Warning! SPOILERS for season 1 of Criminal Minds: Evolution!
The actor who plays Criminal Minds: Evolution’s Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) is right about her character’s recently-ended romance. While such interpersonal relationships help add new dimensions to police procedurals such as Criminal Minds by granting some reprieves from the grimness of the serial killer plot lines, they can bring pitfalls of their own. This is especially true when the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) is particularly challenged by a case, which can serve to push romantic relationships to their breaking points as well. In such events, it’s interesting to see how the show’s actors feel about a relationship since they undeniably know their characters best.
Throughout the original run of Criminal Minds, Garcia seemed to grow close with several of members of the cast of characters on Criminal Minds, including Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) and Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez). By the end of season 15, it seemed that Garcia and Alvez might end up together, although Criminal Minds: Evolution did not fully follow up on this plot thread. Instead, the show paired Garcia with Tyler Green (Ryan-James Hatanaka), until the relationship broke off before the end of season 1.
Kirsten Vangsness' Romance Comments Make A Lot Of Sense For Evolution
Regarding the dissolution of Garcia and Green’s relationship, showrunner Erica Messer worked closely with Vangsness to figure out whether or not the pairing was working and how Garcia’s visit to Tyler’s hospital bedside would go. Ultimately, both women decided that the relationship wasn’t working for either of the character’s arcs on Criminal Minds: Evolution, especially Garcia’s. Due to how she’s gained so much confidence and been working through the trauma she accrued while working at Criminal Minds' BAU, it doesn’t make a lot of sense that she’d be willing to let herself be treated poorly and deeply commit to someone like Green, especially while he’s still deep in the throes of the vengeful darkness that she’s been actively trying to separate herself from.
Additionally, both Vangsness and Messer agreed that while Garcia and Tyler ultimately didn’t work out on Criminal Minds: Evolution for this season, this doesn’t mean that he won’t be back. After all, although Garcia and Tyler’s relationship was a bit divisive, it does still have a lot of potential to form an interesting love triangle dynamic to be explored between Garcia, Tyler, and Alvez. Together, this could make for a very interesting subplot for Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 while the BAU investigates the mystery of Gold Star.
Why Criminal Minds: Evolution Might Bring Back Garvez
With Garcia and Green’s separation comes the Criminal Minds reboot's chance to bring back Alvez and Garcia's relationship. This would be all the more interesting given that season 15 of Criminal Minds set up the inklings of a relationship between the two, but dropped the thread in the revival. With Green and Garcia no longer together, Criminal Minds: Evolution now has the chance to explore what happened after Garcia and Alvez’s date and if their relationship has a chance.