The Spencer Moment That Breaks Criminal Minds Fans' Hearts

As a crime drama, "Criminal Minds" has dealt with more than a fair share of terrifying serial killers. But every now and then, the show takes a turn when particular criminals make it their mission to personally target a member (or members) of the Behavioral Analysis Unit.

Throughout its many seasons, the show has included several subplots that entangle a profiler's personal life with their professional. And though the agents almost always survive the unspeakable, it scars them and the viewers alike. The murder of Aaron Hotchner's (Thomas Gibson) wife Haley (Meredith Monroe), JJ's (A.J. Cook) torture, and Garcia's (Kirsten Vangsness) shooting are just a few of the many traumatizing events that take place on the show.

In the list of traumatizing events, one of the original characters Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) has been through some of the worst moments. From being held captive by Tobias Hankel (James Van Der Beek) to being a victim to Cat Adams' (Aubrey Plaza) relentless quest of destruction, Reid went through a lot.

But "Criminal Minds" fans have a particular incident that broke their hearts when it comes to Spencer's storylines.

Dr. Spencer Reid grew into a fan-favorite character very quickly, and his social awkwardness and brilliant mind made it all the more cute when he finally fell in love. Maeve (Beth Riesgraf), a geneticist, first met Reid (only virtually) when she took a look at his MRI scans to discern the cause of his headaches. What began as a mere consultation grew into a beautiful relationship, albeit only over the phone — Maeve was being stalked, and as a result, she refused to meet Spencer. However, as their relationship grew, it became difficult for them to stay apart, and the stalker began unraveling.

Their story came to a tragic ending when, in captivity, Maeve and Spencer saw each other for the first time. Despite his attempts to save Maeve, the stalker killed her in front of Spencer. On the "Criminal Minds" subreddit, fans took to expressing why that was the most distressing storyline on the show. U/Psychological_Bat865 wrote, "Honestly it's just the fact that Spencer watches her get shot that breaks my heart the most. For the first time he has this person that seems to be perfect or him, and the first time he sees her, she gets murdered in front of him."

For u/Jess_1215 it was upsetting that Spencer got very little time with Maeve. "I think part of what makes [the episode] so hard is that the relationship between Reid and Maeve was so short-lived."

Out of Reid's many tragic moments, him witnessing Maeve's death was undeniably heartbreaking.