Criminal Minds Ruined This Character And Fans Are Still Not Over It
Fifteen seasons of Criminal Minds has built a loyal fan base around the show, with each fan having their own favorite character.
However, one of the characters, even though did not last long on the show, is still criticized by fans much more than others.
Elle Greenaway was one of the original members of the BAU group, specializing in sex crimes. In one episode, a criminal ambushed her apartment and shot her, then taunted the injured Elle.
She survives, but takes an extended leave of absence to recover from her injuries, and although her physical wounds heal, Elle's behavior changes markedly and her mental state becomes unstable.
In one of the following episodes, Elle panics and shoots the maniac, preventing the group from learning his motives. After that, she leaves the BAU on her own.
Although Lola Glaudini's character stayed on the show only until the beginning of the second season, discussions of Criminal Minds are often met with resentment that her character was on the show at all.
She is also often compared to Paget Brewster, whose character, Emily Prentiss, came in as a replacement.
"I didn't watch CM when it first aired, when I first came into it, Elle was already long gone. I went back to watch the earlier seasons later, and never liked her because Paget is ten times the actress Lola could ever be," Reddit user mccabebabe commented.
Some fans believe that such a dislike for the character developed because Elle was simply not allowed to show herself and reveal her story.
"It's more than likely that she left so fast people didn't have enough time to bond with the character and turn a blind eye to actions they don't like," Reddit user TvManiac5 said.
Another part of the fandom believe that the arc of the Lola's character was already outdated when the first seasons were filmed, and in modern realities it seems even more obsolete.
Even then, the audience was clamoring for strong female characters like Emily Prentiss, but Elle was not one.
Fans agree that if the actress had stayed on the show longer, she would most likely have gotten the development that the audience wanted.