The Character Break That Made It Into An Episode Of Criminal Minds
It's no secret that actors break in a lot of scenes before the release of a final, polished cut. You can find a plethora of blooper reels from your favorite movies and television shows all over YouTube that testify to this fact. Although "Criminal Minds" isn't necessarily the show you would immediately associate with side-splitting bloopers — it's incredibly dark and serious, and doesn't provide a lot of laughs — the production actually yielded some pretty hilarious breaks. Matthew Gray Gubler is no stranger to this, having broken or nearly broken multiple times while playing the character of Dr. Spencer Reid.
Editors aren't perfect, and every so often a break slips into a show or a movie, just waiting for an eagle-eyed fan to catch it. To Matthew Gray Gubler's amusement or dismay, fans on Reddit did actually end up finding a moment in "Criminal Minds" where Gubler started to lose it. This take probably should have been relegated to the blooper reels, but it actually made it into the show.
What made Gubler break, and where?
User LittleMsFanGirl began rewatching the entire "Criminal Minds" series after its end in February of 2020, and upon reaching Episode 10 of Season 6, entitled "What Happens at Home," they noticed an awkward interaction between Reid and Ashley Seaver (Rachel Nichols) during a scene wherein Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) is discussing unsub identification with Seaver. Reid barges in to note that of 64 suspects that the BAU team were expecting to rule out or interrogate, 18 didn't show. We then see both Nichols and Gubler holding in laughter as they look at each other and Gibson finishes his lines in the scene.
Multiple fans offered theories as to why this happened. User booklover1993 made other fans aware of the seemingly awkward hand placement that both Gubler and Nichols have in the scene when Gubler comes in to say his lines, both of them almost touching. LittleMsFanGirl agreed, along with a number of other users.
Although the hand placement might have been a little awkward, it's important to note that Dr. Spencer Reid is a socially awkward character in general, which we've known for some time. This awkward nature is bound to cause some humor, which it has done throughout the show. Sometimes, the actors can't help but react to that. Maybe they'll explain it all during the inevitable reunion special.