The Criminal Minds Relationship That Some Fans Totally Missed

After 15 seasons, "Criminal Minds" concluded its impressive run in 2020 (though a hotly anticipated revival is in the works over at Paramount+). For a decade and a half, fans eagerly followed the pursuits of the team at the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit as they traveled across America to track down some of the country's most violent criminals.

Though the weekly mysteries and heart-pounding thrills are the focus of "Criminal Minds," it's the characters that are truly the lifeblood of the hit show. We've loved watching the friendships between the BAU team develop over the series' 15 seasons. Of course, as is the case with any show, many romantic subplots have made their way into "Criminal Minds," too, including a fan-favorite will-they-won't-they dynamic between JJ and Reid and the frequent flirtation between Garcia and Morgan. 

However, there's one romance that totally flew under the radar for some "Criminal Minds" fans.

On the r/Criminal Minds subreddit, user u/dailyprime vocalized their confusion about the apparent relationship between Agent Rossi and BAU section chief Erin Strauss. Strauss frequently butted heads with the BAU team, though she eventually began to show the team more affection and respect. Tragically, she was poisoned to death by an unsub at the end of Season 8. On Reddit, u/dailyprime commented on this, saying, "When Strauss died, Derek says that Rossi is taking it pretty hard and Hotch says 'they've been together for the past year' what does that mean? Were Rossi and Strauss dating?"

Though it was never said outright, it was implied Rossi and Strauss first spent their night together at the end of Season 7 and were an item up until her death. Some fans are disappointed that we didn't get to see their relationship more fleshed out. Reddit user u/definitly-not said, "i low-key wish we got to see more of rossi and strauss being together. ... i feel like it would have meant a lot more if we actually got to see them together."

However, u/sofyamarmeladov remarked that the hidden nature of the relationship may have been a deliberate choice of the writers, saying, "I guess ... they wanted [their relationship] private and as the viewer we also were not allowed to see into much of their relationship which is actually quite nice and a clever technique."

We're sad the two characters did not get more time together, but we're glad they were able to find love.