Criminal Minds Bingeathon
I am about to graduate college. Well, I'm going to graduate college in four months. But I am currently on one of the last breaks I will ever had, and it got me thinking about the last four years. For the last four years, each time I've come home for a weekend or a week or a summer I spend a large amount of my time watching copious amounts of Criminal Minds
The Best Cast.
My parents have a ridiculous amount of television channels, and Criminal Minds is always--and I mean ALWAYS--on at least one of those channels. I love it. I've loved this show since I was 13 and started watching it on CBS with my dad. I loved it so much I went to a custom tshirt shop and spent $20 to make a tshirt that says "I <3 Shemar Moore." I love watching the same episodes I've seen what feels like hundreds of times on Ion and WeTV and 45.
So, with my vast knowledge (and the knowledge of things that have happened up to this season) I am going to rank every main character who has been a member of the BAU:
15: Elle Greenaway
Elle is hands down the worst character who has ever been on the team, in my opinion. Even the other characters who were on the team for short periods of time built a rapport with the others. Elle was always very singular for me. And I didn't like the way she left. In fact, her face in this GIF is basically my face when she's on the team.
14: Kate Callahan; 13: Alex Blake; 12: Stephen Walker:
Honestly, there is nothing I specifically disliked about these characters. But they were nothing but replacements. They had an interesting story arch or two and then the writers realized they were replacements and ended up replacing them too. I think I could have ended up liking these characters a lot more had they just been given a little bit more time. Also they weren't on at the same time so sorry, no GIF here.
11: Jason Gideon
When I watch the episodes with Gideon, I think I like him. But I also think the team was better after he left. I was very sad when he died, but I still am a little bitter about how much pain he caused Reid.
10: Matt Simmons
I liked Simmons from the first minute he appeared on screen. Okay, well, I didn't love him on Beyond Borders because I didn't really love anything about that show, but I as soon as he joined the BAU he felt like home. While we obviously don't know him like we know the others (assuming we haven't watched Beyond Borders), he adds a sense of light to the team. He is funny and sweet and I hope that he stay on the team long enough to get to know him better.
9: Dr. Tara Lewis
It is hard to come close to the holy trinity of matriarchy that is Emily, Penelope, and JJ but Dr. Tara Lewis come pretty dang close. I find it especially interesting when she interviews criminals. And Aisha Tyler is amazing.
8: Luke Alvez
I may be a bit biased because Adam Rodriguez is pretty much the only reason I watched CSI: Miami, but I feel like Alvez has been a great addition to the team. Despite being Shemar Moore's replacement in every way, he doesn't feel like one. His love for his dog is larger than my love for him and that is hard to beat. His interactions with Garcia fill a void that needed to be filled when Shemar Moore left.
7: David Rossi
I share one very important trait with David Rossi: we both love wine. A lot. And while he is toward the bottom of the dream team, he's on the dream team. He made me not miss Gideon at all, and he adds a very grandpa-esque love to the team.
6: Aaron Hotchner
Whether or not Thomas Gibson is a stand-up guy, Aaron Hotchner is a stand-up man. His dedication to the team and to Jack is admirable, and I will never not cry when I watch him listen to Haley get murdered. His permanent scowl makes me treasure each occasional smile we see. However, him leaving the show led to something pretty great...
5: Emily Prentiss
...It lead to Prentiss stepping up as a badass boss lady. Prentiss is the best badass boss lady. Through all the years of a male in charge of the BAU she patiently waited for her turn and is killin' it. If there was one person who I needed to pick to be smart enough to save me from a psychopath, it'd probably be her. I hope one day to be as strong as she is.
4: Penelope Garcia
Garcia is everything I want to be in life. She is as positive as I strive to be, while simultaneously managing to still remained extremely grossed out by everything happening around her. She simply is the light of my life and the light of the show and if she's ever gone I probably will be, too.
3: Jennifer Jareau
WHO DOESN'T LOVE JJ. I love everything she does. I love her as an agent. I loved her as a communications liaison. I love her as a mom and I love her with Will. I love that she cares so deeply and I love when she hugs a scared mom and I love when she puts her hair up in a ponytail instead of letting it flow in the wind as she chases an unsub. Really there is nothing I don't love.
2: Derek Morgan
Obviously I love me some Derek Morgan. If he called me Baby Girl I would melt. I still wear that previously mentioned I <3 Shemar Moore shirt sometimes. But he left to be on a different show and the betrayal I feel to this day is tear-inducing.
1: Dr. Spencer Reid
While I would probably give a limb to have the top seven members of the list as the cast again, ultimately Spencer is the one I love most. He is quirky and sassy and genius and funny. And his character development throughout the show has been a beautiful thing. Plus, how can you not love everything Matthew Gray Gubler does?
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