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Dr. Spencer Reid is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama ''
Criminal Minds
''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was revived in 2022. It ...
'', portrayed by
Matthew Gray Gubler
Matthew Gray Gubler (, ; born March 9, 1980) is an American actor, filmmaker, fashion model, painter, illustrator, director, and author. He is best known for his role as criminal profiler Dr. Spencer Reid in the CBS television show ''Criminal M ...
. Reid is a
genius
Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabili ...
with an IQ of 187 and can read 20,000 words per minute with an
eidetic memory
Eidetic memory ( ; more commonly called photographic memory or total recall) is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision—at least for a brief period of time—after seeing it only onceThe terms ''eidetic memory'' and ''pho ...
. He is the youngest member of the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
Behavioral Analysis Unit
The Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) is a department of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) that uses behavioral analysts to assist in criminal investigations. The mission of the NCAVC ...
(BAU), has three
BAs
Bas may refer to:
People
* Bas (name), a given name and a surname
* Bas (rapper) (born 1987)
Chemistry
* Boron arsenide (BAs), a chemical compound
* Barium sulfide (BAs), a chemical compound
Other uses
* ''bas'' (French for "low"), as in bas ...
and three
PhDs (in Mathematics, Chemistry and Engineering), and specializes in statistics and geographic profiling.
Background
Spencer Reid was born on October 12, 1981, in Las Vegas to William Reid (
Taylor Nichols), a lawyer, and Diana Reid (
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series '' Glee'' (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recog ...
), a former professor of
15th century literature. Diana has
paranoid schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...
and went off her medication during her pregnancy with Spencer.
["Memoriam", season 4, episode 7] Reid and his mother have a very close relationship despite her condition.
Reid is a genius and
autodidact. He has an
IQ of 187,
["Extreme Aggressor", season 1, episode 1] an
eidetic memory
Eidetic memory ( ; more commonly called photographic memory or total recall) is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision—at least for a brief period of time—after seeing it only onceThe terms ''eidetic memory'' and ''pho ...
, and can read 20,000
words per minute
Words per minute, commonly abbreviated wpm (sometimes uppercased WPM), is a measure of words processed in a minute, often used as a measurement of the speed of typing, reading or Morse code sending and receiving.
Alphanumeric entry
Since word ...
.
He holds B.A.s in Psychology, Sociology, and Philosophy. He also has Ph.D.s in Chemistry, Engineering, and
Mathematics, obtained from
Caltech
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
.
[Brian Goodman
Brian Goodman (born June 1, 1963, Boston, Massachusetts) is an American film director, television director, writer, and actor.
Career
Brian Goodman auditioned for, and received, a role in the low-budget film titled '' Southie'' with Donnie Wa ...]
), Riley's father, about the park incident. Diana then followed Jenkins and witnessed him beat Michaels to death with a baseball bat. When she approached him she slipped therefore getting blood on her clothes. In order to protect his wife, William burned Diana's clothes, which Spencer inadvertently witnessed. Jenkins avoided arrest because Michaels "disappeared", and as he had a criminal history as a sexual predator, the police didn't look very hard into the case.
Years later, Reid starts having nightmares about the incident, initially leading him to believe his own father was Riley's killer. BAU Supervisory Special Agents
David Rossi (
Joe Mantegna
Joseph Anthony Mantegna (, ; born November 13, 1947) is an American actor.
Mantegna began his career on stage in 1969 in the Chicago production of the musical ''Hair''. He earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play and a Joseph Jeff ...
) and
Derek Morgan (
Shemar Moore
Shemar Franklin Moore (born April 20, 1970) is an American actor. His notable roles include Malcolm Winters on ''The Young and the Restless'' (1994–2005), Derek Morgan on ''Criminal Minds'' (2005–2016), and the lead role of Sergeant II Dani ...
) helped him investigate. After undergoing
hypnotherapy to recover his memories, Reid mistakenly believes he saw his father burning his own bloody clothes, not Diana's. He pursues his father as a suspect, even after it becomes clear that Michaels is the more likely perpetrator. Michaels' body is found, and DNA confirms his killer was Lou Jenkins, who is arrested. While Reid is interviewing Jenkins, demanding to know how his father was involved, his parents interrupt and confess to their son the whole story.
When Reid was 10 years old, William abandoned the family. The Michaels incident had already started the rift, and as Diana's mental state continued to deteriorate, William left, refusing to take Spencer with him.
["Revelations", season 2, episode 15] He moved 10 miles away, and never contacted his son. Reid finds out his father's address from Jenkins 17 years later, as well as the fact that his father never changed jobs. William later states that the reason he never returned was because he was too ashamed, and felt too much time had passed for him to re-enter Reid's life, although he did keep electronic tabs on his son.
When his father was leaving, young Spencer tried to convince him to stay by using a statistic that children of parents who remain together receive more education. This angered William: "We're not statistics."
Reid states that one way he gets back at his father is to collect more educational degrees.
Due to his young age and genius IQ, Reid was a victim of severe bullying in high school. In
"Elephant's Memory", he recounts one instance where he was stripped naked and tied to a goalpost in front of other students, remaining there for hours and when he got home his mother was having another schizophrenic episode and didn't notice he was late. In "L.D.S.K.", BAU Supervisory Agent
Aaron Hotchner
Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner is a fictional character from the CBS crime drama ''Criminal Minds'', portrayed by Thomas Gibson. He is a Supervisory Special Agent and the unit chief of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, and has appeared from the series ...
(
Thomas Gibson
Thomas Ellis Gibson (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his television roles as Daniel Nyland on ''Chicago Hope'' (1994–1997), Greg Montgomery on ''Dharma & Greg'' (1997–2002) and Aaron Hotchner on ''C ...
) is forced to kick Reid in order to allow him access to a gun in order to shoot a suspect. When Hotchner says he is sorry if he hurt him, Reid points out that he was a child prodigy in a Las Vegas public school - implying that he had suffered worse - and tells Hotchner, "You kick like a nine-year-old girl". Reid's social standing as a child increased when he started winning games as the coach of his high school's basketball team, using statistics to break down the opposing teams' shooting strategies.
["Painless", season 7, episode 4]
At age 12, Reid graduated from high school. He attended
Caltech
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
, where he rode his bike to classes. He finished his undergraduate degree at 16, and received his first doctorate (in Mathematics) the following year.
It has also been stated that he attended
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...
, but episode writer
Breen Frazier admitted the MIT line was a mistake,
although it was never corrected onscreen.
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
was Reid's "safety school". Between the ages of 17 and 21, he completed two more doctorates (Chemistry and Engineering), and two more bachelor's degrees (psychology and sociology).
When Reid was 18, he realized his mother's condition had deteriorated to the point where she could no longer take care of herself. He reluctantly had her committed to a psychiatric institution, Bennington Sanitarium.
Diana still resides in the same institution, and Reid says that he sends her letters every day, in part because of the guilt he feels for not visiting her. He worries about the fact that his mother's illness can be passed on genetically; telling Morgan: "I know what it's like to be afraid of your own mind".
Currently, Reid resides in an apartment in the District of Columbia, possibly near the
Van Ness-UDC Metro stop.
Gubler decided that Reid's middle name is Walter, but this was never mentioned in the show and is not canon. Nevertheless, Gubler tweeted, "in celebration of the first day back on CM season 8 I am inventing reid facts. Spencer Reid's middle name is Walter".
Personality
Although it is suggested by other people within and outside of the team that Reid is on the
autism spectrum
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
, it is never confirmed. He is
socially awkward
A social skill is any competence facilitating interaction and communication with others where social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of learning these skills is called socia ...
and has a hard time dealing with his emotions. He often fixates on things and misses social cues (for example, unknowingly changing the subject of a conversation). The Unknown Subject ("Unsub") in
(Season 1, Episode 5) "Broken Mirror"["Broken Mirror", season 1, episode 5] is the first person to mention this.
Reid is a
technophobe
Technophobia (from Greek τέχνη ''technē'', "art, skill, craft" and φόβος ''phobos'', "fear"), also known as technofear, is the fear or dislike of advanced technology or complex devices, especially computers. Although there are numero ...
, using neither email nor
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating ...
s. Gubler tweeted that Reid is also
germaphobic. In general, Reid dislikes shaking hands, and becomes visibly uncomfortable when touched by strangers.
["Pleasure Is My Business", season 4, episode 16]
Reid is a poor shot with his service pistol, as seen in "L.D.S.K." Upon failing his annual firearms qualification despite Hotchner's efforts to tutor him, he is relieved of his weapon and has to work unarmed during the team's newest case. Later, while being held at gunpoint by murderer Phillip Dowd (
Timothy Omundson
Timothy Michael Omundson (born July 29, 1969) is an American actor. He is notable for his supporting roles as Sean Potter on the CBS television series ''Judging Amy'', Eli on the syndicated series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', Carlton Lassit ...
), Reid grabs Hotchner's backup
Glock 26
Glock is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was th ...
pistol and kills Dowd with a headshot. He jokes to Hotchner afterward that he had been aiming for Dowd's leg, and Hotchner returns Reid's weapon and considers him to have qualified.
Reid carried a
Glock
Glock is a brand of polymer-Receiver (firearms), framed, Recoil operation#Short recoil operation, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H., Glock Ges.m.b.H. The ...
handgun for the first three seasons but from season four and onward, he began carrying a
Smith & Wesson Model 65
The Smith & Wesson Model 64 ''Military and Police'' revolver is the stainless steel version of the Model 10.
Description
The Model 64 is a six-shot double-action revolver with fixed sights chambered in .38 Special. It was the second all stainle ...
as he fares better using a
revolver.
Reid is good at map reading and therefore does the
geographic profiling Geographic profiling is a criminal investigative methodology that analyzes the locations of a connected series of crimes to determine the most probable area of offender residence. By incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods, it assist ...
and map-related activities for the team. He also has a talent with words and is the team's go-to
linguistic profiler, as well as their unofficial
discourse analyst. He is rarely seen behind the wheel – one time when Morgan hands him the keys, Agents
Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (
A.J. Cook
Andrea Joy Cook (born July 22, 1978) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau on the CBS crime drama ''Criminal Minds'' (2005–2020, 2022). Cook has also appeared in ''The Virgi ...
) and
Emily Prentiss (
Paget Brewster
Paget Valerie Brewster (, ; born March 10, 1969) is an American actress and singer. She was first recognized for her recurring role as Kathy on the fourth season of the NBC sitcom ''Friends''. Her breakthrough role came as FBI Supervisory Speci ...
) exchange horrified expressions – but in "Lo-Fi" he is seen getting into the driver's side of a vehicle and even driving that same vehicle in one scene, as well as driving to BAU Unit Chief
Jason Gideon
Jason Gideon is a fictional character in the CBS crime drama ''Criminal Minds,'' portrayed by Mandy Patinkin. Gideon is a Senior Supervisory Special Agent and the unit chief of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, and appeared from the series' pi ...
's (
Mandy Patinkin
Mandel Bruce Patinkin (; born November 30, 1952) is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television and film. He is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received three Tony Award nominations, winning ...
) cabin in "In Name and Blood", and in "Nelson's Sparrow". However, he is usually seen as a backseat passenger during car scenes, and he commutes to work using the Metro,
["Sex, Birth, Death", season 2, episode 11] and presumably the
Virginia Railway Express.
Storylines
Behavioral Analysis Unit
Reid joined the FBI when he was 20 years old. While there was "no psychological exam or test the FBI could put in front of him he could not ace inside of an hour",
[ he did struggle with the more physical aspects of his job, and ultimately received waivers for those requirements. Even after a year in the field, Reid still struggles to pass his firearm qualifications. He is often left behind during arrests, has never given chase, and jokes that it is Morgan's job to kick down the doors.]["Nameless, Faceless", season 5, episode 1] This does not bother the team, because while he has shown an ability to physically disarm suspects, his true talent is ''psychologically'' disarming them by forming airtight profiles.
Profiling is the only profession Reid ever considered, and he was groomed specifically for the BAU. Upon graduation from the academy, he was placed in the BAU at age 22, and given the title Supervisory Special Agent. His first case in the field was serial killer Brian Matloff (Eric Lange
Eric Lange (born February 19, 1973) is an American actor. He is known for his work on television, where he has appeared in a wide variety of both supporting and leading roles.
Lange played the recurring roles of Stuart Radzinsky on the ''ABC'' ...
), the "Blue Ridge Strangler".["Tabula Rasa", season 3, episode 19]
Gideon is Reid's closest confidant on the team during the first two seasons, and often serves as a mentor to Reid. Gideon's sudden departure from the FBI after a case gone wrong affects Reid deeply. Reid tries playing all possible chess moves in order to understand Gideon's motivations.
Reid is close to Jareau, Morgan, and Prentiss. Jareau asks him to be godfather to her newborn son Henry, and is one of the only two people on the team who calls him "Spence." It is implied in "Plain Sight" that Reid has a crush on Jareau, and Gideon even prods him to ask her out after giving him Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
football tickets for his birthday. No romance comes of it, but they do develop a close, sibling-like friendship. Reid is very protective of her, and often blames himself if she is injured, even if there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. In "Closing Time", after she is injured while arresting a suspect, Reid is seen counting her injuries as she sits in the ambulance and tells the paramedic that she should be going to get a CAT scan. Reid also has a brotherly friendship with Morgan. In season seven, he is comfortable enough to start a joke war with him, something that he probably would never do with anyone else, and he occasionally confides his secrets to Morgan. In the episode "Elephant's Memory", when approached by a fully armed suspect named Owen Savage (Cody Kasch
Cody Reed Kasch (born August 21, 1987) is an American actor. He is known for his role of Zach Young on the ABC comedy-drama series '' Desperate Housewives''.
Early life
Kasch was born in Santa Monica, California. He is of Scottish descent. H ...
), whom Reid identifies with, Reid gives Prentiss his gun and trusts her enough to back him up and not shoot at Savage as he tries to talk him down. Although not shown, it is implied Reid and Prentiss spend time together outside of work, along with riding the train home together when they return from cases. Prentiss is the only one who has beat Reid at poker, even correcting his statistic about her particular poker move. Reid and Prentiss are held hostage by a cult led by Benjamin Cyrus (Luke Perry
Coy Luther "Luke" Perry III (October 11, 1966 – March 4, 2019) was an American actor. He became a teen idol for playing Dylan McKay on the Fox television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' from 1990 to 1995, and again from 1998 to 2000. He ...
). Though he is not injured, Reid struggles with guilt over "allowing" Prentiss' beating at the hands of Cyrus in "Minimal Loss". Reid later becomes close to Special Agent Alex Blake (Jeanne Tripplehorn
Jeanne Marie Tripplehorn (born June 10, 1963) is an American actress. She began her career on stage, acting in several plays throughout the early 1990s, including Anton Chekhov's '' Three Sisters'' on Broadway. Her film career began with the ro ...
), seeing her as a maternal figure, and occasionally guest-lecturing in her forensic linguistics
Forensic linguistics, legal linguistics, or language and the law, is the application of linguistic knowledge, methods, and insights to the forensic context of law, language, crime investigation, trial, and judicial procedure. It is a branch of ap ...
class.
Reid contracts anthrax during an outbreak in Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, and is later shot in the leg protecting a doctor whose life is being threatened. (In reality, Gubler had injured his knee and the show's writers had written Reid getting shot into the show to explain why he spent subsequent episodes with his leg in a cast and using crutches.)[
During "Corazon", Reid begins to develop severe headaches and hallucinations. He goes to see a doctor in order to find out the source of his headaches, but the doctor says there is no physical cause, and they may be psychosomatic. Reid refuses to believe this, afraid that he may have the same illness as his mother. It is not mentioned again until "Coda", when he is seen once again wearing sunglasses and is carrying a book on migraines. In the same episode, Reid bonds with a young ]autistic
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
boy, Sammy Sparks.["Coda", season 6, episode 16] A cut line from the episode has David Rossi stating that Sammy and Reid are two of the most fascinating minds he has ever encountered. In the episode "Valhalla", Reid tells Prentiss about his headaches. By then, Reid has gone to several doctors, but no one has been able to diagnose what is wrong with him. He tells Prentiss that he has not told any of the team members because he is afraid that they will "make him feel like a baby."
In "Lauren", it is Reid and technical analyst Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness
Kirsten Simone Vangsness (born July 7, 1972) is an American actress and writer. She is best known for her portrayal of FBI Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia on the CBS drama series ''Criminal Minds''. She portrayed the same character on the sp ...
) who react most strongly to the news of Prentiss' death (they are unaware that she faked her death in order to enter the Witness Protection Program
Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after a trial, usually by police. While a witness may only require p ...
). Reid's reaction is to run out of the room, and he ends up sobbing into Jareau's shoulder, telling her that he "never got a chance to say goodbye." In season seven, when Prentiss returns and Reid discovers Hotchner and Jareau knew she wasn't dead, he is upset, especially with Jareau. He tells her he feels betrayed because he came to her house "for 10 weeks in a row, crying over losing a friend" and "not once did you have the decency to tell me the truth." She doesn't say anything.["Proof", season 7, episode 2]
In "True Genius", Reid doubts his reasons for being in the BAU and wonders if he should be doing more with his intellect. This is provoked by a suspect sending him taunting messages and challenging Reid to find him. In this episode, he also reveals that the team missed his 30th birthday. At the end of the episode, the team throws him a mini birthday party to celebrate.
Drug Addiction
In (Season 2, Episode 15) "Revelations", Tobias Hankel ( James Van Der Beek), a psychotic serial killer, kidnaps Reid, drugging and torturing him over the course of two days before he is rescued. Reid is so traumatized that he develops an addiction to the narcotic painkiller Dilaudid
Hydromorphone, also known as dihydromorphinone, and sold under the brand name Dilaudid among others, is an opioid used to treat moderate to severe pain. Typically, long-term use is only recommended for pain due to cancer. It may be used by mou ...
. While the BAU team members have their suspicions about his addiction, none of them confront him about it. An old friend of Reid's in is also aware that Reid suffers from "problems" in (Season 2, Episode 18) "Jones". They don't bring up the drug addiction for a while until he gets clean and attends a support group meeting for addicts in law enforcement in (Season 3, Episode 16) "Elephant's Memory".
At which he admits struggling with cravings as well as with traumatic memories, including a young adult suspect's shooting death in his presence. When he contracts anthrax in "Amplification", he strictly refused to take any narcotic painkillers in an attempt to remain clean. Memories of his torture under Hankel later allow him to empathize with other victims.
In (Season 7, Episode 2) "Proof", while arguing, Reid reveals to Jareau that he almost started taking Dilaudid again when he believed that Prentiss was dead.C. Thomas Howell
Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966) is an American actor. He has starred in the films '' Soul Man'', '' The Hitcher'', '' Grandview U.S.A.'', ''Red Dawn'', ''Secret Admirer'' and '' The Outsiders''. He has also appeared in '' Gett ...
), who tauntingly calls Reid an addict.
Personal life
Throughout the series, Reid shows a lack of interest when interacting with women. The only few exceptions are Jennifer "JJ" Jareau; Lila Archer (Amber Heard
Amber Laura Heard (born April 22, 1986) is an American actress. She had her first leading role in the horror film ''All the Boys Love Mandy Lane'' (2006), and went on to star in films such as '' The Ward'' (2010) and '' Drive Angry'' (2011). S ...
), a young actress he is assigned to protect; Austin (Courtney Ford
Courtney Braden Ford is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on television, such as playing Christine Hill on ''Dexter'' (2009), Portia Bellefleur on ''True Blood'' (2011), Lily on '' Parenthood'' (2012), Tonia Pyne on '' Murder ...
), a barmaid he "woos" with magic tricks while showing her a sketch of a potential suspect; Maeve Donovan (Beth Riesgraf
Beth Jean Riesgraf (born August 24, 1978) is an American actress and television director. She is known for her portrayal of Parker on the TNT television series '' Leverage'' (2008–2012) and the revival '' Leverage: Redemption'' which streams ...
), a geneticist he first meets through correspondence, then later weekly phone calls; Maxine "Max" Brenner (Rachael Leigh Cook
Rachael Leigh Cook (born October 4, 1979) is an American actress and model. She has starred in the films '' The Baby-Sitters Club'' (1995), '' She's All That'' (1999), and '' Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), and in the television series '' Into ...
). In "Memoriam", a prostitute hits on Reid in a Las Vegas casino, but he is oblivious to her intentions.
In "Somebody's Watching", with the team on a case to protect a TV starlet, Reid saves Lila from being harmed by a serial killer. Reid and Lila kindle a short-lived romance, beginning when Lila pulls Reid, fully clothed, into her pool for a kiss. At the end of the episode, they go their separate ways, and Lila is not seen in further episodes.
Reid meets Austin during an investigation of a serial killer who picks up his victims in bars. Reid is having trouble talking to the women in these clubs, especially since he is spouting facts about club-related deaths, but Morgan helps him out. Reid starts a conversation with Austin, who works at the bar, and proceeds to do a magic trick in which he appears to jab a pen through the eye of a police sketch, but pulls it through, leaving the paper unscathed. She expresses interest in him, and he gives her his business card in case she hears something about the killer. Later, she sees the killer, Robert Parker ( Gabriel Olds), with another potential victim and intentionally spills her drink on the woman, pulling her away. Parker seems to disappear, and while Austin goes outside to phone Reid, he grabs her. The team responds quickly and saves her before she is harmed. At the end of the episode, she and Reid are talking over the phone, and he opens a package at his desk that contains the card that he gave her—with a lipstick kiss on the back.
In "God Complex", Reid begins calling Maeve - whose face and identity he does not know - on a payphone and they talk about his progress with his headaches and sleep deprivation. It is revealed that she is in danger and doesn't want someone to know about her and Reid. While on a case in New Mexico, Blake drops Reid off at a phone booth, unaware that he is going to call the mystery woman. Blake later returns and questions his motives. The two agents have a heated discussion, and he tells her the mystery woman is a geneticist he contacted about his headaches during season six, whom he believes can help on the case. Thanks to her, they are able to find the unsub and save his latest victim. At the end of the episode, Reid thanks her for her help and tells her that he and the BAU can help her in her situation. However, she refuses because she doesn't want ''him'' to hurt Reid. She ends the phone call by telling him that she loves him. Left shocked and speechless, he starts walking to his left but then turns around and walks to his right. Sometime after "The Lesson", Reid continues calling Maeve, eventually getting to know her. She tells Reid that her stalker might be gone and because of this, she wants to meet him. During a case in Arizona, Blake confronts him about "phone booth girl". Reid tells Blake that he's nervous to meet her because he already believes she's the most beautiful girl in the world, and he is afraid that she won't like him because of his looks. Blake encourages him to meet her. After Reid gets back from the case, they plan to meet at a fancy restaurant until Reid sees a man gazing over at him. Thinking him to be Maeve's stalker, Reid calls her to cancel while she is right outside. Spencer realizes that the man is not the stalker, and Maeve has already left. The hostess gives him a bag that she left for him. It turns out to be the very same book he was going to give to her by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for '' A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...
. Inside, she has written a quote by Thomas Merton; "Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone. We find it with another."
In (Season 8, Episode 12) "Zugzwang", Reid discovers that Maeve has been kidnapped by her stalker. In the investigation, he meets Maeve's former fiancé Bobby Putnam ( Jay Hayden), the man he believed to be her stalker. Reid becomes more and more distressed by the situation and discovers that her kidnapper is not Putnam, but his girlfriend, Diane Turner (Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg (; born October 11, 1985) is an American actress and model. Trachtenberg began her career at age three, appearing in a number of commercials, films, and television series as a child. Her starring role on the Nickelodeon tel ...
), who hates Maeve for rejecting her doctoral thesis. Reid searches for her, and even offers to take her place. He discovers that Turner wants attention from him and to be seen as an equal. He gets a clue from Turner leading him to her location, where he tricks her into believing that he is in love with her. Reid finally meets Maeve face-to-face during the situation and is able to briefly subdue Turner, only to have her hold Maeve at gunpoint. He once again offers to take Maeve's place, but Turner kills herself and Maeve with one shot.
Devastated by grief, Reid spends two weeks alone in his apartment after Maeve's death. The BAU team tries to help him, but he refuses to answer the door. While Reid remains at home, the team travels to another case. They call him for help a few times before he joins the team in person. Once the case is complete, Reid asks Morgan, Garcia, and Jareau to help clean up his apartment. He picks up ''The Narrative of John Smith'' (given to him by Maeve) with the Thomas Merton quote and places it on the bookshelf.
In the months following, Reid throws himself into his work when he is not able to sleep because of a recurring dream in which Maeve asks him to dance with her, but forces himself to wake up before he answers. By the end of "Alchemy", Reid is able to complete the dream by accepting Maeve's request to dance with her. In "The Inspiration", Reid admits that, had Maeve not died, he might have had children with her. In the season nine finale, it is revealed that he still carries a copy of ''The Narrative of John Smith'' in his bag.
Cat Adams (Aubrey Plaza
Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began her career performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. She starred as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom ''Pa ...
), a serial killer who made her debut in Season 11, quickly becomes infatuated with Reid, seeing him as her only "worthy opponent". In Season 12, she creates an elaborate plan that ends with Reid being arrested and his mother being kidnapped. Reid interrogates Adams, who says she is pregnant with his child. The next time Adams emerges is in (Season 15, Episode 6) "Date Night", when she is about to be executed and wishes to see him. Instead of playing games as they have previously done, she wants to go on a date.
In "Truth or Dare", the Season 14 finale, Jareau confesses to Reid that she has loved him ever since they first met. Despite insisting that she only said it to distract a killer holding them hostage, Reid knows what she said is true but chooses not to dwell on it for the sake of their friendship. Season 15 opens up "Under the Skin" with Jareau being shot and clinging to life. At the hospital Reid admits to a sleeping Jareau that it does not matter if her feelings are true or not, he cannot imagine life without her. Jareau wakes up and eventually tells Reid that what she said was true, and that he will always be her first true love. Despite the shared love between the two, Jareau and Reid keep this a secret and remain best friends.
In season 15, Reid is given a task by his therapist to have a normal conversation with someone outside of work. He meets a woman named Maxine Brenner (Rachael Leigh Cook
Rachael Leigh Cook (born October 4, 1979) is an American actress and model. She has starred in the films '' The Baby-Sitters Club'' (1995), '' She's All That'' (1999), and '' Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), and in the television series '' Into ...
) in (Season 15, Episode 4) "Saturday". They plan to go on their third coffee date when Adams intervenes, holding Maxine's sister and father hostage. Adams makes Reid take her to his apartment, where Maxine is waiting and sees the two kiss. Adams attempts to drive a wedge between Reid and Maxine, but, in the end, her plan fails. The episode ends with Reid and Maxine kissing.
Maeve returns as a vision in the series finale (Season 15, Episode 10) "And in the End..." after Reid sustains a brain injury. Her primary role in Reid's mind was convincing him to finally choose a decision based not on what he thought others wanted, but based on what made him happy.
Development
Reid is 23 years old in the pilot episode,["Plain Sight", season 1, episode 4] having joined the unit when he was 22.Matthew Gray Gubler
Matthew Gray Gubler (, ; born March 9, 1980) is an American actor, filmmaker, fashion model, painter, illustrator, director, and author. He is best known for his role as criminal profiler Dr. Spencer Reid in the CBS television show ''Criminal M ...
that there was nothing realistic about his character.Data
In the pursuit of knowledge, data (; ) is a collection of discrete Value_(semiotics), values that convey information, describing quantity, qualitative property, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of sy ...
from '' Star Trek''. However, the producers liked Gubler's softer interpretation, despite telling the actor he was wrong for the part. After several callbacks, he was hired.
Gubler stated in an interview in the show's second season " eids an eccentric genius, with hints of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wit ...
and minor autism." Writer Sharon Lee Watson stated in a Twitter chat that Reid's Asperger traits make the character more lovable.
Gubler has commented on the differences between Reid and the similarly eccentric character Penelope Garcia: "She represents everything he's not, she's very tech-oriented and I would like to imagine he is more like 1920s smart, books and reading etc". Kirsten Vangsness
Kirsten Simone Vangsness (born July 7, 1972) is an American actress and writer. She is best known for her portrayal of FBI Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia on the CBS drama series ''Criminal Minds''. She portrayed the same character on the sp ...
agreed, adding that Garcia is more extroverted and available emotionally, whereas Reid struggles with his emotions.
References
External links
Dr. Spencer Reid
on IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Spencer
Criminal Minds characters
Fictional drug addicts
Fictional Behavioral Analysis Unit agents
Fictional characters from Las Vegas
Fictional writers
Fictional characters on the autism spectrum
Fictional characters with eidetic memory
Fictional characters with obsessive–compulsive disorder
Television characters introduced in 2005
American male characters in television
Fictional California Institute of Technology people
Fictional painkiller addicts
Fictional bibliophiles