Criminal Minds' A.J. Cook is As Conflicted About Jeid As You Are, Probably
How would you feel if Reid and JJ started dating in Season1?
Despite Spencer Reid's absence from Criminal Minds: Evolution, longtime viewers are still hoping for his possible return in the recently announced Season 2. The show left the door open for Matthew Gray Gubler, and some fans wonder if the revived version of the genius agent could bring back his feelings for JJ and their romantic arc.
Another thing that points to a possible development of the Jeid (JJ and Reid) love storyline is the attention that Season 1 of Evolution gave to the relationship between JJ and her husband Will. No other couple (and not even all BAU members) get as much screen time as the Jareau-LaMontagne family. Fans feel that this could be a bad sign, leading to the season finale killing off Will one way or another.
While heartbreaking, such a development would allow JJ to explore her feelings for Reid. Throughout the run of the original show, the couple had an uneven dynamic.
In Season 1, Reid clearly had a crush on JJ and even asked her out to a football game, encouraged by Gideon. Although it was the moment that launched the Jeid ship, JJ didn't seem to reciprocate Reid's feelings, and the romantic storyline was dropped.
However, the Season 14 finale sent Jeid fans to cloud nine when JJ confessed that she had loved Reid for many years. But again, nothing happened after that. Jeid's mutual attraction was apparently not enough for JJ to break up her otherwise happy marriage to Will. And while Jeid shippers were disappointed, a large part of the Criminal Minds fandom breathed a sigh of relief.
As did A.J. Cook, apparently.
While discussing the shocking twist with JJ's confession, the actress told TV Guide that she was impressed with the writers' boldness. Resurrecting Jeid was a risky move condemned by many fans. As for her own feelings about the scene, Cook said:
"It was scary for me, but I looked at it as, 'That's life, man.' Life is messy and complicated and they obviously do have a real love for one another, whatever category that falls into."
The actress added that she liked how things ended for her character in the original show. If Reid and JJ had started dating from day one, the show would have been very different from what it is today.
"[The thought of it] still makes me nervous to this day," Cook shared.