This post contains spoilers from Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 6.
Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 5 helped me see crime scenes through the lens of grief. JJ has dealt with grief since childhood, but it hardly affected her work until now. Having her retell the case to Dr. Ochoa and Voit not only helped Voit communicate with the Brutal Man, but it also uncovered information about the new serial killer network.
Two killers sit across from each other, as Voit taps into his evil side to make the unsub believe he’s his leader. Voit remembers more than the BAU knew about, but is later fact-checked by Penelope. The Brutal Man met Voit when he was a kid. Did this memory break Voit’s brain while almost having the unsub try to commit suicide in front of him? It’s a high possibility, which is jaw-dropping.
Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 6 recap
Episode 6 picks up with Voit and Rodney (the Brutal Man) sitting in the interrogation room, where Voit reveals that he made Rodney into the serial killer he is today. The pair met when Voit killed Rodney’s family. Thinking his stick figure car decal perfect family abandoned him, Voit tracked his life, and recruited him onto the network because Rodney didn’t have a choice in being a killer. This revelation leads Rodney to tell Voit the message from this new network: Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.
The BAU connects it to Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Act II, Scene 2, with Tyler noting that this is Round 2 with the network. But the rest of the team doesn’t think it goes that far. I think Tyler was onto something, but this isn’t Voit’s network since more players have entered the chat. Penelope volunteers to team up with Tyler to uncover Voit’s memories on the inner workings of the network, tapping into his muscle memory hacking skills.
After a brief rest, JJ called the team in early to review the network timeline. The next unsub starts once the previous one is off the board, but we find out it’s much worse. An unsub buries a woman alive, and a 9-1-1 distress call leads the BAU to connect it to the network. This unsub breaks the case wide open as a package sends the FBI building into lockdown.
Voit’s memories nearly destroy him
I’m still processing how Voit didn’t destroy his brain by slipping into his serial killer side. But Dr. Ochoa’s scans and Tara’s diagnosis confirm that his brain isn’t releasing dopamine when he sees murder images. After seeing Voit scared of his evil side, something Penelope said stuck with me, convincing me he’s not faking it. She said, “Folks can fake a lot of things, but Voit’s far too broken to be anyone but himself.”
If he were manipulating the BAU, his brain scans would show it, right? I’d hope so. It looks like he doesn’t want to be a monster. Especially asking Rossi to kill him, Voit is scared of what he once was, which confuses me and breaks my heart.
More serial killers wake up
After confirming that more than one serial killer is waking up, The Brutal Man’s message makes sense. Hell’s empty because all the devils represent the new network of serial killers waking up. It’s the network that rose from the ashes of the old, but this one isn’t predictable.
Like the team, I’m in shock that they were half wrong about what would happen next. They may be experts, but killers still have their messed-up strategies. With all the killers at play, I have no idea what will happen next.
Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 6 review
Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 6 woke up the new serial killer network and released Hell’s demons into the world. Every time the BAU gets answers, they’re met with more questions and unsubs. The case revealed a great deal, yet left us in the dark by the end. How can we learn so much and still be so lost? Welcome to an ongoing investigation, where confusion is the primary emotion.
I loved how twisty the storyline was while also highlighting different parts of the BAU’s lives and teamwork. Although I’m more confused than ever, I still loved seeing Voit work with Penelope and Tyler. Turns out, Voit’s muscle memory comes in handy. Penelope telling Voit why she was there cracked me up. She has every right to be ticked with him for making her return to the BAU. I can’t help but be happy that his case brought her back.
The ending made me scream: I need answers! Why is the mask in the box? Is it the Brutal Man’s or a different one? If we thought we knew what was happening, Criminal Minds said, "Sike, no you don’t!"
Additional Evidences:
- Tara getting jealous over Rebecca being friendly to her ex was hilarious. It made it even funnier hearing Tara call him a tall drink of water. I was dying laughing as Tara kept digging a hole only to find out the ex was harmless.
- The style for this Criminal Minds season is all over Twitter. The BAU ladies serve every episode, proving they’re bringing their A-game and confidence to every case, just like the boss women they are.
All seasons of Criminal Minds are streaming on Paramount+.