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Emily Prentiss is a fictional character on the CBS police procedural Criminal Minds. She is played by Paget Brewster.

Character Biography

Emily Prentiss, born 7:12 am October 12th, 197? (Her birth year can be put in the 1971-1973 range assuming she graduated high school on regular time ), is the daughter of Elizabeth Prentiss, Ambassador of the Ukraine. After Agent Elle Greenaway left the BAU, Prentiss showed up with papers stating she was the newest member of the BAU. Her arrival surprised both Aaron Hotchner and Jason Gideon, as neither of them had signed off on the transfer. Prentiss insisted that her mother has not pulled any strings for her to get the assignment. She initially joined the team on a probationary basis. Prentiss had a globe-trotting childhood at her mother's side, but it was not always a happy one. Her father has yet to be mentioned, though she responds in the affirmative when Hotch asks inquires about the health of both her parents, so he is still alive.

Prentiss told Rossi that while she was in Italy (as a result of one of her mother's diplomatic postings) she became pregnant at age 15. Matthew Benton, a friend of Emily's (and one of the men whose deaths they later investigated) had helped her get an abortion, which she did against the warnings of her priest and without her parents' knowledge. It is implied (by his apology at the end of the episode) that John Cooley was the father of the child.

She is a graduate of Yale and has been working for the FBI for approximately 13 years, primarily in the Midwest. Prentiss has an obvious talent for languages. She is fluent in Arabic, as much of her childhood was spent traveling and residing in the Middle East. She is also fluent in Italian and Spanish, and is likely to be fluent in French due to having spent many summers visiting her grandfather in France, though her Russian is very basic and stilted. After being pressured by Section Chief Erin Strauss to assist in the end of Hotch's career, she briefly resigned from the FBI. However, Garcia managed to keep her departure on hold in the computer system just long enough for the rest of the team to convince her to stay with the BAU. Upon her return, Section Chief Strauss remarked that neither Prentiss, Hotch, nor the rest of the team would be able to climb the ladder to the top because of all this, thus putting an end to some of Prentiss's future ambitions.

She also seems to have a closer relationship with her partner Derek Morgan, which often includes flirting and an obvious physical attraction, but she often has more "heart to heart" moments with him than any other team member. They initially bonded over their shared love of Kurt Vonnegut and their semi-friendship and admiration for the head detective on their current case. When the detective is shot, Prentiss tries to cheer Morgan up at the funeral, making her the only member of the team that he is willing to let see him be vulnerable. Also, fellow team member Spencer Reid has pointed out to both of them that the entire team has noticed this flirtation and attraction happening between the two, but both explain that they do not think a relationship between the two would be a good idea, due to their commitment issues and the fact that they are not only on the same team but also partners. Morgan admits to Prentiss while visiting the first crime scene that he owns four properties. After catching the Unsub and heading home, Prentiss asks Morgan how he does it. Morgan admits he owns four properties because whether he's on the job or smashing down walls, both of them make him feel like he's changing something for the better. Morgan also takes her to the hospital, stays with her until she is released, and is the one who talks her through what happened after she is hit by a truck.

External links

• Template:Imdb character

• Criminal Minds characters
• Fictional FBI agents