‘Criminal Minds’ season 12, episode 5 preview: ‘The Anti-Terrorism Squad’; Thomas Gibson speculation

We want to present a preview for next week’s “Criminal Minds,” but at the same time we cannot help looking down the road somewhat to ask another question: Are we finally going to get some news on Thomas Gibson’s character of Hotch? We don’t think he is returning, but at the same time we refuse to believe that the series is going to say something eventually to write him off of the show for good.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet … we know that some out there will probably want to learn at least a thing or two more about next week’s “The Anti-Terrorism Squad.”

Synopsis – “The BAU investigates if bullying may be the link between two high school students who are the sole survivors after both of their families are killed.”

There’s really not a lot to go on here other than what we just presented, so let’s go ahead and talk briefly about the November 9 installment entitled “Elliott’s Pond.” This episode is being written by showrunner Erica Messer and is directed by star Matthew Gray Gubler; typically, when we see this combination, we like to think we’re getting a big episode. We cannot tell you if there’ll be any Hotch news in here for sure, but we do believe that if there was ever a time for such a thing to be delivered, it would be in a November sweeps episode where so many key players are involved.

CBS released recently the synopsis for this episode, but we don’t think it really gives much away:

“When three children disappear while riding their bikes on the same path as a similar unsolved disappearance 30 years ago, the BAU team comes in to investigate.”

Tonight’s episode – Head over here to get some other news, including a review for the episode after it wraps. (Photo: CBS.)

Update: CBS will not air this episode until November 9 due to the World Series.