Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 5 Review: ‘The Brutal Man’

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 5 is an excellent hour of television. First, as no surprise, ‘The Brutal Man’ features yet another impeccable performance from A.J. Cook, this time as JJ makes her full return to work. But what makes this episode particularly special, if somewhat difficult to review, is the fascinating and purposely-disorienting way this story is told. It’s a series of flashbacks, brilliantly edited and pieced together with a game of cat and mouse between JJ and Dr. Ochoa (courtesy of a stellar Aimee Garcia). And then, as the timelines begin to converge, we also learn that this game of poker, this meeting of the minds, has had some other, unknown participants: Elias Voit. And us, the audience.

It’s such an interesting way to tell pretty much any Criminal Minds story. Because of the flashbacks, we get to see Agent Rossi’s visit to the hospital through Dr. Ochoa’s (or maybe Voit’s?) eyes, and there are moments when the rest of the BAU, as seen through JJ’s eyes, is both exactly how we’ve always seen them and something slightly new. Notice how, when JJ’s supposed to stay behind instead of traveling with the team, she boards the jet to find Luke, Tara, and Tyler joking with an Emily who’s every bit the center of attention. Similarly, notice how Rossi is extra flippant and dismissive of Ochoa’s concerns in the hospital scene flashback.

But it’s the combination of all those closeups, and little details from Cook and Garcia as their two characters’ very capable minds meet in the most compelling battle of wits since… — Eh. Probably since JJ and/or Emily squared off with Voit himself last season, actually — that really make Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 5 remarkable. A shot that focuses on JJ, struggling to share her story with Ochoa as she grieves, can seem powerful enough in the moment. But once Voit is revealed, those moments where Cook breaks eye contact and glances to the side, or seems to be staring off into space as she’s lost in her pain, become something more.

They’re evidence of her appealing to her audience, yes. But that audience isn’t us as viewers, no. At least, it’s not only us as viewers. Because there’s also Elias, and he sees JJ’s pain, zeroing in on it whenever the camera does the same. But those little glances work either way, regardless of whether a viewer knows the ending or not. And they do represent the JJ we know, who might very well need to break eye contact when the moment becomes too fraught. It’s just that she also uses those moments of vulnerability as an opportunity to get the upper hand.

And for Garcia’s part, there’s something…off, yet so intriguing, in every single scene involving Ochoa and JJ. Although I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, the entire time I watched the episode, I kept thinking she was doing something, trying to manipulate the situation — putting on a performance of some sort. As it turns out, the doctor’s performance was for Voit’s benefit. Is there another layer to it, though? One of the doctor purposely pushing JJ’s buttons and putting on a show for her? I’d argue that it is. And yet, the trajectory from JJ’s initial doubts, to Ochoa drawing her out, to the way their respect for one another totally blossoms over the course of their sessions, remains genuine in its own right.

Trying to put what happens between these two characters and their (mostly) silent offscreen partner in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 5 into words kinda makes me feel like I’m running around in circles. But that’s just because this episode is so artistically well thought out and executed, from top to bottom. We’re supposed to feel dizzy and out of sorts. And that’s because we’re in JJ’s shoes, with the world upside down and possibly never righting itself. We’re also in Voit’s shoes, unsure of who he is and constantly learning new things — all while trying to maintain focus on both the story JJ’s telling and what’s going on right in front of his face.

MORE: Weirdly, this is the second season in a row when Voit has visited the BAU in Episode 5. But in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 17, he was the one doing the manipulating.

“Can’t keep a good profiler down”

I can’t stress enough how much every single interaction JJ and Dr. Ochoa have in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 5 is, in a word, amazing. Every line delivery from Cook and Garcia, every closeup, every tiny change in expression…it’s all so incredibly well done. But I think, for me, the moments when the two characters are showing each other a little bit of attitude are the most interesting. For one thing, anytime JJ rolls her eyes, or looks kind of annoyed, or just generally lets a little bit of sarcasm enter the chat, it’s like “oh, hi. She’s still in there, under all that pain.” Basically, it’s always nice to see her be, well, her.

But this is also the first time we truly get to see Dr. Ochoa show just how good she is at what she does. Before, we were just seeing how she behaved with respect to Voit. Or, rather, we were seeing her through Rossi and Lewis’ eyes, kind of as someone putting up roadblocks whenever they wanted to move forward. In ‘The Brutal Man,’ though, we’re seeing her through fresh eyes. Through Voit’s, as he watches the doctor who’s helping him work through JJ’s trauma with her. We’re also watching her through JJ’s eyes as she finds a worthy opponent. Arguably, this may even be how Ochoa sees herself — with the knowledge that she is capable.

Through all of these new perspectives, we learn quite a lot about the character. She’s religious but can have a sense of humor about it. She also has her own painful story of loss, her own inability to find answers to the ever-present question of why, that inspired her to get into this field. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, she knows when to push, how to set a successful mental trap — even for someone as smart and good at reading people as JJ — and how to maintain a sense of being calm and in control, no matter what type of energy the person on the opposite side of the table (sometimes the room) is giving.

She has a great poker face, can play a role, and only lets her guard down when she wants to. Hm. The entire ordeal makes me both trust her more and wonder what else could be behind that mask. Absolutely fascinating character, equally as fascinating way to explore her — namely by putting her in this dance, this mutual baiting, one-upping, and collaboration with JJ. Also absolutely wild that JJ is the first to truly face off with her, just as she was the first to take a crack at Voit back in Season 17?

MORE: Looks like we were wrong about JJ going “dark” at the end of Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 4. But this works, too!

The Brutal Man

If you’ve seen enough Criminal Minds (guilty as charged), The Brutal Man isn’t a particularly unique UnSub. Not on the surface, at least. What makes him special is his obsessive devotion to Sicarius and the fact that — surprise! — he’s actually the guy in the mask from that creepy video JJ found on BAU Gate. This guy, Ronald Graber, actually wants to get caught. He wants the BAU to know his name, and unlike the other network killers in Season 18, Graber doesn’t kill himself when the FBI shows up. Arguably, holding a knife to his own throat is just a way of giving himself a bargaining chip to get what he really, really wants — to give “a message to Sicarius. From his disciple.”

That, of course, is what sets off the JJ/Ochoa collaboration in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 5. Outside of that major plot point, Graber’s case also assists in developing JJ’s and Voit’s arcs. For JJ, the storytelling is fairly obvious. She’s back at work but not necessarily ready to be back, and a family annihilator case where one person is left alive, alone, grieving obviously triggers her. She sees her own perfect family’s destruction reflected back at her when she goes into victims’ homes and sees lives once well lived. She also clearly sees herself in Amy, the lone survivor from one family, to the point where she can’t stay in an interview with her. After being given an excuse to leave, courtesy of a request from Emily, she barely makes it to the restroom before she gets sick.

But something about having this remorseless “Brutal Man” treat Sicarius like some kind of god also helps move the Voit storyline along. Namely, the episode’s final scene provides one of the rare moments when Zach Gilford plays the character in a way that makes him feel like the person we knew before the brain injury. It is so very, very subtle, but when Voit half-heartedly begins to introduce himself as Sicarius — a name he recoils against even as this new, improved (for now?) version of himself — it’s like that actually makes him adopt some of his old mannerisms.

Could it only be an act? Perhaps. But if that’s all that happens here, it’s a pretty big coincidence. How would someone who remembers nothing about who he used to be — other than a few facts that are slowly coming back to him, many of which he feels no connection to while others horrify him — adopt that same, bored superiority he used to have about him? That tiny way Gilford raises his eyebrows and tilts his head when Voit asks Graber, “you have a message for me,” is such a shift from that halting “my name. Is Elias Voit. I. Am. Sicarius.” And the scared, confused patient that’s been present for these past few episodes is nowhere to be found.

It could absolutely mean nothing. But if being in the presence of others makes Voit remember them, couldn’t introducing himself and playing the role of Sicarius, the alter ego he maintained while a devoted family man, serve a similar purpose and make him remember that dark side of himself? For me, that’s a definite yes. Especially with the completely emotionless way Gilford plays Voit’s recollection of that time he tried to kill Rossi earlier in the episode. Parts of his brain may be functioning again, but the more he remembers about his past acts, his lack of empathy has got to be something he can, at bare minimum, recall enough to know how that felt. Same goes for being in the room — not with Graber, but with the mindless devotion of his that is a whole entity of its own.

MORE: He might not be the Sicarius we first met, but Voit has already come a long way since he originally thought Dave was his dad Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 2.

About that Jemily scene

We now pause your regularly-scheduled episode of “Deep Criminal Minds: Evolution Thoughts” for absolute delusion and frivolity. (Skip this section if you’re reading this and don’t, on occasion, enjoy clown behavior.)

In the middle of delivering the BAU’s profile, JJ rushes out. Once again, much like in the interview with Amy, she just…can’t. Can’t deal with the pain rolling over her in waves, can’t find a way to just push through the way she maybe has with other trauma in the past, just…can’t.

Eventually, after Prentiss finishes the briefing, she comes to comfort her ~~future girlfriend~~ friend. And, like, there’s a whole point Emily sets out to make here, about how JJ “had the fairytale, the perfect husband,” so JJ can’t just come back to work and expect the job to make things make sense and feel normal again. It’s different than, say, the way Emily was able to make an easy return after her breakup with Mendoza. (Hi, I forgot all about him already. Sorry, not sorry, to that man.)

But, folks. Friends. Dearest readers. Fellow delusional members of fandom…

The thing is, Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 5 has Emily, in a very interesting series of moments from Paget Brewster, go about making her point in a random AF way. She did not need to go into all the details here, much less make it abundantly clear — without actual words — that JJ would’ve been the only viable potential “third” in that relationship. And again, in some sense, that’s appropriate! Emily makes JJ laugh at the seeming randomness and absurdity of the entire conversation, whereas just moments before she was wrecked. Obviously, the laugh and chance to focus on other things was good for JJ!

But y’all. Guys…what. Dude wanted Emily to run away, all happily-ever-after-like, with him…but wouldn’t get stop pushing her for something with…another woman? Ok. Sure, fine. That kind of thing happens. Totally normal. But…the specificity of the only person Emily would consider, or the only person he was hinting about, or probably both…says, uh, quite a lot. They never got to the point of naming names, but Emily is clear that JJ is it. Just…wow. I am seated.

This whole scene — especially with Emily’s face…and JJ realizing, kinda as she was in the middle of asking who the other woman would be — is just a very…”ripped from fanfiction” kind of moment. Also of note: Emily didn’t turn WhatsHisName down because she was turned off. She didn’t say it was an “ew, girls, no” thing. In fact, it wasn’t even “ew, not my bff! That’s like my sister, dude!” It was, and let’s quote: “If I wanted to disappoint two people at once, I would go to dinner with my parents.”

But also…what. Emily was so worried about disappointing two people that she…chose to come back…to the one she wasn’t in a relationship with at the time? Hm. Ok then, SSA Prentiss. You do you! Someone who kept pushing and wouldn’t take no for an answer didn’t deserve Emily anyway. But hey. Dude served his purpose, in the end. Because as far as I’m concerned, Andrew Mendoza saw Jemily and shipped it. Bare minimum!

As far as JJ’s reaction to the news goes, she’s sitting there as someone who was married at the time all this went down and is currently trapped in a grief so deep, she has no idea how she’s going to get out of it. So, her being all, “ohhhh, no. Please. Don’t say me” is appropriate for where we are now, regardless of where this goes. We are, however, at the point in the will they/won’t they trope where someone Person A was in a serious relationship with saw some kind of vibes with Person B, and then, Person A broke up with their significant other.

So, this is me, creating my “Jemily canon when” conspiracy board. To be clear, this whole delusional line of thinking is me putting on the “fangirl” hat and living up to that part of the Fangirlish name much, much more than the “ish” part. No, bait here. Just “this made me scream, so let’s scream together.”

Admittedly, there’s a very real and much more rational way to interpret the Jemily scene in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 5. It could mean nothing. (Yes, I’m groaning just typing this.) As in, this could very easily just be a nod to fandom — with no intent to do anything about it. In that case, it still simultaneously breaks through JJ’s bottomless pit of pain and gives her a tiny second of relief. It’s enough to make Emily’s admission that she’s “afraid that the grief will overwhelm” someone she cares for deeply land, without being unnecessarily cruel in the moment. That alone, if it’s all that happens here, works fairly well! A little bit of a tease, while simultaneously honoring the real, canon foundation of what made fans want more to begin with, is great!

But teasing too much, baiting too much, can eventually become harmful. So, let’s enjoy what we have here and hope we’re not in toxic bait territory. Besides, it’s not like we’re going to get major forward progress right away. See also: The grief and the way Emily, from the outside looking in and without having “the real thing,” respects JJ’s marriage for what it was enough that she’d never, ever, ever go there so soon after Will’s death. And I’m not sure I’d want her to either. I mean, imagine loving someone so much, you see their happiness and selflessly honor it, even after death does your girl and her husband part.

But hey! If nothing else, Emily Prentiss likes beautiful, BAMF women — one of them more than all others. Confirmed.

MORE: Emily also paid a beautiful tribute to JJ’s marriage at Will’s funeral in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 3. Just going to put this here “It gives me you.”

More on Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 5

That shot of A.J. Cook, right at the very beginning: Immediately, I knew she was going to destroy for the full hour again. Right from that.
JJ’s out here, trying to fake her usual authority until she makes it…but no, I am not fooled.
“Because it doesn’t make any sense. Doing this. With. You.” Points were made! And yet.
“Some people find it easier to be honest with a stranger than a friend. I think you’re one of those people.” Not sure why Criminal Minds: Evolution had to call me out like this but ok.
“That’s back to back to back trauma. Anyone would need to talk about that.” Me when I go online to read the news.
That protective stance, then the way JJ closes her eyes and looks away for the “yeah, right” line. And then, after Ochoa says she wants to help, she gets this look like “can I trust her?” Amazing.
Notice the mug as the camera moves in? I didn’t the first time around because, like the camera wanted me to be, I was too laser focused on JJ.
“Game this out with me ok?” Insert eye-roll and attitude here.
“It started two days ago when I learned that I was wrong. About everything.” Mug goes down for emphasis in the present; mug connects us to the flashback when the scene changes. I love TV!
It’s Penelope’s high-pitched “hi!” before she rushes off for me.
“Or was it meant for Elias?” See, this is a big one for how not knowing he’s there is more exciting. JJ is breaking eye contact and looking away because she doesn’t want to discuss what those photos on BAU Gate were…but, yes, the big surprise (if you actually got to be surprised) turns out to be that “for Elias” also prompts a look at Elias. Like, an “oh, sh—” at the end instead of “oh, well, obvs” if you go in already knowing.
The shot of the whole team kind of going in a line, then turning and staring at JJ, would be a bit much if this were just a normal episode, with everything happening sequentially. But since this is JJ’s memory, it works fine. She feels scrutinized. Like she sticks out. It works.
“How did that make you feel?” OMG THE WAY COOK PLAYS THAT REACTION HERE. YES, IT DESERVES CAPS. GOOD LORD. So, so, so, “can you believe this shi—? FFS!” of her.
It’s the way she protects Emily for me. And, like, almost — almost! — cracks up at the idea of her team, especially Emily, treating her some kind of way.
“We have a jet.” That tone of “what do you mean you don’t know???”
What I’m saying is I cracked up. Big time.
Another place where getting the story through JJ’s memory, not in “real” time works super well: When everyone notices her on the jet, and it’s like she feels like her mere presence has killed the entire mood.
The wordless communication between these two, though. JJ’s trying really hard to project she’s sure she’s ok to come, while Emily’s like “I don’t like this, but ok.”
WHEELS UP.
“I don’t know how to live without them. They were my whole life.” Mannn, the only thing halfway tethering JJ to that interview room is Emily’s voice, and even that loses its hold on her eventually.
The mirror shot. Girl is a mess and wrung out.
“Deflection with humor.” The delivery here. *chef’s kiss* (And again, stop calling me out.)
“What do you believe in?” “Not a lot right now.” Same.
“I’m learning more by what you won’t talk about than what you will.”
“Oh, come on. The Behavioral Analysis Unit is the most emotionally constipated group of experts I have ever worked with.” That is such a Voit line. Why do I feel like he actually said this before????
Joe Mantegna with the “forgetful old man” parody when Dave’s like “I don’t think so,” before he immediately transitions to just dripping sarcasm and mockery.
“Yes. But that was a different me…who couldn’t accept that you are a different you.” “What if I’m not?” Gilford gives us some genuine emotion here. After having just rattled off a completely emotionless listing of what Voit remembered about, you know, trying to kill Dave.
“I’m a F— monster, David! Don’t you understand? I’m a monster!” Oh. Oops. Woke the beast a bit there.
“Because the more he learns, the worse he feels. The worse he feels, the less he wants to talk to someone who can help…sound familiar?” “For a psychiatrist, you’re not subtle.” And then, the thing about subtlety not getting her far? TELL. ME. MORE.
“Head wasn’t in the game, huh? Sounds like you were doing ok?” She is so smug? And JJ is about ready to go off???
“Ahhhhhh, we haven’t gotten to the bad part yet, have we?”
This is not the voice JJ usually uses when delivering profiles. She also doesn’t tend to fidget like that. And, of course, there’s the whole team just…blurring into the background.
This is me, noticing that tiny reaction from Emily that breaks through the chaos in JJ’s mind as she’s rushing out.
The pacing, the gasping for breath, messing with her hair…wow. Annnnnnnd the pacing is our bridge to the parallel in the next scene.
Oh, ok. I hate that I’m like “there’s our JJ” while she’s so angry and passionate when she talks about how she’s never abandoned the team. Super bitter on “my little moment,” too.
“Let’s talk about coping skills. Me? I pray.” And JJ’s face is screaming “???????”
“What does God look like to you?” “Like this sky king sitting on a throne of clouds, with this halo of light crowning the top of his head.” DEADPAN. And JJ is looking like “girl, WTF” with a little bit of humor in that gaze. Check out those raised eyebrows and, then, narrowed eyes before she asks “really?” Ochoa: “…no.” And that tiny, little chuckle.
I love them.
“Mainly I just…get by with a little help from my friends.”
“Do you know why we broke up?” “No. Surprisingly.” What was that Ochoa said about learning more from what you don’t say than what you do again?
“It had to be me with another woman.” “Then who?” HER FACE.
I know these two had way too much fun playing this scene. The audacity. (Never stop.)
This is the first genuine, joyful moment JJ has had in a minute! And Emily’s laugh is…SOMETHING.
They were so insane for this.
“It’s weird how hot I get when I’m miles ahead of you, which I am right now.” “Is this a coincidence…[GASP]…I think not.” I just need for neither Penelope Garcia nor Kirsten Vangsness to change. Never, ever, ever.
Love the buildup of suspense with that standoff, Graber pulling the mask down and pretending at being emotional…and then him cackling.
Ok but why this UnSub? Why is he the one to be devoted enough to need to deliver a message, as opposed to offing himself like the others?
Slide down the wall during the arrest; slide into the chair back in the present timeline. COOL EDITING IS COOL OK.
“Because maybe a neuropsychiatrist might — might have something, you know? Like, a — a…something to help me make sense of all this senseless, unfair bullsh—.” Gah. The anger on the B.S. line. She’s also just so…commanding for this whole rant.
“Sure you don’t have a drug?” “Oh, I’ve got lots of em.” “Yeah. If only it were that easy…if only.”
Super timing on the “help someone else” cut in.
Shoutout to RJ Hatanaka for that murderous expression when Voit brings up Tyler’s sister.
“I’ll say monster if I need help.” Which, uh, he already did in the hospital. Hm.
The hug? HER REACTION TO IT.
“Sorry. For everything.” He’s, like, rocking her? Kind of???
Ok but like. Is this where I make a joke about that guy’s awe when Sicarius enters the room is like me when I see my faves or.
Emily arranged for Voit’s transfer to the BAU at the end of Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 17 Episode 4. JJ helped set it up his visit this season. Clearly, this means something! (Insert conspiracy guy gif here.)