Maeve Donovan

Maeve Donovan is a minor character appearing as SSA Spencer Reid's girlfriend in Season Eight of Criminal Minds.

Background
Not much is known about Maeve, except that she works as a geneticist and had an ex-fiancé. She has viewed the MRI scans of Reid's brain when he started suffering from headaches since the events of Season Six. Maeve has also been the focus of a potentially dangerous stalker who has been following her around, prompting her to stay inside her house most of the time and keep the curtains drawn and the doors locked. She and Reid have started contacting each other for six months during the events of Season Eight and the calls have been intimate for some time. It also appears that Reid is fully aware of her stalker, which may be why he speaks to her using a payphone.

God Complex
Throughout the entire episode, Maeve's face isn't seen, as it is shrouded in darkness caused by the drawn curtains. She calls Reid and they talk about his progress with his headaches and sleep deprivation. Reid then suggests that the two meet up personally, but she turns him down, fearing that her stalker will hurt Reid. Later on, Maeve proves to be a great source of help with the current case. By the end of the episode, Reid offers the BAU's assistance in tracking down her stalker, but once again, she turns down the offer. She then concludes their call by saving, "I love you." This statement surprises Reid, as evidenced when he nearly heads the wrong direction.

The Lesson
When it becomes clear to her that her stalker has disappeared, Maeve informs Reid, and she then suggests that it is time for them to meet. Reid is reluctant because he fears she will disapprove of his appearance and their relationship will be ruined. By the end of the episode, Maeve's face is finally seen as she walks up to a restaurant where she plans to meet Reid. However, he calls her, warns her that he thinks her stalker might be inside, and tells her to leave. She does, just as Reid realizes that it was a false alarm. However, a waitress gives him a book sent by her, which contains a quote by Thomas Merton: Thomas Merton once wrote, "Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone; we find it with another."

Zugzwang
Maeve is reappears in the episode, in which she is abducted by her stalker, revealed to be her ex-fiancé's girlfriend, Diane, whose motivation for the abduction was because Maeve had something she didn't: Reid. By the end of the episode, Reid arrives to rescue her. He says that he loves Diane and not Meave, and then he says "Me for her", intending to die for Maeve. However, the increasingly-unstable Diane can't take it anymore and she attacks Maeve. She then kills herself. In the last scene, Reid appears to be crying and it is assumed that Maeve has died.

Appearances

 * Season Eight
 * "God Complex"
 * "The Lesson"
 * "Zugzwang"