Criminal Minds got its own Professor Umbridge
By Callum Gunn
For a handful of episodes, Criminal Minds took on its own Professor Umbridge, almost causing the destruction of the BAU.
The BAU just wouldn’t be the same if all the characters were together. It’s already struggling without Hotch, and the loss of Gideon at the start of the series was hard to recover from (although Rossi is awesome). Criminal Minds looked like the team was in jeopardy for a while, as the series brought on its own Professor Umbridge in the form of Linda Barnes.
Played by the marvelous Kim Rhodes, Linda Barnes made it clear that either the team worked to her expectations or risked their jobs. When they did go against her orders, she used her connections to get her own way.
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Sound like anyone Harry Potter fans know? You don’t even need to have watched the episodes to make the connection to Umbridge; the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor turned principal of Hogwarts. Barnes even ended up heading the BAU temporarily when she forced Rossi into retirement and made other members go into other jobs.
In the end, Criminal Minds’ Umbridge was taken down, just like Harry Potter’s. The good guys rallied together and saved the day. Everything got semi back to normal.
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Photo credit: Criminal Minds/CBS, Acquired via CBS Press Express
The funny thing with Rhodes playing the character is that she’s the McGonagall of Supernatural! In this series (and in the planned spin-off) she plays Sheriff Jody Mills. She’s caring and nurturing to the younger generation, but strict in the way she likes things done. Yet, when it comes to it, she will use her skills and kick butt, sometimes surprising everyone with the tricks she has up her sleeve.
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Have you watched Criminal Minds? Maybe you’ve caught Supernatural. Did you catch the Harry Potter connections? Share your thoughts below.