This article contains discussion of death during childbirth, infant death, and the Holocaust.
Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2, episode 7.
Summary
Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7 continued its trend of disturbing episodes with a new case unrelated to “Gold Star,” while Emily reached out to an old friend with a unique connection to the BAU.Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 6was one of the most chilling episodes of the season thus far thanks to Rossi’s dream about Emily and Voit. Yet, season 2, episode 7 managed to raise the level ofCriminal Minds: Evolution’screep factor with its unsub and a shocking plot twist.
The show has a long history with unsettling unsubs, as evidenced by the mention ofTommy Yates inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 6. The series often takes inspiration from real-life cases, and some episodes may keep viewers up at night.Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7 reminded viewers of some ofthe bestCriminal Mindsepisodesby somewhat pushing the “Gold Star” storyline to the background to focus on a single-episode case that will stick with viewers and the BAU team.
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What Is Voit Doing With Damien In Criminal: Minds Evolution Season 2?
As aforementioned, unlike previous episodes ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, the spotlight wasn’t on the “Gold Star” case. Thus, there wasn’t much to do with Voit inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7. He appeared in just a few scenes, but his final scene could spell major trouble for the BAU in the upcoming episodes. InCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 5, Voit secretly meets up with Damien about “North Star,” which Rossi later discovered was the BAU.
Yet, Rossi and the team still don’t know about the meeting between the serial killers. It’s clear that Voit has been playing the team, and the end ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7 revealed just how much power he still has behind bars. Voit convinced his lawyer to dig up a chest, not knowing what he was digging up or what was in it.
Damien, Jade, and “Gold Star” team members haven’t appeared sinceCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 5, suggesting a grand return in the next episode.
Voit told him the chest needed to be delivered to Damien, and he wasn’t supposed to look inside. However, Voit also gave his lawyer the code (4-0-0-8), and as soon as their phone call ended, the lawyer opened it. Voit likely gave the warning as a test, knowing his lawyer would be too tempted to leave it locked, butCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7 didn’t show the chest’s contents. It’s been hinted that it contains Gideon and Rossi’s “White Paper,” but Voit has shown viewers must expect the unexpected.
What Epigenetics Is & Its Role In The Gold Star Case Explained
The Gold Star Program Was Created By An Epigenetic Study
Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7 was directed byAisha Tyler, who has played Dr. Tara Lewis sinceCriminal Mindsseason 11. This is the fourthCriminal Mindsepisode Tyler directed, the first being the memorable season 13 episode, “The Bunker.” Thus, it wasn’t surprising that Tara played a smaller role inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7, with all her scenes taking place at Quantico.
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This doesn’t mean her role wasn’t important, as she broke down important parts of the “White Paper” and how epigenetics is connected to the “Gold Star” case. As Tara explained, the epigenetics field revolves around the question of how environmental factors affect genes, which gets “bananas” regarding mental illness. Whoever created the “Gold Star” program did it as an epigenetic study.
The “White Paper,” which was never meant to be published, included a hypothetical scenario as to how serial killers can be created by their environment from a young age. Whoever found the papers and created “Gold Star” wanted to see what would happen if you could identify “emerging psychopathy in kids,then promote it, direct it, and control it.” Understanding epigenetics could be the key to unlocking the “Gold Star” case and profiling Damien, Jade, and the other unsubs.
Why Emily Ignores Rossi’s Order In Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Episode 7
Rossi Forbids Emily From Contacting Jill Gideon
Emily brings up consulting Jill Gideon (Felicity Huffman), original BAU founding member Jason Gideon’s ex-wife. Jill is a doctor whose focus is epigenetics, so she’d be a perfect consultant for the “Gold Star” case, but Rossi didn’t want her help. Rossi tells Emily he’d never said such a thing to Emily in the past, but he was “forbidding” her from contacting Jill. Of course, Emily is the BAU’s Unit Chief, not Rossi, so she has no real obligation to Rossi’s orders.
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As such, she has no issue ignoring Rossi, despite her respect for him, and reaching out to Jill herself.Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7 reveals that Jill was instrumental in creating the BAU, but they hid her role because Gideon was afraid it would put her in danger. This was understandable givenGideon was killed off inCriminal Mindsseason 10 by an unsub from an old unsolved case, years afterMandy Patinkin’s exit inCriminal Mindsseason 2.
Given Jill’s background and her potential role in helping write the “White Paper,” Emily knew having her as a consultant would be invaluable to their case.Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7 also revealed that Jill knew the BAU agents, or at least those who have been around since the show’s earlier seasons. In a sweet moment, Jill tells Emily that Gideon loved Emily back, which she says means a lot to her. Gideon and Emily didn’t work together long, but it was a nice reminder of how important he was and still is to the BAU.
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Season 1, episode 1, “Extreme Aggressor”
Season 1, episode 1, “Extreme Aggressor
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Season 3, episode 6, “Abot Face”
Rossi’s History With Jill Gideon In Criminal Minds Explained
Emily pulls out all the stops when she meets up with Jill inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7 to convince her to help them with the “Gold Star” case. Jill didn’t want to return to Quantico, claiming it was too painful. Emily assumes this is because of Gideon’s untimely death, but Jill says it’s been 9 years–which comes as a bit of a reality check forCriminal Mindsviewers as to how much time has passed–and she’s already grieved him.
Instead, Jill doesn’t want to come back to Quantico and work with the BAU team because of Rossi. It’s revealed that Rossi once had an affair with Jill, emotional or physical, that led to his leaving the BAU in 1997. Rossi had told Emily and others he left because he was tired of FBI bureaucracy and wanted to write books, but Jill reveals it was because she broke his heart.
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Though this may come as a surprise and change Gideon and Rossi’s relationship inCriminal Minds, it fits in with Rossi’s history. Rossi was married three times before settling down with Krystall, with the couple remarrying at the end ofCriminal Mindsseason 14. Sadly, Krystall dies in the time jump betweenCriminal MindsandCriminal Minds: Evolution.Hopefully,Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2 doesn’t attempt to rekindle Jill and Rossi’s romance, as it would do a disservice to Gideon’s memory.
What Happened To Emma In Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Episode 7’s Ending
Emma & The Baby Died During Birth In Criminal Minds: Evolution
Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7 opened with a gruesome, haunting scene that introduced viewers to the unsub and his unique torture and killing method. The unsub, Roger Song, was played brilliantly by guest star Aaron Yoo, who is known for horror filmsDisturbiaandFriday the 13th. Roger would kidnap men, lock them in a glass case, and interrogate them. If he didn’t get the answers he wanted, which he never did, he’d trigger a shower head to rain down a burning mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide, dissolving their bodies.
At first, it appears as though Roger is killing these men because they raped and impregnated his wife, Emma, who has postpartum depression and complications from a home birth. He is calm and composed with the victims, but he frantically tries to balance these killings, taking care of a newborn baby by himself, and tending to his wife. It also seems like she’s in on the plan and wants Roger to kill the men so she can finally “pretend” to be “the perfect mom.”
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As if things weren’t twisted enough, it’s revealed that Roger is having a psychotic break and the men weren’t rapists but potential sperm donors. After his wife starts hemorrhaging, he kidnaps the doctor who had helped them with IVF and warned them against a home birth.The slow realization that Emma and the baby weren’t crying for help is chilling and heartbreaking, as Roger had been tending to their decomposing bodiessince they died during the birth. Even when apprehended, he asks Luke and JJ to take care of them, still unable to process their deaths.
The Real Meaning Of Tyler’s Comparison Between The Gold Star Program’s Creator & Dr. Mengele
Dr. Mengele Was Known As The Angel Of Death
When discussing epigenetics with Tara and Emily, Tyler compares whoever created the “Gold Star Program” to Dr. Mengele.Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7 doesn’t further elaborate on the reference, requiring viewers to know about Josef Mengele, who was nicknamed the “Angel of Death.” He was a German Schutzstaffel (SS) officer and doctor during World War II who performed deadly experiments on prisoners at the Auschwitz II (Birkenau) concentration camp.
One of Dr. Mengele’s roles was selecting victims to be murdered in the gas chambers. He was also one of the doctors who administered the deadly gas.Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7, in perhaps a cruel twist of irony, references the historical doctor in an episode where the unsub locks victims in an enclosed space and kills them via an acidic shower. Yet, the Dr. Mengele reference was more specific to the “Gold Star Program” creator.
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Dr. Mengele, who also conducted harmful, deadly genetic research on twins, selected people to be killed, while the “Gold Star Program” creator selected children to become killers. After World War II, the doctor fled to Argentina and spent the rest of his years on the run from Nazi hunters and governments. He drowned in 1979 after a heart attack while swimming and was buried under a false name. Though it’s a quick reference inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7, Dr. Mengele’s fate could suggest that the “Gold Star Program” creator will also evade justice.
Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2 premieres new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+ through June 30, 2025.
Criminal Minds: Evolution
Cast
InCriminal Minds: Evolution, the FBI’s elite team of criminal profilers come up against their greatest threat yet, an UnSub who has used the pandemic to build a network of other serial killers. As the world opens back up and the network goes operational, the team must hunt them down, one murder at a time. Original cast members continuing their roles include Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster. Zach Gilford joins the dynamic cast as a recurring guest star in a season-long arc.
