The Criminal Minds Character That Is Reid's Best Partner According To Fans
While the cast of "Criminal Minds" works together to catch serial killers as a team, the characters often pair off in each episode to work the case from multiple angles. These various duos all have different dynamics, creating entertaining and compelling relationships for fans to latch on to. There's the classic friendship of Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) and Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), who have an endearingly flirty back and forth, and the sweet relationship between JJ (A.J. Cook) and Emily (Paget Brewster), which fans wanted to blossom into a romantic one. Then, there are some duos that have a little more friction, like Garcia and Morgan's replacement, Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez).
However, while many of the cast members come and go throughout the series, the young genius Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) is there from day one to the end, giving him the chance to interact with just about every member of the team. So, of all his teammates, who do fans love to see him partnered up with?
Fans love that Luke is a supportive listener to Reid
While Morgan and Reid are a popular duo for their brotherly relationship, Reddit user CMStan1313 took to r/criminalminds to show love for a different dynamic. They acknowledged that though they adore Reid and Garcia's friendship, it's another that takes the cake: "Hands down, my absolute favorite [duo] is Reid and Luke. The thing that endeared me to Luke so quickly is that he's the first BAU member to never interrupt Reid or look impatient when he goes on one of his information spiels." They also wrote that they're frustrated by the fact that many of the other characters are annoyed by Reid's nerdier side. In contrast, Luke listens to Reid with fascination.
In defense of the other characters, user tsp_of_dopamine pointed out that they have been hearing Reid's detailed facts for about a decade by Season 12, so Luke's fresh interest probably comes partly from the novelty of experiencing Reid's genius. Luke Alvez, for those who don't remember, comes to the series in Season 12, replacing Derek Morgan. And, unlike many of the additions made to the cast after Season 3, fans love Luke.
Beyond simply liking that Luke appreciates Reid's spiels, CMStan1313 wrote, "I also just love all of their interactions and think that they read each other really well and are pretty good at telling when the other is not alright." Other fans agreed that they make good partners: User mccabebabe particularly liked them together in the Season 13 episode "Lucky Strikes," while Sm4sh3r88 mentioned that Alvez was there for Reid during his traumatic experience of going to prison after being framed for murder.
Ultimately, fans love seeing the characters being supportive to each other, which defines Luke and Reid's friendship.