‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Episode 9 Spoiler-Free Review
Image Source: IMDB
With only one episode left in season one, the stakes have never been higher! Contains spoilers for episodes one - eight!
Last week, we watched as the BAU finally closed in on Sicarius’ true identity after discovering that he is the nephew of Cyrus, the serial killer they found dead in his home. Although he has changed his name from Lee to Elias, he is still the bloodthirsty serial killer that his uncle raised him to be. The team spreads out to search for him across the west coast, and as the credits got ready to roll, we saw Rossi meet Elias’ wife.
In episode nine, we start with a flashback to January 2022 on the day of Rossi’s wife’s funeral. In episode one, we saw how broken Rossi was after the loss, but it wasn’t until this flashback that we truly learned why. We are then thrown into the present where Rossi is meeting with Elias’ wife, and she immediately recognizes the image of her husband from the surveillance footage. Elias is quick to end any possible interrogation by calling her wife and telling her to get Rossi out of their house. In an unexpected turn of events, he then shows up at the Seattle field office in an attempt to get under Rossi’s skin and force him to stop looking. When this doesn’t work, he convinces his wife that Rossi is dangerous, and they are on the run.
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Tyler is brought in to pick Elias out of a lineup since he is one of the only living people to have seen Sicarius’ face. Unfortunately, he decides to go after Sicarius himself and lies to the team, claiming he doesn’t recognize anyone. It is heartbreaking to watch as Garcia attempts to reason with him, but he lies to her face. While he flies to Seattle to track down Sicarius, the BAU battles with the Attorney General in an attempt to get the case re-opened. Given only 48 hours to prove that Elias is in fact Sicarius, the team makes a decision that may haunt them for the rest of their lives.
As the team works from Quantico, Rossi and Elias are playing a game of chess that only they can see. All we can do is watch as Elias gets the upper hand and takes the stakes to a level higher than anything we have seen all season. He is smarter and more cunning than anyone had realized, and it leads to a truly devastating showdown when Tyler finally catches up with Sicarius and learns the truth of what happened to his sister.
Image Source: IMDB
In an unexpected twist, fans are taken back to February 2020 when Luke and Garcia are on a date discussing their compatibility. This is something that fans have asked for since Luke first joined Criminal Minds in season 12, and while it may not end the way many fans had wanted, it is one of the best scenes from season one!
This episode was full of flashbacks that were expertly woven into the current narrative so that we never lost any momentum in the story. It was a fantastic way to give us background information that would have felt unnecessary earlier on in the season. While there was plenty of action, this episode still felt a bit slower than we are used to, and I think it was so that they could build to that jaw-dropping final scene. There is no telling what may happen in the season one finale because, as seasoned Criminal Minds fans know, no character is ever safe.
New episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution are available to stream every Thursday on Paramount+.
Rating: 9/10
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