(S02E05) This is the kind of episode that Criminal Minds needs to have every couple of weeks. It's fine to have some installments that are all about a case and only a case. But every now and then, we need the case to impact the team members somehow. Think Six Feet Under and how the opening death scene often related to the rest of the episode. If this show wants some serious longevity, like 5 or 6 seasons instead of 2 or 3, we need stuff to happen to our beloved BAU team.

Now we've known for a few weeks that Elle is being written out of the show and up until now, we've had no indication as to how that would be done. Well we do now and hats off to the writers for not taking the easy route and just killing her off or having her transfer. They've given Elle a really good final story-line and I'm looking forward to it's conclusion next week. At least I assume that next week is the conclusion... I wonder who her replacement will be?

Actually now that I think about, the female cop in Ohio (Callahan I think her name was), didn't Gideon compliment her on her good instincts? He seemed impressed by the work she had done. The actress is Dahlia Salem and I couldn't find anything that said she's back for another episode, but maybe she's in line for Elle's job? Impressing Gideon isn't an easy task. As long as I'm talking about guest stars, did anyone else notice that Tim Matheson directed this episode? I had no idea he directed TV shows. Check out his IMDb page, he's actually done quite a few. Also random? Jason London as the rapist. It's always weird to see actors that you recognize from something else (in this case, that terrible comedy Out Cold) playing something creepy like a rapist or a child molester.

OK, back to the episode. The case dealt with a serial rapist (as I said, played by Jason London) and Elle seemed to draw a real connection with his victims. Hotch put it best when he told Gideon that the mindset of the team seems to be different when the victims are still alive. It make sense though. Elle is a survivor of a horrible crime too and she finally spoke to Reid about it. The shooting, how the Fisher King put his hands in her wound and used the blood to write on the wall. It was heartbreaking to hear her discuss it and lay it all out. But now we know where she's coming from and her actions are that much clearer.

So when they discovered who the rapist was and Elle became a decoy, what she did next didn't come as a surprise. She compromised the entire case by jumping the gun and busting the guy before he had a chance to do anything. She was impulsive and panicked. Gideon noticed though and he even told Elle to evaluate herself. The ending did catch me off guard though. I never thought she was going to kill the guy and I don't think she would have if the guy hadn't prodded her on by thanking her for being so impulsive. Technically he's right though. He should be thanking Elle for getting him off. It's her fault he wasn't still in an interrogation room.

Other than that, it also surprised me that Elle was so hostile to her co-workers. She actually seems to hold Hotch partially to blame for her getting shot because he was the one who sent her home that night. If anything, that one scene was the most telling of Elle's situation right now because calling out one of her superiors in front of everyone else really isn't her style. She's really hurting.

So next week, Elle seems like she'll be going through lots of interrogation, exploring her inner demons and all that jazz. She's done with the BAU and Gideon clearly knows she lied about about shooting the guy in self-defense. I think she'll get away with the lie, no jail-time. But Gideon and Hotch will be replacing her on the team. The question is with who? Detective Callahan or someone else? Thoughts?