Hotch (Thomas Gibson) is really out of "Criminal Minds" Season 12 but fans keep wondering if he will return in the future. Hotch made his exit from the longtime crime drama series on the third episode after the altercation Gibson had with on e of the writers in real life. It was mentioned that Hotch was assigned on a temporary assignment apart from his usual team, the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU).
With Hotch temporarily away, it gives the possibility that he might one day come back to rejoin the team. However, it is unclear if this will happen in "Criminal Minds" Season 12 or in the future installments - if the series will move past this season. There are now speculations that Hotch will be killed by one of the serial killers who got loose from the season 11 finale to really put an end to his story. But if this happens, this will leave his young son, Jack, orphaned.
Other speculations suggest that he could be permanently assigned to a different unit, bidding goodbye to his old team. There are also rumors suggesting that Hotch will finally retire and dedicate his time to Jack, who's probably a teenager by now. Although it's possible for any of these two plotlines to happen, it would mean that it will require Hotch to say goodbye to his team making a final reunion in "Criminal Minds" Season 12 possible.
Meanwhile, a new episode of "Criminal Minds" Season 12 airs this week before it will continue with the hunt for serial killers. On Wednesday, Oct. 26, the BAU will conduct a massive hunt for a one of them who has struck in rural Virginia. Once again, eye candy Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez) is expected to shine in this episode since he is part of FBI's Fugitive Task Force. A promo clip for the episode titled "Keeper" revealed that so far, the UnSub has already killed seven people. Catch the new episode of "Criminal Minds" on CBS at 9 p.m. ET.