5x06 - The Eyes Have It
$LAYYYTER
Three Goblin Art
todays bird
almost home
No title available

titsay

izzy's playlists!
Mike Driver

Andulka

tannertan36
Sade Olutola

Product Placement

Kiana Khansmith

Kaledo Art
Claire Keane

❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
No title available
DEAR READER
Cosimo Galluzzi

Discoholic 🪩

seen from United Kingdom
seen from Germany
seen from Germany

seen from Türkiye
seen from Indonesia
seen from United States
seen from Sweden

seen from Malaysia
seen from Japan

seen from Türkiye
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Lithuania
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Lithuania
seen from France
seen from Netherlands
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United Kingdom
@siyvaruli
5x06 - The Eyes Have It
i feel like enough people don't put stock into how intelligent morgan is and it really disturbs my soul. y'all know he literally graduated from a T10 law school right...
once again reminding everyone of the delightful and very important fact that morgan canonically went to a better law school than hotch
I'm watching The Lake House and imagining it as a Hotchgan AU. Morgan goes to DC in 2000 with the ATF as part of an undercover operation to source international ties to a local gun smuggler.
He renovates a house in the spare time he doesn't have, claims to be building in a secret basement when the cartel asks, but when he checks the mail, there's a letter from someone named "Hotch" who would like his mail forwarded. Derek looks around the house (no kitchen, no working plumbing, nothing), and writes back to find out if this Hotch is crazy or living in a derelict house. Hotch says it's 2002. Hotch says a lot of things, but none of them make any sense.
It's 2002 and Hotch has been separated from his wife for a year (living in a nicely renovated house that a bartender had handed him the keys to, said it was meant to be his) when the BAU gets involved--too late--in a joint FBI-ATF operation. An undercover agent's life is on the line. There's a mole, Gideon hunts him down through the files and Aaron speeds through the night to the waterfront to try to stop the disaster that's about to occur.
He fails. The agent dies saving Hotch's life, when Hotch was there to save his. He has the gall to look happy about it while Hotch is there trying to press the blood back into the man's chest.
He takes a leave from the BAU. He moves back in with Haley at her insistence, mostly because the hospital thinks he's married and she tells them he can recover from the injuries that didn't kill him at "home". He keeps going back to the house, though. He checks the mail and finds a letter from some man named Derek who insists that it's two years ago. (He falls in love.)
(So does Derek. It's why he smiles, at the end, when he saves Aaron's life.)
I am trying, trying to finish this stupid ghost!Aaron fic, and it would be so much easier if Aaron and Derek would stop talking to each other. Boys. Please. Let's just kill Foyet and end this, yes?
Sometimes, you try to write a story. And then you need a teenager to say something to a young Derek Morgan. And then you think about song lyrics the unnamed teenager might quote. And then you find yourself two hours into the roots of (east coast, because the Chicago scene is later, apparently) hip hop and (while you have learned a lot) none of the lyrics are useful for this random person to quote and have you written any of the story?
You have not.
Watching 3x2 "In Name and Blood" again, because @dragonsdaughterxx mentioned the implication of Haley cheating on Hotch, then wound up watching the whole episode because I love it.
First of all, having just watched 4x1, where Hotch refuses to recommend Morgan and then says, "My opinion doesn't matter," it's hilarious to see the earlier version of that, where he says, "You'll get a new unit chief ... Maybe the next one won't be such a drill sergeant." (This one is much cattier, I love petty Hotch.)
But in both of these he's attempting to downplay his importance to Morgan, and in neither of them does Morgan allow it to stand.
Then there's the file! Why does Garcia give him the file? Supposedly because she thinks of it (because it clearly isn't JJ), but while it is like Garcia to prevent the transfers in the computer, a lure with a case file? That sounds more like Morgan. Especially because Morgan isn't surprised when Hotch has details about the case. (This is obviously a headcanon, but a fun one.)
Then the house phone rings, and no one says anything. Then Haley's phone rings. And rings. Such a good, tensely awkward moment where she's angry about the case file and he's now reevaluating what he's giving up versus the life he'd be getting. When he says "I'd have a 9 to 5 life," he sounds extremely disparaging, and like he's quoting her. (Then he calls Morgan! "Thanks man," Morgan says, like a goodbye, and Hotch asks something else to stay on the phone.)
This is how Morgan knows it's okay to beg him to come, I think. Hotch took the case file. Hotch called. Hotch stays on the phone. (Morgan checks the system before he calls, and the transfer isn't there.) And, choosing between doing what Morgan needs and what Haley needs, he chooses Morgan. ("I can't just switch off my loyalty," he tells her, and it's such a good part of the argument and a dig at her, because he knows now that--even if she has plans to fix their marriage if he transfers--she can switch off her loyalty for whoever was on the phone.)
Such a good episode! (Also, Hotch shakes Morgan's hand twice but that is insufficient physical contact so each time he also reaches up and touches Morgan's arm. "You're not gonna leave us?" Morgan asks, and this whole episode has been framed as the loss of Hotch's marriage, but the picture in that frame is that it's lost to Morgan.
Gideon's last words are that he's looking for the belief in happy endings, and you see Prentiss in her empty apartment staring at all the politics and Hotch in his empty home and Reid in the empty cabin and Gideon, lost and wandering, because of course they're showing you there are no happy endings in the BAU. But you know who you don't see? Morgan. Because Hotch stayed.)
Now I FINALLY have time to appreciate your posts and here I am.
Does he go there? No. No, he heads for the bomb site, and it's a thing of beauty. I got to rewatch 4x01 properly after a long time, and that scene really is a thing of beauty. I already loved that tense, high-stakes scene where Morgan arrives and runs toward Hotch, but seeing it with your analysis let me appreciate it with ten times more detail.
Morgan--canonically famous for defusing tensions between local law enforcement and the FBI--shouts I remember Morgan’s background as a former cop was used a few times as a device to ease the suspicion and pushback from local police. It was such a charming point. Morgan was so desperate that he rushed at the man in charge without caring about his surroundings. I love these details you pointed out. Especially how you captured that short moment where he waits for Hotch's order, and the fact that he didn't even draw his gun despite being more than aware of the danger.
(More baffling that Capt. Warner doesn't report the unauthorized ambulance? Very confusing.) 😂 So true.
Familiar with it, which brings up the delightful idea that he's dealt with an unwell and unmanageable Hotchner before. Absolutely he has! I remember a scene in the middle of 1x15 where Morgan and Hotch talk like real friends. It was a short conversation while searching a house, but they really felt like friends there. I think it’s a scene that lets us glimpse how they might have been before the pilot, back when Hotch wasn't the Unit Chief. A younger, non-boss Hotch would have been even more feisty and unmanageable than he is now, I think. Then it would have been Morgan who handled him! (And vice versa, of course.) I love this idea. This is what they do. And the beauty of Hotchgan and several years pre-canon, is one can assume they've done something almost exactly like this before. I love it so much.
but clearly Morgan told the team he was going to the ambulance and equally clearly no one else thought they needed to go with him. Huh, I couldn't deny it at all. If Morgan hadn't said anything, how would Reid have known that "he went to find the ambulance"?
(Both things can of course be true, though one can point out that Morgan was entrusting hundreds of New Yorkers' lives in Garcia's hands as he drove where he was told.) Very good point. Honestly, I don't understand why Hotch says Morgan doesn't trust anyone. Of course, I might not be remembering the episodes correctly (which is likely) or my observation skills might not be that great, but still. (The only thing I remember about Morgan's trust issues is him questioning if Gideon was sane in early Season 1. But in that situation, it was weirder if no one was suspicious. I can't imagine someone being perfectly fine just six months after such a traumatic tragedy. Actually, I think it's even a bit strange that Hotch and Morgan seem so fine. Anyway Morgan's doubt was justified, and I think it's a much better attitude as an agent than just blindly thinking everything will be okay.)
He just needs to flutter a fan and say, "But what do I know? I'm only your boss," long accent on that 'o'. Oh it sounds cute. I barely know about Southern belles and their tactics, but I love it when Hotch acts like that. I don't know exactly what to call it… elegant? Aristocratic? Proper? Anyway, it suits him well, especially since his voice is always so calm and soft; it really completes that whole vibe. Morgan isn't having it. Perfect.
And… the lines that I didn't understand well. After reading your post, I truly understand the meaning and the subtext behind them now. (And I realized the subtitles on Disney+ are actually terrible.) Your guess on why Morgan didn't answer and why Hotch said "My life matters to me" resonates with me so much. It's such a brilliant analysis. And the end of this post is absolutely great. Like you said, this episode is the "Hotchgan Gospel" and your post is the Apostle of that Gospel. (It's better than wedding vows. I agree 100%.)
Thanks to your analysis, I was able to fully immerse myself in this episode and watch it in a much richer and more fun way than when I watched it alone—through Hotchgan lens. I know there are a few more posts I haven't read yet. I'll read all of them soon. I’m always grateful that you take the time to write these high-quality responses to my asks. I'm so busy lately, but your writing gives me some much-needed breathing room and makes me truly happy.
Nonnie, I've missed you! I was afraid I'd scared you off with my Lo-Fi/Mayhem saga. 😂 I'm so glad you enjoyed my thoughts! (And am very flattered to be an apostle to Hotchgan.)
I have two fun headcanon theories about Hotch's obsession with Morgan's "trust issues" and your mention of Morgan not trusting Gideon. (These aren't canon, but they're my canon.)
I am trying, trying to finish this stupid ghost!Aaron fic, and it would be so much easier if Aaron and Derek would stop talking to each other. Boys. Please. Let's just kill Foyet and end this, yes?
In the stunning conclusion of my long-winded reply to this ask, here are my thoughts on 4x01, "Mayhem." (From an extremely Hotchgan angle. For 3x20, see here and here.) (Other responses: x x x x x x)
First of all, Hotch's flashback as he's watching the aftermath of the bombing, reassuring Kate that they'll get the guy, fits in very much with the way his relationship with Kate has been framed so far. (He takes charge more than he claims to, he defends her, he steps in to save the day. And of course it's foreshadowing for how he's going to fail, but it's also interesting to think that this is the end of a season that began with his marriage falling apart, began when he rode out to save the day and never tried to at home.)
Second, of course Morgan showing up at the scene is where it gets interesting. He knows something's wrong, and he's headed back to Federal Plaza where he knows Reid and Rossi are, where he also knows it's the best place to regroup and plan. Does he go there? No. No, he heads for the bomb site, and it's a thing of beauty.
More on the ask about Lo-Fi/Mayem, I'm not even through 3x20. (Oops!)
I love Derek's conversation with Rossi at the bar. (Also love Derek holding any beverage.)
"There are no sides," Rossi says, but Derek's right that Aaron has been taking Kate's side over Derek's. (Rossi likes to say pithy things. It makes him a best-selling author.)
But the whole conversation is a great look into what Derek's thinking!
"Would you take the job?" Dave wants to know, and Derek stands there, caught, looking like a man who knows that an hour ago he'd have said no without even thinking about it, but now -
"I don't know," he answers, pensive. "It might be nice to finally be the one making the calls." That obviously speaks to how upset he is about the shooting and the shouting earlier, but also that he's tired. And Rossi's right about the politics not being Derek's thing, but Derek's a profiler, and his follow up -
"The BAU wears people out, man," he says, and that's the heart of it. Gideon ran, Hotch has faded into nothing but the job (and I love that Derek is keeping track both of Aaron's personal days and conversations with Jack, I like to pretend that he's the colleague that Aaron mentions in 4x13 who bought Jack a gift and asks Aaron if he liked it). Derek is right to be worried, and he knows it, because he's a good profiler.
(My little hotchgan heart also loves that he focuses on Aaron not smiling and on Rossi's failed marriages, because that makes the scene a few moments ago look exactly like an ongoing series of explosions in a relationship made more difficult by the job. If you add in his mention of Gideon running, it fits right in with Derek thinking about running to the job in NY)
The next scene in the office is fun to watch everyone's eye contact. Derek apologizes to Kate, mostly looks at her even when talking to Aaron who mostly looks at Dave. They have not quite made up yet.
All right, on to 4x01! (Though PS, the car doors and the explosion, fucking brilliant season end, especially given that this was the strike year so seasons got shortened. Three months waiting to find out who dies? Agonizing. I love it.)
(PPS: Forgot to mention that for Aaron acting like Derek's out of line, he's perfectly happy to direct all the people heading to briefings even though once again, she technically outranks him and it's her field office. However, Derek probably doesn't even notice, since he's so used to doing what Aaron asks.)
Continuing the ongoing extended reply to this ask, I'm now at:
If you don’t mind, I’d love to hear your opinions on the Season 3 finale and the Season 4 premiere. Specifically, the conversation between Hotch and Morgan at the end of 4x01. I’m thinking about Hotch’s line: "My life matters to me and I have and always will entrust you with it. Would you do the same for me?" To be honest, I never fully understood why that line came up at that specific moment.
So! The Lo-fi/Mayhem arc, the foundation of so many Hotchgan headcanons. (Please insert all the swooning and hearts here.)
This is 3x20, because I have a lot to say, but next post will be 4x01, but oh am I excited about getting to that line in 4x01! (This is absolutely the Hotchgan goggles version of 3x20/4x1, just so everyone knows.)
We begin with Aaron getting a call. He's already there late at night, and he sounds friendly, knows the person on the other end of the line. They get on the plane and Derek brings up Kate, "I heard she can be a little bit of a pain In the ass."
Everyone else seems surprised that Aaron knows her, but Derek doesn't, and he has a habit of trying to ascertain Aaron's feelings with challenges. I'd like to think Derek knows Aaron liased with Kate and he's trying to tug at the line of that to get a read on it by throwing out a challenging comment. (What does he learn? He learns that Aaron knows a lot about her and is willing to defend her, and he files that information away.)
derek morgan holding his drink in new and exciting ways s1 compilation post
"What?" | 3x17 & 5x06 (Hotch the King of Petty strikes again)
From this post where I made the comparison ("You couldn't have waited?") between 5x6 (Morgan saying it to Hotch) and 3x17 (Hotch saying it to Morgan), @masterwords has correctly (and with her beautifully screen-capped receipts!) pointed out that Prentiss is in both of them.
Again, this is clearly an intentional call back to 3x17. (Between 3x16 with Reid and 3x17 with Morgan, Hotch is having a very miserable week as SAC.) But! In 3x17, Hotch comes up to Morgan alone (he happens to be followed be the rest of the team, but he's certainly not inviting them into the conversation), and Morgan takes the blame even though it's not actually his choice. Prentiss does make a face, but nobody looks to her for that, and Morgan certainly doesn't make it flippant.
Why does Morgan take the blame? From Prentiss's face, it's because he thinks the Miami detective is hot. And Morgan is certainly flirty, but he's flirty a lot. (Early season 1 where he tells Reid he doesn't date women with guns, later that season with the CIA, etc.) Even when he's talking to her right before that, he lets her make assumptions and he doesn't set any concrete plans.
(We don't see a lot of it, but based on what both JJ and Savannah say in later seasons, I think that Morgan is king of the soft no. "Would have loved to, but the plane headed out, definitely keep me in mind next time." "Ooh, mama, that sounds amazing, but you know I don't mix business and pleasure." Which fits in well with my Hotchgan theory that both Hotch and Morgan play this game: Morgan smiles and leans in to Prentiss in 2x16 and Hotch appears with a hand at Morgan's back and a case. "You know Hotch keeps us running," Morgan says, bowing out of a date, and Hotch makes sure to have a list of emergencies just in case Morgan considers getting a girlfriend.)
At any rate, I think Morgan takes the blame because he knows Hotch. Hotch looks pissed, but he doesn't say anything, and I like to think it's because they both know Morgan is lying. And Morgan knows the "Hotch scale" of good and bad (like he tells Jordan in season 4), and the Miami detective very nearly got a lot of people (including Morgan) killed. That's not good on a regular scale and bad on a Hotch scale. Morgan can handle Hotch, but he knows if he's honest then Hotch is going to leave the Miami PD extremely unhappy.
At any rate, it's a fascinating parallel, because Morgan takes the blame in 3x17 for endangering people when it's not actually his fault, and in 5x6 Hotch goes after an unsub (though they all do that, so the writers could have made that one a little more out of the ordinary), and then he makes a face and invites Prentiss into it as opposed to running ahead (like in 3x17) and having a moment alone.
The parallel is their silence. Hotch scowls and storms off. Morgan looks as concerned as he has all of season five and doesn't say a word.
Thank you for sharing your opinions on s5e6!!
I absolutely agree that Morgan doesn't like playing games, but he does it anyway. The scene where Morgan clearly told Strauss that he had no intention of using Hotch's office was great. He was polite, calm, and graceful, but at the same time, incredibly firm. This attitude of Morgan's shows that he wasn't offered the position as chief of the New York field office for nothing; it proves that not liking political games doesn't mean he's not good at them. I'm pretty fond of the moments when Morgan's intelligent and diplomatic side shines through, so this scene was quite impressive to me.
And no, I didn’t notice it before reading your post. Was Hotch observing Morgan as part of his test that’s been going on since episode 5? Was he trying to see if Morgan would remain loyal to him under any circumstances? If that’s what you meant, then I really like that interpretation.
The scene where he was being flippant in front of Prentiss is what I found most interesting in this episode. It gave me the impression that, back when Hotch wasn’t the Unit Chief, he might have had moments where he could be playful (or bratty) like that. Even though the situation was bad in many ways and he had to step down from his position, it felt like he wasn’t taking it too hard or letting it hurt his pride too much, and was actually adapting to it fairly well. But at the same time, I wondered if it was okay for him to act that way in the current situation. As you mentioned, team members were gossiping about the decision! He should have been more supportive of Morgan. I couldn't deny that was an asshole move. But when I interpret this as Hotch testing Morgan, it becomes somewhat understandable. It also makes perfect sense why Morgan just backed down without saying a word.
Still, it’s a bit of a shame. Morgan was extremely on edge about Hotch’s self-destructive behaviors following Foyet’s attack. I can’t help but think it would have led to a much more interesting storyline if he had been a bit more confrontational there.
I also enjoyed reading your analysis of the reversal of roles. In my opinion, the reason Hotch’s leadership changed after Season 1 was likely because he felt the need for a change in his own way after experiencing Gideon’s disappearance and the pressure from the top. I agree that in a different context, they both would have enjoyed it. A leadership role reversal in a much lighter atmosphere would have been truly fun.
As I mentioned before, I’m completely obsessed with your character analysis of a manipulative Hotch. I love how this characterization fits perfectly into the show like puzzle pieces fitting together.
I'm glad you enjoyed the posts, I always love hearing your thoughts as well! I haven't had time to rewatch Lo-Fi/Mayhem, but it's on my list for this weekend. I can also happily elaborate on my Hotch's childhood headcanons from here.
I'm absolutely a Morgan fangirl, so yes, love seeing him competent and capable and in his element. He gets fewer chances to shine as the seasons go on, so having him showcase different skills is always nice. (It's also what I love about his role as JJ's mentor when it pops up in episodes.)
Honestly, I guess we don't know why Hotch is watching Morgan. (I mean, I like to think it's because he likes to stare at Morgan. Who wouldn't?) To some extent, Hotch has kept Morgan at arm's length since Foyet's attack. Canonically, Morgan forces Hotch to own up to what he's actually thinking or feeling, but Hotch doesn't generally shy away from this until season five. (A friend also pointed out that Hotch might be worried Morgan would profile the rape, because a) Morgan would know, and b) it was Hotch, after all, who figured it out in 2x12, so they know each other. They know the signs. Let me take this opportunity to recommend one of my favorite gen Hotch & Morgan fics, A Thing That Carries Itself. Such a good post-Foyet rape recovery series of moments.)
So he might be testing Morgan. He might be watching because Rossi's provocation about Morgan not wanting to step down worries him, though he does not look very worried. He might be worried about Morgan but not want to say it, especially because if he tells Morgan that privately then he will be alone with Morgan, who will force him to own up to things he doesn't want to admit.
It's interesting that you say he's more flippant there, and he is flippant, but this is in no way new ground with Morgan. (I can currently think of few examples, other than the "drill sergeant" callback with Morgan, the "could you find something to do in Vegas" also Morgan, The Tribe (pretty much the whole episode).) I think you're right that there was more of that pre-canon, but he still does it not infrequently in early seasons, mostly with Gideon and Morgan because they're the only ones who respond to it. I think the others are so focused on Hotch as important and boss (or the opposite in Rossi's case, where he's frequently telling Hotch how Hotch must feel), that when he does make a flippant comment they don't respond to it. There's no point in being a comedian if you don't have an audience!
The asshole part about it isn't really the comment, but the fact that he aims his expression at Prentiss: that it's not supposed to callback 3x17 where Hotch asked why Morgan didn't wait (private moment), or 4x1 (also just them), but that he's inviting Prentiss into it, to this moment of push back and comeuppance at Morgan now in the leadership role. (She realizes it, which is why she doesn't join in on the joke, because what it looks like to her is a testosterone feud that she's staying well away from.)
You're right, a lighter atmosphere would be interesting, but I do love the tension! (And oh, intentionally and unintentionally manipulative Hotch my beloved. But you will note that canonically Morgan has a "Hotch scale" (he mentions it to Jordan), so he's certainly got a handle on the man. ;) )
Hotchgan as ao3 tags (2/?)
[Part one]
screenshot credits: @masterwords
Continuing the special features portion of this ask, in regard to Hotch's childhood:
I don't think I've ever written anything that specifically addresses it, though I guess I'm always taking my headcanons on it into account.
I agree with @louisaland in the replies that Hotch's childhood was abusive. We don't have much from canon and what we do have isn't terribly consistent, but I'll review what we do have and then my take on it after the cut.
It starts with the famous 1x8 when Hotch is talking to Perotta and the conversation goes as follows:
"You were just responding to what you learned, Vincent. When you grow up in an environment like that an extremely abusive, violent household it's not surprising that some people grow up to become killers."... "And some people grow up to catch them."
Followed by the Jung quote, "the healthy man does not torture others. Generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers."
We know from 1x16 that Aaron has a little brother named Sean, that their dad was a lawyer, and from "Sean, you've always wanted to be a lawyer. Just like dad, just like me," it sounds like their dad is why Aaron became a lawyer, though the "dad died of a heart attack at 47" is complicated in 2x19 with:
"My father, when I was in high school, everyone knew he had affairs. Even my mother--but nobody talked about it, so i decided to confront him. And I followed him: the lawyer's, the doctor's, the bank, the weight-loss, and it all came back. He had lung cancer."
Lastly, for Hotch's mother, we turn to 1x11, when he's driving the killer's mother:
"Where did you go to school?"
"High school, St. Catherine's hall. College, Sweet Briar."
"You were a Sweet Briar vixen?"
"You know Sweet Briar?"
"My mother went to Mary Baldwin."
"She's from Virginia?"
"Manassas." ...
"Gwathmey's an old tidewater family, isn't it? Old south. Old money. A lot of tradition there. A lot of reputation to protect. ... Mary, I don't think that you were protecting your son. I think you were protecting yourself."
My thoughts on all this below.
Okay, wait, apparently I'm not done with this. (This being 5x6 and Morgan being in charge of Hotch, though in a different context I think they'd both enjoy that very much. ;) )
Morgan is always ready to fight the system for Hotch. (5x5 when Hotch suggests stepping down, 3x2 when Hotch says he's transferring.) But he's also surprised that Hotch wants him to lead the team. In 3x20, he's surprised that they'd consider him for the New York Field Office.
And sure, the New York job is a leap up the chain. It's one of five major FBI centers in the US, and he should be running a smaller field office first. Not to mention Derek repeatedly indicates he doesn't enjoy the politics of dealing with higher ups. However, the BAU lead is not a leap.
So why is Derek surprised? I think in part because by season five, there's none of the rotating leadership by area of expertise that existed in early seasons. In 1x5, once they know it's a crime of obsession, it's passed over to Morgan, and he gets the reports at the end of it.
Someone might know exactly where it ends, but in early season three he's briefly in charge but they're not considering him for SAC (according to Hotch, "might get someone who's not such a drill sergeant,"), but by the end of the season they're considering him for a field office?
In season one, Hotch says, "Crime of obsession. Your specialty, your lead, Morgan," quickly, like he's said it before, and Morgan shrugs and starts making suggestions like he isn't surprised to take the lead. It's something they've done before, then, Morgan and Gideon and Hotch. But by season five he's hesitant. Out of practice. Hotch hasn't trusted anyone else with the lead in years.