CRIMINAL MINDS’: IS LOVE IN THE AIR FOR HOTCH?
by Sandra Gonzalez
My post-premiere conversation with executive producer Erica Messer was eye opening in many ways and gave me many things to look forward to about this season. (Action Reid! Lingering hard feelings! Possible Prentiss flashbacks!) But the most intriguing bit, for me anyway, was the knowledge that one of the members of the BAU would be getting a new love this season!
To know more go to EW
Interesting article, thanks for the link guys :).
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting is what Erica Messer said, that we would know who would get a love life from the casting.
So, does it mean it’s someone we have already seen and who is making a come back ? I just hope it’s not for Reid because I would prefer to see other storylines for him than a romantic one.
Maybe Andy Swan is making a come back ? Here is to hoping.
I know that many people will disagree with me, but I DO NOT want a Hotch romance this season. This is just my opinion, but I was really upset when I heard this news. I was so happy when the team came back & loved episode one but now this news is so disappointing!! I never missed one episode of the show, but now I am considering only watching half of this season before a Hotch romance occurs. In her interview it APPEARS that Messer strongly hinted at a Hotch romance when she said that Hotch needs to smile this season & let go of Haley's death. Also, Thomas Gibson has stated he hopes to see this happen. I am NOT IMPRESSED with a romance story line for Hotch or even other characters such as Reid. In my opinion, the writers could deal with Hotch coping with Haley's death in a MUCH MORE CREATIVE way. I think that romances take away from the show. Why does moving on and being happy always mean getting a romance? I agree with Shemar Moore when he said that his character did not have time for romances this season! I especially do not want Hotch to have a romance yet. I want to see more profiling & team interaction not romantic stories. I can watch any other show if I want to see romances. We have enough of that with JJ & Will/ Garcia & Kevin. I liked Criminal Minds because it focused on profiling & some information about each agent but did not delve too much into romances for the characters. I want to learn more about why Hotch is so serious & dedicated to his work not see him in another relationship!
ReplyDeleteUm, can someone point me to where they said Hotch is getting a romance? Because I have not once seen anyone say that. Lets see. The article that was linked here certainly never said that. They said someone is getting a romance. No, they didn't definitely rule Hotch out, but they also didn't in any way imply it was going to be him. Thomas Gibson said he'd like for Hotch to be in a romance. But, here's the thing. He's not a writer for the show. He's not the show runner. I know they allow the actors to give input, but it doesn't mean that whatever the actor wants is going to happen.
ReplyDeleteSo, I think it's a valid to not want Hotch to have a romance. Part of me feels that Haley is the love of his life. So, trust me, I get that. But, isn't it a little premature to react like it's already a done deal? The romance story could be Reid's, or Prentiss', or Rossi's, or Morgan's. It could even be JJ's or Garcia's if they decide to break up the relationships that those two are in. The only reason Hotch gets singled out is because the people writing the articles ask if it's Hotch. If they had asked about Reid, we'd be getting misleading headlines asking if a love was in the air for Reid. (Misleading, because it implies that they're going to answer the question -which they didn't)
Thanks for your input, and you make very valid points! Yes, we do NOT KNOW 100% whether Hotch is going to get a romance since no one directly stated that he was going to get one. I hope that it is another character besides Hotch if there has to be romance at all. I don't want a romance for Reid either. These characters are far too complex to receive such simplistic story lines. Hotch can smile & cope in other ways besides a romance!
ReplyDeleteI am going to include all the evidence that led me to believe that Hotch MAY BE the one to get a romance. I HOPE I AM COMPLETLY WRONG AND AM MISINTERPRETING THE EVIDENCE! I am almost certain that Morgan will NOT get a romance since Shermar said do not expect his character to get a romance anytime soon. Also, I thought at first maybe it was Rossi reconnecting with his ex- wife, but this occurs in episode 5&6 and Messer already stated that we will not see the planned romantic story or casting until much later in the season(unless Rossi & his ex- wife meet again in episode 5 and rekindle their romance latter). Messer also noted that it will be a familiar name in the cast list which makes me fear that it is Andy Swan. Gibson indicated about 2 weeks ago that he wanted Hotch to have a romance soon and just said in another interview that he hopes Hotch is the one to get a romance because he needs to get out of the office more. Yes, I know that he is not the writer of the show and does not always get what he wants, but I think that I read somewhere that Messer is strongly considering what the actors want to do with their characters this season. So far, it appears that Gibson is the only one who really wants a romance for his character. Also, it is hard for me to believe that Gibson would not know if he is getting a romance because usually a lot of the season is at least mapped out during the summer & early fall. He probably does not want to disclose this information yet since this would be a major spoiler. Also, in the EW interview Messer did say she cannot tell us who is getting a romance but keeps stressing in every interview & twitter chat how she wants Hotch to move on from Haley & that we will see him in a new light. I hope this is to throw us off, but it does seem like Messer provides fans with too many spoilers/indirect hints ahead of time (for example concerning episode 1 which was not really new to me since I read all the spoilers this summer on the episode). It seems to me that we are rarely ever surprised since spoilers usually disclose most of the topics of episodes way ahead of time. True, I do not want to jump to conclusions, but I really need to prepare myself since I do not really want to watch anymore if Hotch gets a romance. My only hope is that Messer does not want to directly state who the romance is for.
Oh, the romance could be for anyone but there are facts we need to take into account here.
ReplyDeleteFrom what Shemar said in a recent article - that we shouldn't expect Morgan to have a romance - he doesn't seem to think Morgan will be concerned by that story.
We're going to see Rossi's first wife, and I have a difficult time imagining a new romance for him in the same season, unless romance is with said ex-wife. Somewhat I don't see that happening, I think their story will be more bittersweet than anything else.
Since Erica Messer said that we would know who was concerned by the romance from the casting, it probably means that the potential 'love interest' is someone we already saw.
If it was someone never introduced on the show before I don't think Erica Messer would have said that, the name of that person is probably going to struck a bell at the very least.
Erica Messer said that Reid's storyline is about family problems, and more particularly about his mother. I want her to stick to that where Reid is concerned.
I was already disappointed last season when the "big Reid story" we where promised, his big secret that was supposed to be a "doozy", went absolutely nowhere.
I hope that this time they'll treat the story about his family with consistency and won't forget about it.
I don't want romance for Reid and I certainly hope that they won't trade his storyline about family problems with a love story, please, just no.
For Reid they should focus on the story about his family (even if Jane Lynch can't appear they could maybe work around it), on his off the charts intellect, and on his relationship with his colleagues.
So, pretty please, no return of Lila Archer or something like that, I'm begging you !
Relationships are part of EVERYONE'S lives. We all have to move on from loss, even Hotch. Not saying that it is Hotch they are referring to, not assuming who it might be at all but everyone, even an FBI profiler deserves to have someone to care for in their lives. The only oposition I had to the Morgan/Tamara relationship was that they had Morgan paired with someone involved with the case they were working on. That was very inappropriate in my opinion but other than that fact, it didn't bother me at all.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind relationships on the team as long as a) it is just part of the storyline and not THE storyline b) the relationship and how they met makes sense and c) NO INTERTEAM DATING (that is what fanfiction is for). People pretty much have to give up on Hotch dating Prentiss. Morgan and Garcia finally hooking up will only happen in your imagination. And the Reid and JJ ship sailed a long time a go. These people work together and love each other as family, nothing else. However, I do want all of them to have happy, healthy relationships outside of work. They see awful things in every case. They deserve to have something to take their minds off of the horror they see everyday. That is why I want JJ's relationship with Will to be solid. Though JJ hinted in the season opener that he was not happy with her working long hours again, I hope they have worked it out and things are going okay for them and their young son.
These people are human and as such need that human connection. Hotch deserves to find someone to make him happy again. Personally I think Amy Carlson's Cece Hillenbrand from Tabula Rosa should come back. I think she'd be interesting with Hotch. Reid has certainly grown from the young, naive manchild he used to be and I think he would fun to watch in the dating realm, something he would probably be very awkward at. I think these are the two most likely being hinted at though I wouldn't mind it being any or even a couple of them that finds romance and a life outside of the BAU this season.
I am not completely rejecting the idea of some romance on the show such as Kevin & Garcia, but I think too many romantic relationships ruin a show. Criminal Minds never focused much on this before so why start now? Yes, the writers can focus on some personal facts but does this mean romances? I am not saying that Hotch might not find someone again someday(end of series), but I think the writers have not even addressed how he coped with Haley's death. To me, romantic storylines often show a lack of creativity in writing. And why does happiness always mean romantic relationships in society and why does Hotch have to find someone 2 years after Haley died? He has his son so he is not alone! Often people can find happiness through other outlets such as social activities and strong friendships. I think this season should be based on team interaction. I am tired of these SAME OLD plot lines on TV. So predictable and boring! The focus on TEAM INTERACTION AND PROFILING IS WHAT SET CRIMINAL MINDS APART FROM OTHER AVERAGE TV SHOWS. I don't want a soap opera or I would watch romantic comedies! I guess I can always watch old seasons of Criminal Minds.
ReplyDeleteEven if romance if part of everyone's life it doesn't mean we have to see it. We already have Garcia and Kevin and JJ and Will, we'll also see Rossi with his ex-wife. That's personally all the romance I need on this show.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem imagining the others already having a love life that we don't see, and I would prefer it to stay that way.
I'm NOT, by any stretch of the imagination, a Hotch/Prentiss shipper or a Reid/JJ shipper. I simply prefer romance to stay off screen.
They already tried to hook up Reid with Lila and Austin, I didn't like those side storyline (and I didn't find it convincing). I don't want to see a repeat of that.
Plus, I have missed Reid's genius being displayed these last two seasons, we certainly didn't see enough of that. I also miss seeing Reid interacting more with his team (we barely see him interacting with Hotch since season four for example).
I would prefer them to focus on that rather than showing us a romance for Reid.
They only have 42 minutes per episode, they are more important things to show than a romance. The team bonding together and getting past the hurt and the feeling of betrayal is one of them.
Good grief, all this belly-aching over something that might grab a minute or two of screen time at the beginning or end of an episode. If they gave Hotch a new woman, she most likely wouldn't be shown any more than Haley was. It's not like they're going to dedicate 42 minutes to romance. Hotch should find love again. He promised Haley he would teach Jack about love. How's he supposed to do that if he doesn't get out there and dip his toes back into the pool again?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all the posts here I have to say that I, too, would prefer to see Reid dealing with family problems instead of seeing him getting a romantic partner.
ReplyDeleteA good portion of the fans is also bound to be disappointed by the results if the writers want to give Reid a romantic partner.
If they could avoid romance for him it would be great.
MGG said that in term of personal evolution he wanted his character to become a professor at college. That would be great and we could get one or two minutes of Reid teaching a subject that is not criminal psychology (he said he wanted Reid to teach something unrelated).
I hope it happens, it would make me very happy !
I do remember Erica Messer saying that she wanted Hotch to move on from Haley, and Thomas Gibson did say he wanted Hotch to get a love life.
We'll see what really happens.
Totally agree with the last annon writer - good god give the man a break. He's not alone he has a child - em not exactly the same me thinks. I for one would love to see this side of Hotch. I mean they did not over do it with Haley and she was his wife but in their scenes it was so nice to see the relaxed and happy Hotch - for the most time, nor do the overdo the romance with the others who are in relationships. If he met someone I am sure we would have some meetings etc but CM will not go the soap opera route, that I am sure off. So yeah I really think it would be good for him to have some company and although I loved the Andi Swann character and her relationship with Hotch, would it not be a bit weird given that this character was named after a real crew member who died??maybe not, basically though let Hotch have some fun...now where do I send my application form?
ReplyDeleteI respect other fans' comments, but I do not want to see Hotch in a relationship yet even if it is only for a few minutes. I also do not want to see Reid get a girlfriend either. Why can't Criminal Minds stay the same in that we did not have lots of romances and could imagine if we wanted what agents did in their personal lives? I think the writers could devote the last few minutes of episodes to other personal stories besides romances. Too many romantic plot lines are NOT CREATIVE. We have Kevin & Garcia and JJ& Will. So exploring personal lives = romances for most agents? This is a simplistic plot line for Hotch and even other characters. I can think of many ideas for Hotch that writers could delve into BEFORE they gave Hotch a romance. I know that some fans want a romance for Hotch, but why did fans not emphasize that writers should explore Hotch's mourning process over Haley during Season 5 & 6? So writers mostly ignored Hotch's grief but are willing to explore a new romance? I am a bit disappointed! I feel we never saw Hotch deal with Haley's death. Maybe by the end of the series Hotch can find a relationship &this is how the last few episodes of the series can end. Criminal Minds is about profiling not relationships. Yes, Hotch promised Haley to teach Hotch about love, but I think that the the word "love" can be interpreted in many different ways. Love could mean love of family too. It does not necessarily mean that the writers have to take this comment literally & give Hotch a romance! Hotch is one of my favorite characters on the show, and I feel that a romance in Season 7 detracts from the complexity of his character.
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly do you think grief looks like? Have you ever lost a spouse? I have and trust me, you carry on with your every day routine while reminding yourself to breathe and you just find a way to move forward. We have seen Hotch's mourning process. He deserves some happiness.
ReplyDeleteI respect your statement, but I am only forming my opinion. Yes, I know what mourning is, and I have lost a lot of family members in the last 2 years.It is not easy. Happiness does not mean just finding a romantic relationship again. It can mean strong friendships & family. I wanted to see Hotch confide in his team members. Yes, I think he should be happy but this does not necessarily mean a relationship. He has his son, team, and family members like his brother. Happiness does not always mean romance. It can mean a lot of things to different people. I never said he should never have a romance again, I just think the writers can explore other aspects of his life before giving him a romance. The last few episodes of the series can explore romance for Hotch. I also think the writers can explore other plot lines for characters like Reid that are not romances. I am beginning to think that the THEME of this season might be romances for some of the characters such as Hotch and maybe even Rossi. I want to see OTHER personal story lines.
ReplyDeleteI don't want romance for Reid, not because I'd want him to be mine, but because he has other things on. By what I've heard he'll have family problems, and got just betrayed by his own team, so I don't think he's ready.
ReplyDeleteRossi... Interesting. But I think that he knows better already.
For Hotch, I think it would be better for him to concentrate to his own son, and job, like before. Jack needs to know that his father is there for him, and... just no.
Prentiss. Njah. Maybe she's not ready? We have heard a lot of comments about men and Prentiss by her. The nerd-thing, and now Ian Doyle-thing...
Garcia is eliminated already. Same goes to JJ. And Morgan, if he was right at the recent interview.
And a romance in CM doesn't mean the show will turn into Days of Our Lives or something. Like Garcia and Kevin. They have a wonderful romance, but it doesn't ruin the show!
I would hope that the writers would know better not to turn the show into a soap opera, but I still do not want ANYMORE ROMANCES! I like that we see Kevin & Garcia & JJ & Will, but THIS IS THE EXTENT OF ROMANCES THAT I WANT TO SEE ON THE SHOW! I DO NOT WANT TO SEE HOTCH HAVE A RELATIONSHIP YET. I want to see him interact more with his team & his son. I want to find out why he is so dedicated to his work. A romance will not really show the complexity of his character(except we see Hotch smile more). Also,happiness for Hotch does not just mean a romance! In addition, I do not want a romance yet for Reid since we need to see Reid deal with his family problems and see his intellectual side again. I guess we will see a romance this season since Messer indicated that there will be one, but I really hope it is not Hotch or Reid! However, some hints APPEAR to point to Hotch. Messer keeps stressing that while she can't tell us who the romance is for she wants to see Hotch move on & smile more. I hope this is to throw us off, but it seems like this is an indirect hint that Hotch may be getting a romance. I sure hope not! What is also interesting is that she said we will know who it is when we see the casting. I wonder if it is Andi Swan & Hotch. I really do not want this to happen. The show is about profiling so I think it would be interesting to delve deeper into the minds of the agents. This does not mean giving them simplistic romantic stories. We did not see much of this before & the show still had high ratings so why start now ? We can still guess what goes on in the personal lives of our agents. Actually, I think this is more fun! If I want to see romantic relationships,I would watch any average show on TV. I want profiling & interesting personal tidbits concerning the agents not romances.
ReplyDeleteGood Lord you people are ridiculous. How does any of them doing something completely normal like going on a date ruin this show? We get personal snippets of their lives all the time; we've seen the girls out together in a bar, shopping and having coffe, we've seen some of our agents at home...so why not one of them out on a date. Who cares? It is just a part of life. Why does the mere mention of a POSSIBLE romantic life for one or more of the characters all of a sudden turn this into Grey's Anatomy? No one is saying romance is going to take over the show so why jump to that conclusion. Personally I'd like to see Hotch move on, maybe even show that he's not ready, struggle with the fact that he feels somehow unfaithful to the memory of his dead wife. I think that would be interesting.
ReplyDeleteAll shows, even the best dramatics ones, have their characters have personal lives. Why shouldn't CM? For those not interested, maybe you should just fast-forward through those scenes.
On the one hand, I don't see why Reid can't have a girlfriend. For all that he's brilliant he's a normal, human male with normal drives. And with all he's been through it would be nice to have him rewarded with a loving relationship and the commitment he deserves.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I agree with a number of the posters. He has two issues that need to be resolved first. Number one being the issue of schizophrenia. Reid strikes me as the romantic type, the kind who wants Love At First Sight straight through to the Happily Ever After, nothing else is worthy of his time or effort. He is NOT a player like Morgan. But he's also realistic and responsible and so is not going to pursue the Happily Ever After if there is a danger of passing on schizophrenia to the next generation. However, being an academic he would know about Bernard Crespi's work at Simon Frasier University showing that Autism and Schizophrenia are both genetic and diametrically opposed.
http://www.sfu.ca/archive-pamr/media_releases/media_releases_archives/media_11300902.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_schizophrenia
"The SFU group found that variations in four sets of genes are related to both autism and schizophrenia. People normally have two copies of each gene, but in autistics some genome locations have only single copies and in schizophrenics extra copies are present at the same locations."
And of course the source story for that quote has been taken down but I believe it said they were developing a test that could tell one way or the other. So there could be lots of drama but in the end that could actually be settled one way or the other.
The second thing he needs is therapy. Look, we all know that Diana Reid loves her son and would do anything for him, but the woman is not well. Growing up with a mentally ill parent, having to go through the hell we know he went through in school and now everything that has happened with the team has set him up for a raging case of Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_post-traumatic_stress_disorder
Which would also explain the headaches, the stomach issues, the occasional way cool outbursts of anger ("I am calm and it's Doctor") and even the addiction issue. Complicated by abandonment issues because people keep #$@$& leaving him. Really, if he's not having issues y'all are not keeping the character realistic.
So yes, I do think Reid deserves a girl. Perhaps in Season 8 or 9. Give him a chance to deal with these issues first. (Which means there would have to be a season 8 and 9, which I don't think any of us would complain about.)
As for Hotch, yes, Haley was the love of his life. But I don't think she would want him to be alone forever. On the other hand even if you wait it's going to be a struggle with the memory. It's going to be hard, but in the end it could be good for him.
I do apologize for writing a novel length post. ;)
I understand all the (very) different point of views being expressed here.
ReplyDeleteMine is simple : even if a plot involving Reid and a romance only took one or two minutes of screen time here and then, I would still prefer to see those few minutes devoted to his relationship with the team and to his genius.
I loved the scenes at the beginning and at the end of 'The Uncanny Valley' where he plays chess with the kid. I also loved the scene where he solves the 'unsolvable' star puzzle in a matter of seconds at the end of 'Risky Business'. As a fan, that's the kind of scenes I want to see (as opposed to romance).
I don't think we should see ALL the team members in a romantic relationship (seriously, that would be really pushing it...).
ReplyDeleteThat said, if another team member has to find love, I would like to see Hotch and Andy Swan get together. They had real chemistry. If she's the one Erica Messer referred to when she said that we would know who was concerned by the casting, then I'll be happy.
I respect everyone's opinion regarding that they would like see Hotch or Reid date someone. I know that most people disagree with me on this site , but I DO NOT WANT TO SEE EITHER HOTCH OR REID DATE SOMEONE DURING SEASON 7. I REALLY DO NOT WANT TO SEE HOTCH DATE ANDI SWAN. I did not really think they had a strong connection. I WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OTHER ASPECTS OF HOTCH AND REID'S CHARACTERS. And if they explore relationships, why can't they focus on someone who never had a relationship on the show like Prentis. I want to see more scenes of Hotch & his son & team interaction. I am NOT CERTAIN, but I guess Hotch will get a date since both Messer & GIBSON gave INDIRECT HINTS of a relationship for Hotch. Maybe I am wrong since no one actually told us directly, but to me the strongest hint is that Messer keeps emphasizing that Hotch needs to move on and she wants to put a smile on his face. I know may not be the case, but it really seems like she is trying to tell us something without giving us a direct spoiler. I just wish Messer would tell us. To me moving on, does not always mean romance. Happiness can come from lots of things. I know many fan's will like a Hotch romance, but I would rather not watch these episodes IF THIS OCCURS! I can think of much more creative story lines for both Hotch and Reid.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of Hotch and Andi Swan getting together appeals to me. I know I'm far from being the only who saw something between them, but to each his own I guess.
ReplyDeleteI know most people like Hotch and Andi Swan together. In my opinion, I do not like these 2 together since I did not really see a connection in Season 7. I guess this is just me, but I really hope the writers explore other aspects Hotch's life and not a romance. I want creative story lines concerning personal lives. Why do personal lives always mean love interests on every TV show. I miss the old Criminal Minds.
ReplyDeleteI'm not into romances on the show. If they have JJ and Will, Garcia and Kevin, Rossi and his ex-wife, then I agree with the poster who stated that this is more than enough. I can't see Hotch dating yet. If they go there, I can't help but wonder if he'll be paired with Rossi's ex-wife. Now that would complicate things if she is the love of Dave's life. I assume the writer's won't go there.
ReplyDeleteI want to see more of Reid's issues such as the drug addiction and mental illness/headaches addressed. They could have Reid going to or from a support group meeting for example. Or maybe somebody from the group would recognize him when he's out with team members and approach him. How would he handle the introductions? Perhaps Reid could be shown struggling with cravings but not necessarily giving in to a relapse. The headaches should be addressed since they were so intense in season six. What caused them and what is being done about them? Is Reid becoming schizophrenic like his mom or some variation of it?
I like the idea of seeing more of Reid and Strauss too. Maybe she comes to him for help with her son?
I would like to see more of the team relationships like Hotch talking to Reid as his unit chief like in Elephant's Memory. Also, the Reid/Morgan friendship! I really miss their talks.
So, less emphasis on romance PLEASE and more of cases, team relationships (Hotch/Reid and Morgan/Reid)and issues like Reid's drug past and current headaches.
Dear Criminal Minds Writers, please stop introducing new characters, and spend more time focusing on the ones we have... whom are the ones we want to see.
ReplyDelete