Profiling Criminal Minds Unknown

There are a lot of parts of this show I really like, the witty commentary, and the biting analysis. However I think they really misunderstood Spencer Reid on a really deep level and the reason is really upsetting considering the way neurodivergent people are often dismissed by psychologists who almost never understand autistic and neurodivergent people. They minimize his issues all down to trauma with his mother, which is certainly part of it but Reid is also very very clearly autistic. Things like his toleration of bullying most autistic watchers of the show see as a manifestation of our experiences. Many autistic people including myself are very vulnerable to certain types of bullying because we don’t realize we’re being bullied, this is something I see in spades with Spencer. His difficulty or avoidance of romance could be because of social awkwardness, trauma, and other factors related to his neurodivergence, or he could simply be on the demisexual to asexual spectrum. He stims a great deal, and this is often something he’s teased for, and it’s something you don’t really mention. I’m very surprised that even in episodes like Coda you’re very dismissive of the idea that Reid is autistic, or don’t mention it at all, even though this is mentioned in the show and is a very common reading of Spencer particular by autistic fans.

I think they have great stuff to say but the guy cannot stop interrupting the woman or trying to butt in and finish her sentence. He needs to learn to respect women and close his mouth and listen.

So I’d understand if Criminal Minds tried to pass itself off as prestige television over the years, but it’s a network procedural - a better one than most, in fact, during its earlier seasons. While I appreciate the background knowledge - although much can be found on the DVD audio commentaries and old news articles - I feel like this podcast is very mean spirited at times. There’s a reason the show ran for 14 season - its devoted fan base. I don’t think any show should be off the table for criticism, but there’s an arrogance - especially coming from the male host who continually cuts his female co-host off - that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.