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Criminal Minds has seen a number of faces over the years and certain ones come to mind right away. One of those is Ashley Seaver (Rachel Nichols) who was a series regular in season 6. However, fans seem to be conflicted when it comes to Agent Seaver even now. Read on to find out why.

Who is Ashley Seaver?

Joe Mantegna and Rachel Nichols
Joe Mantegna and Rachel Nichols | Matt Kennedy/CBS via Getty Images

Seaver is an FBI agent that finished her remedial training with the BAU while still a cadet. She was then given the title of probationary agent upon graduation. Eventually, she transferred to the Domestic Trafficking Task Force.

A major point about Seaver involves her father, Charles Beauchamp, a serial killer in North Dakota. He was known as The Redmond Ripper. Although eventually caught by both Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) and David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), it’s clearly something that always stays with Agent Seaver. She can’t escape her father’s past.

What fans say about Agent Seaver

Some viewers enjoyed Agent Seaver and her fascinating personal experiences. “I know she wasn’t on for long, but she was determined, her backstory was fascinating, and I felt like she had a lot to bring the team, especially in terms of personal experience and her own angle on things,” a Reddit user said about Agent Seaver.

Fans think she was a replacement for JJ and they weren’t happy about it

Some fans were actually upset and felt that Jennifer “JJ” Jareau (A.J. Cook) was being replaced by Seaver. She resembles JJ in many ways, so some fans felt she was like a cheap imitation of JJ that they weren’t here for.

“I really didn’t like her during the first run of her episodes because I was bitter about JJ,” a Reddit user admitted. “It felt like they were saying, ‘well, you can’t have JJ back but here’s a physical copy, that will do.’ She came across as a bit wooden to me originally. I like her a lot more now, but her role will always be a bit tainted to me.”

The timing was off for Agent Seaver

Other viewers definitely agree that the timing was just off for Seaver. She had the potential to be an amazing character, but because of the way she was brought in as JJ was on her way out, it left a sour taste for some viewers.

“She would’ve been loved, but the timing wasn’t in her favor,” another user clearly observed. “Rachel Nichols (Agent Seaver) joined the show after AJ Cook (JJ) left in the beginning of the season. Being in the show at that time made it feel like she was a replacement or a fake version of JJ.”

It would have been nice to see her grow more as an agent

Some fans say Seaver actually grew on them as time went on. She gets more likable and it would have been interesting to see her grow into her new career.

“I didn’t care for her when she first came on but I ended up liking her more upon rewatching if only for the potential that her character had,” another user wrote. “I thought it was unfortunate because she was unique in the sense they finally had a character who viewers could have watched grow as a person and develop skills as a profiler unlike the others who were already veteran FBI agents when we first saw them.”

Season 15 of Criminal Minds will premiere its final season on Wednesday, January 8, 2020, at 9 p.m. E.S.T.

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