The Biggest Mistake Reid Ever Made On Criminal Minds

CBS' crime drama "Criminal Minds" lasted for a memorable 15 seasons before the profilers of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit bid goodbye to their fans. Over this time, the show managed to gain tons of loyal fans because of its characters. One of the most loved characters in the show was Dr. Spencer Reid, played by Mathew Gray Gubler.

Reid was the "boy wonder" of the group, who, with his eidetic memory and three PhDs, became an integral member of the team from the very beginning. From random facts and statistics to his code-breaking skills, the profilers relied heavily on Reid to crack cases. But it was his socially awkward behavior and blunt, yet lovable transparency that endeared many in the audience to Reid's character.

However, over the course of 15 seasons, even fan-favorite characters commit mistakes that annoy fans. Reid went through a lot of trauma, whether it was his struggle with substance abuse or his own abduction — which happened several times — that made fans sympathetic toward him. However, there were also moments when his actions irked even the most loyal fans. There's one particular time when the fans found it difficult to accept Reid's actions.

In the 8th season of "Criminal Minds," something that fans had long been waiting for had finally happened — Reid fell in love. But there's a catch. Reid's love interest, Maeve (Beth Riesgraf) has a stalker, and as a result, she lives an isolated life restricted to her apartment. The dramatically fast-paced love story ends with Maeve getting murdered in front of Reid.

Many fans took issue with Reid's inaction, rather than his actions. Being a part of a strong and skilled profilers' group in the FBI, Reid could have easily taken matters into his hands to resolve Maeve's problems before they got out of hand. The team members of the BAU are close with each other and often use the team and the FBI's resources to solve crimes that are personal to them.

On a Reddit thread, u/mafsfan54 wrote, "I think it's absolutely s*** that he didn't just jump in right after he heard about the stalker. She would be free and definitely forgive him for butting in." On another thread, several Redditors echoed similar sentiments. Reid's decision to listen to Maeve when she asks him not to intervene bothered u/EverybodysSatellite. "[Yet] she doesn't want Reid to help her at all, and Reid just accepts that? He's ok with her basically saying she could be murdered any day now," they wrote.

Had Reid helped Maeve, maybe, just maybe, his love story wouldn't have ended in tragedy.