You know what I like about this episode? Spencer kept bringing up Elle on their case, he brought her up 3 times. Logically I know it’s because he was the only one that got her to talk about how she was feeling, he knew she still thought about what the fisher king had done to her, but he truly cared. When Spencer told Derek that he spoke to Elle, that she was drinking, Derek dismissed it, not waiting for Spencer to explain himself more.
I also believe that, even if Elle wasn’t the one going undercover for the William Lee case, she would have cracked sooner or later on another rape case because of her confession to Hotch. She told him she wasn’t the same person anymore ever since she got shot in her home. During the case, Elle was on edge and she yelled at the woman leading the case saying that someone could still get raped inside, and Derek witnessed that but thought nothing of it. I’m pretty sure he thought it was classic Elle behavior but I truly believe that if it was Spencer instead of Morgan, Spencer would have known it was because of what they talked about in the hotel.
I love Elle, and she was all alone when she was shot, the obviously affected her. Even if Anderson did stay with her, it wouldn’t have been the same because nobody on the team was with her. All Elle ever wanted was to be part of the team. If Hotch was the one that gave her the ride home and stayed with her when she got shot, or Derek, or anyone part of the BAU, things would have been totally different.
ANYWAY, Spencelle had potential, just saying. But so did Hotchaway because of the way Hotch tried to comfort Elle in this episode.