By the end of Criminal Minds: Evolution 17×04, the BAU seems to finally have a good idea of who — more like what — Gold Star is. Obviously, we’re way, way too far away from the season finale to actually believe the rest of the investigation is going to be at all easy from here. (Especially since, you know, Elias Voit is now out of his cell and on his way to play profiler.) But the case, for as intriguing as it is — and yeah. This is a good mystery — continues to be one-upped by some truly compelling, and downright touching, character work.
We keep saying we follow shows like this one for the human element — that letting people, not plot, drive the story actually improves the procedural side, too. Far too often, it feels like we’re just yelling into the void. But “Kingdom of the Blind” is further proof that the folks behind the scenes of this series get it.
“But you. You passed on you.”
One thing that Criminal Minds: Evolution 17×04 does incredibly well is creating this parallel narrative between what happens with the Voit family and what happens with Jade and Rick Waters. Jade has a murderer for a father, and her attempt at turning him in for killing her own mother (uh, yikes) landed her in Stewart House. Whatever “shared trauma,” as Tara calls it at one point, happened there created the monster Rossi and Lewis fly off to hunt down in Nevada. Not only that, but this young woman is a key piece of the Gold Star puzzle. When we combine her case with Garcia’s The Black Queen’s successful hack of Sebastian Gasper’s phone, the BAU makes their first real progress in the Gold Star case.
Now, consider Holly Voit’s situation. She’s hurting, angry, and worried about her mom and little sister. So, what does she do? The first chance she gets, she sneaks a weapon into a high-security facility…and tries to kill her father. In that way, sure. We can look at both of these young women — one just a teenager, the other in her late 20s — and see they are eerily similar. But the similarities are very surface level. When we dig deeper, it turns out they’re polar opposites.
Jade’s murders are about vengeance, and she enjoys them. She takes sheriffs’ badges as trophies, even tattoos herself after each kill. Forget about feeling remorse; the word doesn’t even appear to exist in our latest UNSUB’s vocabulary. In fact, Jade doesn’t appear capable of feeling very much at all. Anger, hatred, the thrill of the kill — possibly a little bit of fear when Damian sneaks up on her — sure. Aside from those? Eh, nothing much to see here.
Holly, on the other hand, feels too much. As JJ points out during their interview, this poor kid just wants her mom to stop crying. For as tough as she proves herself to be, though, she just doesn’t know how to help. And although she may put on a decent show when she challenges her father, everything about what Holly does is coming from an emotional place. From deep pain, which she tries to safeguard herself from using anger. She loves her family — loved the dad she used to know, even — and, at the end of the day, that’s motivation for attacking Voit.
“So, when I said I wanted to kill him, it wasn’t my dad. It was the other one.”
Another key difference: Elias Voit actually cares about his daughter. As bizarre as it may seem to us outsiders, the family guy act was never just an act. And while so much of what Voit does is all about playing the long game against the FBI, he is genuinely shaken after his daughter attacks him. But, for once, it’s not even about him. He is really, truly concerned about Holly. We know this, without a doubt because Zach Gilford’s performance in Criminal Minds: Evolution 17×04 practically screams it.
We’ve seen Gilford play so many versions of Voit, and the man who needs the wall of his cell for support, who is so quiet when he tells Alvez “you have to help her,” isn’t the one we’ve come to know and loathe at all. Does Voit still try to use his concern for Holly, as well as the BAU’s, to his advantage? Sure. It’s what he does. But there are so many moments where it becomes obvious that there is a real, human core to Elias Voit. (Kinda hate recognizing and having to say this, but here we are.) We can even go back, before the attack, and look at the way he responds to hearing about Holly cutting herself. It just hits different. And while the man’s humanity may be buried, may even be impossible to trust for long, it’s there.
So, to return to the Jade/Holly of it all. Jade’s way too far gone, and her dad’s not coming back to life any time soon after all that overkill. That’s someone who experienced tragedy, needed help, and only got…whatever the Gold Star program was instead. But when it comes to Holly Voit, she may still have a shot because she has a mother, little sister, and — yes — father who all care about her. The BAU isn’t going to let this girl turn into her father on their watch if they can help it either.
“She goes into WITSEC, she will not get the help she needs. There’s still time to turn this around. Just please, do not. Wait. You will lose her.”
Side note: Between his reaction to Holly’s cutting and the “still time” thing…Kinda can’t help but wonder if, even with all the backstory we have on Elias Voit/Lee Duval, there’s even more to come.
This shouldn’t be this fun, but…
Thankfully, Criminal Minds: Evolution 17×04 doesn’t torture us with having to worry about Emily’s fate following the setup at the end of “Homesick.” Instead, “Kingdom of the Blind” just gives us one of my all-time favorite versions of Emily Prentiss: the irritated AF one. (I have at least 2938473 favorites.) Love, love, love the entire sequence of Emily “not resisting” (eh, kinda resisting) arrest, being loaded into the cop car (if looks could kill), and just being generally done with it all.
Given the circumstances, we should absolutely not be having such a good time here. But especially by the time she makes her one phone call to Dave so we know help is on the way, we just can’t help ourselves. It’s almost like we have no choice but to crack up. We blame thank Paget Brewster‘s comedic talents for that. See also: the delivery on “hey!” at the beginning of that phone call. How can you not explode into giggles there???
It just gets better from there. As in, the general vibe of Emily being over it continues for much of the hour. (And we are here for it.) She doesn’t want to hear Dave’s (valid) suggestion that someone may have fed Brian a conspiracy. Which, ok. Fair. Just the thought of Brian getting another tin hat to wear…nobody wants to go there. And, when Rossi asks if she wants to go home, there’s this:
“No. i have a change of clothes at the office…and I’m not sleeping until I find that little prick.”
The way Brewster manages to sound self-deprecating, checked out, annoyed, and determined all at once is so good. And then, there’s even the detail in how Emily puts on that seatbelt…just. Again. So good. Unfortunately for Prentiss (but fortunately for our entertainment purposes), conspiracy theories and Brian Garrity both strike again. And, uh….as a result, there’s this masterpiece:
“Do you have any idea how many rabbit holes Brian Garrity has been down in his life? The moon landing, the Kennedy assassination. Oh — my personal favorite — the 1985 launch of New Coke was a cover to swap out cane sugar for high fructose corn syrup. So no, we are not going to mix HIS bullsh*t with Voit’s bullsh*t. Because then, we’re just investigating BULLSH*T. That is not there!”
This is what we might call “Emily, go off” or “Emily snapped.” And either way, let me be the first to confirm that the “so no” part of that, right up until the end, will continue to be pure hilarity no matter how many times you watch it. It’s so much, even JJ looks at Emily like “she ok???” And, um…our beloved Jennifer Jareau is not well in this episode.
Guess that’s our next highlight, low as it may be…
Suffering in silence
A.J. Cook’s performance in Criminal Minds: Evolution 17×04 is, much like what we saw at the end of “Homesick,” absolutely gutting. We may have had a week to deal with the BAU-Gate news, but for JJ, it’s only been one (probably sleepless) night. So, sure, she shows up to work. Because the case is too big not to — and it’s now personal. But in a lot of ways, she’s not even present. In that first meeting with the team, Cook gives us a JJ who is just…out of it. Contemplative, maybe, but not focused on the here and now. Even when she says what was on the traffic cams, it’s like the words are coming out all on their own. Because JJ isn’t there to say them. Instead, she’s trapped in some faraway place that she can’t get out of.
And she’s so alone there, stuck in that place. The team is so busy working, they don’t see how she’s somehow smaller, quieter…in this near-constant protective state, her hands worrying with each other as if she doesn’t even realize she’s doing it. Or, well. Ok. Credit where credit’s due: We do see some moments, off and on, where Luke — the only one who can possibly know to expect JJ to not be ok right now and why — gives her these kind of…concerned looks. And Emily might have a hint, especially after JJ pulls her aside and asks to talk…but they never get their moment.
First, duty (in the form of Tyler Green’s terrible timing) calls. Then, when Emily gets a chance to have a conversation, JJ does the “it’s not important” thing. Which, ouch to that last part??? It is very important. But of course she’s going to downplay her problem when she’s just listened to Emily’s concerns. Emily’s, and Sydney’s, and Holly’s…because that’s what some of us do when they need help but can’t (yet?) really ask. At this point, we’re convinced the “beautiful” Jemily that Brewster teased in some replies on twitter — refuse the new name — is going to destroy us. Why? Because Cook and Brewster are always so great together, and the missed opportunities in Criminal Minds: Evolution 17×04 had their own heartbreaking sort of feel to them.
Also of note here: JJ seems most like herself when she’s actually working with the Voit family. Even then, there’s still something off. And no, we can’t even begin to get into how much emotion she just can’t hold back — or how much concern, and care, and heartbreak — for Holly during their scenes together. Basically…go ahead and insert a few thousand more words of praise here.
Apologies vs. amends
Can’t believe this is a sentence I’m typing here, but Tyler Green is kinda…sweet in this episode? Admittedly, it’s the same old, same old at the beginning of Criminal Minds: Evolution 17×04. Penelope is quite obviously uncomfortable and upset — in her own home, no less — and he just keeps pushing her. Importantly, she calls him out on it. Penelope Garcia deserves to stick up for herself and tell this man to leave. Better yet, Tyler finally hears her.
“I don’t work for you. So, you don’t have access to my hack magic. And even if you did, I do my best work when I feel safe. Which I’m assuming you would want me to feel. But I have asked you to leave, and I have said no, and you’re ignoring me.”
No is a complete sentence. Penelope shouldn’t have had to say all that, much less be so…pitiful, is maybe the word for how lost and just entirely not-Garcia she is. (Sorry. Can’t think of a better word than for how…baby (???) Kirsten Vangsness plays her when this man isn’t listening. Another performance for which there isn’t a ton of adequate vocabulary to describe it, here.) But at least her message gets through once he, like, calms down about the case and actually sees how much his presence is hurting Penelope. And his hushed apology really, truly seems sincere.
The next day, he takes her advice and comes clean to the team. Now, that part is huge. Insert utterly hilarious showdown between Garcia and Prentiss, in which Prentiss wins, here. I love them.
Later in Criminal Minds: Evolution 17×04, as Garcia experiences some struggles against her “worthy nemesis,” as she calls it, she finds herself in the unenviable position of needing Tyler’s help. And he’s like…ok. Ugh, fine. Totally love the little flourish when he brings her a new keyboard after she destroys the first one. Then, there’s the not-insignificant matter of him staying in the server room when she needs him nearby — but not too nearby — for more assistance. And, like. Fine. Not going to ship it after everything that happened last season (and, you know, since Garvez exists) but…there could’ve been potential in some parallel universe.
And his apology is…again going to hate using this word…sweet???
“…you always think in the back of your mind, ‘that’s not me. I would never do that.’ Then, one day, you see it on the face of someone you care about. This look, in her eyes, that you didn’t think you were capable of. And you go crap. Maybe it is me.’ So when I say I’m sorry, that’s what I’m sorry about.”
However. As Penelope tells him, apologies are meaningless without actions to back them up. This is something that a lot of people, even the most well-meaning ones, really don’t get. Especially for someone like Penelope Garcia, who has such a big heart, words can’t fix it. I won’t speak for anyone else, but I’ve been there. I’ve heard “I’m sorry,” only to see someone repeat the same hurtful behavior over and over, and I’ve had to tell them I didn’t want to hear it before, too. (Guess who, somehow, got labeled the bad girl there.) So, seeing a scene like this play out with one of the most beloved characters — can do no wrong!!! — on this series, and hearing Tyler’s heartfelt response…maybe he’s not so bad after all?
After Tyler leaves the room, having promised to leave Penelope alone after all this because he doesn’t deserve her, the time that we just…sit with her as she processes makes everything we’ve just seen matter even more. Because we’re not rushing onto the next thing, not yet. Not to mention, Vangsness’ performance isn’t about the character feeling just one way about what she’s just heard. No. It’s much more real, as she simply goes on a journey of conflicting emotions…by barely doing anything at all.
Penelope Garcia deserves to heal from what happened last season. After Criminal Minds: Evolution 17×04, she might just actually be in a place to start that process and see what healing even means. As far as Tyler and his amends go, perhaps a friendship could be salvageable one day? If nothing else, his character is certainly redeemable outside of that relationship. So, we’ll take it.
More on Criminal Minds: Evolution 17×04
- Directed by Joe Mantegna. ‘Nuff said.
- “Pretty girl like you shouldn’t alone out here in the middle of nowhere.” Hm. Well. Pretty sure you’ve never seen Scream VI, my dude. (Liana Liberato played one of the three Ghostfaces, who also happened to be great at pretending to be a damsel in distress until the mask came off. She nailed the pure evil of it all there, too. Might or might not have spent the entirety of Criminal Minds: Evolution 17×04 like “why do I know her” before looking her up and being like, “…oh. That tracks!”)
- Is this where we say “lol the UNSUB said ACAB” or…
- “I’m not resisting!!!” I mean, she kinda is? But she deserves. So.
- Another neat little parallel to the crime of the week: “Let’s add two and two here. Look at me. And look at him. Do I look like I kicked the sh*t outta him.” The answer is no, she does not. (Except for the part where we know what Emily Prentiss is capable of!) And…that’s kinda what makes Jade’s targets so easy.
- TL;DR Criminal Minds: Evolution 17×04 said “never underestimate a woman.”
- “In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” So, our quote of the week is telling us that, when it comes to this case, our boy Sicarius is king? I guess?
- Gonna need people to stop moving on so quickly whenever they deign to noice something’s wrong with Rossi. I mean, come on. Y’all are profilers.
- “As crazy as he is, it just doesn’t make sense!” Absolutely love that Paget Brewster gets to have an “it just doesn’t make sense!” gif now, just like her fave Olivia Benson. (
Should we say her crush Mariska?) - The second time she says “JJ” is so soft.
- The “why won’t you go” is…weak, like she’s given up? Someone come hug Baby Girl.
- Ryan-James Hatanaka really does play Tyler Green with so much heart here. It’s kinda rude. Case in point: Check out how Tyler realizing he is really, truly intruding comes in stages. The layers! …ouch.
- But still: Why you hurt Baby Girl.
- Absolutely gorgeous shot of Dave’s profile kind of out of focus as his, uh, friend harasses him.
- “What’s the over/under on if, uh…Emily smiles for her mugshot…” Now, Dave. Even your inner annoying Voit ought to know better than to think Emily’s going to be anything other than mad.
- “This is how I figure you out.” “Ohhhhh! Me riding shotgun with you is how you figure out how I will slip up.” That “ohhhhh” is everything. The mockery of it all!
- Also love how they timed Emily knocking on that window, right after “you’re not the first one to ride shotgun with me.”
- If someone/Emily could please hug JJ…
- The unspoken communication is screaming “duty calls” and “I understand,” but like. Can Tyler not have waited.
- “Do I want to know how you got that information, and does it involve you pretending to go to the bathroom.” “No and yes.” Emily is 100% Mother in this scene, and Tyler is sufficiently chastised. Love that for us.
- The way Vangsness goes from Penelope practically bouncing into Emily’s office to…no.
- “But. You don’t know how…to do…” “What.” “You don’t know how to do computer stuff.” “No. I do not.” “It’s that important to you?” “It’s that important.” I love them. Garcia just…pouting as she opens her door, Emily smirking after she turns around…100/10, no notes.
- The way the series uses Voit’s cell as both a space and a presence continues to be brilliant. The shots of Elias and Sydney on opposite sides are stunning.
- “Yes. You are their father. Unfortunately.” Right for the throat.
- The entire sequence with Garcia getting frustrated, us/Tyler only hearing her scream, and then her all…“can you get me another one of these. Please…thank you! [slams door]” is just so much fun.
- Speaking of fun: “Prolonged exposure could make you sterile!!!” …and his face. Drops.
- The long shot of Tara, Dave, and Ghost!Voit in a row. Art.
- Black women really do have to do all the work, though, huh? I see you, Tara Lewis. Dave is not helping here. At all. But he’ll also get credit.
- (…to be fair, he can’t help right now…and really, why is no one noticing.)
- “No! Brian. I am not alright.” Cry-laughing for days.
- “You owe me that.” And the dead stare. Allison Nordahl is so good in this.
- Really can’t get over how beautifully set up and shot the scenes of JJ with Holly are. Amazing use of light and shadow. Plus, you know, the two performances.
- It’s possible Luke enjoyed taunting Elias a bit too much. Spot on from Adam Rodriguez there, after everything that’s happened.
- “I felt loved.”…and I felt pain.
- “Don’t punish her because of me.” Not me actually feeling bad for this MF.
- “I’ve gone from wanting to arrest him to being worried he’s going to get himself killed.” “Oh, boy.” JJ’s half facepalm is everything.
- “Hey. What did you want to talk about?” “Nothing. It’s not important.” I might have screamed.
- “…and I’ll help you forget that part of us ever existed. I’ll leave you alone. Because the truth is, I don’t deserve you.” True. No one does.
- …but I also feel bad for him??? Why.
- “I’ll see you in H***, Daddy.” What an iconic villain moment.
- “YESSS! Uh! All haillll The Black Queen.” We have no choice but to continue stanning.
- Really fell for the setup with Gold Star creeping up on Jade. Well done.
- Remember how we said we would never bet against Emily in our advance review? When we wrote that, we really, truly had not seen this episode. No clue about how the cases would come together, whatsoever…and yet. Looks like she was right — just not in the way she thought at the time. A queen.
- The entire final scene between Brewster and Gilford is basically a reminder that you do not F- with Emily Prentiss. And it’s like Voit knows he’s got a worthy opponent. That little smirk, when he realizes she already planned ahead and made the call to get him transferred, says it all.
- A favorite: “Oh. Can I guess? You need to be let out of this cell. Transferred to the sixth floor at Quantico, so….you can be treated like you’re one of us. Like you have value. Like a profiler.”
- Emily’s little head tilt when the guards start to come in, that final shot of Voit…oh, game on.
What did you think of Criminal Minds: Evolution 17×04 “Kingdom of the Blind”? Leave us a comment!
New episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution stream Thursdays on Paramount+.
Probably my favorite series 😉 I wish I had a girl – fun of this series – now, to cuddle and watch it together. And discuss it later on.