The Controversial Criminal Minds Pairing That Has The Fanbase Divided
One of the pleasures of following a long-running TV series is dreaming up possible couplings between the various main characters, or "'shipping" them. There have been tons of famous fan couplings from network TV shows throughout the years. Some, like Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), a.k.a. Tiva from NCIS, end up coming to fruition, while others never make it out of the realm of fanfiction and onto the screen.
Although Criminal Minds isn't as known for its potential romantic pairings as other shows of its ilk, that doesn't mean it's without 'shippable couples. For some fans, it doesn't get any more aspirational than dreaming about Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) and Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) joining together to become Morcia. But others prefer to imagine the world where JJ Jareau (A. J. Cook) and Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) are finally united as Jeid.
As far as Criminal Minds fantasy couplings go, Jeid is one that potentially came the closest to actually happening. In season 1, eagle-eyed former Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) Unit Chief Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) recognized a spark between the team members and gave Reid two tickets to a football game so that he could ask JJ on a date. But the spark never caught, and in the season 14 episode "300," JJ revealed that she mistakenly assumed the date was meant to be a friends hangout, so she invited Garcia along.
For some Criminal Minds fans, it was heartbreaking to know what could have been, especially considering additional comments JJ made about her relationship with Reid toward the end of the series. But others like the two the way they are: just friends.
Some Criminal Minds fans wanted to see JJ and Reid get together
One Reddit user, u/4everspencerreid, started a thread entitled "I wish they ended up together," which they started by posting a picture of JJ and Reid. This set off an intense back and forth in the comments.
User u/sabertoothdiego wrote in relieved, saying, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this lmfao." Meanwhile, u/supermegagreen declared, "I will always ship JJ and Reid."
Many fans on both sides of the debate had major opinions about a particularly tricky Jeid development that happened in the season 14 finale "Truth or Dare." While being held hostage by an unsub with a penchant for playing deadly games with his victims, JJ is forced to reveal a deep secret or be killed. She uses the opportunity to confess to Reid, "I've always loved you. And I was just too scared to say it before."
JJ's revelation was a bittersweet moment for Jeid shippers, as it affirmed their worldview by teasing what could have been. For user u/lulabeanz, it's precisely those messy feelings that make their relationship feel so authentic. They wrote, "I shipped [Jeid] from day one. But I absolutely understand why they took the route they did. Life can get messy and love can be equally messy. A lot of people have that one person they'd have ended up with if things had been different. It's tragic but it happens."
Others think it wasn't meant to be
While there were a few fans who shared u/4everspencerreid's Jeid dreams, many more jumped on the thread to lodge their objections to the couple. There were a number of reasons given for why some were left cold at the idea of JJ and Reid getting together, and for most, it boiled down to the fact that if it was going to happen, it needed to happen at the beginning of the series.
User u/CarlyS456x specifically called out JJ's late in the series confession of love for Reid, which they found unbelievable, considering the arc of their relationship. They argued, "I never really understood this plot twist. I couldn't understand it when JJ said Spencer was her first love, she never gave him second glance and seemed to think he was nerd."
Others expressed an affection for the man JJ actually did end up with, her husband Detective Will LaMontagne Jr. (Josh Stewart), and felt that Jeid 'shipping wasn't worth the thought of their marriage breaking up. User u/TemperatureDizzy3257 said that after a certain point, the 'ship had sailed on Jeid: "Once JJ married Will, I didn't want them together anymore. I love Will."
Furthermore, some fans thought JJ and Reid's friendship was too special to upend with a romantic subplot. User u/tiffanydisasterxoxo wrote in to say, "I love that they have male and female friendships on this show that are healthy and never lead to more."
The feelings of many of the respondents to the thread were summed up by u/natalieisdeadlol who, in response to the idea of Jeid, simply wrote, "No."