I like Hotch's "training partner", but more than that I like Hotch having a GF. He SMILES now, I think I even heard laughter at the end there!
I'm happy to see Hotch happy. It is great to see him smiling and so relaxed. He has a brilliant smile.
His new GF is okay. But, she reminds me a lot of Dharma, in
Dharma & Greg. Thomas Gibson played Greg, who also worked for the government - the Justice department, and was a very serious attorney, until he met Dharma.
The new GF, like Dharma, is very exuberant, likes to change and make up her own rules in playfulness, and be unpredictable, which kept Greg, and now Hotch, on their toes. Apparently, G-men need that?
What I hope doesn't happen is what happened with Dharma & Greg, that Dharma was so vibrant & exuberant that she basically became the Alpha in their relationship & Greg became a whipped Beta, yanked around by the balls. That is not attractive or appealing.
Some of that is on the choices Thomas Gibson made as an actor. There were times he could have made Greg more forceful & had some balls instead of always weakly acquiescing to Dharma's whims or unpredictability. Hotch, as we all know is a bit emotionally shut down right now. I hope Thomas doesn't make that same mistake with this relationship and acting choices when conflict happens, when she becomes upset when he has to cancel plans too much, choosing to chase unsubs over the relationship.
As for Gideon. I liked him when he was on. But, now, I too, really like Rossi. Seeing the contrast, I'm able to see how self-absorbed Gideon was. He was always steeped, delving into the mind of a serial killer, and didn't have a lot of the team interaction and caring the way Rossi has.
Gideon was mean to Garcia once, calling her stupid, during the Fisher King episode. He didn't know her name, even after taking over her office. I do like that he was really a father figure & mentor to Reid, though.
Elle is too prissy & shrill. I doubt they can bring her back. She never admitted to purposely killing that rapist. I don't think Hotch would want her back on the team.
The actress playing her, (I don't even know her real name!

) is NYC based now. She has raised a family here. She was recently on
White Collar, which films here. I don't think she'd move back for CM and uproot her family.