Criminal Minds: Evolution star Zach Gilford teases a surprising episode 9, citing some shocking character decisions. Though it came to a close in 2020, CBS' hit crime procedural Criminal Minds has found new life on Paramount+ with a 10-episode revival starring much of the original cast. The series aired its first five episodes ahead of the holidays and left audiences on a major cliffhanger that saw Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez) and JJ (AJ Cook) caught in an explosive trap laid for them by the season's big bad, Gilford's Elias Voit. Criminal Minds: Evolution will return on January 12.
Beyond the resolution of the mid-season finale's cliffhanger, it seems viewers have plenty more surprises ahead. Speaking to TVLine, Gilford offers up a tantalizing tease of what audiences can expect from Criminal Minds: Evolution episode 9. With it being the penultimate episode of the season, Gilford suggests certain characters will stun viewers with their choices. The actor says:
You can tell you’re getting to the end [of the season] because everything’s starting to kind of potentially unravel. People start making decisions they wouldn’t normally make, that I think will surprise the audience but also surprise these characters.
How Criminal Minds: Evolution Has Improved Its Characters
Criminal Minds: Evolution has the advantage of working with the same characters from the original series, save for some notable absences. The move to streaming has granted the creative team more room to explore the lives and personalities of the various Behavioral Analysis Unit agents, whether it be through a health scare for JJ and her husband Will (Josh Stewart) or Penelope Garcia's (Kirsten Vangsness) mixed feelings about returning to the FBI. Criminal Minds: Evolution has received a lot of praise for exploring its characters even further, and it sounds like the back five episodes will continue this streak.
With Gilford hinting at character decisions that take even the characters themselves by surprise, the stage is set for Criminal Minds: Evolution to push the BAU agents further than ever before. Already, the revival has placed some of its characters into unique places. For example, David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) came into Criminal Minds: Evolution drowning in grief over the death of his wife, a move that few anticipated. Therefore, it stands to reason that episode 9 could feature shocking twists for any of the main Criminal Minds characters. Nothing is off the table now.
What To Expect From The Rest Of Criminal Minds: Evolution
When Criminal Minds: Evolution returns later this month, it will find the BAU continuing their hunt for Voit, who they know as "Sicarius". During the coronavirus pandemic, Voit started up a serial killer network that has proven incredibly difficult to get a read on. While the BAU had found their best lead yet during the mid-season finale, things got complicated again when Alvez and JJ were put into danger. Criminal Minds: Evolution will likely solve the mystery of their fates fairly quickly in episode 6, and the rest of the season could find the agents processing and recovering from the attack. Additionally, seeing as Criminal Minds: Evolution is currently only set for these 10 episodes, viewers can expect a clear cut resolution to the Sicarius saga by the very end.
Source: TVLine