'Criminal Minds: Evolution' Episodes 1 And 2 Spoiler-Free Review
Image Source: Entertainment Weekly
The team is back together! Well… sort of.
The first two episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution is here, and it answers the question most of us never thought to ask. What did the pandemic do to serial killers, and how did they operate?
While the show is listed as season 16 of Criminal Minds, it is neither a reboot nor a spin-off. Criminal Minds: Evolution is a show all its own, and it is absolutely fantastic. The show is technically a continuation of the original show and most of the original cast returns. However, the creators of Evolution chose to use a different title, thus allowing them to decide how much of the original show they wanted to use and leaving plenty of room for change.
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Since this show is a Paramount + original and is not airing on any CBS station, it has fewer constraints than its predecessor. That means that language and gore are present in ways that would have made the original show blush. Evolution also has a horror-esque feel and style to how certain scenes are shot, including small jump scares. While Evolution is reminiscent of the original show, it stands on its own in one major way. It does not follow a new story with each episode. In the original show, there may be a few unsubs that would appear over multiple episodes, but this was a rare occurrence and was typically treated as a special rather than a regular episode. Evolution follows one main storyline with multiple branches but, ultimately, is all tied together by one person that we have only gotten glimpses of so far. This is also a hint as to why the show is titled Evolution in that the main focus is how the pandemic forced serial killers to evolve.
In episode one, we are reintroduced to the team, and we get a glimpse of where they are now. The BAU has been broken apart with multiple agents on "secret assignment," Prentiss now in a new position, Rossi leading the BAU, Tara on location in Seattle, Garcia has left the FBI altogether, and only JJ and Alvarez are actively working out of the Quantico office. Unlike the upbeat series finale we all got back in February of 2020, this episode is far from upbeat and gives us a darker look at these fan-favorite characters. The main focus of this episode is to catch us up on where the characters have been and to provide small glimpses of the show's villain.
Image Source: Cinema Blend
Episode two continues with the darker theme, but it does end with the team back together in a way that more closely resembles what we typically expect from them. We also learn in episode two that people on the inside wish to bring down the BAU, which fans of the original show are all too familiar with. Episode two focused on how the network of serial killers works, who is pulling the strings, and how much our team is up against. This episode also gave us our first LGBTQIA+ member of the BAU!
These episodes also leave us with more questions than answers as we watch our favorite profilers argue with each other and miss the mark more than once with their profiles. It ultimately explains why their profiles keep being off, but not until the middle of episode two. Many fans were disappointed that Matthew Gray Gubler, who played Dr. Spencer Reid, would not return to the new show. All may not be lost just yet. Throughout episodes one and two, it is mentioned, more than once, that Dr. Reid is on "secret assignment" and that he can return whenever he wishes. This leaves the door wide open for the fan-favorite character to return if the actor changes his mind.
My Rating: 9/10
The first two episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution are available to stream on Paramount +.
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Source(s): Paramount+
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