Enough Is Enough: It’s Time to Bring Hotch Back to the BAU

The Aaron Hotchner Hiatus has been long enough, don’t you think?

Let me start off by saying that Criminal Minds is one of my comfort watches. It’s peak marathon TV, you know, the type of shows where a familiar episode catches your eye on the off chance you glance up at the screen, and suddenly, it’s eight hours later, and you fall down a marathon rabbit hole again.

When a series has been on as long as Criminal Minds, it practically falls into eras, and the Hotchner Era of Criminal Minds remains elite.

Maybe he wasn’t the heart of the series, I’ll leave you to argue over whether that was Reid, Garcia, or JJ, but for many years, he definitely was the backbone of the show.

And while Emily Prentiss is a badass who runs the BAU well with her own flavor and style, all it ever takes is rewatching old episodes to feel nostalgic for a time when Hotch’s stern look and deadpan humor added a little something extra to the ever-changing group of BAU agents.

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Plus, I miss the very distinctive romances of Criminal Minds yesteryear, and Hotch and Rossi were as compelling as Reid and Morgan.

I’m sorry, but whatever nonsense they keep conjuring up with Voit and any number of BAU members just isn’t cutting it.

Do you know who wouldn’t be playing games with pet serial killers? Aaron Hotchner!

In fact, if Hotch were to return in any capacity, he could be key to Criminal Minds: Evolution‘s pesky little Voit problem. At the very least, I would pay cold, hard cash (in continuously subscribing to Paramount+) to see Hotch versus Voit.

If we absolutely must keep dragging out this Voit arc every gosh damn season, Criminal Minds has the chance to make it worthwhile in the most satisfying of ways with Hotch’s return.

Voit is in this unique position of being a “reformed” serial killer who is aware of all the terrible things he’s done and is actively trying to process them, reject who he was, and make amends via helping the BAU as best as he can.

I don’t know. Whatever it is that CME is doing, it’s evident that to continue taking full advantage of the talent and range of Zach Gilford, Voit is on a redemption arc, of sorts, that I’ve yet to figure out properly.

But I digress.

Now that Rossi, JJ, and Garcia have reached a point where they have softened towards him, it’s an ideal time to introduce someone who will be completely unamused by this reformed Voit angle and unwilling to accept any of this nonsense.

You know, for those of us viewers who hold grudges and whatnot.

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It has been nearly a decade since Hotch departed the series and entered WITSEC. By now, Henry is past grown, and there’s less concern about needing to protect him from the world.

We never got proper closure with his character, and given that Criminal Minds Evolution has managed to orchestrate the return of many characters in some capacity or another, it would be amazing if they could do the same for Hotch.

Understandably, he likely wouldn’t be able to waltz back into the BAU as a profiler, but he still has the skillset to be useful on cases as a consultant.

In fact, if they EVER get out of this Voit/Sicarius hole they’ve fallen into, they could crack open a cold case that Hotch can provide intel on, or maybe a new case has an unusual connection to him that would require his assistance.

And while Prentiss is a perfectly fine leader, Hotch always had some connections and knew how to handle the bigwigs who always tried to put him in his place. Going toe-to-toe with the agency was practically a sport for him.

Sometimes it feels like Prentiss has to succumb to the higher-ups (partially because sexism is a pain in the ass), but wouldn’t it be great to see Hotch return and disrupt all of that bureaucratic bullcrap?

Hell, if they somehow manage to revisit The Reaper’s legacy, Hotch would be the perfect person to work into the fold.

Or maybe they can take an exciting route and discover that he’s pinged as a person of interest somewhere, and they work to clear his name with his assistance.

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Hotch could come back to the series in so many ways. They’re practically dragging Voit around on a leash, so really, nothing is outside the realm of possibility.

Nevertheless, it’s been long enough.

Whether he waltzes in with a suit, or deliciously scruffy in all of his salt-and-pepper [insert whatever WITSEC aesthetic he acquired) Glory — we need Hotch back, expeditiously.

At the very least, it’ll give Criminal Minds: Evolution the jolt it needs. I’m just saying.

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I’m just a girl, sitting in front of my screen, yelling about why I need Hotch back — I’m not alone, am I?
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