Well I haven't been reading anything much online so I didn't know anything about this episode at all (although I figured out about half-way through that MGG had directed it, just by the "feel" of it, which I think speaks well to his talent and voice as a director). But partly because of no info, and partly because I watched it around 2 a.m., when Reid went down my first thought was, "Oh shit, did he not renew his contract??" Then when Rossi went down, I though the unsub had gotten Hotch to shoot them all and we were about to head into several episodes dealing with the fall out. It was only when Morgan went down that I realized it had to be a dream, so they really got me.
I thought this was easily one of the best eps in awhile. I agree the hacking and power outage was a bit of overkill but it gave us Reid's computer brain and Penelope being a real tech and not a magical info machine, and Hotch's Deep Throat meeting in the parking garage, so I can live with it.