SSAHotchner

Finales: 1. The Fisher King Part 1 2. Lo-Fi (I watched this on DVD and I couldn't even begin to imagine how the other viewers got through the whole summer wondering who'd been the victim of that explosion.) 3. To Hell...And Back (Didn't love these episodes but wondering what happened to my poor Hotch makes this cliffhanger more significant to me.) 4. No Way Out II 5. Supply and Demand (just because we found out JJ was coming back...unfortunately I no longer feel good about that decision.) 6. Our Darkest Hour 7. The Replicator/ Hit/Run I hated all of these and kind of lump them together.

Aw, thanks, MsTaken. Isn't it funny that I hadn't even thought of including seasons 7-9? I don't know if I can even remember a title from season 8 without looking at the episode list on IMDB. I did NOT buy the DVDs. I bought 7 because I wanted the complete set, but when it came to 8 I just couldn't bring myself to buy a season that I hated. Anyway, I'll give it a try. Season 7: Unknown Subject Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Profiling 101 Foundation True Genius I also like It Takes a Village because we get Prentiss back and Snake Eyes just where Reid plays poker. Worst episodes in 7 for me were: Proof The Bittersweet Science Hit & Run I Love You, Tommy Brown A Family Affair Season 8: There is not a single episode in season 8 that I liked, except for the Reid bits in Zugzwang. One of my friends on another forum is from Germany and she told all of us the correct pronunciation of that word. Wouldn't you think this would be something the writers would check out? Chess players, do you use this word? How do you pronounce it? Season 9 favorites: Gabby Final Shot Season 9 worst: 200 ( a total piece of crap. Shame on you, Jim Clemente, for defending this BS.) The Inspiration & The Inspired (what a hot mess!) Route 66 (there was so much potential here to learn more about Hotch and deal with his loss of Haley, the stress of the job, etc., and all we got was a Beth love fest) The Black Queen (as I type this Supply and Demand is on A&E. I'm looking at Garcia in a pink outfit with flowers in her hair, matching pumps, etc. There's no way I believe what they did with her character in The Black Queen. Who are they trying to kid here?)

Here's one for you. I swear Hotch is saying "shit" in this photo. Do you need me to give a hint of the season?

Season 6 Favorites: Devil's Night (ONLY FOR THE SCENES WITH JACK & HOTCH AT THE BEGINNING AND END) Lauren (hated the stupid spy arc but having JJ back working to find Prentiss was good, especially since we were stuck with the stupid cadet who "hadn't read all the books." I was so hoping she'd be shot in that scene on the roof.) Hanley Waters (I really like Kelli Williams and felt sympathy toward her situation. I liked that the grief assessments were peppered throughout the episode and that Hotch confronting Shelly at the end showed how his situation with Haley paralleled her situation. He was speaking to Shelly but he could have been speaking to himself. It was very moving. I love good, strong and yet compassionate Hotch. I pretty much disliked most of the rest of the season. The real bad standouts for me were The 13th Step, Sense Memory, With Friends Like These, The Stranger. Anything they put Seaver in after Emily was gone was downright painful to watch. She looked so stupid trying to run in her skintight jeans waving her gun around like a moron. Her acting was abysmal and there was nothing to counter it without another female agent. This is when Garcia began getting more and more obnoxious as they tried to expand her role, too. And 25 to Life for me will always be dubbed "The Hotchless Episode." No point in watching that.

Season 5 favorites: (now it's getting tougher to like eps) Faceless, Nameless (HOTCH HOTCH HOTCH HOTCH!!!) 100 Uncanny Valley The Internet is Forever Least favorites: Hopeless Outfoxed The Performer Solitary Man The Eyes Have It

Season 4 favorites: The Angel Maker (Hotch. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm) Pleasure is My Business (Love Hotch's empathy for the unsub and his gentleness with her, and that she recognized he was decent and loyal, "how could your wife have left you?" YEAH!) The Instincts Memoriam Minimal Loss Masterpiece (Love, love, love when Rossi tells unsub he's going to be there when he is executed and as they get ready to push the plunger he's going to lean in and tell him to say hello to his scumbag brother." Priceless! 52 Pickup Zoe's Reprise (Zoe is my favorite victim.) I could go on and add Amplification and Conflicted as well. But I will switch to the episodes I don't like: Normal Demonology Bloodline House on Fire

Season 3 Favorites: In Name and Blood - Hotch, Hotch, Hotch!!! Lucky (best unsub ever for me. "God is in all of us, my son." "So is Tracy Lambert." Creepy without showing you the cut up bodies or anyone actually eating them) Penelope (first ep I ever saw. Loved the team dynamic in this one. I didn't mind JJ being the one to kill the unsub here because she wasn't handling every other aspect of the case as well. Loved the scenes with Kevin and Garcia on their computers. I also like Damaged for the scenes in prison with Reid & Hotch interviewing Chester Hardwicke, and then later Hotch confiding in Reid about his divorce. Least favorites: Identity (except for the part where the guy tells Reid he looks like a pipe cleaner with legs. ) Scared to Death (I don't like the idea of the "doctor" killing the people using their greatest fears. That unnerves me) 3rd Life (didn't much care for Joe's daughter in this one. )

Season 2 faves: The Fisher King Part 2 P911 (I really liked Katie Cole. She'd make a good addition to the team. I did not like John Rubenstein being a pedophile. After all, he was Pippin. Don't like seeing him as a pervert.) I liked Lessons Learned. I felt that Prentiss showed her value to the team I that initial episode. She was humble. She didn't flaunt her skills and she was completely respectful toward everyone on the team. Also enjoyed The Big Game, and Revelations. Reid was wonderful in those episodes and the genuine caring and concern each member of the team felt for him was believable. Although I don't care for arson, I found Ashes and Dust a good episode for the compassion that Hotch showed for the burn victim. He also had insight into the their first suspect and we got some personal back story on Hotch through those scenes. My least faves: Honor Among Thieves (No, I don't know anyone who likes this episode) North Mammon (I hate that they put those kids through that .) Distress (for me this smacked of lots of TV during the late 60s and early 70s with all of the veterans going through PTSD or flashbacks. I can feel sorry for him, but the plot doesn't hold my interest.) While I'm not a big fan of Profiler Profiled or Open Season, they each have a wonderful opening scene. For Profiler, Profiled it's Physics Magic with Dr. Reid. In Open Season, it's JJ, Emily and Penelope in the bar with "Brad, the REAL FBI Agent." Fun, fun, fun. And some much needed humor prior to watching the unsubs hunt humans with bows and arrows.

For the early seasons, it would be easier for me to list the episodes I DON'T like. I loved season 1, especially. I think my order of seasons would be: 1, 4, 2, 3, 5, 7, 6, 9, 8. I'm not among those that hate season 7 because there were a handful of episodes where there was some actual profiling. 8 for me was just awful. It was good that Reid got some focus, but what they ended up doing with that was not good. Why couldn't he have a relationship that you only hear about every once in awhile? Let us see him grow in confidence socially because there is someone in his life even though we don't see them together, or at least not much. But season 8 seemed as if there were a "who can come up with the creepiest unsub and the most bizarre way to torture and kill victims?" contest going on between the writers. Instead of doing research and coming up with something believable, they gave us the most gory kills and delighted in showing as much of that gore as possible. Now for favorites: Season 1: Extreme Aggressor, (so much to love in this episode) LDSK, (I'm partial to this one because it was supposed to take place in my hometown, of course it looked nothing like Des Plaines, IL. But I loved the dynamic between Hotch & Reid. Broken Mirror (love that scene with Reid, Morgan, Elle and Hotch in the kitchen where Reid says, Dr. Spencer Reid: I'm just saying it's possible. I don't know everything. I mean, despite the fact that you think that I do. Special Agent Derek Morgan: I never said that. When have I ever said that? Dr. Spencer Reid: Every day since I met you! Elle Greenway: This morning at breakfast... Agent Aaron Hotch: Yesterday when he beat you at cards. Um... we've got one minute. Special Agent Derek Morgan: Anybody ever heard of sarcasm? Dr. Spencer Reid, Elle Greenway: Mm-hmm. Natural Born Killer (I love Hotch in this. I'm still waiting for his comments to Vincent Perrotta to be explained, delved into. I want more insight into Hotch's early life. The Fisher King - The plot is a bit far fetched but loved the back story we got on many of the team. Loved Hotch's concern for Elle and for Haley and Jack. Loved seeing Reid's mom and Reid figuring out the puzzle and knowing how to communicate with the unsub. Loved the whole ending (okay I know that's season 2) especially the song The Riddle and that wonderful moment of Hotch taking the time to wash the blood off Elle's wall so she didn't have to come home to that reminder of being shot. Least favorites from season 1 for me are: Poison (this case was boring and disjointed to me. Believe me, it's a masterpiece compared to episodes from season 6 on, but for season one it is among my least favorites.) Blood Hungry (I guess what I liked least about this was the possibility of a child being hurt, and then when the unsub turned out to be psychotic, his mother didn't provide the help and support he needed out of selfish pride for her reputation. Riding the Lightning. (this one is moving, but there's quite a bit of over acting, especially from Mandy.

My season openers from most to least favorite: 1. Extreme Aggressor 2. The Fisher King Part 2 3. Faceless, Nameless 4. Mayhem 5. Doubt 6. It Takes A Village (it was worth it just to get the team back together again) 7. The Longest Night 8. The Silencer 9. The Inspiration (praying mantis? really?) I really hated the last 3. Willowy, I like Nameless, Faceless for the Hotch scenes. Reid is adorable, too, but Hotch even made getting stabbed sexy. Love that man.

Hotch is my favorite (in case you couldn't tell) and I hate what they've reduced him to these days. Although, he was a strong leader in Gabby. The scene with Hotch washing the blood off of Elle's wall at the end of The Fisher King is my absolute favorite CM moment. Love the song, too. I have it on my ipod and listen to it almost every day. I love how much more relaxed his character was in Extreme Aggressor. Perhaps he needed to be that way since Gideon was so uptight. One thing I really wish they would address more is the line he has at the end of Natural Born Killer when Vincent Perotta says, "You said some people grow up to be killers." and Hotch replies, "Some people grow up to catch them." You know there was some kind of abuse in his life and I have always wanted them to explore that further.

The scene with the ladies and "Brad, the real FBI agent" is one of my favorite CM moments! I love your take on Reid's relationship with Gideon. I found Gideon to be a prima donna and I'm really irritated by the many comments Mandy has made about CM and his departure from it. But one of the things I really loved about him was his respect for and treatment of Reid. Also, Hotch had a more nurturing relationship with Reid in the early seasons. Besides LDSK, which someone mentioned, there were scenes in Revelations where Hotch admits that they could use Reid's brain to solve the case, and the scene where Hotch figures out Reid was sending him a clue by quoting Scripture wrong and alluding to a previous conversation he'd had with Reid. In Extreme Aggressor, Hotch admits that Reid is their expert on everything and answers Reid's question about why Gideon always refers to him as Doctor Reid. As the seasons progressed, I became tired of the eye rolling everyone, especially JJ, seemed to employ whenever Reid spoke. I really liked Elle early on. The only time I didn't like her is in her last two episodes when they changed her character so much. I think she had a really nice dynamic with Reid and Morgan. And until the very end she seemed eager to learn from the more experienced agents, particularly Gideon and even Max Ryan in Unfinished Business. I'm not sure what happened that made everyone decide to get rid of the character. That said, I do prefer Prentiss to Elle. I think she combines strength and vulnerability better than Elle, and better than any of the other female characters for that matter.

This wasn't a bad episode, but when are they going to give someone besides Morgan and JJ some screen time? Sheesh! Did Hotch get demoted and they just didn't bother to mention it? He's barely had anything to do all season. Rossi is rarely used, which for an actor of Joe's caliber is absurd. Reid has had a few moments this season, but Blake might as well not even have returned this season for all they've given her to do. I'm not interested in Morgan's love life, but if anyone should have talked to him about his situation, it should have been Hotch. That scene with JJ was painful to watch. If I had known she was going to turn out to be so obnoxious and overbearing, I never would have petitioned to bring her back. Thanks for the info from Virgil about the writing process. Seriously, they need to have much more quality control of all the scripts. The lack of continuity for characters is appalling. And there's a limit on my ability to suspend my disbelief. Not so much for this episode, although I agree with those who question how the unsub was able to move the male victims, but 200 was a total piece of garbage. Where was the voice of reason? Anyway, I'm looking forward to conversing with you all here.