In the show, Cooper appears to be a gifted profiler like Jason Gideon, as seen in "See No Evil". He also is shown to be more cautious and concerned for his team members, especially Mick Rawson and Gina LaSalle. In the episode "Death By a Thousand Cuts", Beth Griffith is kidnapped by the unsub and Cooper had to make a choice whether to sacrifice Beth or risk his career by killing the unsub's son. The episode ends with a cliffhanger and Beth's fate remains compromised.