This post contains spoilers from Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 8.
Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 7 wreaked havoc from all angles. The Uncle Cyrus deepfake failed to turn Voit evil, but succeeded in breaking Penelope’s spirit when a keystroke results in a victim’s death. If Sicarius Spiders didn’t scare us enough, Tara lying unconscious with bullet wounds gutted fans. I’m still in shambles as the pain continues in episode 8 with Tara fighting for her life.
Episode 8 dove headfirst into Tara’s grief and discovered she had closed herself off from love and commitment after losing her mom to cancer. Fans learned more about Tara than ever before while sobbing over her impending battle. Meanwhile, the BAU was pulling an all-nighter to uncover answers on Tara’s shooting by the disciple known as Mr. Lonely Heart (who ironically was kicked off the network while Voit was running it). With each new clue, the unsubs are one step ahead, and Prentiss isn’t amused.
What happened in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 8
Criminal Minds fans knew episode 8 would leave us reeling as one of the good guys lay unconscious, serving as a cliffhanger, and the following episode's title was the character's name. We’ve been through this too many times not to expect to be hurt. While Tara is discovering she’s fighting for her life with guidance from her deceased mother, Rebecca finally calls Prentiss, and the team starts investigating.
As soon as Rebecca says the shooter was in a Yase-otoko mask, the team is frustrated from exhaustion and losing. They pull in Voit and Dr. Ochoa to help them uncover who shot Tara and why it seemed staged. Prentiss acknowledges that they’ve lost one too many times, but they aren’t giving up now when one of their own is fighting for their life.
Tara faces her grief
After Tara is shot, she wakes up in a freezing, lonely bedroom. It’s heartbreaking to see her realize she’s not dreaming. In a sense, limbo functions like a dreamscape, except she’s there because she’s fighting for her life. She begs not to go through this alone, and she appears at her mom’s bedside as she is dying of cancer. Although this is her last memory of her mom, it opens a sealed wound.
Tara blinks and takes them back to the cold bedroom, so her mom can help her face her grief. For years, Tara has let her mom’s death close her off from love, commitment, and moving on. Even though she has a great life, she’s still holding back parts of herself from the love of her life. Once she accepts her grief, Tara wakes up with a new lease on life and hope for the future. Tara and Rebecca sealed the deal while surrounded by their chosen family.
The BAU pulls an all-nighter
Emily Prentiss will always do everything in her power to seek answers, especially when one of their own is hurt. Criminal Minds isn’t new to having a BAU team member shot and in surgery, but this one comes after being constantly misdirected by a network of unsubs. Prentiss reminds the team that they’re staying up to help Tara because she needs them to fight for her.
This is why Criminal Minds remains a popular show. The friendships reach far beyond coworkers; they’re a chosen family. No matter the exhaustion, loss of patience, or losses, the BAU fights for justice with everything they have.
Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 8 review
I felt Tara’s grief of not having her mother to help her in life, because I’d do anything to have my dad back. Her saying she was a motherless daughter after her mom passed hit too close to home. Parent loss changes a person, and it changed her view of life. I appreciate how committed Criminal Minds is to the grief journeys of Tara and JJ.
Allowing Tara to face her grief while fighting for her life gave her a reason not to give up. Adding Rebecca’s voice at the end made me sob. As soon as Tara heard the love of her life, she knew she could say goodbye to her mom. She knew it wasn’t her time to go yet, and that her future still needed her. I do not doubt that her mom will continue to watch over her. It was beautiful how Tara finally accepted she could love and commit to someone again after all the tragedy.
Voit’s one-on-one scenes with the team were so wholesome and hilarious. His awareness of the weirdness of him being kind cracks me up. He’s like a little brother appreciating his older siblings’ knowledge. I think that’s a credit to Zach Gilford connecting with the cast on and off screen.
I appreciate the raw emotion, although I was sobbing the whole time. I loved seeing the team and Voit come together to solve why everyone Voit meets becomes collateral damage. The entire episode had a wholesome feel, with the ending scene finally being happy. All the pain was worth it for once.
Additional Evidence
- Episode 8 gave me Ghost Whisperer flashbacks from Andrea’s ending. Aisha Tyler pulled out her ghostly skills and left me in shambles.
- Voit being kind to the BAU never fails to shock me. But with Dr. Ochoa and Penelope’s faith in him, maybe he is a different person.
All seasons of Criminal Minds are streaming on Paramount+.
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