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Team BAU is back. Criminal Minds, the supercompelling (and sometimes supercreepy) CBS drama about a team of FBI profilers who crack the most psychologically challenging cases in the country, returns to CBS tonight at 9. And at long last, we'll learn which SUV exploded in last season's finale and what that does to the team...

This season is full of big changes, and I've got the word from the man in charge of the Minds, show runner Ed Bernero, about what's to come with the characters you lurve in season four...

What You Need to Know About Tonight's Premiere:

• Spoiler Alert: Joe Mantegna and all of the girls (Prentiss, J.J. and Garcia) emerge unscathed from the explosion.
• The bomb was under the SUV, not inside it.
• The profile is wrong.
• If being a teen idol doesn't work out, Michael Steger (Navid on the CW's 90210) has a future playing slightly deranged young men. His character in the premiere, "Sam," is dangerously disturbed, and Steger plays off-balance to the perfect degree.
• I almost burst into tears several times—the emotionality of reuniting the team (or not)—is brilliantly delivered, especially as experienced through the point of view of Garcia.

CBS

A.J. Cook/Jennifer "J.J." Jareau: First off, J.J. fans (yes, including you there in the back, the one in the blue shirt who emails me every week), don't worry, she's going to return before you know it. 

And as I previously reported, while A.J./J.J. are out, "We have Meta Golding filling in for her as a character named Agent Jordan Todd. Meta's doing an amazing job, but what you're going to learn from her character is just how good J.J. is at her job," Bernero said. "Jordan is new to all of this, and you're going to learn that J.J.'s job is not easy." Darn straight.

Paget Brewster/Emily Prentiss: If text had a tone of voice, this would be in singsong: "Prentiss has a secret..." According to Bernero: "We have a real surprise in the middle of the season about her life. I think it will make total sense when it comes out, but I don't think that you will see it coming. We're excited about it, and Paget is very excited about it. It's something that we've talked about behind the scenes, as 'this is the secret,' but we're going to reveal it this year and give an interesting backstory to that character." She only has one leg! She secretly gorges herself on pineapple! Post your guesses in comments.

Cliff Lipson/CBS

Kirsten Vangsness/Penelope Garcia: First off, Garcia has fully recovered from last year's shooting, both physically and emotionally. According to Bernero, "This season Garcia is back as the gorgeous tech kitten we know and love." And bonus Garcia goodness: Nick Brendon will be back! Said Bernero, "We're playing a little bit with her relationship with Kevin Lynch. He's in a couple of episodes—one early in the season and episode eight. The two of them—they find these moments, and they're really good together." Yay!

Joe Mantegna/David Rossi: You just knew Mantegna was gonna make it, right? I mean, what kind of crazy people blow up Joe Mantegna?

As for the future of SSA David Rossi, Bernero told me, "We'll be dealing a little bit more with his celebrity this year. We have him at a book signing; there's a scene in one of the episodes where he's talking to a group of college students." See, what did I tell you? The man's a star.

But wait, what about Hotch, Morgan and Reid? I'm saving those for next week...assuming they survive tonight's episode. Bwahaha! Post your theories about tonight and the season to come in the comments, and enjoy tonight's premiere. It's explosively good!

—Reporting by Jennifer Godwin