Jason Gideon from Criminal Minds
Played by Mandy Patinkin, Senior SSA Jason Gideon was the BAU's best profiler. He helped Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid through their nightmares. He was shown to have a very close relationship with Reid, having hand picked Reid from the FBI Academy for his team; helping Reid through many difficulties (including his implied drug use), even leaving the good-bye letter for Reid to find. Gideon did not know Garcia well, as expressed through an episode where he is placed with her while he is on crutches, as after they are placed, Garcia complains about him, and he he doesn't know her name. Through the first two seasons, Gideon was portrayed to be very good at chess, winning against Reid many times (only exception being Reid's birthdayE104), and encouraging him to "think outside of the box." Prior to the series, he was said to have had a "nervous breakdown" (or "major depressive episode") after he sent six men into a warehouse with a bomb in it; all six agents were killed, and he was heavily criticized about the event. He showed particular dislike for the practice of using religion as a defense or motivation for one's crimes. Gideon participated in some field operations during his time with the BAU, and had his team besides Reid "think outside the box" as well, as he made a major advancement by shouting at the top of his lungs with pleas of mercy, and when questioned by his team, said that the victims were being threatened to be kept quiet, as neighbors would have heard the pleas if they were unrestrained. He blamed himself for the torture Reid received from Tobias Hankel as he had ordered Penelope Garcia to add a virus warning to the videos Hankel posted.E215 Gideon also had a son named Stephen.E111 The nature of their relationship has not been directly stated, but it was implied that they have not seen each other very recently. Gideon began to lose confidence in his profiling skills after Frank Breitkopf murdered his girlfriend, Sarah Jacobs. During his final case in Arizona, he further lost faith in his abilities when his decision to release the unsub resulted in the deaths of both the unsub and a young woman. As a result of his actions, Aaron Hotchner was suspended which was the final straw for Gideon. He then left his cabin shortly afterwards, leaving his gun and badge behind at his cabin along with a letter for Reid to find as he sought to regain belief in happy endings.
Quotes·Quotations by Jason Gideon
Mandy Patinkin as Jason Gideon from Criminal Minds
¶ Joseph Conrad said, "The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary. Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness." [Criminal Minds E01S01 Extreme Aggressor]
¶ Winston Churchill said, "The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you will see." [Criminal Minds E01S01 Extreme Aggressor]
¶ Nietzsche once said, "When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks into you." [Criminal Minds E01S01 Extreme Aggressor]