9 things about the new season!

[a_blackpanther]

This very spoilery article talks about the changes that the teams faces in season 7. It's very informative and interesting.

MAJOR SPOILERS BEHIND THE CUT

"People everywhere were coming up [to me] and saying, 'Why did you die?'" Criminal Minds star Paget Brewster told the audience at Tuesday's Paley Center fall TV preview, which was moderated by TV Guide Magazine's Michael Schneider. "Fans did not want their show being messed with."

CBS' popular crime drama "messed with" Brewster's character Emily Prentiss last season when they wrote her off the show by faking her death within the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). After leaving the series, Brewster shot another pilot, which ultimately did not get picked up, leaving her free to return to Criminal Minds. She credits fans worldwide with getting Prentiss back on the show for Season 7, which premieres on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 9/8c.

"I know 'muerte,'" said Brewster. "I now know 'death' in several languages. People in airports in Mexico would come up [to me to ask about Prentiss' death]. I'm like, 'I know. Lo siento!' The fan response was overwhelming for everyone I think."

Prentiss' BAU resurrection will be a pivotal part of the changes coming to Criminal Minds. Check out what else the cast and crew revealed about what to expect in Season 7:

1. Expect a different BAU. "It's a season where we get to explore our heroes a little bit more," showrunner Erica Messer said. "Every week we get to dive into what makes these bad guys tick, and this is the season where we want to explore all the layers that make up this team. We get started right away with Prentiss returning from the dead. ... This event has changed all of our characters' lives."

2. Things get hairy for Hotch. The Paley Center played a preview clip showing Unit Chief Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) sporting a full beard, at least temporarily, while he's out of the country. "Hotch, as you saw, was in Pakistan," confirmed Messer. "That was mainly because I saw this handsome devil with a beard and said, 'Can you keep that thing? We should write to it.'"

3. Morgan tracks down Prentiss' killer. "Morgan made it his life journey to get redemption for his friend," Shemar Moore said about his character, Special Supervisory Agent Derek Morgan. Messer added, "No matter what, he wasn't going to let Ian Doyle (Timothy V. Murphy) be out there in the world. ... Morgan's been looking for him. He did it in the traditional way that profilers do, by getting into the head of the bad guy. He realized that the whole thing that's keeping Ian Doyle going is that his son is still out there. Morgan and Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) begin digging around: Where would Doyle's son be? Where would Prentiss, our friend, have hidden him? So they're [also] profiling Prentiss."

4. Hotch + Morgan = Splitsville? Moore said, "There was a sense of betrayal from Hotch, even though that's his friend, that's his boss." Gibson added, "I think the theme of broken trust within a family will have a chance to play in various ways and various times in this season and maybe beyond."

5. JJ got a promotion. A.J. Cook's character Jennifer "JJ" Jareau was also written off the series, but was brought back after fan outcry. Not only was she part of the conspiracy hiding Prentiss' faked death, but she's also been busy with new duties. "JJ's been back for three-and-a-half months," said Messer. "She's been promoted to a profiler in that time. And we hear a little bit more about that in Episode 2."

6. Garcia will control the remote. Since JJ's now profiling, she won't introduce the cases. That duty falls to tech analyst Penelope Garcia, whom Vangsness said will be in the field, "at least in the round table room, at least holding that remote, explaining some stuff, which she does not enjoy doing. She likes being with them, but she does not enjoy the violence, so there's a lot of 'Here's the thing' [and] look away."

7. Dr. Reid will have family problems. "Reid had been dealing with his mom, which might have been something we lost in the premiere, but we touch on in Episode 2," Messer said. Matthew Gray Gubler, who wore two different socks (one pink, one blue-and-black striped) at the Paley Center event, couldn't reveal if his nerdy character's headaches would be addressed or if Reid would be getting a girlfriend. "I don't know, man," he said. "I'm always the last to know."

8. Rossi's first ex-wife could linger. As previously reported, Senior Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) will have to deal with his first ex-wife (Isabella Hoffman) when she comes to him for help. "It's kind of a two-part thing," said Mantegna. "We've established over the last few years that Rossi wasn't great at marriage. ... I thought if he were married three times to at least address a portion of that."

9. Ian Doyle will be back, briefly. "We see a wee bit of Ian Doyle [in Season 7]," Messer confirmed. "We're thinking that maybe [we should write that] he has an evil twin brother because [Murphy is] so great."

SOURCE

I think It's very interesting that JJ is now a profiler. I expected her to take over Strauss' job, actually, not profiling. I suppose she will split administrative duties with Hotch anyway. But if Garcia is manning the remote now, does it mean she's involved with picking the cases like JJ used to do?

I can't wait for the new season, that so many great storylines to look forward to! And I love that Erica Messer decided to write for Hotch's beard!

Comments

[a_blackpanther]

Apologies for any formatting and spelling issues, but LJ's new posting interface is so completely borked that I'm afraid any editing will lead to more problems.

[gmth.livejournal.com]

Hotch + Morgan = Splitsville?

This takes my brain to a very shippy place. :D

[cupcakery.livejournal.com]

SHOOOOOOWWWW.

You are back. I love you.

Ian Doyle wouldn't have an evil twin. He'd have an eviller twin.

[murf1307.livejournal.com]

1. Expected this.
2. They wrote. For the beard. How do I even process this?
3. Saw it coming.
4. Saw it coming.
5. Not sure how I feel about profiler!JJ, considering that in an early episode, she explicitly tells Hotch she doesn't want to become one.
6. Yay for more Garcia. More Garcia is always good.
7. Does this mean we get to see more of Diana? Because that's good. And there better not be a girlfriend. If there is, well, the fandom will probably erupt into foaming at the mouth rage on YouTube. I might erupt into foaming at the mouth rage.
8. OMG ROSSI BACKSTORY I AM SO EXCITE. I LOVE ROSSI. YAY!!!!
9. I should hope there'd be more Doyle. However, please no evil twins. Though I could see the Call Back to "Angel Maker" and that eviler twin quote.

[thecowboycliche.livejournal.com]

They've said that they're trying to get Jane Lynch to come back for an episode, so I'm PRAYING TO GOD that happens because I adore Diana Reid.

Also, I'm the only Reid fan who actually wants him to get a girlfriend? Yeah? Ok, cool.

[emploding.livejournal.com]

Uhm, JJ was promoted to profiler? So now you don't need any training or qualifications to become a profiler?

[e-rousset.livejournal.com]

Interesting news. I can't wait to see what will happen with Reid's mother.
I want the writers to show us more of Reid's genius and more of his relationship with his team.

I hope they don't have a romance storyline planed for Reid, that wouldn't interest me and that's the kind of things best left to fanfiction. They can find much better storylines for Reid than that.

[10millionpeople.livejournal.com]

The only thing I have a problem with is the whole JJ-profiler thing. Didn't she tell Hotch earlier in the series that "not everyone wanted to be a profiler"? It just seems kind of OOC for her.

Kay, so, I lied. The whole Morgan-tracking-down-Doyle think bites me as well. If they turn this into something romantic between Morgan and Prentiss, then... idek. I can't say anything, I ship people so hard I'm like the freaking Titanic, but I just guess that's what fanfiction is for, you know? The BAU works well how they are, no romantics inside the team, exc.

Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions... I don't know.

ETA: I am so excited for Rossi's back story and Reid's mother, asdfghjkl; Words. Cannot. Express.

[westmoon.livejournal.com]

I'm honestly not looking forward to some of these storylines.

5. They barely have enough things for their current profilers to do. They don't need another one. And just when did JJ find the time to do the training?
6. Spare me. There was far too much of Garcia looking away from the icky things when presenting last season. I'm not looking forward to more of that.

[eiko82.livejournal.com]

I don't get all the hate for JJ being a profiler. Yes, she did mention that she had no interest in it in previous seasons but isn't a woman allowed to change her mind? Maybe her year at the Pentagon made me realize that profiling is something that she *wants* to do.

I'm less happy with Garcia's new job but my main reason for that is 'cause it's mentioned that she doesn't enjoy it. IMO Garcia is best doing what she loves : being awesome with computers.

[ficdirectory.livejournal.com]

As a huge AJ/JJ fan, I'm super happy to know JJ's going to have a more involved role this season as a profiler. I think it was smart of AJ to want there to be more to her character this time around, and I can't wait to see how JJ evolves. I don't think it's a matter of JJ having more screen time and the rest of the characters, less. I think it's more about them being equal. JJ hasn't been featured as much as the other characters through the seasons, and this is a good opportunity for her character to be more visible and more understood, as the rest have been.

[hotch-fan.livejournal.com]

I'm really looking forward this season!

I have my doubts about JJ becoming a profiler, not because I think she can't do it or because I don't want her to do so, I'm just a little unsure how that will go, but we'll see. And I join to the people who don't understand why JJ can't retake the functions she had before leaving the BAU.

Also looking forward to Rossi's arc too.

[artistic-angle.livejournal.com]

I love JJ and Emily, I'm glad they are back. But it is only natural that if you get actors/characters back that fans wanted back, they will focus on them a little. I think the fans have earned to know more about the characters (especially those who haven't been explored much.)

Save for JJ being a mother, having lost a sister and coming from a small town, she hasn't really been put on the map as much as some of the others. I loved JJ for not wanting to be a profiler but it only makes sense to increase her role. AJ said it herself, if she was thought of as expandable in her earlier role, then they should make it a bit more.. meaty. And I guess all those who are crying 'OOC' just because JJ ONCE said she didn't want to be a profiler never heard of anybody changing their mind over the years?

God knows I have grown to love, or hate, things I thought of the exact opposite before. I have come to appreciate OR view things in a different light after some time. What's so hard to imagine about JJ deciding to become a profiler? I'm looking forward to it.