The Character Arc That Criminal Minds Fans Like To Ignore

Criminal Minds was, at its core, about rooting out bad guys, but its core characters in the BAU were the reason many fans stuck around. With 15 seasons to its name, the hit series took its characters through a lot of twists and turns. Some were satisfying to watch, while others left much to be desired. Some just made fans wonder what the writers were thinking.

When it comes to the BAU agents' interpersonal relationships — whether with each other, or with other characters on Criminal Minds — the emotional impact of a number of storylines tended to hit even harder considering fans' long-term emotional investment. One character the center of romantic storylines was JJ Jareau (A.J. Cook), who isn't exactly a favorite character for many fans. That doesn't mean she didn't have supporters, or that fans weren't invested in her storylines, especially when they intersected with other beloved BAU characters. When one late-stage twist for JJ's personal life went down, fans were so frustrated that they felt like it was easier to pretend it didn't even happen. 

Let's take a look at the JJ character arc that Criminal Minds' fans would rather ignore, and find out why they had such a big problem with it.

Even though Criminal Minds' series finale aired more than a year ago as of this writing, fans on the Criminal Minds subreddit still love to discuss the series' highs and lows. It's also a place where people who are still discovering the show can go to ask questions. One new fan, Reddit user u/forca89barca, recently posted a question asking how long the series commits to the season 14 revelation that JJ was secretly in love with Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) "the entire time."

"I'm now on the final episode of season 14 and am aware through this sub that this is the episode where we find out JJ was in love with Reid the entire time. I already don't like JJ as is and the fact that she cheats (I consider emotionally cheating to be cheating too, not just physical) on her husband who she has been with for over 10 years, been nothing but supportive of her, and does the majority of the work in raising their kids, it really makes me cringe," they wrote. "So I wanted to ask, how long does that arc go on for? I don't want to skip any episodes because I want to watch what happens to the other characters but I'm not sure if I can handle JJ."

A few fans chimed in to let them know that the storyline, fortunately, resolved quickly — but that doesn't take away from the fact that it still angered a lot of people. "It's resolved in the next two episodes. And yeah, it's the stupidest f***ing thing ever. It came out of nowhere, retconned several earlier episodes, and did nothing but discredit both characters. Such utter bull****," one Redditor wrote.

Others  chimed in with their own dissatisfaction that Criminal Minds even went in this direction with JJ and Reid. User u/ReidsMyFavorite argued that the pair known as "Jeid" had a friendship vibe for the first 13 seasons of the show, so the sudden switch to a romantic dynamic was jarring. Redditor u/Fairymask summed up what it seems like a lot of fans felt about this character arc: "I just choose to ignore this whole thing happened."

Luckily, since Criminal Minds has so many seasons, it's actually possible to take a "I'm going to look the other way" approach to some storylines. Still, it's clear to see that since JJ's romantic feelings for Reid came out of nowhere and made her seem like a cheater, many fans' real feelings about JJ and Reid's relationship are less than warm and fuzzy.