The Real Reason Criminal Minds Fans Wouldn't Date Reid
Although "Criminal Minds" met its end in February 2020, the show still has a large and active fanbase. As with most tv shows, fans fall in love with the show's main cast and characters. "Criminal Minds" is no exception to this with fans showing appreciation for their beloved BAU team. Although characters came and went through the years— such as Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) or Alex Blake (Jeanne Tripplehorn) — the admiration for the show's characters stayed consistent, as seen by the still-active "Criminal Minds" subreddit and online fan discourse.
There is Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), the team's technical analyst that fans have come to know as a zany computer nerd with comedy chops and over-the-top fashion. There is Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) aka Hotch, the stern yet lovable former team leader. There's also Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), the team's stud muffin agent who is always there to save the day and protect the team at all costs.
However, there is one character, in particular, that is very popular among fans is Spencer Reid, played by Matthew Gray Gubler. Known to the fandom as Reid, he is an agent on the team with multiple technical abilities, often labeled as a genius. His many quirks and backstory entranced fans — and so did his looks. Although many fans might daydream of dating Reid, here's why some fans say they wouldn't actually date him.
Reid would be difficult to date in real life
While Reid's many cute quirks might be adorable to observe, they're not something to necessarily glamorize or idealize. Reid is extremely smart, having graduated high school at the age of 12, but this level of intelligence can also be a negative — recall the infamous moment when he finished Prentiss' star puzzle in a matter of seconds, much to her annoyance. Reid also noticeably has a certain lack of empathy on the show, as well as a lot of unresolved trauma. This is not to say this makes him unloveable, just something to keep in mind for daydreaming fans.
In the "Criminal Minds" subreddit, fans shared similar sentiments on the idea of realistically dating Reid. One fan u/Roxo42 said "the reality of being with someone like him would very much fall flat for the vast majority of fans lol" with u/AnnaRoquez agreeing, saying "It's cool to fantasize how it would be; but irl it'll be a total failure."
However, u/AnnaRoquez continued to add on with an interesting point saying "But that's the cool thing of falling in love with fictional characters: You don't have to deal with all the background s**t cool characters usually have."
So, while the reality of dating Reid might be a bit different from the fantasies, the fanbase seems to be aware of this and doesn't let it take the fun out of their harmless fantasizing.