A lot of characters came and went across Criminal Minds‘ original 15-season run, and even more once you factor in its ongoing streaming revival era. At this point, not a single cast-member has been a regular in every single season, proving that the BAU is bigger than any one person (except maybe mainstay Penelope Garcia).
Working as a criminal profiler for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit is a tough job, and while nearly all of the ever-evolving team have proven themselves to be remarkably strong and resilient people, that’s not so for everyone. Case in point, Elle Greenaway, as played by Lola Glaudini, an expert on sexual crimes who was part of the show’s original cast in season 1 until the actress left partway through season 2.
For those who haven’t caught the show’s early years since they first aired, or who maybe never even got past season 1, here’s how Elle Greenaway left Criminal Minds — in a way the series has never repeated since.
What happened to Elle Greenaway in Criminal Minds?
In short, no, Elle did not die in Criminal Minds, even if the show wanted us to think she was going to at one point. In actual fact, Elle’s exit storyline was far more complex and compelling than simply killing her off.
Season 1 ended in dramatic fashion when the season finale, “The Fisher King, Part 1,” saw Elle shot by an unsub the BAU is hunting when he breaks into her home. In season 2 opener, “The Fisher King, Part 2,” it’s revealed that Elle manages to survive the gunshot and immediately returns to work, even though her colleagues highly suspect that she’s not truly ready to. Sure enough, Elle suffers from PTSD from the incident, becoming obsessive and overly emotionally invested in her work. This leads to Elle taking matters into her own hands… and taking a life.
In season 2, episode 5, “Aftermath,” a serial rapist walks free, something Elle — who has been determined to bring him down — can’t abide. More emotionally fraught than ever, Elle’s relationship with the team breaks down and she decides to deal with the situation herself — in a shocking twist, Elle stalks the rapist and kills him, although she claims that she did so in self-defense. In “The Boogeyman,” Elle — although she still refuses to admit her guilt — resigns from the FBI.
As it was Glaudini’s own decision to leave the series, the character never returned, except for the use of archival footage in the season 15 finale. While not exactly the most popular person on the show with fans, due to her combative personality and status as a vigilante killer, Elle remains a fascinating part of Criminal Minds history.
