Criminal Minds follows the FBI’s Behavioural Analysis Unit as they investigate, profile, and capture serial killers across the US. Given the fact that Criminal Minds lasted fifteen seasons, there were many changes to the lineup of the BAU’s team of profilers as characters left or joined the show for various reasons.
Every character who joined the team made a lasting impact on viewers and characters. Working in such intense conditions meant that the BAU bonded and learned to rely on each other. Although each version of the team was like a family, individual friendships formed and fans enjoyed seeing each relationship develop throughout Criminal Minds.
10 Alvez And Garcia Got Off To A Rocky Start
When Luke Alvez replaced Derek Morgan on the team, Penelope Garcia seemed a little bitter and unwilling to get to know Alvez as who he was instead of just a reminder of her absent best friend. Whilst the two argued a lot initially, Garcia opened up to Alvez when she saw what a kind person he was to his friend Phil Brooks. The two bonded over their love of their pets and Alvez’s openness to Garcia’s eccentricity. By the end of Criminal Minds, it was even suggested that there may be a romance brewing between the two.
9 Hotch And Rossi Go Way Back
When David Rossi re-joins the BAU in the third season, Aaron Hotchner gets a friend and ally back by his side. Rossi, a founding member of the BAU, lets Hotch know how proud he is of him individually, and how proud he is of the progress of the unit he started. Hotch and Rossi know that they can rely on the other’s intellect and experience, trusting each other to make the right call in the field.
Being the older members of the team, Hotch and Rossi are like father figures to the younger agents and care for everyone deeply, providing them with helpful advice both as agents and as friends.
8 JJ And Prentiss Comforted One Another
Jennifer “JJ” Jareau and Emily Prentiss worked together on the team from the second season, having similar experiences in the BAU as the only women in the field. Whilst the women form a close friendship, they also deeply respect each other as professionals and know when to lean on the other for their expertise.
When JJ was kidnapped and tortured in the 200th episode and when Prentiss was captured and drugged by Mr. Scratch, they both hallucinated the other to comfort themselves as they felt safe in each other’s presence.
7 Garcia And Prentiss Cared Deeply
Whilst Prentiss goes from a friend and co-worker of Garcia’s to her boss, their close-knit dynamic and playfulness never falter. When Prentiss moves away to London full time, she trusts Garcia to look after Sergio, her cat, and Garcia clings to him as a tangible memory of Emily to love.
The two retain a close relationship even when Prentiss is in the UK, with Garcia happily visiting her many times. When Prentiss returns to the BAU as unit chief, she remains someone to who Garcia can be herself and open up.
6 Prentiss Completely Understood Reid
Spencer Reid and Prentiss go through a lot together, a defining moment in their friendship being when they are held captive in an underground cult, with Prentiss sparing Reid from their violence by taking it all herself. It is often shown that, in times of crisis, Reid finds Emily the easiest person to talk to and it could be said that Emily is the person who truly sees Reid for who he is.
When he struggles with drug addiction, Prentiss is the first person to acknowledge a change in his behavior and when Reid is imprisoned for murder, with all evidence suggesting that he is guilty, Prentiss risks her career because she knows he is innocent. The two characters trust each other with their lives and can rely on each other throughout Criminal Minds.
5 JJ And Garcia Bonded Straight Away
In the early seasons, when Garcia was the BAU’s technical analyst and JJ was the team’s Media Liaison, the two women found themselves staying behind at the BAU together frequently, and as such had a lot of time to bond.
JJ and Garcia were often both deeply affected by the harrowing cases the BAU had to solve, JJ being a mother and Garcia being an extreme empath, so knew how to comfort each other. In season 14, when Garcia and Reid are kidnapped, JJ breaks down as she struggles to comprehend living her life without them.
4 Garcia And Reid Were Always There For Each Other
Spencer Reid and Penelope Garcia both feel deeply. Whilst Reid struggles to express his feelings and instead internalizes them, Garcia is outwardly optimistic and loving, even if she is a little over the top sometimes. This made the two understand and gravitate toward each other.
When Reid went to prison, Garcia was the one who made sure everyone wrote to him and visited as much as possible and when they were abducted together in the season 13 finale, their teamwork and trust in each other is what saved both their lives.
3 Morgan Was Like An Older Brother To Reid
Reid and Morgan were very different people and did not always understand each other’s perspectives on situations, but they made a brilliant team. Whilst Morgan knew he could rely on Reid’s intellect, Reid knew he could trust Morgan to have his back in the field.
Fans often call Morgan Reid’s older brother, as he gave him advice with his job and with women, whilst remaining warm and kind. The two also argued like brothers, waging prank wars against each other and refusing to back down or accept defeat.
2 JJ And Reid Were Bonded From The Beginning
Spencer and JJ are shown to be close from the first season, bonding as the two youngest members of the team. They stand by each other through difficult situations such as the loss of team members, JJ’s miscarriage, and Reid’s imprisonment. When Reid loses his girlfriend to an unsub, it is JJ who visits him every day after, and when Reid is in prison, it is JJ who makes sure his mother is safe and cared for. Despite nods towards a romance between the two, with JJ’s confession of Reid being her “first love” in the fourteenth season, their relationship remained strong yet platonic to the end of Criminal Minds.
1 Morgan And Garcia Were Platonic Soulmates
Despite fan wishes, Penelope and Derek remained completely platonic, but still had possibly the closest relationship of any two members of the BAU. From the first season on, the banter between them provided the main comedic moments in Criminal Minds whilst also showing how much they cared for each other. Morgan was fiercely protective over Garcia and she knew that she could rely on him in times of crisis, as he could on her.
It affected Garcia deeply when Morgan left the BAU, following the birth of his son, but she knew it was the correct decision for him. Even so, when Garcia was at her lowest, the rest of the BAU knew who to call to cheer her up.
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