Hotch should have deserved an entire episode dedicated to his departure; Morgan got a three-episode arc, the show at least acknowledged the departure of Prentiss in the Season 7 finale, even after she came back after faking her own death, and even when Gideon was killed, they made a tribute episode to him. The writers could have wrote Hotch out in so many different ways that would have been better than just dropping him as unceremoniously as they did. The very least Criminal Minds could have done was facilitate his departure through a story arc with Mr. Scratch - did the show forget that Hotch was personally targeted and victimized by Mr. Scratch and that this season was supposed to be about these fugitive criminals, but particularly Mr. Scratch, given his past encounter with Hotch and the BAU? Would that have been too hard to do? Keep in mind that Hotch before this episode had been BAU chief since the first episode, which means he has been there longer than all three of these characters (Prentiss, Morgan, and Gideon - longer than Prentiss and Gideon combined). Yet, they not only fail to recognize his departure, even though he was a longtime fan favorite, and in my mind, had the most nuanced personality that deviated from the cookie-cutter crime drama personalities, but they actually marginalized his role, even under regular episode standards. Thomas Gibson, more than any other actor on Criminal Minds, injected life and nuance and a genuine authenticity and relatability - I began watching Criminal Minds just four years ago, but after watching all the episodes, I would still say, without hesitation, that some of the best ones included Hotch as a focal point. I understand that Gibson's personality on set might have been mercurial and he might have had anger issues in the past, and I do not condone his actions that led to his dismissal. But let's be honest, here, especially how he tells it - he kicked someone in the shin; it did not cause serious harm and some blame falls on Virgil Williams as well. The reality that Hotch had been the team leader and one of the core members that held the BAU together for such a long time should take precedent, and I am almost certain that nobody will be able to replace his deep character dynamic and strong leadership. But the show failed to even promote that this was his last episode and I was very disappointed that he received even less speaking roles than usual. I understand that the show's producers have to protect their reputation, but keep in mind, by marginalizing a long-time, very well-liked character on the show, they have only served to paradoxically hurt their standing with regular viewers like myself - there comes a time where you should put the show and characters above all else, and the fact that Criminal Minds failed miserably to do so shows me the kind of showrunners, producers and writers that this show really has.
