Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 7 Review: ‘…All the Devils are Here’

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 7 ‘…All the Devils are Here’ brings back one of Elias Voit’s most notorious M.O.s — forcing victims to swallow Sicarius spiders — as whoever’s behind this latest string of network killings tries to reawaken his inner monster. The hour involves some interesting twists, including introducing the tiniest bit of doubt around whether or not Cyrus Lebrun is actually dead. Even when the logical explanation for that (a BAU Gate level of deepfake) comes through, there are still plenty of questions left unanswered.

In the first place, there’s the mystery of how the disciple knows things about Voit that he’s never shared with anyone — except his sketchy lawyer and the BAU. Well, by the end of the hour, we also know the answer to that one. Although the outcome is predictable enough, it’s the least obvious of the predictable answers. Yes, Orlov is — or, uh, was — involved. But no, he was never anyone’s leader. Additionally, the reveal is at least effective. When it’s all said and done, we still have no idea who Voit’s “disciple” is. Which means that the biggest puzzle has yet to be solved, which is probably for the best. After all, this season still has three remaining episodes — no point in rushing all the reveals.

One thing’s for certain: Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 7 is another strong episode for this series, featuring a truly memorable performance from Zach Gilford, a beautifully shot and edited climax, and an ending that’s as effective at making sure viewers are dying to know what comes next as it is upsetting. Oh, and did I mention the spiders? Because spiders. Much like our beloved Penelope Garcia, I kinda want to “take a shower in acid, and burn all of my clothes!!” (She was so effin’ real for this.)

MORE: Whoever’s in that mask, it wasn’t who JJ thought it was in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 4.

Is Voit’s uncle really alive

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 7 is a big episode for Voit — and a very big one for Zach Gilford. It’s been fascinating watching Gilford play such a different version of this character throughout this season, and ‘…All the Devils are Here’ is no exception. Or, if it is an exception to the rule, it’s just because Gilford’s performance is even better than usual. From the moment Lewis and Green show Voit those crime scene photos, right through to the last time we see him, Gilford gives us this distinctly uncomfortable, conflicted, and fascinatingly nuanced character. We know this man has — or at least had — the capacity to do great evil. And yet, as has been a continuing theme this season, the person who woke up from that coma is, in many ways, nothing more than a lost child.

When Tara points out that Voit knows the “recipe” for forcing victims to swallow the spiders, the character is just bordering on afraid. After hearing the suggestion that maybe he had a conversation “the old-fashioned” way, as opposed to on his network, he begins rubbing at his eye, his posture tense and protective. When he says he’s done and tries to assert some kind of control over the situation, Gilford makes it very clear that Voit is, in fact, not in control. But he’s desperately trying not to lose it too much. He keeps rubbing, rubbing at those eyes, stuttering when asked where he learned his technique, and just comes across as totally lacking in any real strength. The swagger this notorious serial killer once had is nowhere to be found. At all. Notably, his fascial expression also screams “messed up,” for lack of a better way of describing it.

There are a lot of other really interesting, subtle notes in Gilford’s performance. When Rossi first mentions Voit’s uncle in an attempt to see if the BAU’s theory is sound, there’s an immediate sense of alarm in his expression, quickly wiped away — except for the way he makes a half-hearted attempt at biting his bottom lip. He becomes the embodiment of confusion, plus more fear, when it’s revealed that Cyrus’ DNA was found on the mask sent to the BAU at the end of Episode 6. And as he denies the very possibility of his uncle having returned, that faraway look indicates he is anywhere but in that room with Emily and Dave.

It’s also worth pointing out that, at various points in the conversation, this new, childish version of Elias Voit, Sicarius, Lee Duval — whichever name you prefer — maintains a posture of “kid called to the principal’s office” or “son, summoned before Mom and Dad, when he doesn’t even know what he’s in trouble for this time.” But Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 7 asks Voit, and Gilford, to dig even deeper. As the character confesses to Mom and Dad Prentiss and Rossi that Uncle Cyrus was “the one man [he] was scared of,” that he built the serial killer we’ve loved to hate these past few seasons, that he made Lee kill a woman with the Sicarius spiders, the performance builds and builds.

This man is unraveling right before our very eyes — not just journeying backwards and recovering memories faster than he has to date, but also sinking further into grief, and regret, and horror at what he’s done. And the fear of Cyrus is always, always present. It’s as if Voit’s inner monologue is screaming, “he’s supposed to be dead…but is he?” By the time we reach the end of that particular scene, Gilford has taken us on such an emotional journey, the barely-controlled tears in his eyes nearly about to spill over when Voit confesses “my addiction is death.” He is beaten down, defeated after coming to that conclusion. And when he tells the agents “I don’t know how any of this is helping you,” that tiny, bitter attempt at a smile is exquisite.

MORE: Are we still doubting this new Voit? We definitely were when we first saw the total change in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 2.

Voit’s message from Uncle Cyrus

When Voit accompanies Alvez and Green to the place where Tate Andrews has been held hostage and force-fed spiders (again gotta pause for an ew, ick moment here UGH), Gilford again puts on a show. Here, Voit is utterly terrified from the second he sees and hears his uncle for the first time since killing him years ago. But the video can’t be real because, Voit’s uncle is dead. Yet, Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 7 certainly tries to point us toward believing otherwise. With an audience that knows this series’s tricks quite well and knows that, sometimes, what’s too obvious isn’t obvious at all, though, the doubt can’t last. And it doesn’t. As difficult as it is for Voit to confront even a very good copy of his uncle, he does start to remember just enough to know he’d never lead the network and is, most definitely, dead.

Even so, Gilford plays the character with no real sense of conviction, even when he starts shouting back at his tormenter, telling him (them?) to leave Tate alone and hurt him instead. The smug, sadistic, taunting lookalike that video chats with him, trying to bring his Sicarius persona back to life, still manages to force Voit to question his reality. Is he here or back there? Could it be…? But no. We already established it can’t…and yet, and yet, and yet.

Based on that little nervous tic in Gilford’s jaw, and the way his voice loses all sense of confidence, we know that that the combination of recent memory loss and pure fear of this man gets to him. When Elias says he knows who he is, it’s obvious he doesn’t mean it. And Gilford’s little confused, alarmed blinks as the younger, remembered, version of Uncle Cyrus appears and talks about the boy he raised speak volumes. At times, it’s like he’s trying to force the whole conversation out of his head; at others, he just doesn’t seem to know where, or when, or who he should be.

But Gilford’s performance, strong as it is, isn’t all that makes those excruciatingly suspenseful moments work. Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 7 quickly cuts back and forth between the conversation with Lee Duval’s “not” dead uncle, an anxious and frustrated Penelope, and a Luke who’s trying to keep Tate calm while they work to save him. Ultimately, there are no victories here. Voit’s impotent begging is just that — impotent. Lee Duval is as helpless in the presence of his uncle, real or otherwise, as ever. And so is the BAU, apparently.

When Penelope finally cracks that code, believing she’s disabled the incendiary device and saved the day — as Penelope does — the entire atmosphere shifts, almost instantly. But after that sharp initial change in tone, everything else is in unbearably slow motion, drawn out for maximum impact. Or at least, it feels like it is. The truth forces its way in; and everything is just…dread. It’s like experiencing the slowest of slow, dawning horrors. As it does, that awful, sinking feeling gets worse, and worse, and worse.

“Trust me. It’s for your own good. And them spiders go pop, pop, pop,” not-Cyrus taunts…and indeed. Pop they go. Inside of Tate. In a visually stunning sequence, Tate drops to the ground even as Luke desperately tries to hold him up. Tyler rushes over. The gang back at Quantico looks on, stunned, poor Penelope looking more and more broken with each “oh, God” that comes out of her mouth. And…uh. There’s the blood. So much blood…filled with spiders. Did I mention spiders? Because ick. Spiders.

An innocent man suffers a slow, painful death while everyone has to watch — all for Voit’s benefit. It’s all so incredibly well done. Sure, I’m probably repeating myself on that point, but…wow. Adam Rodriguez, in particular, is fantastic as Luke watches this man he connected with and promised to save suffer that horrifying, dragged out death. (He does more great work portraying Luke’s grief during that Garvez hug — not a way I wanted that to come about, by the way.)

…but what does it all mean for Voit? Gilford, smartly, plays his reaction in a way that is as ambiguous as it is intriguing, as powerful as it is…nothing. I could make a clear case that the trigger worked — that Sicarius is ready to rise once more. But, at the same time, I could also easily say what Voit watched in those moments bothered him. Or that he was battling the rebirth of his inner monster…or something else entirely. So, Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 7 leaves that question as open as it does the mystery of the disciple. Gilford’s last scene in this hour, opposite a remarkable Kirsten Vangsness — who also utterly and completely shattered me, personally, from the moment those spiders started popping until the bitter end — doesn’t feel terribly hopeful. But it doesn’t feel terribly hopeless either. So, guess we’ll see?

MORE: In Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 1, Penelope confessed to Luke that she saw a soul in Voit when they were out in the field together in the Season 17 finale. But did that message for Sicarius just suffocate that ember?

Let’s talk about Tara and Rebecca

Outside of Voit’s reawakening (or not) and the creepy crawly way we get there, Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 7 has one other big development — that ending. First of all: This airing in Pride month just feels wrong. Like, Tarbecca getting ambushed like that and Tara getting shot would always feel wrong? But the timing…is not great. To say the least. Probably not at all intentional? But not great.

But with those final moments, ‘…All the Devils are Here’ raises a ton more questions. In the first place, who’s the network’s inside guy? Was it Law School Evan, disposed of once he was no longer useful — just like Orlov? Or is there someone else out there who knew Tarbecca would be on their way to meet with Jeff Darcy? It can’t possibly be that the new lawyer is just as F—ed up as Orlov, right? But then again, maybe it’s a crime of opportunity?

Regardless, the contrast between yet more of that fun, flirty Tarbecca dynamic that Aisha Tyler and Nicole Pacent always do so well and what comes after is about as well done as anything else in this hour. And Pacent kills that sense of shock, of Rebecca just initially not even being able to process. I also found the way she held her hand well above those gunshot wounds and didn’t actually touch them to be an interesting choice. What an agonizing way to look at the aftermath, too. At first, everything’s through Rebecca’s eyes. But then, we’re just outsiders looking in, as the camera just…zips away.

It’s difficult to put too much focus here without knowing exactly how it’s all going to play out or why this exact attack had to happen. But, especially after Rebecca was unseated, so to speak, because of her alleged conflict of interest, it all comes across as the eleventy billionth attempt at someone at the FBI being out to get “our” people. The way Rebecca’s little argument with Law School Evan was shot earlier in the episode — again from the outside in, this time with us peeking through the blinds — it’s like someone’s spying on Rebecca, or Law School Evan, or Tara, or all of the above. Seems a little bit like too-familiar territory, what with all the conspiracies and such…but we’ll see.

I’m gonna need Episode 8, like, now, though? Because WTF.

MORE: Emily was also ambushed in a parking garage last season (and arrested!), so maybe everyone from the BAU should avoid those from now on.

More on Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 7

• I kind of wish the “previously on” hadn’t included Cyrus? That kind of gave away the fact that this episode was going to have something to do with him, and I think the shocker of his message from beyond the grave would’ve landed harder for me, personally, if I hadn’t known something involving him was going to happen. There was also plenty of dialogue to jog our memories. Viewers don’t need everything explained to us both before and during…do we?
• Ah. A.J. Cook destroying us from behind the camera the way she’s spent most of the season destroying us in front of it.
• Spiders? Nope. Big nope. NO.
• “Last night, I fell down an internet rabbit hole.” OMG MY LIFE.
• I really love how RJ Hatanaka and Joe Mantegna played that scene where Rossi gets Tyler to tell him his (correct!) theory about the tribute to Voit. Hatanaka is convincing with Tyler’s (extremely relatable) insecurity. And something about Mantegna’s delivery on “did I say it was stupid” is so very calm and supportive — yet pointed.
• Vangsness is absolutely everything during that opening presentation. Garcia’s physical reaction to those spiders and all the Penelope-isms are so good. Like, she is actually cringing away from the words that are leaving her mouth. And I love how she picks that knee up and throws those arms down to the side on what I have jotted down in my notes as “gibberish Garcia sounds.” So good!
• PROTECT PENELOPE FROM THE ICKY SPIDERS.
• “Now, I’m feeling bad for the icky spiders!” This is how I know Penelope Garcia is a better person than me.
• “Spiders go night-night.” Ok, Dad.
• Gonna need a gif of Voit throwing his hands up like “whatever” after Tyler threatened to yank his deal, actually. This man DGAF.
• “…something about the use of Sicarius spiders that’s so awful, so deeply traumatic, that he just can’t confront it.” Thank you, Agent Obvious.
• Rebecca: “I am not mad.” Narrator: She was, in fact, BIG mad.
• “Is there a reason you did not give me that courtesy?” LAW SCHOOL EVAN FOUND DEAD.
• Nah, seriously. For as much as Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 7 is a big showcase for Gilford, Pacent gets some moments here. (I very much prefer the hilariously over it Rebecca — or, better yet, Tara’s girl — to that ending, but she’s excellent at both!)
• “No. that’s not possible. Because…I killed him.” It’s like you can see the second he accesses that memory, as if it wasn’t there until he needed the information to end the sentence. Amazing.
• “This is a political job. And it doesn’t matter how good you are. It matters how you look. And you and I look —…” LOVE that warning look and the pause before: “…that’s not what i meant.”
• “Well, then, I’ll just have to live with your deep…abiding…resentment” with the playful voice, and leaning in more with each line, and holding her hand, and flirting. Plus, that cute, little reassuring smile and looking up under her lashes, and, and and…
• What if we just ended the episode, or at least their part of it, right here?
• “I helped Cyrus carry women and F—ing children into the house. I helped him bury them. And the woman we killed with the Sicarius spiders, he…made me do that.” Oof.
• “How did it make you feel?” “Like a F—ing god.” Notice how he looks like…like the complete opposite of god-like, or feeling god-like, as he says this.
• “I’ve heard that the first time you get drunk or high, it’s the best. But when you’re an addict, you just spend the rest of your life chasing that feeling. And my addiction…is death.” This is so smart. Here’s the thing about addiction: Yes, you can get treatment, and you can go into remission. But it is a constant, lifelong struggle to avoid going back into active addiction. Viewed through that lense, Voit could be genuine about being “good” now, relapse, and get caught in an endless cycle for all we know. Brilliant.
• JJ is such a genius.
• Underrated scene: JJ and Tara in Penelope’s lair. Vangsness is, as usual, a delight as a totally-caught Penelope. But the way the other two are having so much fun with it also deserves praise. Admittedly, I’m kind of here wondering, like, but were Cook and Tyler just about to break the whole time? (And that would be 100% VALID, by the way.)
• “SICARIUS WILL WANT TO SEE THIS.” But does Sicarius exist anymore? Hm.
• “I see it as doing the right thing?”
• “The role of good ol’ Uncle Cyrus will now be played by…who?”
• Silas Weir Mitchell does an incredible job as a truly diabolical Cyrus. That evil laugh, in particular? Nightmare fuel.
• “All those devils, those poor souls you left behind. They needed guidance. Someone to give them purpose.” Whomst.
• “I feel like sometimes, the panic blinders keep me from seeing the whole world of the wide web.” Relatable queen.
• “I know why. Same as me. It’s because you get off on making everyone do exactly what you want.” One of many, many places where the delivery is so, so laced with uncertainty.
• Also love how Voit reacts as if someone just struck him when that “ghost” pops up.
• It is, once again, giving extremely ancient, old school Criminal Minds. Really enjoyed how Voit saw “Sir” right there, haunting him in the moment. We are back back.
• “What — what?” THE PANIC.
• Tag yourself: I’m Emily, dropping her jaw to the floor when she sees what’s happening.
• Wait. No. I’m Luke with the exhaled F…
• OMG that heartbreak and defeat from everyone, though.
• Voit just collapsing on the bed and covering his eyes.
• Penelope unable to even light that sage, just wrecked. They don’t give Vangsness nearly enough opportunities to show something other than “ray of sunshine Penelope Garcia.” …but also, I would like to thank everyone for that because OMG this hurts.
• Garvez hugging and Penelope sobbing. Help.
• Between Voit picking “monster” as his safe word before going to talk to Graber and just…everything about how haunting the song itself is, Black Polish’s “Monster” was just totally perfect for that absolutely devastating sequence kicked off by Tate’s death. Wow. Sometimes, there’s a track on in the background, and it’s good. You might think about it later. Whatever. But others, like here, it elevates everything so, so beautifully.
• Same goes for the dead silence in Emily’s office when Dave comes to see her toward the end. There’s a horrible sort of exhaustion and finality to it.
• “May I tell you what I’m thinking?” “When have you ever not?” I DIED.
• “…as good on computers as Garcia…” Seems fake, but we’ll see.
• It’s the way Penelope slammed her laptop closed and noped out for me.
• “We’re FBI. Everything’s gonna be alright.” They ought to know better than to say this even on a good day, but especially after that just happened…come on.
• The shot of Tyler and Luke as they pull that mask off, though.
• “Let’s take the wins where we can.” Emily, with the advice that applies to the constant real-world horrors, as well.
• Oh, Penelope. Your turning over a new leaf very much is not the same, but I do appreciate you.
• “Do you feel in your heart of hearts that you’re a good person?” “I feel like…I can be.”
• “Better an UnSub than a lawyer.” “Ouch.” “Don’t take it personally, Evan. Tara has some trouble letting her guard down.” “Ok, that’s just a lie.” “Sometimes, I even have to check her for weapons before we go to bed.” “Ok. Rebecca Wilson, everyone! She’ll be here all week! Try the veal!” I love them. So much.
• And nothing else happened! They lived happily ever after! THE END.
• …or…that.

Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 7 ‘…All the Devils are Here’? Leave us a comment!

New episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution stream Thursdays on Paramount+.