Criminal Minds Evolution (1×01) Just Getting Started Early Review

The following is a spoiler-free review of the first episode of the two-episode premiere of Criminal Minds Evolution, dropping Thursday, November 24th, on Paramount+.

In an age of legacy sequels, reboots and revivals, Criminal Minds is the next target. Bowing out not too long ago back in February 2020 after 15 seasons, the original run ended on a satisfying enough note but nevertheless, time has shown that it’s hard for studios to give up on their properties therefore cue Criminal Minds Evolution which can be considered a sixteenth season or a new series with a lot of characters returning. While plenty of fan favorites are indeed missing, they are not forgotten. That being said, it’s still tough not to see Dr. Spencer Reed along with all the other characters. Already a reasonably-successful procedural and a syndication mainstay, Evolution sees an evolution as its new streaming home has pushed it somewhat away from its centralized and mostly procedural, case-of-the week, format and towards a decentralized hybrid structure. With more freedom narratively and an edgier tone, the series offers the best of both worlds with a case-of-the-week narrative that functions in the service of a larger, overarching story.

A lot has changed since the episode of Criminal Minds narratively and literally as it comes back with a much different tone and look presumably with that freedom and a larger budget. The beginning of this new series has the original members of the BAU in different places. Prentiss has been promoted outside of the BAU to a position that oversaw several units with Rossi taking her place as the new BAU unit chief but he also wasn’t in the best place. While Alvez remained in a local supporting role, JJ and Dr. Lewis did their best to answer calls and offered consultant help on cases across the country. Garcia had since moved on and made a clean break from the darkness that her former job entailed, finding a much different venue for her expertise. Despite her best intentions, not too many people have her skill set. As far as the missing characters were concerned, that door is not closed. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic also changed the landscape in ways that they can only begin to imagine. Instead of being more about the case-of-the-week, Evolution takes a deeper dive into the characters which made for a nice change of pace. Building that foundation only helped to make the story that much more compelling to watch.

Just Getting Started, as mentioned, shows our characters in different places but there was a reason for it as the bureaucracy had a different vision and the BAU was a victim of it, now underfunded and understaffed. Nevertheless, it tried to make the best out of its circumstances. The episode begins with an industrious killer and his evolution over the years. Just as everyone else has dealt with the pandemic, so has he. Lewis responding to a case, finds a massive discovery connecting to the previous killer. However, it did not appear to be the priority of the FBI who thought a missing girl case was more important than a storage container believed to be a cartel body dump. It was all about headlines.

Kidnapped by a supposed family annihilator, it was all about finding the girl before it was too late. The team would need to rekindle their magic though little did they know, they also needed to adapt their methods and way of thinking to the current times, something that was harder for some of the agents. They could no longer see the case through the lens of their past experience. While doing so got them to the missing girl and the killer of the rest of her family, that was only the beginning of the story as the truth appeared to point to something more, a wide-ranging network of serial killers for which this latest case and the storage container that Lewis discovered are all connected. Therefore, the storage container and all the evidence within it are going to be hard to ignore. In the end, Evolution looks to set up procedural subplots in the service of a larger serialized story.

Though the tension was there, the character development better drove that home. The writing is pure Criminal Minds but the darker tone adds stakes. The performances were stellar across the board as much of the original series cast all return here with Mantegna’s Rossi getting the most work so far as he is still recovering from a recent tragedy. The chemistry is still there which of course leads to some fun moments. The only wildcard in the cast is Zach Gilford as the series’ supposed big bad who looms large over the story. Though there are inevitably still layers to be peeled, he is arguably not off to the best start here.

still courtesy of Paramount+

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.