LOGINLibrary
Why Was Erin Strauss Killed Off In Criminal Minds?
Erin Strauss' tragic arc from antagonist to ally left me shaken—why did the writers choose such a grim end for the BAU section chief after her redemption?
2025-10-22 00:20:03
244
Follow22
Share
Start Test
10 Answers
Best Answer
Juban Dulnuan
Strauss's death served several purposes for the story. Her shocky demise created much personal drama for Hotch and his team after they discovered she had been framed by the insignificant Reid-like character, Sebastian. Most of all, Strauss's death served as a closure to her long-standing professional rivalry with her eventual redemption. All this created a very intense and dramatic story line, and that is what makes so much great drama. People love to watch characters be put in extreme situations where they are up against seemingly insurmountable odds against powerful and meaningless institutions. I just finished reading ‘The Alphas’ Bodyguard Is A Girl’ and it had a similar effect on me. The main character is hired as a body guard to several powerful people while she secretly hides her own character. She battles to keep them safe from other enemy factions while trying to stay one step ahead of them in order to keep her own secret safe. It was a very intense read and every chapter was filled with uncertainty on the part of the protagonist and I had no idea what would happen next.
2026-08-03
Gracie
I had been so enamored with Erin Strauss that her death came as quite a surprise to me. She was a very complex character and her death was a bold move on the part of the show writers. Not only did it portray the dangers of profiling in real life and reveal them to the characters on the show as well as to the audience, it also seemed very personal. Her struggles with having authority in such a chaotic place were many and they affected her in so many ways. In the end her death was a turning point for the team as they were forced to come together and deal with their individual grief. Her death also created a lot of buzz amongst fans of the show, and for good reason.
2025-10-26
Kara
While reading Erin Strauss’ arc in ‘Criminal Minds’, I felt so much sadness and yet intrigue in how her character brought about the insights into the difficulties and stresses of leadership. Also how her very cold and often confrontational demeanor made her so very different from everybody else and how her unexpected death shocked us all. Yet her death served as a great reminder that anyone can fall even if they are apparently on top of the world. How her death affected every member of the team in so different ways was so very interesting and real.
Ending her story line was also great because it allowed for more insight into the characters and their emotional responses to her death. It seemed that each member of the BAU dealt with their grief in their own way, which made for some great story lines in the subsequent episodes. It was also great to see how Hotch handled her death as well. It really showed another side to his character and how he dealt with the other members of the BAU as well as with the rest of the team at Quantico following her death. It really highlighted the fragility of a leader in the field of the BAU and how her death affected not only the team that she worked with but also everyone back at Quantico. Her death seemed mournful at first but it really gave the show more opportunity for character development and for some very emotional story lines in the subsequent seasons.
Ending her story line was also great because it allowed for more insight into the characters and their emotional responses to her death. It seemed that each member of the BAU dealt with their grief in their own way, which made for some great story lines in the subsequent episodes. It was also great to see how Hotch handled her death as well. It really showed another side to his character and how he dealt with the other members of the BAU as well as with the rest of the team at Quantico following her death. It really highlighted the fragility of a leader in the field of the BAU and how her death affected not only the team that she worked with but also everyone back at Quantico. Her death seemed mournful at first but it really gave the show more opportunity for character development and for some very emotional story lines in the subsequent seasons.
2025-10-27
Julia
Her death had a lot of tragedy to it, to make it more meaningful than shock. Her death was an emotional wake-up call to the team, to show that even people in authority can fall victim to the same things that they are trying to solve. Her death was surprising but it opened up a lot of other storylines for the show and really made ‘Criminal Minds’ a lot more than just a procedural. It really showed the teamwork and trust that they have in each other and how they deal with each other’s grief. Really it made the show a lot more engaging. Her absence from the team was really felt throughout the rest of the series and it seemed to be evolving in a way that I wasn’t expecting. It was a shame to see her go but her memory will live on and that’s for sure.
2025-10-28
Sienna
I always felt that Strauss was a very divisive character among fans of the show. Some people loved her as the authority figure that Hotch needed, while others hated her for her ruthless decisions. I thought her character really descended into darkness in Season 8 of Criminal Minds and her death seemed like just the thing the show needed to start making some changes to the characters. Her death was very emotional and showed how Strauss’s character affected every single member of the team in very different ways. Needless to say, Aaron Hotch was affected the most by her death, as was expected.
They developed the characters further and the plot was so much more intense. You became attached to all of the characters on the show and you became invested in them in a way that you hadn’t been before in a long time. They explored how the team would deal with the loss of someone that they had, essentially, a love-hate relationship with, and it was so compelling to watch. The rest of the season became about their healing and it was so cool to see the different members of the team deal with their grief in different ways. The rest of the season was really great and I thought that the writers did a great job of dealing with the death of a main character.
Moreover, Strauss’ departure created space for novel dynamics between characters. The absence of Erin Strauss led to new characters taking on the leadership of the team, and created space for conflict within the FBI team. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing each of the characters being brought out in new ways, including seeing how some of the older characters managed to step up to the plate in entirely new ways or struggle under the new circumstances. All of this created fascinating dynamics between the characters and was a wonderful way to continue the Criminal Minds storyline after Strauss’ death.
I miss Erin Strauss in later seasons but I can understand why her character was removed from the show. It did create a fresh viewpoint in the narrative wheel.
They developed the characters further and the plot was so much more intense. You became attached to all of the characters on the show and you became invested in them in a way that you hadn’t been before in a long time. They explored how the team would deal with the loss of someone that they had, essentially, a love-hate relationship with, and it was so compelling to watch. The rest of the season became about their healing and it was so cool to see the different members of the team deal with their grief in different ways. The rest of the season was really great and I thought that the writers did a great job of dealing with the death of a main character.
Moreover, Strauss’ departure created space for novel dynamics between characters. The absence of Erin Strauss led to new characters taking on the leadership of the team, and created space for conflict within the FBI team. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing each of the characters being brought out in new ways, including seeing how some of the older characters managed to step up to the plate in entirely new ways or struggle under the new circumstances. All of this created fascinating dynamics between the characters and was a wonderful way to continue the Criminal Minds storyline after Strauss’ death.
I miss Erin Strauss in later seasons but I can understand why her character was removed from the show. It did create a fresh viewpoint in the narrative wheel.
2025-10-28
Related Books
Alpha's Detective Luna
Alora Sterling
10
5.5K
10
5.5K
Luna Valerie had everything she ever wanted in life. Evan, her dream husband, their little son, a family she could call her own.
But the small hope she had of ever winning the love of her life, vanished the day his fated mate stepped foot into the pack. Just when she thought her heart can't break any more than it already has, she pales as her little son runs to Evan's fated mate and calls her 'mommy'.
That is the last straw.
So with everything she had, she filed for divorce and left with no words. No explanation, no note. Nothing.
However, fate seems to have its cruel way with her when she discovers she is carrying their second child. She hates the goddess for playing such a cruel trick on her, for making her leave with a piece of the man she once loved deeply with all her heart, just when she wants nothing to do with him.
Yet that does not stop her from loving her child and giving him the world. Years later, she now goes by Detective Val of a supernatural agency that deals with all supernatural creatures and brings justice for all.
Now it just so happens Evan's pack is experiencing a case of children going missing. He seeks the help of the supernatural agency for assistance. Detective Val is assigned to the case, to which she has no choice but to go.
What will happen with her reunion with Evan and their son upon her return? Will feelings spark to life? Is there a chance of rekindling old memories upon learning that Evan has never taken another luna after she left? Or the fact that nothing has changed with her feelings toward him?
Ride the rollercoaster of emotions with me and let's find out!
Read NowElaina The Warrior
Eliza Selmer
9.2
13.2K
9.2
13.2K
As a child, Elaina Mason lost her parents to the darkness. Orphaned, the girl was taken in by the brethren, raised to be one of their elite. Now at twenty-two, Elaina is no longer that same, weak child who could only watch as everything she loved went up in flame and ash. She comes forth with the help of her comrades to protect what she now holds dear and wreaks vengeance and havoc against the dark days ahead.
Read NowMurdered, but My Cop Mom Thought I Ran Away
Washing Wheat
0
746
0
746
When my eyes were gouged out, my mother was shopping with my cousin.
When I was forced to drink a bottle of acid and died in agony, she snapped impatiently, “Kara, can’t you be as well-behaved as Wendy? If you’re just going to run away, then don’t bother calling me!”
However, when she saw the crime scene, she rushed outside and threw up.
As a criminal psychologist specially hired by the River City police, how could she feel sick at the sight of her own daughter’s body?
Read NowMy New Desk Job Made the ‘Corpse Whisperer’ Panic
Perfect Timing
0
3.7K
0
3.7K
After I, Wynn Jaffe, the Chief Forensic Pathologist, submitted my request to transfer into a clerical position, everyone in the department lit up with joy and approved it unanimously.
Everyone except my boyfriend’s childhood friend, Yvette Hans, the rookie forensic doctor who called herself the ‘corpse whisperer,’ completely broke down.
She burst into my office, grabbed onto my white coat with both hands with reddened eyes.
“Senior, your skills may be outdated, but I truly hope you’ll stay and keep speaking up for the victims!”
I coldly shrugged off her hand, packed my things, and walked away.
In my previous life, she claimed herself as the ‘corpse whisperer,’ someone who could commune with the dead, hear their murmurs, and know what happened to them before they died.
I worked tirelessly on every autopsy, dissecting, analyzing, and revising my reports.
She only needed a single glance at the body to recite my entire report word-for-word.
The victims’ families treated her like a saint, while they sneered at me, accusing me of disrespecting the dead.
I could not accept it. I poured everything I had into every examination, but she always beat me to it, revealing the truth before I could.
In the end, an extreme group of grieving family members, convinced I desecrated a corpse, kidnapped me, dismembered me, and dumped my remains in the wilderness.
When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn back to the very day Yvette first claimed she was a corpse whisperer.
Read NowAfter the Replacement Daughter Died, They All Went Mad
Autumn Dream
0
91
0
91
After my sister, Elina Spencer, died, I became her replacement.
I copied everything she did and bent over backward to please them, all because I wanted to matter to them just a little more.
But there was only ever room for Elina in their hearts.
They never stopped reminding me that I was nothing more than her substitute, that I should never dream of taking her place.
Then one day, Elina—the one everyone thought was dead—came back.
At last, I was free. I left this world in peace.
Only then did they regret everything. They cried as they chased after me, pleading for me to return, begging for my forgiveness.
But I was already dead.
Read NowShe Recognized Me on the Autopsy Table
Bitter Egg
0
723
0
723
Ethan Shaw is dead.
His face has been destroyed and his limbs severed. When his body reaches the morgue, the person who performs the autopsy is his own wife, Dr. Vivian Sullivan.
She is a cool, rational professor of forensic pathology, and she is the woman Ethan loved for more than a decade.
Six years ago he lost his voice saving her life, and she married him because of it. In all the years that followed, she remembered every one of his follow-up appointments yet never once remembered his birthday. She tended his injuries, but gave every ounce of warmth and favor she had to his younger brother.
Right up until the moment he died, Ethan was calling her, over and over.
And she hung up on his last plea for help so she could film a meteor shower for his brother.
Afterward, Vivian finds a scar she knows on the body, a red mole behind its ear, and the ring he died protecting--the one he'd meant to give her.
She finally recognizes him.
Read NowRelated Questions
How old is Reid in Criminal Minds?
2 Answers2026-06-06
The show lists Reid as 24 years old at the start of Season 1. Throughout the series his birthday is never actually mentioned. It would be an interesting parallel for a character-driven show with a brilliant somewhat isolated protagonist trying to navigate complex relationships. Instead of a crime solving team though, Alpha Reid would be a modern fantasy where the main character’s unique mind is both his greatest strength and greatest weakness.
What erin hunter warriors books have TV adaptations?
6 Answers2025-08-31
Instead of general TV (which I described above), consider high-end TV as a limited series on Apple TV+, HBO Max etc. Something with the same ‘serious story-telling’ credentials as His Dark Materials. Run it as a single season, covering one arc, 6-8 hours, 6-8 hour-long episodes. If it does well, make the next arc. This slow-burn, quality over quantity approach is all that will be able to tackle the complexity of storyline and character. As opposed to general TV shows with 20+ episodes per season which would be clogged with filler material. A novel-based, single-season approach would be best.
How did Denny die in Grey's Anatomy?
4 Answers2025-10-08
Denny's death on Grey's Anatomy was tragic. Even to this day it makes me sad. He was such a positive character and I loved him and Izzie together. Their story line was building up to so much and it was all so tragic in the end.
This scene was basically Izzie cutting the wire to Denny’s LVAD and his subsequent collapse and death. Who would have thought that Izzie’s desperate attempt to save Denny’s life would end up resulting in his death? This scene highlighted the fine line between life and death and was a shock to many fans of the show. It was even a shock to me, and it felt like I got punched in the gut! The writers did an excellent job of portraying the struggles of the characters in the show and making us appreciate the story that they are trying to tell.
What are the key themes in out of my mind novel?
11 Answers2026-07-28
There is also much to ponder over in the novel regarding ‘the body as archive’. Although her mind may archive everything else, her body is a living archive of every spasm, of every single grueling therapy session, of every single limitation she has suffered. The stories in her archive must be given a voice. Another major theme is ‘the fragility of belonging’. For a short time our heroine experiences true belonging with her quiz team. But that is brought crashing down to earth in an instant. Belonging is not a fixed state that can be attained. It is a fragile and ongoing negotiation. And it requires constant tending and guarding, above all by those on the margins.
What is the ending of Goodbye, Eri explained?
7 Answers2026-01-22
One major alternative theory to the movie is that the school bomb was the end of the 'real' story and everything after that was just Yuta’s dying dream or the afterlife. Just like his mother’s movie had to end with a fantasy sequence, his has to end with the same. The beach scene is way too idyllic and peaceful. That’s the kind of peace that Yuta never found in life. His smile is the kind of smile of relief that people have when they die. This is a dark but very coherent interpretation of the movie that neatly ties up all the loose ends of the ‘real’ story and makes for a complete tragedy of a boy who only found happiness in the end when he died and was able to be reunited with everyone he loved in that idyllic paradise. It’s very chilling but it makes sense.
Can I read 'Mind the Gap' online for free?
5 Answers2026-03-14
This is an interesting question. From a purely economic perspective, a lot of traffic is driven to “aggregator” websites by the demand for free access to content. These websites have better SEO than the original source of the content (for example, Amazon listings for eBooks), which is why they tend to show up near the top of search results. In a somewhat unpleasant cycle, authors can try to combat this by offering substantial free samples on their own websites in the hope that they will draw sufficient readers into the author’s official sales funnel. Does ‘Mind the Gap’ offer free samples on his website? I’d be interested to know. You might check the author’s social media too. On occasion, he posts free chapter links on Twitter and Discord in order to engage with his readers in a direct manner.
Who dies in 'We Were Liars' and why?
8 Answers2025-06-25
For me, the true horror of the event lay not in the deaths of Mirren, Johnny and Gat themselves, but in the way that Cadence was left to grieve for people she believed to be merely deceased and who she came to realize were actually killed by her own hand. The enabling of her amnesia by her family, as they together maintained the fiction of an accident, allowed her to be isolated and uncertain. And even when her memories came back to her, and she finally realized the terrible truth of what she had done, she was left alone with the reason for it – in a family of great silence, where even the discussion of such horrors would have been out of bounds. The tragedy is compounded by the consequent layers of denial and complicity.
what was supposed to happen in scorpion season 5
10 Answers2026-07-29
All of this was shot for a full unaired pilot. Behind-the-scenes of the filming of the pilot can be found online. It took place about 5 years after the original series ended, and the premise was Paige and Ralph moving to Oregon to start a new life. The remainder of the original team would be forced back together for a global crisis. But instead of being part of a non-profit organization that solves individual cases, they would be working for the price of Homeland Security, under a new, very strict boss. This would allow for many explorations of what the ‘pure genius model’ would look like when weaponized for national security. There would certainly be conflict within the team about whether or not Walter could handle leading in such an environment. The pilot script for this episode leaked online and a summary of the entire pilot can be found online. The pilot was shot just before the cancellation of the show, and all of that footage sits in a vault somewhere, possibly never to be seen.
I just wish they could have completed the show with respect to the fans and I know the cast wanted to bring closure to their respective characters.
What do the lyrics 'Sean Paul She Doesn't Mind' mean?
6 Answers2026-03-29
All this analysis for a song about a pool party? I have to wonder if we are all just missing the obvious in the music video for this song, which is just people having a massive pool party. Just a thought!
How does Amara die in Supernatural?
6 Answers2026-06-04
Note that Amara’s act of sacrifice in the end directly caused Dean’s death. With Chuck and Amara now gone from the universe, the world is returned to its normal state – no more grand cosmic plotlines for the Winchesters. They can return to their normal lives as simple hunters. In a world where there are no divine safety nets for hunters, hunting is extremely deadly. Dean is killed on a very normal, even mundane hunt a few days later. The act of sacrifice that Amara gave to Dean in order to allow him to have the “freedom” he wanted ended up creating the circumstances for his own mortal death. The only difference between her act of removal of the chess players from the universe and Dean’s death by a random pawn is one of tragic irony.
Popular Question
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
