If Hotch is often described as a Stoic because of he rarely shows his emotions, then he’s probably the most flawed Stoic we've ever seen.
We often confuse “Stoic” with “emotionless,” but that’s not what Stoicism is about at all. The Stoics didn’t hate emotions, they just believed you shouldn’t let them boss you around. Instead, they thought emotions should be guided by reason, not blind impulse or fear.
A true Stoic takes their feelings, examines them, and asks, “Does this help me live a virtuous, meaningful life?”
Hotch is more like, “Let me just bottle this up and hope it doesn’t explode later”
Sure, he’s calm under pressure, but that doesn’t mean he’s a master of emotional control.
Guilt, duty, loyalty - while these feelings might originate from a "noble" place, they often control Hotch far more than he controls them. His overwhelming sense of guilt, self-blame, and desperate need to save everyone drive him to the edge, and it’s quite of a wonder he manages to keep it together... until, he doesn’t.
His emotions are messy, powerful, and deeply human. He's driven by them all the time actually.
Again, that’s not Stoicism.
The Stoics aimed for something called 'apatheia', which is about achieving inner peace by understanding your emotions and responding to them thoughtfully - guided by reason (logos). Hotch, on the other hand, seems to think if he doesn’t talk about his emotions, they’ll disappear
(Spoiler: they don’t. They just turn into guilt, sleepless nights, a broken marriage, and even more paperwork because, one day, he casually decides he wants to crash himself into the unsub’s car)
(I probably should have mentioned that he’s also the one who’s shown crying the most, but I’m sure you all already knew that)
Probably he is even the most human character of all the team.
'Stoic' is a hot adjective, but Hotch is even hotter.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
