Many elements of the originalCriminal Mindsare absent from the continuation series, but the BAU’s former Unit Chief, Aaron “Hotch” Hotcher, is the hardest void to fill. The original run ofCriminal Mindshad disturbing unsubs(unknown subjects) who committed atrocious crimes but always ended up apprehended by a team of FBI profilers, led by Thomas Gibson’s Hotch. After 12 years, however, Gibson leftCriminal Minds, leaving Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) to rise up the ranks.
WithCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 3steadily approaching, it’s safe to say Chief Prentiss will return.Paget Brewster has done great work in the Paramount+ reboot, but the modern BAU feels incomplete, especially considering half of the original members aren’t there. While Shemar Moore’s Derek Morgan and Matthew Gray Gubler’s Spencer Reid could be easy additions, Hotch can’t return inCriminal Minds: Evolutionwithout a significant narrative overhaul.
9Hotch Cleans The Blood Off Of Elle’s Wall
Season 2, Episode 1
There were manyterrifying unsubs inCriminal Minds, but the two-part event following"The Fisher King"introduced the first big antagonist in the series.While his riddled messages and wild goose chases alone set him apart, the Fisher King also attacked a BAU member. In theCriminal Mindsseason 1 finale, Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini) is nearly killed in her own home.
The scene is simple and, all things considered, as stoic as any other scene involving the stone-faced Unit Chief.
After the BAU foils the unsub’s plans in the season 2 premiere, Hotch cleans Elle’s blood off of her wall. The scene is simple and, all things considered, as stoic as any other scene involving the stone-faced Unit Chief. However,Hotch cleaning up Elle’s blood signified the way he was prepared to do anything for his team, even something as traumatic as tidying up the location of their near-death experience.
8Hotch Describes His Team To Strauss
Season 2, Episode 23
InCriminal Minds’ Behavioral Analysis Unit, the chain of command dictated that Hotch report to the Section Chief, Erin Strauss (Jayne Atkinson).Strauss first appears in theCriminal Mindsseason 2 finale, immediately taking issue with Hotch’s leadership and assuming the team needs to be uprooted. When Strauss asks Hotch about the group— Reid, Morgan, Prentiss, Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), and Jennifer “JJ” Jareau (A.J. Cook)— he says:
Agent Morgan fought to protect his identity from the very people who could save him. Why? Because trust has to be earned[.] Reid’s intellect is a shield which protects him from his emotions, and at the moment his shield is under repair. Prentiss overcompensates because she doesn’t yet feel she is part of the team. She needn’t worry. Everyday, Agent Jareau fields dozens of requests for our team, and every night she goes home hoping she’s made the right choices. Garcia fills her office with figurines and color to remind herself to smile as the horror fills her screens.
The way Hotch intimately comprehends his team’s greatest fears is a testament to how much he cares about the BAU, beyond a professional capacity. He can easily chart each member’s strengths and weaknesses becauseHotch understands his team implicitly. It’s one thing to know your coworkers, it’s another to be able to perfectly explain who they fundamentally are.
7Hotch Profiles A Defense Attorney In Court
Season 3, Episode 19
Arguably the most interesting part ofCriminal Mindsis when the federal profilers do what they do best: profile.Analyzing suspects is such a collaborative process throughout the series, but every person in the FBI comes equipped with their own unique skill set. After a defense attorney questions the legitimacy of behavioral analysis, Hotch gives him (and the rest of the courtroom) a free demonstration.
The attorney jokingly asks if he can tell what color socks he’s wearing, and, in one ofCriminal Minds’ best quotes, Hotch simply says“charcoal gray.”The Unit Chief continues dissecting the lawyer, exposing his betting problem and calmly proving that the BAU exists for a reason. While most members of the team would have been able to profile the attorney, nobody else could have done it with such an amazing, deadpan delivery.
6Hotch Stands His Ground During The Hostage Crisis
Season 4, Episode 3
Criminal Mindsseason 4, episode 3 is one of the most memorable episodes in the entire series, due in no small part to the danger Reid and Prentiss were in after being taken hostage by a cult community.“Minimal Loss” is aCriminal Mindsepisode based on a real case, which made the unsub even more unsettling. Yet, Prentiss and Reid were only compromised because of an undisclosed raid by the state police.
When the Attorney General of the state tries to confront Hotch, the Unit Chief minces no words as he ignores the AG’s attempts at intimidating him, replying with his own“Get off my crime scene!”
The iconic scene gave away just how invested Hotch was in the hostage crisis, to the point where he could no longer maintain his professionalism and apathy. Hotch’s dedication to his team’s safety revealed an often-hidden fire within him.
5Hotch Agrees To Investigate The Death Of Emily’s Friend
Season 4, Episode 17
Throughout the original15 seasons ofCriminal Minds, Emily Prentiss had some of the most dramatic storylines, including faking her death and living a double life.Emily is at the forefront of “Demonology” and its central murder, but she’s too invested because the inciting victim was her friend. Although Hotch could have written off the case and forced Emily to let it go, he agrees to investigate and loops in the team.
At certain points throughout the episode, Emily’s personal connection to the case poses a threat to the BAU, and Hotch has to rein her in on more than one occasion.Yet, despite it all, it’s clear that Hotch and the team worked harder knowing that one of their own needed answers.Whether Hotch should have given the investigation the greenlight is up for debate, but he was never going to leave his team hanging.
4Hotch Kills Foyet
Season 5, Episode 9
George Foyet, also known as"The Reaper"(C. Thomas Howell), is undoubtedly themost memorable unsub inCriminal Minds.Drawing inspiration from real murderers like The Zodiac, The Reaper was a chilling character who took a vested interest in Hotch. Hotch and Foyet became nemeses of sorts, with Hotch’s family— his wife, Haley (Meredith Monroe) and son, Jack (Cade Owens)— becoming mere pieces in Foyet’s game.
In the 100th episode ofCriminal Minds, the feud comes to a head afterFoyet kills Haley and tells Hotch he plans to kill Jack, too. The two men battle, but rage overtakes Hotch when Foyet attempts to surrender, and he beats The Reaper to death. The rest of the BAU appear to drag Hotch away and comfort him as the strong, resilient Unit Chief breaks down in tears. It was a moment of pure humanity and added real depth to Hotch’s character.
3Jack Dresses Up As Hotch For Halloween
Season 6, Episode 6
After Haley’s death, Hotch’s fatherhood became an underlying storyline inCriminal Minds. Guilt over his wife’s passing festered in Hotch, but Jack never blamed him for the atrocious crimes of Foyet. InCriminal Mindsseason 6, Jack even dresses up as his father for Halloween because, unlike his original costume (Spider-Man),Hotch is a“real”superhero to his son.
The traumatic and heartwarming moments alike gave invaluable insight into Hotch’s true self, as his son proved to be the most important person in the world to him.
While Prentiss and Hotch have many similarities, the relationship between Hotch and his son can’t be replicated.The traumatic and heartwarming moments alike gave invaluable insight into Hotch’s true self, as his son proved to be the most important person in the world to him. Any BAU member can crack a case or catch a killer, but Hotch’s fatherhood was just as principal as his FBI work.
2Hotch Shoots An Unsub Underwater
Season 6, Episode 22
Nevertheless, a good action sequence still packs a punch.Criminal Mindsoften had standoffs with unsubs, and the BAU usually either talked the killer down or saved the final victim just in time. After the unsub drives his car into the water inCriminal Mindsseason 6, episode 22, Morgan immediately dives in to rescue the woman trapped in the passenger seat. However, the unsub wakes and tries to stop him.
The brief struggle is interrupted by Hotch, suddenly underwater and in front of the car, who shoots through the windshield to kill the unsub point-blank.It’s hard to imagine anyone else making such a dramatic entrance and calmly taking care of business. Hotch was always calculated and cool, but he never failed to show up for the action-packed episodes ofCriminal Minds.
1Hotch Has Dinner With Garcia
Season 11, Episode 9
Hotch often seemed impassive inCriminal Minds, but he wasn’t afraid to show his feelings through his actions. When Garcia has to live in the office while a case wraps up, she’s clearly shaken and upset by the ordeal. She offers to make a“vegetarian omelet”for Hotch, but it’s obvious she isn’t holding her breath. Instead of going home and leaving Garcia alone, Hotch simply asks if she has jalapeños and smiles.
Little moments like him grinning as he cuts peppers are what make Hotch so irreplaceable inCriminal Minds. His apathetic front makes his emotional moments even more powerful, and the quiet but fierce love he has for his team softens the edges of his character. Prentiss makes a great Section Chief inCriminal Minds: Evolution, but she’ll never be able to totally eclipse Hotch. The true version ofCriminal Mindsleft with Hotch, andEvolutionfeels, at best, like a well-done spinoff.
Criminal Minds
Cast
Criminal Minds follows an elite team of FBI profilers from the Behavioral Analysis Unit as they analyze the nation’s most complex criminal minds, led by experienced agent David Rossi. The team works to anticipate and prevent crimes by understanding the behavior of these dangerous individuals.
