This post contains spoilers from Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 9.
Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 8 was emotional, twisty, and impactful as I watched Tara fight for her life. Some fans may think the BAU made no progress, but the episode showed how far someone would go to hurt the BAU. This caused the team to leave no stone unturned as they uncovered more about Voit and Uncle Cyrus’ past and their connections to the present danger.
Episode 9 left me yelling at my TV as the "to be continued" flashed across the screen. The events had one thing in common: Viewers were unknowingly following new hire, nurse John, through the events of the past eight days. With heavy suspicion, I said, “Nurse John is a part of this.” As the crime scene hit Penelope’s servers, the BAU figured out the network was tying up loose ends.
Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 9 recap
Viewers unknowingly follow the unsub for eight days, with the BAU unaware he was in plain sight. Although I was suspicious of Nurse John, it wasn’t until he killed the wife of a disciple and kidnapped the son, leaving the mask behind, that he sold me. John looked harmless as he told Monica that he had a sick child at home. In reality, he kidnapped the boy and shipped him in a box to the BAU.
The little boy specifically asked for Agent JJ to recite the disciples’ prayer to: “Now I lay me down to sleep, your husband’s soul is God’s to keep. Laney and Ava will be safe if you release the one who dug their graves.” Not only did they throw her dead husband in her face, but also her nickname that only the BAU and a few others know. There’s a massive leak in the case, and Voit’s arrested as the first suspect when he tells them he helped Laney and Ava run for safety.
Once Kyle (Laney’s ex-husband, who buried their daughter alive) reveals the engineer who knows too many ways to make killing easier, Voit is sent back to the hospital, and the BAU is spread too thin on stakeouts. Prentiss realizes too late that they left Voit exposed; they return to the hospital to a bloodbath and Voit’s empty room.
The network cleans up loose ends
One by one, the network wipes the disciples and their families from the board, leaving the BAU in a race with the disciples to find answers. Just when the team thinks they’re in the lead, the disciples play a hand that stumps everyone.
Kyle is the last living helpful disciple in custody that the team has been chasing all season. Rodney, the Brutal Man, is brain-dead from beating his head against the table. Penelope sets an online trap, claiming Kyle was found dead in his cell like the others. Instead of catching the unsub, they’re outplayed again. This is the most unsubs they’ve ever had in their backyard, and it's been one of the most draining cases. I’m genuinely still stumped by what went down. Just when I thought we were getting somewhere, we’re kicked to the ground.
Is Voit gone?
Voit took us on a rollercoaster of events, but him being taken wasn’t on my radar. The viewers know he tried to save Dr. Ochoa by quieting her yelling because he knew it got quiet when someone was going to kill. Voit was eerily correct. The unsub shot nurses and then, to the BAU’s knowledge, probably took Voit. As the dreaded to be continued message flashed across the screen, I yelled, Where’s Dr. Ochoa? Now, I may believe the theories that she’s in on it.
Voit said he didn’t know who Tessa (a woman who claimed to be Cyrus’ daughter 20 years ago) was. Wouldn’t she be around Dr. Ochoa’s age? Maybe I’m wrong, but it’s too weird not to theorize her being involved, even with her kindness and credits to back her up. Nurse John appeared friendly, but was an unsub.
Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 9 review
The season has been building to these final moments, and I can’t seem to wrap my head around what happened. From the moment the scenes focused on Nurse John, something was fishy. How terrible do people have to be to pose as a nurse with a sick child and a frustrated wife? Yet, he acted so calm about everything. I believe John Peters and Nurse John are the same person, but if they are, then why wasn’t he living in the house? Criminal Minds, I have so many questions.
I appreciated how the episode highlighted the BAU team's close-knit relationships. Each scene was perfect. My heart swelled when Prentiss validated JJ's anger when the little boy called her by her nickname and mentioned Will. I loved how supportive Penelope was with Tara and Rebecca’s future wedding, and then her funny fantasy football chat with Luke. My favorite part is how Rossi serves as a father figure; whether he’s joking with Tara, comforting Prentiss, or dealing with Voit.
Additional Evidence:
- Tara asking Penelope to officiate the wedding is so cute. She’s the best parts of them: In Dungeons & Dragons terms, she’s equal parts Lawful Good (Rebecca) and Chaotic Good (Tara).
- Voit wanting to be good breaks my heart. He doesn’t have healthy ways to approach saving people, so he confuses them. They start doubting his ability to be good, except for Rossi, who knows both sides.
All seasons of Criminal Minds are streaming on Paramount+.
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