season 2's unexpected development allows Spencer Reid's return to finally pay off a forgotten and divisive storyline. Matthew Gray Gubler's absence in the Paramount+ revival has been a favorite topic of conversation, not just because he is sorely missed in the BAU but because several plotlines cannot be tackled without him. Admittedly, there has been confusion as to why Gubler didn't return as Reid in season 1, but more importantly, he has come out and said that he is more than willing to step back into his breakout role for the revival.
While there's no definite date on when the BAU's golden boy will reclaim his spot in Emily Prentiss' team, there are clues that
. For what it's worth, he remains an official member of the FBI unit, but he's supposedly just assigned elsewhere. When he finally comes back, he will be a big help in solving grittier and darker cases, thanks to his intellect. Beyond that, however, Reid's return can now address a dropped storyline, especially in light of a recent casting shuffle in .
Recurring star Josh Stewart has confirmed that . Will has been with AJ Cook's JJ for so many years, sharing two sons together. He was in season 1, alongside his whole family, and was even the main focus of the year when he got a health scare. At the end of the year, however, he came out of it unscathed, with the hope that he was finally out of the woods. There has been no indication that JJ and Will's romance is coming to an end, but Stewart's exit confirms that.
It's uncertain what lies ahead for Will, but he will be out of the picture moving forward. This paves the way for JJ and Reid to finally act on their mutual attraction
. The pair has always had a close bond, and while there were clues that there was more to it than being friends and co-workers, it wasn't until the last season of CBS' Criminal Minds that it was confirmed. Unfortunately, the idea was eventually dropped after the backlash, not to mention the complexity that it brought to JJ's marriage. Now, however, can fully explore it.
The reasons for dropping JJ and Reid's love affair were strong
. As interesting as it was, it was just way too late to even consider moving it forward in the CBS series. Regardless of how writes Will out, it may still be a divisive love line, especially if it's tackled not long after JJ loses her husband. Although the procedural can eventually revisit the idea, it's best not to jump on the opportunity of bringing JJ and Reid together once he returns.
