Maeve Donovan

Maeve Donovan was a recurring 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 named Robert "Bobby" Putnam. 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 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 been in contact with 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. Although Reid offered once to help her, Maeve firmly denied his help, fearing the stalker would hurt him, even though she herself had no idea who her stalker is or if Reid is truly endangered, given his job status.

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 saying, "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, with the man coincidentally being Bobby. However, a waitress gives him a book, The Narrative of John Smith, which was sent by her. The book contained a handwritten quote by Thomas Merton: "Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone; we find it with another."

Zugzwang
Maeve reappears in the episode, in which she is abducted by her stalker, revealed to be a woman named Diane Turner. She watches as Diane kills Bobby, and then taunts her, stating that she could not commit suicide as she hopes to personally see Reid arrest her. By the end of the episode, Diane kills herself and Maeve, despite Reid's efforts to rescue her. The episode ends with Reid sobbing before her body.

Alchemy
Maeve appears in a dream, in which she sits and talks to Reid in a coffee shop located in a library, and then asks him to dance with her, stating that she wants him to feel her before she becomes a memory. Reid obliges, and they dance before a curtain closes.

In The Blood
When Garcia hosts a Day of the Dead celebration, she asks everyone to bring a photo of a deceased love one for a shrine. Reid puts up a photo of Maeve along with one of inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla.

Appearances

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