For our review of the last episode of Criminal Minds: Evolution, click here.
It’s clear that the loss of Will is going to take JJ to some dark places as she needs an outlet for her anger but whenever asked if she was fine, her response would adamantly be that she was fine, it was fine, and everything is fine which she clearly is not. That being said, after such an emotionally-heavy episode, it was time for the BAU to go back to doing what they did best, solving cases and arresting unsubs. Giving them a case of the week to serve as window dressing, the episode was at its most compelling as it dove deeper into Voit’s head and to its credit, it finally started to garner some results with Zach Gilford once again delivering a knockout performance. Those results, however, may be overshadowed by a new development in the serial killer network case. Operating on multiple fronts, these fronts are brought together in an engaging way whose purpose mostly served to carry the season along more than anything else. As far as the BAU is concerned, there is a still a long way to go and they can only go as far as Voit’s fragile memory can take them (whether or not viewers still do not believe his whole amnesia act).
The case of the week pointed the BAU to a series of dismembered and flayed bodies, with their organs removed, were found along a desert hiking trail in Tucson, Arizona. Meanwhile, the unexpected return of JJ (after 2 weeks) brought another angle thanks to her bereavement time obsession with BAU-Gate which once again reared its ugly head with a link to a video with a uniquely-masked unsub. Not being much help with the video, the video definitely implanted the image of the masked unsub in his head as they would also haunt his dreams. Trying to get more out of him would be a challenge with his doctor, Dr. Julia Ochoa (Aimee Garcia), watching Rossi and Tara so closely. In a vulnerable state and looking for a fresh start, nothing he did seemed to work. There was never going to be any starting over. Using Voit’s latest nightmare as a way in to uncover more memories, he remembered liking having drilled into a man’s head. Consolidating with yet another revelation, this left him once again confused and conflicted.
It didn’t take long for the episode to reveal the motive of its unsubs as a greedy organ harvester teamed up with a troubled doctor interested in harvesting skin, abducting healthy women of color. Forensically, they were rather easy to track. While the former was motivated by money, Dr. Malcolm Ramsey (Derek Webster) wanted to heal his daughter, suffering from third degree burns following a car accident that led to death of her mother. Having caused the accident, the delusional narcissist kept her captive in a clean room and held on to the belief that he and only he could cure her. Skin graft after skin graft, her autoimmune condition made it difficult for them to take, hence Ramsay’s increasing desperation. However, it was only a matter of time until Ramsay’s daughter would figure out what was really going on and that moment just happened to coincide with Prentiss, Luke, and Tyler apprehending him and saving his last would be victim. Stricken by the guilt of her part in her father’s action, Ramsay’s daughter decided to slay her monster father, passing away under the night sky soon after.
JJ and Garcia embarked on a side mission of their own, diving deeper into the BAU-Gate video. Knowing Garcia, the time was also a means to check in on her friend. The longer JJ studies the video, the more she was convinced that the masked man was Voit so, against orders, she stormed in on Voit in the middle of an overdose for which she was not going to let him get away with it. Now whether or not the man in the video is indeed Voit remains to be seen but who knows where her anger will take her? Voit remembered a murder but will more memories start rolling in and what will it all amount to in the end? The season is just scratching the surface. Picking its spots and keeping the character engaged, this season has been off to a winning start but will we be fine?
Score: 78/100
*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.
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