#jennifer jareau meta

[carnalish]

thinking about how JJ buries her trauma the most she can. she's someone so deeply afraid of vulnerability. and i think that we sometimes forget that JJ, at a very young age, didn't only lose her sister (which is already hard enough), but lost her support system entirely.

i don't remember the exact episode, but JJ's mother says "I got so caught up in all my troubles that I forgot there was another little girl under my roof who had just lost her sister. You needed me, and I wasn't there." Jennifer lost her family, all she had when she was only eleven years old. and since then, she's been caught up in running away from being hurt in any way, and hurting others just the same. because the moment people know, it becomes real, as she herself stated.

Jennifer Jareau is a woman who trusts very few people, even though she's someone so reliable herself. and why she's so reliable is because she had to learn to be since she was a CHILD. it breaks my heart.

[youbutstupid]

Ages of the Criminal Minds cast because PSA: life doesn’t stop at 40

Mandy Patinkin, 71. Thomas Gibson, 61

Lola Glaudini, 52. A.J. Cook, 45

Matthew Gray Gubler, 44. Kirsten Vangsness, 51

Shemar Moore, 54. Paget Brewster, 55

Joe Mantegna, 76. Meta Golding, 52

Rachel Nichols, 44. Jeanne Tripplehorn, 60

Jennifer Love Hewitt, 45. Aisha Tyler, 53

Adam Rodriguez, 49. Daniel Henney, 44

[ellenatural]

DEREK: Let's hope this one was just a prank.

1.13, Poison

look at her faaaaaceee.

jj team-media liason is SO IMPORTANT. she has such a different perspective to everyone else. like, everyone on that plane hopes that this case is nothing serious and nobody else gets hurt and of course jj does want that too and doesn't want people to get hurt.

but she also bears a burden that the others don't. if this is just a prank, then she has brought them here for nothing, probably at the expense of another case.

[neve-gallus-girl-detective]

I think one of the most tragic things about Jemily in canon for me is that there’s always a sense that both women know. JJ and Emily are both aware that something almost happened between them. They know that there’s tension, that they love each other. JJ knows why Emily keeps leaving and Emily knows why JJ has to stay with Will. Every time they talk about how hard the past is, or how happy they are to be reunited, there’s such a sense that things could be different.

If they’d made a different choice somewhere along the line, then this reunion would be something else entirely. They may never have been separated at all. The sad look on Emily’s face when she pushes JJ toward Will. The little headshake JJ gives Emily when she tells them she’s leaving and Emily says “you’re too good”. JJ and Emily on the plane to Paris, JJ and Emily’s look at the wedding, the constant checking in later as they try to be close and keep their distance all at once. They know how great they could have been and they know they missed their chance.

[wizardofahz]

Saw a Criminal Minds gifset and suddenly started thinking about canon vs. fanon JJ.

TL; DR: Fanon JJ is the facade canon JJ puts on to hide trauma.

(This discusses JJ's sister, so content warning for suicide)

The obvious starting point for understanding JJ's characterization is her sister's suicide. That's a traumatic event for anyone, and even more so for an eleven year old child. So it's quite understandable that JJ decides she will do whatever she can to avoid experiencing hurt like that again.

In episode 3.17, JJ tells Will about their relationship, "I didn't want to tell anyone because the minute I do it becomes real, and when it becomes real, people get hurt, and I've always run from getting hurt. Always."

But JJ didn't only lose her sister.

In episode 14.12, JJ's mom admits, "I got so caught up in all my troubles that I forgot there was another little girl under my roof who had just lost her sister. You needed me, and I wasn't there."

At eleven years old, JJ was a traumatized child without a support system. So she learned to rely on herself. Other people were just avenues for hurt, and she decided that wasn't worth it.

All of which leads to this confession from JJ in the season 14 finale: "There are only four people I trust in this world."

My three non-negotiables are Will, Hotch, and Emily. The fourth is between Reid and Garcia, but I lean towards the former given Garcia's penchant for invading people's privacy.

Even if anyone disagrees with that list, there's not a lot of room for choice. At any given time, the BAU usually has seven members, and given the amount of turnover they've had, JJ hasn't learned to trust most of them.

Do they know that? They probably know her facade masks trauma, but I doubt they know the extent of it. There's a reason that episode starts with the team playing poker, and JJ showing Reid he doesn't know her as well as he thinks he does.

So let's talk about that facade. In contrast to Reid, who wears his trauma on his sleeve, JJ buries hers as deeply as she can. She takes care of the people around her, and while it's not disingenuous, it's part of a prettily painted reinforced fortress wall that says, "hey, look at me, such a put-together person that doesn't have problems of my own, so I can help with yours."

And it does the job because it has fandom fooled too.

[wereoz]

how i feel about jeid is something i haven’t seen agreed upon by proponents or antis but i feel like i can’t be the only one so:

what’s crazy is that jj being in love with reid DID add an interesting spin to their friendship i feel.... it’s like. it fits?? for jj’s character: in s2 (?) she wanted to be with will but let other things get in the way and her fear of settling down/intimacy was revealed. and later in the show like s11? 12? she still struggled with it: after a difficult case she finds it hard to stick with will and let him see her, she needs to be moving and have space and be doing other things. in a way, she is doing the same ‘moving’, moving towards spencer.

and all along she's found it hard to talk to reid and it’s a thing fans have picked up on: some odd teasing, just generally not understanding why he continues to say things that stick out; one example is when she said about a case “god how weird”, and he explained it’s common and she looked at him so put off he backtracked and went “yeah weird...”

but none of that ever stops her from caring for him. small things like telling him the candles on his birthday cake are trick candles and bigger stuff like saying he doesn't need to hate himself for anything that happened in prison.

so to me it does make sense to me, on some level that she finds space, arguably refuge, from her love from will with spencer.

and it does add interest that who she loves is someone she’s devoted to but will never truly have closeness with because of many insurmountable reasons: she already passed him up, she’ll never understand him enough to build that intimacy, and she can’t get that close to anyone without feeling caged.

one final one, which matters to me most: the second she acts on it he loses all desirability. his appeal is that he’s a safety net. if she feels too overwhelmed by her marriage and life with will and all the secrets she can't tell him, she turns to reid because he’s safe as long as none if it is real.

on reid’s side of this: there’s something tragic about the fact jj finds it hard to understand him and reid hates not being understood yet puts up with it because he thinks if he holds out for a person who understands him to love him he will never be loved.

so all of this to say: fucked up dynamic of all time that seems normal at first until you pick beneath the surface <3

[ellesgotaway]

Hello! This is a Criminal Minds sideblog. I’ll probably be mostly reblogging gifsets but I also want to make meta posts about the show bc I love these characters so much!

Here are a few things about me and my interests in the show:

- I’m Alex - I’m a 24 yo master’s student and my pronouns are she/her

- I first started watching CM quite young but stopped about halfway through the series but I am currently rewatching it all the way through

- My favourite characters are Spencer, Emily, Penelope, Elle, and Derek

- I can’t say what my favourite episodes are yet since I’m rewatching from the beginning

- I want to make meta posts about the characters and find others who do so as well since I think the characterization on this show (when it’s not completely off the rails …) is really interesting!

- My fave ships are Spencelle, Jemily, Moreid in some contexts, Ralvez from what I’ve seen from tumblr, Spencer/Ethan (no clue what their ship name is), and my own crack ship between Elle and Emily in an AU where Elle stays and can no longer trust Spencer fully

- I’m not an anti of /most/ ships (Cat/Spencer can stand facing the corner though) but I’m not particularly fond of Jeid post s2, or Hotchreid and Rentiss as romantic pairings

- I’m a lesbian Emily and bisexual Spencer, Elle, and JJ truther

Ok this is long enough. Follow me or send an ask if you want to ramble about Criminal Minds things :)

[carnalish]

[ellenatural]

1.11, Blood Hungry

[neve-gallus-girl-detective]

I think Emily and JJ both have an interesting struggle of like…. How do you complain about your personal struggles when you come from places of such privilege? Like Emily could complain about child neglect and being made to grow up too fast and like no emotional support, but those things happened because she was filthy rich, lived in a million countries, and her mother paid for her to do whatever the fuck she wanted. JJ could complain about childhood trauma and constant misperception and no coping skills for emotions, but that happened because she grew up in a white, protestant middle class town and she’s a very pretty white, blonde girl and she wants more. Does that make sense?

Like they have (in fanon, I guess) some minority struggles. Emily grew up a lesbian and JJ grew up closeted/repressed and now they work for a government that hates gays and DADT is still in effect and there’s no gay marriage in sight, etc etc. But they’re still white and wealthy and all of that. So, how much can they complain, really? Just some thoughts.

[forgetmesunflower]

buried deep, these memories

Chapter 6: as though you never existed in the first place

Turning to face Duke more fully, Jason asked, “Hold on, is this about you being a meta?” Duke’s hands fell to his sides, swinging once, twice, before stopping stiff against his hips. “Man, I can’t hold a candle to Tim in sparring. Even after over two years I don’t last ten seconds if he’s not holding back. I don’t know, I just– I love what I have, what I can do, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes– I guess sometimes I forget when I’m standing next to Tim or Cass or you, and I get too caught up in what I can’t do. I know it ain’t healthy to think that way, but you guys are all so great without any powers, and he–” He glanced up at the photo on the wall. “Well, he was the best.” ─── It's been four years since the family lowered Dick's coffin into the ground, and Jason finally feels like he’s settling into his new job with the BAU. That is, until two people part of an illusive group called ‘Spyral’ arrive in custody. aka. Jason works for the BAU and Dick hasn't come back from Spyral.

Can't believe chapters 4-6 were originally meant to be all one chapter... Which means this is technically: For @criminalmindsxdc's CMxDC Week 2025 Day 7 PART TWO: "Life is a hell of a thing to happen to a person."

Rating: Teen Words: 27.4k, 6/12 Relationships: Jason Todd & Dick Grayson, Jason Todd & BAU Members, Jason Todd & Emily Prentiss, Jason Todd & Tim Drake, Jason Todd & Duke Thomas Characters: Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, David Rossi, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner, Penelope Garcia, Original Male Character(s), Tim Drake, Bruce Wayne (Mentioned), Paris Pantoja, Duke Thomas, Barbara Gordon (Mentioned)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62983582/chapters/165779947

[spencer-reids-adventures]

For real though, the endgame jj/reid was such a disservice to both characters. Maybe we shouldn't revive storylines that were buried 14 seasins ago. Like jj married will despite being in love with someone else, and reid never got over his "pretty lady is nice to me 🥺"-puppy crush? Okay great.

Yes! I I'm going to copy a thing I wrote somewhere else because it encapsulates my feelings about this storyline:

I do think JJ is a mean girl even if she won't admit it, and I think she believes she "loves" reid because she's always seen him as her backup.

she was reluctant to share her relationship with will with the team, it took her ages to actually marry him. She's afraid of commitment. But I think she's also afraid of being alone.

And I think subconsciously, ever since the "Red Skins" game, she's seen spencer that way - she knows he had a crush on her, and she's always thought, well, no matter what happens, spence is always there. like her "if we're not married by 40" friend, only she IS married by 40, but she still keeps him in mind as her "just in case".

and I don't think she realizes she's doing it and I don't think she realizes what a dick move it is to tell spencer, even if what she's feeling isn't actually Love, but more like...idk, security?

because for spencer it's completely different. it didn't work out with JJ. it (in my opinion) didn't work out with stephen or ethan, lila or austin. maeve died. spencer is perpetually alone, and i don't believe he loves JJ - i think he idealizes her in a similar way, like a nostalgia thing - he loved her before hankel, before maeve, before prison - and that's why he gets sort of confused after her confession.

but it's not fair of her to say those things to him because he has no one and she has everyone. she has a FAMILY. and he wants a famliy, and he's alone, and she's basically flaunting that in his face. "oh, i always loved you, but i actually have everything i want and you don't, so."

it's just so messed up but it's also totally in character for the JJ they've created who is selfish and not very nice to spencer and doesn't want to end up alone.

[qvid-pro-qvo]

do you have a favorite Criminal Minds episode overall? Do you have a favorite for each character?

mmmmmmm very good question to think about as i comfort rewatch :) also, probably gonna do favorite here and not best, because i think those are two separate questions. you’ll also see my bias toward earlier episodes here. whoops. 

favorite episode overall - this is a tough one, but i LOVE the episodes where we see the work of profiling, and in some episodes this is really shown as an art form. i would have to say “seven seconds” (3x01). i love the enclosed space the mall serves as geography, i love how they interview the family, i love the way they bounce off of each other. i could watch this episode every day. shit like this is why criminal minds is great. there are other episodes that i could classify as favorites but probably fall into the category of character episodes. 

this unsurprisingly got long, like novel-lengthy, so i’m sticking the individual characters under a cut.

hotch 

aaron hotchner. there’s a reason i write fic for this man, besides the fact that i feel like in later seasons he is the epitome of one note most times. we see him smile every so often, but i also think i latch onto earlier episodes because we see so much of his care for those he cares for. i LOVE “lessons learned” (2x10) for him. i LOVE the way he is so blatantly shown to adore haley and jack. i think this is one of the episodes that speaks volumes across the show, even as his humanity kind of gets stripped away in the later episodes. i think this is a great intro for emily prentiss, too, but i don’t put it with her because while she does shine, i like other episodes for her better. the foyet storyline, of course, all the way through its conclusion in “route 66” (9x05). i really love the way we see his adoration for haley and jack, i love the way we see him grapple with his guilt, and. fuck. i just care about aaron hotchner a lot. also i can’t not say “it takes a village” (7x01) - beard hotch? inspired my first ever fic for him? yeah.  also, i think it also shows the things he is willing to do for his team, because i truly think that if any member of the team was in that situation, he would be there for them and do the exact same thing. hypothetically. 

rossi 

rossi isn’t my favorite character for a variety of reasons, namely because i never really felt connected to him and i think he... is a tool for the writers to bring things out of left field. but i think a huge growth moment for him and for me in terms of appreciating him as a character is “zoe’s reprise” (4x15). the rossi that comes back to the bau is definitely one who is a lot of things, and this episode pretty much expertly breaks down every wall that he’s put up since he left. we see him empathize with a victim, see him get told off when he tries to use money to fix the situation, we see him reflect on the consequences of his actions and the way that even though he’s kind of an ass when he first comes on, there’s more underneath. like i said, he’s not my favorite character, but this episode does a good job of working in much needed humanization of him. also, of course, the dinner scene in “proof” (7x02) could be an episode all on it’s own. “as a family.” you’re so right, rossi, you’re so right. 

derek 

god, i fucking love derek episodes. i love, love, love derek morgan. i high-key think that shemar moore does some of the most incredible/versatile acting on this show, and i’m not even speaking in hyperbole. we can talk about microexpressions from hotch and mgg’s portrayal all we want, but the way shemar moore delivers a man who suffered from some of the worst childhood trauma and creates a layered character with some of the most incredible empathy towards others on his team and victims is just jaw-dropping. i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again - derek is the most emphathetic character and the most in tune with the rest of the team. he is 100% the character who knows what others are feeling and actually acts on it. his relationships with spencer and penelope and emily -

but the episodes. there are tons of points in episodes focused on other characters where he shines (”penelope” and “mayhem” are two that come to mind) but honestly? “profiler, profiled” (2x12). not because of the trauma, but because how derek reacts to the trauma. we see him go through the five stages of grief when it comes to watching his persona, his shield, crumble around his team. we see him get taken apart and put himself back together. it is one of those episodes that makes me cry every time i watch it. derek confronting carl buford, that scene - f u c k. that’s all i have to say. 

penelope 

i absolutely adore my girl penelope. her character-centric episodes are some of my absolute favorite in the show. and it’s more like, i see a lot of myself in her even if i don’t absolutely identify with her personality (i am not nearly as sunshiney, unfortunately). so for her, i have to go with the classic “penelope” (3x09) for one. first of all, i think that the way the team cares for her is so vital. she is the heart of the team. and this episode shows it. more than that, i think it also shows how important a role she plays when she’s fully functioning, and we get reminded of how much she so desperately cares for others. i rewatch this episode often. another one for her is “exit wounds” (5x21). once again showing how much she cares for others, and also a really good/great/awesome derek and penelope moment. i love how often we get reassured that the team wants her exactly how she is, and she doesn’t have to change to catch the bad guys, and the moment where she says she looked into that man’s eyes so he could see something brilliant and bright as he died? god. sticks with me. 

emily

now. i’m not gonna lie. i think while i simp for hotch, emily is the most interesting character in the canon besides derek. i think while there are some problems in terms of continuity in her storyline, i think her journey in season six is one of my absolutely favorites to rewatch. i love watching her manipulate doyle. do i think the show could’ve done more in terms of fallout? yes. do i care? not totally. it’s a procedural, i get it. i love emily prentiss (probably am in love with her). i think her introduction in “lessons learned” is expert. while “demonology” (4x17) isn’t my favorite episode overall (i felt a disconnect with the story they were trying to tell in terms of unsub), i think for emily it’s such a brilliant look into her psyche and the way she thinks about her past. and i think “lauren” (6x18) is awesome at making the audience really look, watching her grapple with the consequences of her actions, her breakdown when she hears garcia’s message and having to quickly put herself back together... yeah, i love it. another one? “minimal loss” (4x03). i LOVE minimal loss. not only because of the story and the unsub, because emily throwing herself verbally in front of spencer to protect him is one of the top tier moments in the show. her and spencer’s relationship... fuck, so good.

spencer

there is a reason that spencer reid sticks around through fifteen seasons and it is because he is the soul of show. no, i’m not kidding. i think there is a lot of development that happens with spencer and when his individual relationships are highlighted the show shines. i think when the show, well, showcases his ingenuity it thrives. one episode that i just rewatched that comes to mind is “derailed” (1x09). the intensity of the episode is highlighted by spencer’s moments of humor, humanity, and intelligence. i like “revelations” (2x15) for the same reason. we see his genius through the eyes of the team and we’re just as in awe of him as hotch and gideon are. (did he get the support he needed after that episode? no, and i’ll die mad about it.) also his relationship with his mother, i will cry about it at any moment of the day. i LOVE their relationship, i love the way they develop, i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the fact that we see the both of them throughout the whole series. “the fisher king, part two” (2x01) and the growth moments between the both of them - like, god, rip my heart out kind of love. fuck, and don’t even get me started on HIS empathy. the way that he reaches out to so many people who are suffering through his ability to just... listen. he doesn’t overlook anyone. he can’t. he knows what it feels like. some examples i love “the uncanny valley” (5x12) and “coda” (6x16).

jj

jj. there’s a lot i could say about jj, but i will say this. i do think liaison jj is more interesting, inherently, than profiler jj, and i do think that her character is reduced as the series goes along. i honestly think she is more of an equal with the rest of the team when she is liaison and plays that role. i will say, though, that i think her own exhibition of empathy, namely through the way she is willing to take the brunt of communicating with victims and families, is brilliant throughout the show. she does so much and i wish we saw her do even more (also she is canonically one of the best shots on the team, and i LOVE that). my favorite episodes for her is “risky business” (5x13), because as someone who has lost a friend in the same way jj lost her sister, i really felt for her and i think this gave us so much insight into WHY she does what she does. and “the longest night” (6x01) because her speech impacts the unsub almost as much as it impacts me. there’s a reason hotch wants her to be the one on the radio waves, and she nails it because she’s competent and incredible and... yeah. i do love her.

[carnalish]

nobody could make me hate them!!!

[j-reau]

I was yelling at @memoryfaded about fandom’s interpretation of JJ (yes again) and i got in my feelings about JJ + her feelings, and more importantly JJ in love. 

We all know I hate that fandom only sees JJ as the “mom friend” because she’s a mother and because she mothers the fuck out of Reid. But the reality is that’s only ONE of her canon team dynamics. JJ sees what people need and she becomes it. She sees that Reid needs someone to guide him emotionally and care for him and mother him so she does that. She sees that Hotch needs a good soldier who stays tight lipped and follows orders so she does that. She sees that Penelope needs a friend so she does that. And Morgan needs a brother, a soldier in arms so she gives him that. And Emily needs an equal so she is her equal. It’s not calculated. I don’t think it’s fake or on purpose. I think it’s her instinct. I think it’s years of growing up in a small town, as an athlete, learning what people needed her to be. And years of growing up around grieving parents and wanting to be the daughter they needed after her sister’s death, and coming up in a career in the early 00′s in a male dominated field where she had to learn to be the kind of woman men wanted her to be (see season 1 JJ: bossy, mothering ‘hot’ flirty, tough but warm.)

JJ is a chameleon. Her feelings are real, her vulnerability is real, when she gets down to it. How much she loves her team is real, it’s true, it’s who she is. How much she loves her family is HUGE to her. I’m not negating any of that, but I am negating the idea that JJ is the warm loving mom friend simply because that’s the role she plays with Reid. 

In reality, JJ has a very very subtle, slow, satisfying progression from being the type of woman she needs to be in her field, to becoming a profilers, to learning to swallow things, to being what I think is probably a slightly more realistic version of her in later seasons; a good soldier who holds the line and does the work and helps her team, and is damaged and tough as a motherfucker. 

"But JJ, you said this was a post about JJ in love.” Yes I did. I am easily distracted. 

But think about JJ in relation to her relationship with Will. JJ who refused to tell her team for years that she and Will were secretly in a relationship. And when confronted about it, the reason she finally gives him is that she was afraid that if she told people it’d be real and when it’s real people get hurt. JJ spent YEARS being afraid her feelings were real? honey get a therapist. Your feelings are real. People will get hurt. You will get hurt. 

And then, in season 7? 8? After she and Will have been together for five years with a kid and still aren’t married she says to him -- and I quote -- “ask me again.” AGAIN. That suggests that Will has proposed to her before and she turned him down. Despite having a kid with him, despite them living together, despite spending what 5-7 years with this guy? Gee, wonder why she would have done that. Because JJ has a LOT of trouble confronting her own genuine feelings and opening up to them and telling other people and letting them in for real. And frankly, I think that’s part of why considering her the mom friend is a little bit off base because it takes her THAT MUCH to open up to her husband. Which leads me to believe that all that vulnerability she appears to share, with victims, with her friends, etc is SUPER measured. It’s on her terms, it’s when she needs to say it and she only lets it out because it’s what they need from her. If given the choice, Jennifer Jareau would keep everything back to protect her own heart. It makes her incredibly hard to get to open up. Not because she doesn’t love but because she does and she’s awful at admitting it. 

[ellenatural]

GIDEON: How do you wanna handle the press? JJ: We still don't even know how these people got dosed. I think it would be irresponsible to issue a warning without specifics. It'll just cause panic. I did notify the local PD, though, to be discreet.

can i jotch post? can i jideon on this elle blog?

aaaaaAAAAAAAaaaAAAA these three. gideon trusts her with everything to do with press and media. and it's not just that he's a luddite or anything. he points AT HER. and says how do you want to handle the press. and jj gives a well-reasoned response (he loves when they do that) and he just trusts her and moves on.

and now let me jotch post agian. the platinum coworkers. she's very young, but they already entrust her with so much that it's very much unexpected when it goes wrong, as it did in the previous episode 1.12:

recap: this blurry reporter asks during a press conference about a body found in the river (when they're on a case of a missing child) and everyone in the room is taken off guard.

when they regroup, jj takes the blame and says she should have prepped the family to be asked about that and gideon immediately backs her up saying, we didn't have anything to tell them yet. he's on her side 100% and he doesn't tell white lies. but hotch is quiet (all he says is that the reporter could have heard it on the police scanner).

and it makes my heart ache because she's so young. but she has so much responsibility that she has to handle. and hotch and gideon trust her with that like she's a senior member of the staff. and just. ugh. they emphasise this specifically during the jordan todd saga and then. then. they decide they don't care! okay! well i cared since season one!!!!!