Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Finale Reveals The Unexpected Key to Stopping Gold Star

Critic’s Rating: 3.25 / 5.0

3.25

Did you see that unexpected twist revealed in the Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Episode 10 finale?

It appears this story has ties back to Criminal Minds Season 16 in ways far greater than we ever knew.

But was the connection earned through the previous ten episodes, or did it fall into place too conveniently?

Not Enough Breadcrumbs to Solve the Seasons-Long Arc

On a per-episode basis, Criminal Minds has always had to tie together a lot of disparate information quickly and conveniently.

Its history was procedural, case-of-the-week style storytelling, which required expedience. Profiles aren’t determined in an instant as it often feels here. They take time. Shows like Netflix’s dearly departed Mindhunter drove home that point.

It’s a science, and it’s not always exact. Merely visiting a location to get a feel for the unsub is only the beginning. Yet our BAU agents often profile with very little to go on.

Doug Bailey was the lynchpin in the Gold Star case. As Peter B is his younger brother, it makes sense now why hearing Gold Star turned our Bailey inside out.

It also makes sense why he was so intensely disliked at the onset. He had no trust for the department he was tasked with running, and now we discover his reasoning is personal. If that was supposed to make me feel for the guy, it didn’t work.

In fact, how he let down his brother is downright painful.

The Bailey Brothers Both Fell Down the Conspiracy Theory Rabbit Hole

Bailey’s defiance of the BAU and his determination not to trust them did nobody any favors.

The BAU had been an excellent performer long before he was involved, so it’s very strange that when the person closest to him was in trouble, he turned his back on the group most likely to bring it to a suitable conclusion.

I understand that tensions were high in the government as they concerned themselves over domestic terrorism tied to child trafficking. While I’ve never seen any evidence that the two were linked, I suppose the overall feeling was that online discourse would lead to it.

But news is always changing, and just yesterday, people were busted at Comic-Con, of all places, because of their roles in sex trafficking. If we saw more good news like this, maybe there would be fewer conspiracies surrounding trafficking. Note: It’s unlikely these are old folks being trafficked. Just saying.

The irony is that the root cause is distrust of government and media, and when the rubber met the road, Bailey was no different from his brother.

Peter thought he was helping children and others like himself who were wronged by power-hungry people. He believed whatever lies he was fed about it, putting himself on the line as a savior.

Doug, meanwhile, bought into the conspiracy that the BAU was somehow unfit to operate. It’s hard to imagine what he believed because our own experience with them is so different. They almost always save the day.

But to Doug, they were the enemy and would be the cause of his brother’s destruction. Only he could find and save Peter, just as Peter thought only his network could find and save trafficked children. Both were wrong.

Conspiracy theories come in all shapes and sizes. They don’t have to be aimed at the world at large. We have them nestled very close to our hearts. Distrust breeds contempt, and that spawns all levels of conspiracies.

The whole ordeal is just sad. So many people could have stepped in and stopped what was happening to these kids, but it was repeatedly sidestepped, from Rossi and Gideon to Jill to Bailey and, I’m sure, many others in between.

Was the Ending Earned Through Storytelling?

But, again, did the big reveal feel earned? I’m not sure.

Everything was explained in conversations that we didn’t experience. We could not move the needle toward Gold Star and the Bailey brothers being one and the same without it being spelled out for us.

I prefer having the opportunity to figure out mysteries on my own, but from conversations between Madison and Bailey and one-time mentions of siblings, it wasn’t possible here.

Everyone was blindsided. Emily was targeted all season, to the point that she lost faith in herself and almost quit the BAU. Now, we discover that Madison had more information than he was willing to share about the whole debacle.

What does that say about trust in your government?

There was a short discussion about discretion being the better part of valor. You stop a secret from becoming a conspiracy by keeping it a secret. Well, you also enable a conspiracy by not being truthful.

Check out “Something Happened” by Joseph Heller. It brilliantly describes what happens when you are closed out of any conversation. It’s the perfect time to create your own story and go on wild tangents. What good does that do?

Well, enough about that. Let’s talk about other things from the finale that will affect the future.

Badass Prentice Returned, and Voit’s Demands Were Continually Met

First of all, badass Prentiss returned. Her self-doubt disappeared when she was bound to a chair. Jill was acting her part this season while Emily floundered, but no more. She’s back and fearless.

You take risks when your back is against the wall, and your life is on the line. Emily showed how that can pay off. I had missed that side of her! Here’s hoping her time of wavering is over.

I’m still not sure why Voit keeps getting so much special attention. I keep hearing that they need him, but most of what they discover comes from their own efforts.

Voit certainly didn’t need to be on the outside and traipsing along to crime scenes with the gang. A telephone call or video chat would have done just fine. Somehow, he kept getting his way by offering relatively nothing in return.

I agree with most of you that Zach Gilford is a breath of fresh air on Criminal Minds. But his presence contradicts everything the BAU stands for, so it’s hard to imagine he has a future here.

The show has been renewed, but will the current cast remain?

One of Voit’s demands was to be released to Genpop. The guy had a cushy room with all the amenities. He was safe (and entertained) behind those doors. Why did he want to be released to the general population?

My natural guess would be suicide at another’s hands. But he’s too narcissistic for that route. Perhaps his years of manipulating others via the Sicarius network inflated him so grandly that he thought nobody would touch him.

What Does the Future Hold for Criminal Minds: Evolution?

He did want Tyler to get in his face so that he’d get a break of some sort, but Tyler sussed that out and remained calm. Did Voit overestimate his abilities? Will he be killed in the laundry incident or just maimed enough to get another free pass?

Without Voit, I’m not sure what sets Evolution apart from Criminal Minds. He has been key to discussions about online life and how it’s changed everything. It is a mystery why profilers missed the enormity of what was happening under their noses.

Tyler has applied to Quantico to be a full agent. Will that take him away from the BAU in the meantime? Will there be a time jump between seasons to accommodate such changes?

Maybe Jill will step in for a season and add a bit of sparkle. She’s sassy and strong and offers a lot of experience to the group. It could be her time to shine.

Why go to all the trouble to cast Clark Gregg when he was only used so briefly? Could he have a more significant role in a third (or 18th) season?

This season concluded without a pivot toward a new season unless it’s already in play and will be explained in another ten episodes. Hopefully, we’ll be able to tie together the central mystery with a clue or two before another finale.

I don’t need all of the facts, but a few hints along the way will make it a lot more fun.

What do you think? Were you satisfied with this season of Criminal Minds? Did you have any clue that Bailey would tie the whole thing together because of his lack of trust in the BAU?

Please drop me a comment below with your thoughts on all of the things!

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