‘Criminal Minds’ season 11, episode 7 preview: AJ Cook is back as JJ!

If you are like us, then odds are that you missed AJ Cook on “Criminal Minds.” While Aisha Tyler did a very good job in her absence, the return of JJ to the BAU next week is going to bring about a sense of great familiarity for many of you out there.

The promo below hypes up this particular installment coming up as “50 Shades of Twisted,” and while we’re not entirely sure that we buy that sort of buzzy “50 Shades of Grey” tie-in just yet, the synopsis below does make it clear that it will not take long before JJ’s welcoming party comes to a screeching halt:

“The BAU helps Rossi’s journalist daughter, Joy (Amber Stevens West), investigate the disappearance of a college student. Also, the team is alarmed when Giuseppe Montolo (Robert Neary) dies in prison after he warns Morgan about the “Dirty Dozen,” an underground group of hitmen, and JJ returns from maternity leave.”

Ultimately, it feels like there are three separate events in this episode worth looking forward to: The return of Joy to the show, JJ getting to be back with the team, and then also the return of the Dirty Dozen to the show. With the news that the show is taking on a slightly-more-serialized feel for the rest of the season (at least in between isolated cases), it feels relatively fair to say that you are going to see so much more from them moving into the future of the show.

If you missed our review for Wednesday night’s new “Criminal Minds” episode, check it out by heading over to the link here right away! Also, sign up over at the link here to book some further TV news on everything we cover, sent right over in your direction via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: CBS.)