Criminal Minds Evolution (3×03) Time to Say Goodbye Review

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

Based on how the last episode ended, the title of this week’s new episode makes a lot more sense. Though to its credit, unlike last week’s episode, it embraced the moment and gave it the space it deserved, rather than shoehorn in another unsub to distract or take away from the emotion of that moment. Directed by Rossi himself, Joe Mantegna, and written by the series showrunner and executive producer, Erica Messer, they understood the moment beautifully, producing one of the best episodes of the series which is quite the feat considering the sheer number of episodes through its now 18+ season run. If it wasn’t already clear, the title of the episode of course refers to a funeral as the team were left reeling following Will’s sudden passing.

Letting the characters remain in that moment, instead of splitting their attention with an unsub was the correct choice as Voit’s ongoing storyline was relegated to the B-plot, but it wasn’t without its own progress. Trying to hold herself, her family, and everyone else together, the moment clearly took a toll on JJ but to the credit of A.J. Cook, she delivers a phenomenal performance as JJ had her own soul searching to do in terms of coming to terms with Will’s loss (though his mother and her mother-in-law was certainly not making it easy for her). Meanwhile, Zach Gilford, delivers a phenomenal performance in his own right as this allegedly different version of Voit comes to terms with the fact that he used to be a very bad person.

Starting with Voit, it was all about getting him to recover his old memories. Running tests was one thing, but the team needed to ratchet it up. Starting to get some memories back, their idea was to use the only survivor of Sicarius to trigger some more. For those who don’t remember, Ramona Havener (Kerry Knuppe) was a real estate agent who was abducted by Voit before being saved by the BAU. What was special about her was how she reminded him of his wife. Unwilling to cooperate, she reconsidered for the chance to get her life back. Their reunion was triggering to say the least, more so for Ramona (Voit didn’t understand why). However, she would manage to pull herself together and coax more progress out of Voit. As the memories of his family came flooding back, the realization of his current circumstances came as a shock and led to a powerful breakdown.

The day before Will’s funeral, JJ looked to be avoiding the fact that he was now dead and spiralling. Surrounded by her support system, she appeared to be struggling. Filling her time with distractions, Will’s mother was making her life difficult, as she somehow resented JJ for not telling her that Will was sick in the first place, something that he did not want her to know. Once the funeral came along, the rest of the original team were still in the loop, with one making a long-awaited reappearance on the series as Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) showed up in person to support JJ. As others shared memories of Will, JJ offered up a touching eulogy, letting herself be vulnerable in front of everyone. The friction between her and her mother-in-law was short lived as grief brought them together, as the latter remembered what was truly important. A predictable outcome, it was still a strong moment.

Spending so much time looking for a gift that Will left behind for their youngest son, the episode fittingly ended with its discovery. Aware that he may not be there to see his children grow up, Will left them a guide book so he could teach them how to be men, like his dad taught him. Always the protector, even in death. Not every episode has to be about the team solving a case and catching an unsub, this episode more than justified its existence. While the kind of episode that would never have happened during its initial network run, it is the epitome of putting its characters first, and the cases second. The team is what keeps viewers coming back and taking a moment to feel right along with them was definitely worth it and makes this new version all the better for it.

Score: 95/100

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.