Criminal Minds Forums

I agree, Hotch looked kind of sick near the end. Made me wonder too. Wasn't too sure about this episode myself. Granted, the scene at the end was great and touching, nice seeing Hotch move on or attempt to, and the case was slightly different with boxing and all that. Couldn't get any pity for the unsub. I'm sorry his son is sick but he's one of those people with significant anger issues that will never listen to other people and handle things right. I felt more for Tony, his last victim. What he did was horrible but could you really blame him based on the unsub's performance and health? He had a seizure right before the match! He really wasn't a dangerous serialkiller. He was just a petty, patheticadult who can't control his temper and can't handle criticism and decided to use violence to the point of murder. Blaming everything on everyone else, refusing to take responsibility. He truly loved his son, yes but that wasn't enough to convince me he was truly a good person and sorry for what he did.

This wasn't one of my favorites either. I don't like boxing, so there was a bit too much of it in this episode for me. I thought the whole plot was kind of weak. Blood lust...is this really a diagnosis for beating someone to a pulp? However, the scene at the end with the unsub saying good bye to his son and Hotch standing behind him with tears in his eyes made the whole hour worthwhile. That was a dynamite scene. As for Hotch and Beth...Give me a break. Hotch is an FBI agent and a single dad. This strange woman runs up to him says oh you're an agent, how about a date and here's my card in the sleeve of my runnibng outfit...PLEEZE! And Hotch tells Rossi...I want to be sure. This was absolutely malarkey. So out of character. I hope I never see or hear about Beth again. If you're going to have him date, please make it realistic. And earlier this season I asked the same question...is Hotch ill? He looks so gaunt. When will we see more profiling of the bad guys?

I totally agree phf3947, I detest boxing and found this a very violent episode. I think I'm not a fan of this writer's work. She also penned The Thirteenth Step which centered around violence for the sake of violence. It also centered totally around the unsubs, as did this story. We hardly saw any of the team, especially Reid. I wonder if this writer has a problem with this character as I remember in The Thirteenth Step she just had him sent back to the precinct halfway through the ep, never to be heard from again. I don't think this unsub had anything to do with bloodlust, what that huge amount of profiling led us to. Did I just say huge amount of profiling, I must have lost my mind momentarily. I think he was a spoiled man who got angry when things didn't go his way and stuck out at people. The cute little kid did nothing to dissuade me from that thought.

I found the Beth part of the episode quite contrived, not the kind of woman I can really see Hotch with. She knew he was FBI because of his suit. Wait until she gets a load of Morgan, Reid and Rossi. Reminded me of the guy in The Tribe.

I think I got spoiled by the episode we had last week.

This wasn't one of my favorites either. I don't like boxing, so there was a bit too much of it in this episode for me. I thought the whole plot was kind of weak. Blood lust...is this really a diagnosis for beating someone to a pulp? However, the scene at the end with the unsub saying good bye to his son and Hotch standing behind him with tears in his eyes made the whole hour worthwhile. That was a dynamite scene. As for Hotch and Beth...Give me a break. Hotch is an FBI agent and a single dad. This strange woman runs up to him says oh you're an agent, how about a date and here's my card in the sleeve of my runnibng outfit...PLEEZE! And Hotch tells Rossi...I want to be sure. This was absolutely malarkey. So out of character. I hope I never see or hear about Beth again. If you're going to have him date, please make it realistic. And earlier this season I asked the same question...is Hotch ill? He looks so gaunt. When will we see more profiling of the bad guys?

Ok, so I get that this isnt exactily on topic, but with this episode Im even more compelled to ask... Does anyone else think that it's about time Hotch started seeing Prentiss? I mean, we had a few sparks at the beginning, but he was married, but then they killed her off... and its been a while now, and the first time we see anything possibly happening with him in a relationship sense its some random bike chick? (who FYI im pretty convinced is a little shifty- stalker much? or is that just me?) Anyway, has anyone else been anticipating Hotch/Emily? Do you think the creators are thinking of this new girl as a rebound (granted a little late after his wife died), or am I totally off the mark and Im gonna get disappointed?? I think I may hold out hope

Overall thoughts:

It speaks volumes yet again that I actually forgot that JJ was in the episode. Also...when Emily isn't being "dear abby" as someone else said, they pretty much make her a borderline background prop. I'm not fond of either of these characters so in hindsight it doesn't bother me either way seeing less of them, however I still continue to wonder what was the purpose of giving into the fans who raised hell until they signed both actresses back on, if they continue to use them...arguably less than they did before they left? I can't be the only one who notices that! Like I said, forgot JJ was in the episode..even though she was paired with one of my favorite characters. And Emily...it's really been clear since she's been back. I know she has a centric episode coming up but she's been poorly used all season so far.

I know it's a reality and all...but it breaks my heart having to watch a child die in front of my eyes.The ending speech was lovely of course, and the fact that even HOtch (who didn't really shed a tear like that when his ex wife died) was so vulnerable and those stoic walls crumbled for just a few moments...was a sight to see. He was very moving.

I'm all for Hotch moving on. Never was a fan of Hailey either. But Beth seemed to come out of nowhere, know too much, and was too pushy and forward. It was just odd. I can't shake the feeling that there is more to her just being a love interest.It seemed like some sort of setup or something. Maybe that was just me though. It was great seeing him flirt and having flirty moments though...so kudos to Boss man. And I loved seeing the always supportive Rossi. He cracks me up. Not to mention Reid practically knowing to the second how long Hotch has been single, and Garcia putting her foot in her mouth but hoping for free weekends. Cute.

Lastly, I know this was supposed to be a very Hotchy episode, and I know the performance of the unsub was stellar...but honestly Charles Dutton's performance stole the entire episode. Truly. His death scene was worthy of an Oscar...not an Emmy, but an actual Oscar it was just that good. He was compelling, and moving with the utterance of "What about my family, Jimmy?" I'll most likely forget most of the ongoings of this episode months from now but I'll never forget that one scene. Finally a well known guest star who worked the hell out of his scenes to make them memorable.

I'm glad they are finally putting Hotch in a relationship. It's past due.

Hate to be so critical of any episode, but this was probably the most poorly conceived and written of the series thus far. As someone else mentioned, why this case was even on the BAU radar is neither explained nor, as far as the series has informed us for the last six years, even justified. Very pedestrian boxing story. Considering that CM's core audience is primarily female, this was a bizarre choice of subject matter, unless it was a network ploy to gain more male demographic. :-)

The only redeeming segments for me were the bookended scenes introducing a potential romantic interest for Hotch, and the scenes with Hotch telling the father to man up and face the death of his son.That last, with Hotch in the shadowed background, was one of the most moving scenes in episodic TV. The silent, single teardrop falling from Hotch's eye was beautifully captured and achingly reminiscent of the Daniel Day-Lewis performance at the end of Last of the Mohicans. Someone here said that Hotch didn't shed a similar tear over Haley, and that is not correct. His face was awash in tears in the car while he's on that last call to her, and later, he utterly breaks down sobbing while holding her dead body. One of the great aspects of this character's usually stoic demeanor is us getting these lovely glimpses into his heart. The multiple layers of subtext while he's hearing the father's words to the dying boy are heartbreaking in their complexity.

While we'll have to wait and see what the Bellamy Young story arc is, I was less bothered than others here by the fact that she seemed to know so much about Hotch. It wouldn't have been outside the realm of possibility that she thought he was an agent. I didn't take her "I saw the suit" line seriously; thought it was more of a throwaway joke as exit line.

What I did find odd is the lack of them exchanging first names. She gives him her business card, so he at least knows who she is and where she works, but we don't. More to the point, unless he caught up to her later, she doesn't know his name. I find this kind of coyness on the part of the writer unreal and annoying. Also, DC is the power capital of the world, so I found it completely believable that she would have a few business cards always at the ready regardless of the activity. You never miss an opportunity to network. And in this episode's case, he had already caught her eye on at least one previous occasion, so like any woman who hopes to meet someone she finds attractive, she would have planned to always carry one with her.

I loved the Rossi-Hotch dynamic in this episode, too. I hope Rossi is Hotch's go-to guy for the duration of the series whenever he needs an ear. I love the juxtapositioning of Rossi's warm-hearted Italian gusto with Hotch's reserve. It would be a nice window into both characters.

Whoa, waaaay too long. Sorry! :-)

P.S. I don't understand the title of this episode. Can anyone enlighten me?