A.J. Cook (Jennifer “JJ” Jareau) was right when she said fans needed to “prepare” themselves for the Criminal Minds: Evolution midseason finale (it left two of the profilers in serious peril!), but there are still another five episodes to come!
And those episodes are going to lead to a “crazy” end to the season, Adam Rodriguez (Luke Alvez) promised TV Insider. “I think [Erica Messer and the writing team] were so excited to finally get a chance to do something that was truly serialized and still have the genius to keep it so that each episode in its own way could stand alone but it is all tied to this long arc, which wraps up in a pretty crazy way — so crazy that I would say it may not be the end of the road,” he teased.
This season-long case brought tech genius Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) back to the FBI at the beginning of Evolution. Before that, Garcia “was doing better than OK,” according to Vangsness. “She was doing the best she ever has.” As a result, the others are now having to adjust to interacting with what she calls “Garcia 2.0.”
As the return of Criminal Minds (now on Paramount+) has shown, there’s still plenty to explore with the agents’ home lives as well, with JJ’s getting some focus in recent episodes. “I’m really excited about this sub-storyline with JJ and her family. She’s the only one still married,” Cook noted. “In this field of work, relationships are hard to sustain and most real life profilers are single or have been divorced or what have you, so I really love that we get to see that struggle for JJ.”
Watch the video interview for more from Cook, Vangsness, and Rodriguez about this season’s arc, adding Evolution to Criminal Minds, Garcia back at the BAU, and JJ’s home life. Plus, they share their picks for their UnSub names.
Criminal Minds: Evolution, Midseason Premiere, Thursday, January 12, 2023, Paramount+
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