Alex Blake, a main character on Criminal Minds during its 8th and 9th seasons, was used by producers to bring a new dynamic to the team. Blake comes to the BAU after taking a hiatus to teachor what seems to have been a forced exit from the FBI due to some scandal from years before. At the end of season 8, when the Replicator case is solved, it becomes clear Blakes sole purpose may have been to introduce that case. With three degrees under her belt (two bachelors and one PhD), Blake is clearly a very intelligent addition to the team. Throughout her course on the show, its revealed that she has an absent husband (we can blame Doctors Without Borders for that one), one brother, a late brother, and an estranged father. Her last episode on the show reveals that she has also lost a son, named Ethan.Blake is highly educated, and in finding out her assignment, the teams research shows that she is a lead researcher in applied linguistics and a well-respected professor at Georgetown University. Blake herself informs the team and the audience that she knows a fair amount about signed languages (something that comes up in one of her first cases for the team), analysis of notes from UnSubs, the language of aggression, and the differences between how men and women communicate. Blake also tells the team that she can effectively communicate with deaf people who might not know a signed language through the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)a main tool of linguists everywhere.Prior to her arrival, the team worked a few cases that dealt with evidence that Blake could have helped them with. Any case that involved direct verbal or written communication from an UnSub could have used Blake. As we all know, UnSubs take a particular interest in speaking directly with team members on hotline calls in certain episodesthis is exactly where Blakes expertise can come into play. In her brief tenure on the show, she helps the team along in cases that involve deaf people, ransom notes, and direct communication between UnSub and victim and/or the team. Blakes expertise in applied linguistics also helps her to tell the team the likelihood that an UnSub is a woman rather than a man in a few casesleading to multiple arrests. She also explains whybasing her decisions on analysis of the linguistics of such correspondences. Blake also helps the team work through a case that involves an UnSub with developmental issues, another way her linguistic capabilities helped lead the team to a solution.SSA Blakes departure from the show at the end of season 9 (when she left to teach in Boston) left many audience members sad for the loss of her character. Her role as a linguist brought something massively interesting to the show, and the loyal fan base of Criminal Minds continues to hope that a similar character may take her place.