- Director
- Nelson McCormick
- Writer
- Breen Frazier
- Rating
- TV-MA
- Running Time
- 54 minutes
- Airs
- Thursdays Starting November 24th
- Channel
- Paramount+
Overall Score
Rating Summary
The following is a spoiler-free review of the second episode of the two-episode premiere of Criminal Minds Evolution, dropping Thursday, November 24th, on Paramount+ (first episode review here)
The first episode of Criminal Minds Evolution set a new tone and direction for the series as it approaches its story from a serialized angle through the serial killer network and a procedural one as the new BAU looks to catch killers who are all presumably part of that network all while a big bad looms above it all. That being said, the procedural angle still allows the opportunity to feature different cases at viewers while the BAU attempts to connect them together and to the original storage unit as a means to get to the source of the network and Sicarius was no different.
The case of the episode involved a killer who targeted bulls. What made this case noteworthy was its similarities to the previous case which essentially implied something bigger at play but the bureaucracy who have seemingly been keeping the BAU down proved to be a hinderance for unknown reasons. Fortunately for them, that network was showing cracks that would test the resolve of the big bad and perhaps give the BAU a break in the case that could lead them to this latest killer.
Meanwhile, whether or not Garcia was done with the BAU, somebody was reaching out to her and feeding her evidence for which she immediately handed to the BAU. Being her, she wasn’t blind to how the other characters were doing. A final straw was all that Garcia needed to come back to help with the overarching network case though in what capacity remains to be seen. It ultimately did not take her very long to work her magic and crack the case wide open. It did not take long, however, for that work to be noticed from the other side as they began to cover their tracks. Nevertheless, there was a still a sense of hope moving forward. Kristen Vangsness was sensational as Garcia, a character who seldom has had the chance to shine on a deeper level.
The episode ended with a few twists to set the table including one that shone some light on the season’s big bad and another putting a clock on the BAU as they were faced with a race against the clock to solve the serial killer network case and apprehend its killers before their unit would potentially cease to exist as they know it because they already didn’t have enough motivation.
still courtesy of Paramount+
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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.