Criminal Minds Evolution (2×08) North Star Review

For our review of the last episode of Criminal Minds: Evolution, click here.

As far as the Gold Star conspiracy is concerned, just about everything is now in the open at this point. Focusing so much on Damien and Jade, whoever (or whomever) is responsible at the top remain unscathed but as the season comes to an end, they will surely find themselves in the crosshairs of the BAU. While bringing in Jill Gideon looks to be a step in the right direction, there is still plenty of work left to do. Narrowing down, the pieces are yet to fall satisfyingly into place. However, this latest episode of Criminal Minds: Evolution goes a long way in that regard. Now when it comes to North Star, it was Damien and Jade’s current mission as they went back to the so-called beginning of the program that created them. Little did they know, that beginning involved Rossi and Jason and Jill Gideon and the paper they wrote and never published. That being said, the thought to be buried paper was not and used as the basis for the Gold Star program implemented at Stuart House in Utah.

North Star didn’t waste any time as they were out for blood and targeted those responsible for running time program at Stuart House. On the BAU side of things, Rossi and Jill had some history to reconcile with (including their relationship with Jason Gideon and his death) but it didn’t take long for her to reveal that she leaked their paper. Wanting to reverse engineer it to help troubled kids, a mysterious group of investors lined up to fund her program but as circumstances pushed her out, the spirit of the program was warped into what became Gold Star. Profiling that Damien and Jade would target the Stuart House team, they quickly learned that the two beat them to it for presumably longer than they had anticipated. Leaving Jill as the final link, the level of urgency ratcheted up significantly for Rossi. That drama between them seemingly disappeared as they got back to working together like the good old days until some feelings appeared to resurface (and the chemistry between Mantegna and Huffman made that scene a delight to watch).

Meanwhile, a side mission saw the BAU follow Orlov for whom they suspected his relationship with Voit was something more than just lawyer-client. Delivering the supposed kill hit to Damien and Jade, the latter had some concerns about Damien’s relationship with Voit but in his mind, Voit was one of them. And Orlov may be one of them as well, finding Voit on the Sicarius network, allegedly sharing some of the same proclivities.

As the BAU were closing in on Damien and Jade, so was Jill as she made herself bait against their (and Rossi’s) wishes. Armed with her profile of Damien, she talked her way into getting him to take her to Jason Gideon’s cabin so she could tell him the truth about the Gold Star program and how it made him into what he became and made him do the things he did. The situation got contentious as the basis of Damien’s life and his entire belief system came under challenge. Not ready to accept the truth, the more Jill talked, the more she was getting through to him and he came to accept what he was and that what he did was not his fault. Whether or not others would accept this reversal remained to be seen but he would never get the chance. Faced with the FBI waiting outside the cabin, Damien chose to be taken out by Jade rather than go with them. Now alone, her support system was gone. Arguably the more erratic one between her and Damien, who knows where Jade’s desperation will take her but perhaps, it is how the BAU will apprehend her.

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.