Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2, episode 8.
Summary
Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8 saw the BAU team make major progress in the “Gold Star” case, although the episode’s tragic ending could cause more problems for them. Only two episodes are left of this season, butCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 3could continue the “Gold Star” storyline.Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2 has dealt with the “Sicarius” case, with Elias Voit playing an important role, and there’s a chance Jade could do the same in season 3.Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2 has a lot to wrap up in under 2 hours.
The new episode immediately followed the events ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7, with Jill Gideon and David Rossi reuniting. The shocking reveal that Jill was the one who leaked the “White Paper” that eventually created Stuart House completely changed the dynamic between her and the team. While Jill had her reasons for doing so, she never could have predicted what would come of it.Jill Gideon is an interesting addition toCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, and episode 8 further proved this by delving more into her past with Rossi and her confrontation with Damien.
Spencer Reid’s Criminal Minds Return Just Became Inevitable After 4 Years Of Waiting
Spencer Reid has yet to appear in Criminal Minds: Evolution, but one Emily Prentiss line in season 2, episode 7 made his return inevitable.
The Symbolism Of The Closed Fist In Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Explained
Jade Killed Damien When He Closed His Fist At The End Of Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2, Episode 8
Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7 focused on a chilling and heartbreaking case completely separate from “Gold Star,” and Emily convincing Jill to return to Quantico and help the BAU team. Thus, there wasn’t a lot of attention paid to Damien and Jade, who played a much bigger role inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8. The cliffhanger at the end ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7 sawVoit’s lawyer digging up a chest intended for Damien. He delivered it in this episode to great consequences.
Prentiss' Secret JJ Insult In Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Degrades Their Most Poignant Talk
After their emotional one-on-one conversation about BAU-Gate, Prentiss throws a hurtful dig at JJ in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2, episode 7.
When Voit’s lawyer, Vincent Orlov, came to deliver the chest to Damien, he and Jade threatened him with a sniper gun. The scope was initially pointed at Orlov’s feet, but Jade told him if she made a closed fist with her hand, Damien would kill him. This closed fist symbol returned at the end ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8 in the most shocking way. At the end of the episode, it appeared as though Damien was finally surrendering to the FBI.
Yet, when Damien put his hands up and knelt, he closed one of his fists. Jade, who had been secretly hiding, took this as an order to kill Damien inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8. Although Damien decided not to kill Jill, he wasn’t going to surrender himself to the FBI alive, and Jill blamed herself for it. Jade was Damien’s second-in-command, and she wasn’t going to disobey his orders, even if it meant losing him.
When confronted with the truth that his entire life had been a lie, and he’d been killing people for no reason, Damien lost his will to live.
Though Damien might be gone inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, that doesn’t erase the “Gold Star” problem. As the BAU team previously profiled, Jade can be more dangerous than Damien because of her impulsiveness. Without Damien there to rein her in, she could go on a reckless killing spree.Jade’s heartbreak over Damien’s death inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2could also drive her to go after Jill, the BAU team, and other FBI officials.
Why Damien Didn’t Kill Jill In Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2, Episode 8
Jill Used Her Profiling Skills To Help Save Damien
Despite Voit’s claims that “North Star” is an empty conspiracy theory, Damien and Jade have taken it seriously.Criminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8 showed that the deadly duo had switched up their modus operandi, or MO, which allowed them to go undetected. Previously, the “Gold Star” team would gauge the eyes of their victims, as shown by what they did to the strike team. However, when they went after those involved in the creation of Stuart House, they staged suicides. This discovery helped lead Jill and the BAU team straight to Damien.
While Jill wasn’t supposed to go after Damien alone, she felt some responsibility for what happened to him at Stuart House. Jill and Rossi spent most ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8 looking into Stuart House, the “White Paper,” and Damien’s past. They discovered he had a foster father that he loved, but who had sent him to Stuart House. Under their direction, his foster father became Damien’s first victim. From then on, Damien made it his mission to save children like himself by killing those he believed had hurt them.
5 Things Criminal Minds Got Wrong About Criminal Profiling (& 5 It Got Right)
A lot of Criminal Minds fans ask ‘what does unsub mean?’ and ‘is it used in the show accurately?’ Here’s how accurate the series is about profiling.
Jill used this information to confront Damien and hopefully save him. Damien intended to kill Jill, and he almost did, but she managed to get through to him thanks to her profile. Damien didn’t want to believe he’d fallen victim to a conspiracy theory, but Jill convinced him by appealing to the inner child in him. This caused Damien to spare Jill, but unfortunately, it also led to his assisted suicide. When confronted with the truth that his entire life had been a lie, and he’d been killing people for no reason, Damien lost his will to live.
Why Jill Called Gideon’s Cabin “North Star” In Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2, Episode 8
Gideon’s Cabin Is Where The Plans For Stuart House Began
To try and save Damien inCriminal Minds: Evolution, Jill convinced him to take her to a secondary location, which she called “North Star.” She knew the significance of those words to Damien, and that she was more likely to convince him if she spoke his language. She also told him that there was a young boy there that needed saving. InCriminal Mindsseason 2, episode 6, Rossi concluded that the BAU was “North Star,” but Jill put a twist on this idea.
The “North Star” Jill was referring to was Gideon’s cabin, where he was killed inCriminal Mindsseason 10. It was also where Jill, Rossi, and Gideon often worked, thus where the “White Paper” was born. Though Jill didn’t know what Stuart House would do with them, it was also where she got the idea to leak the paper to private contractors like Stuart House. This also suggested that“North Star” created far more than Stuart House, leaving many potential unsubs that Jill, Rossi, and Gideon hold partial responsibility for turning into serial killers.
8 Criminal Minds Cast Members Who Left The Show Early (& Why)
Criminal Minds had several characters that became fan favorites. However, some cast members left the show early for a variety of reasons.
Jill hadn’t been to the cabin since before Gideon died, as it was too hard to visit a place full of happy memories that turned into a crime scene. Yet, she faced her past to help Damien, who was the boy she said needed saving. Jill might have led Damien to the cabin under false pretenses, but she wasn’t lying about her intentions. Sadly, Gideon’s cabin was further haunted by Damien being killed just outside its doors. Jill has carried great trauma with her, and it’s unlikely she’ll forgive herself for Damien’s death anytime soon inCriminal Minds: Evolution.
Rossi & Jill’s History In Criminal Minds Explained
InCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 7, Jill revealed that Rossi left the BAU in 1997 because she broke his heart. It was also the reason Jill was hesitant to return to the BAU. While she felt she had already processed her grief over Gideon’s murder, she wasn’t ready to face Rossi again. Jill even referred to Rossi as “histrionic,” suggesting they never would have worked out because of his attitude, as shown by her and Gideon’s divorce.
Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2’s New Actor Sets Up An Original Character Return After 17 Years
The latest Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 casting update paves the way for the return of an original cast member 17 years since they left.
Rossi’s actor, Joe Mantegna, called Jill and Gideon’s reunion a “red herring,” andCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8 revealed why. When Emily told Rossi about his conversation with Jill, he disagreed with her claim that he left the BAU because she’d broken his heart. Rather, he said he left the BAU because he was immature and didn’t know how to handle the nagging thought that Jill was too good for Gideon. He wanted to give them the chance to continue the BAU as a family without him getting in the way.
This doesn’t mean that Rossi didn’t have feelings for Jill inCriminal Minds, or that they disappeared when he left the BAU. They leaned on each other when Gideon was in a mood, which was often, but he didn’t want to betray his best friend. By the time Gideon and Jill separated, Rossi was already onto his second wife. Rossi tearfully spoke of his deceased wife Krystall and said he felt like his timing with love was never right.Jill might be Rossi’s one who got away inCriminal Minds, and their future is still uncertain.
Jill kissed Rossi inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8, but it was to make him uncomfortable enough to avoid her, not ignite a romance.
How Voit’s Lawyer Can Help Prove Voit Is “Sicarius” In Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2
Voit Met His Lawyer On The “Sicarius” Network
As aforementioned, Voit’s lawyer, Orlov, played a significant role inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, episode 8. Beyond delivering the chest to Damien and Jade, it looks like he did more deadly bidding for Voit. Rebecca returned and revealed that someone had hacked the U.S. Marshals, and while she couldn’t prove Voit was behind the hack, she was certain it was him. If this were true, it would be because Orlov helped him. This led to Tyler tracking him down and him and Rebecca interrogating him.
In their deep dive into Orlov and his connection to Voit, they discovered they had met via the “Sicarius” network. However, Orlov wasn’t a serial killer like others on the site. He claimed to have a young girl he was abusing locked in his basement, but they deduced that Orlov was a poser as Tyler had been. If Voit were to discover his lawyer had lied to him, he would likely lose all trust in Orlov, which could end Orlov doing his illegal bidding inCriminal Minds: Evolution.
Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Just Set Up A Major Returning Character’s Death
Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2, episode 2 delves deeper into the mystery of “Gold Star” and teases how it could lead to another character’s death.
More importantly, Orlov could help the BAU team prove that Voit is “Sicarius.” Though they know this to be true, they don’t have enough evidence to prosecute him, especially with FBI Director Madison trying to cut a deal with Voit. If they have evidence that Orlov and Voit met through the network Voit was running as “Sicarius,” he could be brought to justice for more than just killing Bailey and kidnapping Rossi. If the BAU team can get Orlov to confess inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2, they could get rid of their Voit problem.
New episodes ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionare released every Thursday on Paramount+ through August 1.
