Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2, episode 8.
Summary
Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2 paid tribute to one of the show’s best episodes, providing new context and meaning to a Jason Gideon line while honoring his character.Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8featured a major plot twist at the end, making it an instantly memorable episode.Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2 is also known asCriminal Mindsseason 17. Viewers don’t have to watchthe original 15Criminal Mindsseasonsto follow along, but the frequent callbacks to past episodes and characters are a treat for those who did.
Criminal Minds: Evolutionconsistently raises the bar with the level of danger, suspense, fear, and even gore, while keeping familiar storylines at its core. Almost two decades later,Criminal Mindsis still surprising viewers with plot twists and major reveals.Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8 features many parallels toone ofthe bestCriminal Mindsepisodes, season 1, episode 6, “L.D.S.K.”It’s still looked back fondly upon and the latestCriminal Minds: Evolutionepisode reminds viewers why.
A.J. Cook
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Jill Repeats Gideon’s Stance On Taking Down Unsubs From Criminal Minds Season 1, Episode 6
Jill Uses Her Profile On Damien To Stop Him From Killing Her
Criminal Mindsseason 1, episode 6, “L.D.S.K.,” followed the original BAU team as they tried to stop a long-distance serial killer. The episode opened with Reid failing his firearms assessment, which meant he couldn’t carry a gun in the field until he could retake and pass the test. This almost got him killed at the end of “L.D.S.K.” when Hotch and Reid were trapped alone with the sniper, but Reid took Gideon’s words to heart. Gideon had told him,
“I don’t care if you carry a gun or not. The deadliest weapon we have is a thorough and accurate profile.”
When Jill Gideon went to confront Damien at the end ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8, she went unarmed, even though she knew he intended to kill her. InCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7, Jill told Emily she didn’t like guns, so it wasn’t surprising she didn’t have one on her when she lured Damien to Gideon’s cabin. Jill successfully used her profile to keep Damien from killing her. She appealed to his emotions and empathized with him, which Gideon called “the only truly effective weapon” in “L.D.S.K.”
Jill Could Have Been The One Who Gave Gideon The Advice On Weapons In Criminal Minds
Jill Wasn’t A Field Agent With The BAU In Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2 introducing Jill Gideonchallenged much of what had been established about the BAU, its history, and Rossi and Gideon. In her recurring role, it was revealed that she wasn’t just Gideon’s ex-wife, but she was also a biological psychiatrist who specialized in epigenetics. What truly altered the show’s history was the reveal that she’d been around the BAU since its inception, and had helped Rossi and Gideon develop their cases and revolutionize the profiling field. Yet, she never got any of the credit.
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Jill’s involvement was kept a secret for her own protection, as Gideon feared unsubs would seek revenge, and she’d be stuck in the crossfire. His fears were founded when Damien went after her because she was part of the unfortunate creation of Stuart House. The reveals about Jill inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2 open up many possibilities about the show’s past, particularly around Gideon’s character. Since Jill wasn’t a field agent with the BAU, and she didn’t like guns, she could have been the one to give Gideon the advice he then gave Reid in “L.D.S.K.”
The Ending Of “L.D.S.K.” Foreshadowed Damien’s Death In Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2, Episode 8
Reid Killed The Unsub At The End Of “L.D.S.K.”
Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8, “North Star,” ended with Damien being killed by a sniper. He’d ordered his partner Jade to kill him after he’d surrendered himself to the FBI under Jill’s guidance. Damien knew they’d be taking him alive, and he’d be asked to cooperate with them, so he made a difficult, heartbreaking move, choosing death over imprisonment. The use of snipers was another parallel between “North Star” and “L.D.S.K.”
With the callbacks to “L.D.S.K.,” Damien’s death almost seemed inevitable.
Damien’s death was shocking, unexpected, quick, and silent thanks to the sniper gun. That same method of killing madethe unsub inCriminal Mindsseason 1, episode 6, Philip Dowd, so hard to capture. When they finally discovered who the unsub was, Reid and Hotch were trapped with him, racing against the clock with the police force trying to enter and eliminate Dowd. Hotch used his profile to empathize and identify with Dowd and subtly communicated with Reid to help him understand their plan.
When the time came, Reid borrowed Hotch’s gun and killed Dowd. With the callbacks to “L.D.S.K.,” Damien’s death almost seemed inevitable. At the end of the episode, Reid told Gideon he was right, you don’t need a gun to kill somebody, “but it helps.” Though Jill wasn’t trying to kill Damien inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8, the profile she used to save her life accidentally became a weapon that helped end Damien’s.
New episodes ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionare released every Thursday on Paramount+ through August 1.
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.
