Why Some Criminal Minds Fans Ship Reid And Maxine The Most

While catching unsubs was the vital component that made "Criminal Minds" such a memorable show, how it dealt with the interpersonal relationships of its characters was arguably nearly as important. So it's no surprise that Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) — who was consistently featured as one of the main characters throughout the 15 years before "Criminal Minds" was canceled — had his fair share of romantic entanglements. Most of these relationship arcs go nowhere of significance or end in the strengthening of a platonic friendship, such as with Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (A.J. Cook).

Fans believe one of Reid's relationships in "Criminal Minds" worked well with his character and another was flat-out unhealthy at all for him. The former is his interactions with Maxine Brenner (Rachel Leigh Cook) in Season 15. Some viewers even go so far as to ship these two characters as the ultimate Reid romance. The reasons why are contrasted greatly with another, far more toxic and dangerous Reid relationship that took place over multiple seasons on "Criminal Minds."

Spencer Reid's relationship with Maxine in the final season of "Criminal Minds" is mostly used to further another overarching plot from the show: his complex interactions with serial killer and hitwoman Cat Adams (Aubrey Plaza). Yet some fans found that Reid and Maxine actually worked. In a Reddit post, user Lost_Compote believed that Maxine and Reid were a good couple. "Am I the only one who actually likes Maxine and Reid together?" they said. "I mean it was super rushed and they don't have the most chemistry but when he's with her he smiles and that's so adorable." User Runtyyy agreed, saying, "I really liked Max! I thought she had spunk and was a breath of fresh air for Reid."

Interestingly enough, users on the post also took some time to criticize those who shipped Reid and Cat. "The weird obsession with Cat and Reid bothers me. She is a sadistic psychopath who almost destroyed him," user DianneQuinn said. It's clear that a certain subset of the fanbase thinks that Maxine was the healthy option for Reid as far as relationships go, while Cat was more toxic and not viable.