Farr left the series.

Contents

Characterization

Megan is persistent in her career and "calls things as she sees them." [1] She teaches krav maga at the YMCA, [2] and she is one of the best marksmen on Don's team. [3] She speaks fluent French. [4] She previously did a stint with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), the same unit that CBS's Criminal Minds focuses on.

Megan drives an Acura with a navigation system, according to Colby Granger. She can be seen carrying a Glock 27, standard issue to most female FBI agents.[ citation needed ]

Backstory

In "Mind Games," she reveals she is estranged from her father, with whom she has not spoken in ten years. She has three older sisters. [5] Megan stated that many of her life decisions were made when she was 16 years old, like leaving her home; she does not regret these choices. [6]

Evolution over the series

In "Obsession", she kindled a friendship with Larry Fleinhardt by admiring his classic car, agreeing with him that it is art. [7] The friendship had progressed after a little while to a few lunches, [8] a dinner date at an Ethiopian restaurant, [9] and a late-night breakfast at a 24-hour café, [6] where Larry compared her fascinating layers of complexity to the M57 Nebula. She hopes that their "orbits will meet again soon."

In "Longshot", Megan stated that if Larry needs more structure in his life she's fine with that and, with Larry's schedule, they can have dinner and a movie together every other Friday and lunch on Thursday. She is aware others find their relationship odd but does not care as they have decided to make it more serious. [10]

In "Killer Chat", it is revealed that she and Larry have spent so much time together since his soon-to-be departure into space (on the ISS) that they have started to share each other's habits, which is shown when she says that Larry is like a "star collapsing in on itself". Megan was saddened over Larry's dismay involving his possible dismissal from the space mission and approached Charlie for help. [11]

In "Democracy", it is revealed that the FBI Director has been trying to get Megan to join a special task force for the United States Department of Justice. Megan tells Don that it "probably isn't for me". She even dodges calls from the Director about the assignment. However, at the end of the episode, the Director calls and tells her that she never really had a choice about the assignment, and she is extremely unhappy about it. [12] No details about the assignment are given; however, Cheryl Heuton has stated that details regarding this task force will be revealed in Season Four. This arc has been written in to accommodate Diane Farr's maternity leave, just as Larry's trip to the ISS was written to accommodate Peter MacNicol's stint on 24.

Megan returns to the team in "The Janus List". Megan is noticeably different from her pre-DOJ assignment; she is somber and quick to lose her temper with a witness under her protection. When three assassins attack the witness, Megan shoots two of them and knocks out the third. Later, she remarks that she doesn't think she "can keep doing this", indicating that her special assignment was extremely stressful and disillusioning. [13]

When Megan comes back for the season 4 premiere, she is much more like her old self before her DOJ assignment. She alludes to having some time off from her job at the FBI while talking to Larry Fleinhardt. When Larry questions her about the DOJ assignment, she says that she's not ready to talk about it yet. Megan then says she's felt like she's been sleepwalking ever since she got back from her DOJ assignment. [14] In "Hollywood Homicide" Colby Granger returns, and Megan welcomes him back more enthusiastically than the other team members. She tries to talk with David Sinclair about his feelings that Colby will always be a traitor. [15]

Megan is more emotionally attached to certain cases. While pursuing a serial killer, she stays in more, pulling all-nighters and goes too far with a suspect. It is then certain that, on her DOJ assignment (and in accordance with Colby's previous words), they used her profiling skills to torture people. [16] During a serial rape case later in the season, Megan is once again more emotionally attached to the case. She is more protective with the victims and goes to Larry for emotional support. It is revealed that Megan's college roommate was sexually assaulted, and Megan claims that she wasn't a good friend about it because she failed to help her. [17]

In the season 4 finale, "When Worlds Collide", it is revealed that Megan is leaving the FBI to go to Washington to finish her doctorate and counsel women in prison. [18]

Creation

To replace Terry Lake, the writers created Megan Reeves. [19] After quitting her previous show, Rescue Me , Farr immediately received an offer for a role on Numb3rs. [20] Farr was to make guest appearances before becoming a regular. Since she was cast as Megan, Farr's character on Rescue Me had to be written out. [19] To prepare for her role, Farr needed someone to coach her on the math and science used on the show. [21]

Departure

At the end of season four, Farr decided not to renew her contract. [22] Some people speculated that she was leaving in order to spend more time with her family, since she was expecting twins. In an interview with TVGuide News, Farr, however, stated that, although she enjoyed being on Numb3rs, she left the show in order to develop a one-hour-long drama with a previous boss, Peter Tolan. [23]

Related Research Articles

<i>Numbers</i> (TV series)

Numbers is an American crime drama television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his brother Charlie Eppes, a college mathematics professor and prodigy, who helps Don solve crimes for the FBI. Brothers Ridley and Tony Scott produced Numbers; its production companies are the Scott brothers' Scott Free Productions and CBS Television Studios.

Larry Fleinhardt

Larry Fleinhardt, Ph.D., is a fictional character in the CBS crime drama Numb3rs, played by Peter MacNicol. He is the best friend and colleague of Charlie Eppes.

Diane Farr American actress, producer, and writer

Diane Farr is an American actress, producer, and writer. She is known for her roles as the FBI agent Megan Reeves in the CBS television series Numb3rs and the firefighter Laura Miles in Rescue Me.

"Harvest" is the 14th episode of the second season of the American television show Numb3rs. Inspired by a Christian Science Monitor article about organ tourists, people who travel to a different country to give their organs for money, and an algorithm developed in the United States, the episode features Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and mathematicians attempting to locate a missing organ tourist before she is killed.

"Guns and Roses" is the 20th episode of the second season of the American television series Numb3rs. Written by Robert Port and filmed around the Los Angeles Center Studios, the episode features a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent investigating the apparent suicide of a former girlfriend while beginning a new relationship. Port based his story on real-life instances. He also was inspired to include acoustic testing and genomic research in the script.

"Provenance" is the third episode of the third season of the American television show Numb3rs. Inspired by real-life instances, the episode features a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into a stolen painting which may have a tainted provenance. Gena Rowlands, who works as an advocate for Holocaust survivors, portrayed a Holocaust survivor who claimed that the painting was originally her family's painting. Within the series, the episode also depicts the Eppes family as Jewish.

"Scorched" is the 11th episode of the second season of the American television series Numb3rs. Marking the first produced script for series writer Sean Crouch, the episode features Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and mathematicians investigating a series of arsons that may have been started by an ecoterrorist group. Bill Nye "The Science Guy", who is a fan of the show, guest stars as a colleague of scientists Dr. Charlie Eppes and Dr. Larry Fleinhardt.

"Spree" is the first episode of the third season of the American television show Numb3rs The episode features Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents pursuing a couple of spree killers. Series writer Ken Sanzel drew inspiration for the episode from pursuit curves. "Spree" also launches a more general trend toward the serialization of the series.

"Two Daughters" is the second episode of the third season of the American television show Numb3rs. The second half of a two-episode storyline, the episode features the aftermath of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent's abduction, which results in the search for not only the agent and her kidnapper but also for the true motive of the spree killings in the previous episode. As a character development, one FBI Special Agent's actions during the case created a story arc for that character for season three. Series writer Ken Sanzel used the trawler problem, a real-life application used to find traveling boats, as inspiration for the mathematics included in the episode.

"Killer Chat" is the 11th episode of the third season of the American television show Numb3rs. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents investigate the murders of several child molesters while a pair of mathematicians prepare to say goodbye to a friend. Stories about child molesters and his own experiences as a parent inspired series writer Don McGill to write the episode.

"Nine Wives" is the 12th episode of the 3rd season of the American television show Numb3rs. Paralleling the Warren Jeffs and David Koresh cases, the episode features Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and mathematicians attempting to locate and arrest the leader of a polygamist cult in which members marry young girls. Julie Hébert, a series writer, incorporated slave quilts and Levy flight into her script. She also included two explosions in the script.

"The Art of Reckoning" is the 21st episode of the third season of the American television show Numb3rs. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents investigate the confessions of a mob hit man before his execution. Written by Julie Hébert, the episode also highlighted the return of series regular Peter MacNicol as his character, Dr. Larry Fleinhardt, returned from space.

"The Janus List" is the 24th episode and the season finale of the third season of the American television show Numb3rs. In the episode, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) team investigate a former triple agent's claims of someone poisoning him.

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"Democracy" is the 18th episode of the third season of the American television show Numb3rs. Written by Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci, the episode highlights a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into the murder of one of their math consultant's friends while an agent learns that she has been selected for a United States Department of Justice (DOJ) assignment. Heuton and Falacci also brought back fan favorite Oswald Kittner, portrayed by Jay Baruchel.

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References

  1. "Assassin". Numb3rs. Season 2. Episode 5. 21 October 2005.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. "Rampage". Numb3rs. Season 2. Episode 21. 28 April 2006.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. "Two Daughters". Numb3rs. Season 3. Episode 2. 29 September 2006.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. "Brutus". Numb3rs. Season 3. Episode 10. 24 November 2006.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  5. "Mind Games". Numb3rs. Season 2. Episode 17. 10 March 2006.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  6. 1 2 "Spree". Numb3rs. Season 3. Episode 1. 22 September 2006.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  7. "Obsession". Numb3rs. Season 2. Episode 3. 7 October 2005.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  8. "Toxin". Numb3rs. Season 2. Episode 9. 25 November 2005.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  9. "Dark Matter". Numb3rs. Season 2. Episode 19. 7 April 2006.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  10. "Longshot". Numb3rs. Season 3. Episode 6. 27 October 2006.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  11. "Killer Chat". Numb3rs. Season 3. Episode 11. 15 December 2006.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  12. "Democracy". Numb3rs. Season 3. Episode 18. 9 March 2007.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  13. "The Janus List". Numb3rs. Season 3. Episode 24. 18 May 2007.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  14. "Trust Metric". Numb3rs. Season 4. Episode 1. 28 September 2007.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  15. "Hollywood Homicide". Numb3rs. Season 4. Episode 2. 5 October 2007.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  16. "Thirteen". Numb3rs. Season 4. Episode 4. 19 October 2007.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  17. "Power". Numb3rs. Season 4. Episode 12. 18 January 2008.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  18. "When Worlds Collide". Numb3rs. Season 4. Episode 18. 16 May 2008.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  19. 1 2 The Futon Critic Staff (TFC) (5 August 2005). "Development Update: August 4–5". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  20. Lorrie Lynch (12 February 2006). "Who's News". USA Weekend. Retrieved 28 August 2009.[ dead link ]
  21. Lynette Rice (23 September 2005). "Her Life So Farr Rescue Me actress trades fires for nerd-speak -- Diane Farr turns up the heat on CBS math drama Numb3rs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  22. Michael Ausiello (25 March 2008). "Exclusive: Diane Farr's Numbers Up". TV Guide News. TVGuide.com. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  23. Ileane Rudolph (15 May 2008). "Diane Farr Dishes on Her Numbers Exit". TV Guide News. TVGuide.com. Retrieved 9 July 2009.