The Method Criminal Minds Fans Are Surprised The Team Never Employed

Whether they're pointing out strange details like Agent Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner's (Thomas Gibson) smiling ID photo, or sharing the impact that the show has had on them, as with Dr. Spencer Reid's (Matthew Gray Gubler) representation of autism and queerness, fans of CBS's "Criminal Minds" stay super active on Reddit — even as the show was canceled in February 2020 (although it will soon return to Paramount+ as a miniseries). And rightfully so: There's a ton of trivia out there about "Criminal Minds" — like who from the cast is dating whom — and the show has been on for so long (since 2005!) that many actors have graced its set.

Diverging from the usual excitement last week, the Reddit community r/criminalminds got a bit critical of the series, discussing an interesting pattern (and potential flaw) of the plot formula guiding most "Criminal Minds" episodes. Here's what fans thought was wrong.

The original Reddit poster, u/p3achtrees, began the discussion by noting a strange absence from the Behavioral Analysis Unit's plan when trying to catch serial killers: "Why ... don't they stake out the dump sites if they know the unsub [unknown subject] will strike again?? [They've] obviously caught them in the act, having a dead body, disposing it etc. i know some unsubs don't have consistent dump sites but there are a lot in the show, and I've always just been frustrated as to why they never do that!" It's a good point. Obviously this would not work for all of the serial killers on "Criminal Minds," but for some cases it could have made the BAU's job much easier.

One fan, u/coulomb_of_radish, added to the conversation by asking, "Why don't they put cameras up at the dump sites or around the victim's houses, especially in stalker episodes?" The lack of video surveillance employed by the BAU certainly is curious, especially, as another fan notes, because the team works to catch dangerous criminals through creating precise profiles with which they can be identified. Perhaps the revival season of "Criminal Minds" should take some notes from these dedicated fans!