if you think it's over the top dramatization, you've never lost anyone as a child/young adult, it is something that you never get over and that occasionally bursts to the surface in unexpected ways. matt's behavior was completely realistic, from anger all the way to over-protectiveness.

See, here's the thing, and it's something that I feel justifies what the writers tried to do here because it strikes me a realistic, despite the show not seeming very realistic at times.First off, I don't disagree with anything you say. However, the arc of the story was that Matt, for reasons particular to him, was not able to connect to this kid until he started treating him sympathetically, which he uncharacteristically did not do from the start. The episode went out of its way to _not_ portray MJ in a sympathetic light, and nothing he does is ever excused or justified, and I agree his actions qualify for the term "terrorist". However, in the end, Matt (and the viewer presumably) can feel for MJ in a way that he didn't throughout the episode and in fact, it wasn't until that point that he was able to talk him down. Otherwise, MJ would have been killed, which all reasonable people would agree is a worse outcome, other things being equal.

OK, so even if you don't understand that Matt has come full circle to understand the kid is going through what he went through years ago, look at it this way, MJ is going away for good and his sister is going to die soon after he's gone. It is an act of charity to her as well, especially knowing that she didn't support what MJ was trying to do. MJ doesn't deserve it, but I think she does.Is it realistic? Probably not. It is too simplistic? Probably. Is it human? Most definitely.Everything about the episode sets you up (rightly) to view MJ as a villain. You feel anger, just like Matt. You are rooting for Duff to blow him away in order to save the hostages. Totally appropriate, totally justified.And yet, the ending gives you an opportunity to be reminded that MJ is still a person, and however flawed he is and however evilly he acted, forgetting that fact is a bad and dangerous thing for Matt, as a negotiator and law enforcement official, as it is for all of us as fellow human beings.It gives us a better chance to see it from MJs point of view. It doesn't justify or excuse anything he does, but it gives us a chance to nonetheless sympathize with someone who has had a hard life.Matt was doing a bad job until he connected with MJ and stopped being angry. He talked MJ down so he didn't have to be shot. Isn't that a better ending?