'Criminal Minds' Fans Are Going Off After Paget Brewster Reacts to a Viral Spencer Reid Theory

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

This story contains spoilers from Criminal Minds.

Ever since Criminal Minds debuted on CBS in 2005, fans continually love to conceptualize ideas about various storylines played out over its 15 seasons. Well, one particular hypothesis suddenly went viral on the internet, with actress Paget Brewster stepping in to give her two cents about it.

In a new video posted to TikTok, user @eprentisscm proposed a theory about Paget's character Emily Prentiss and the fan-favorite Dr. Spencer Reid (played by Matthew Gray Gubler). The 40-second clip depicted the BAU agents in a number of different scenarios and suggested Prentiss died after the events with the unsub Ian Doyle in season 6. As the theory continued to play out, it implied that Reid eventually had a mental breakdown after experiencing PTSD. What's more, it proposed that as a result, Reid believed Prentiss was alive throughout the rest of the series.

When the user realized the video about the CBS drama went viral on TikTok, they uploaded it to Twitter on March 19. After tagging Paget and Matthew to get their takes on it, the actress responded a few days later with one word: "Brilliant."

Paget wasn't the only one who loved this concept. Criminal Minds fans equally found the theory intriguing, proceeding to share their opinions about it in the TikTok comments section.

"This is so good, but like I'm scared [you know]?" one person wrote. "Oh my [god] this is incredible," another agreed. "SOBBING RIPPING HAIR OUT SCREAMING ROLLING ON THE FLOOR VOMITING," a different user exclaimed.

Understandably there were overwhelming feelings on the subject but the original CBS show does provide some evidence that Prentiss' presence may have been in Reid's imagination. Viewers know that the boy genius' mother Diane (Jane Lynch) had schizophrenia, with Reid putting her in a facility at age 18. What's more, he started to suffer from "intense headaches" in the middle of season 6, with no clear-cut answer as to how to treat them.

Another way this TikTok theory checks out is by looking closer at Prentiss' trajectory throughout in the drama. The character first appeared in season 2 when she became part of the BAU. She continued to play an active role before she faked her death and went into witness protection at the end of season 6.

She eventually came back in season 7 before leaving again at the end of the installment. The character later returned in season 12 — the same year Reid went to prison for a murder that he didn't commit.

Fast forward, we know Prentiss (and Paget) is still around, thanks to Criminal Minds: Evolution on Paramount+. But this entire theory does have us questioning ourselves now ...

You Might Also Like

• 67 Best Gifts for Women That'll Make Her Smile

• The Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper