Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8 Review: ‘Tara’

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8 is to Aisha Tyler and Nicole Pacent what this season’s third episode was to A.J. Cook. In short, the hour is a showcase of incredible talent, one that leaves viewers — or, at least this one viewer — completely destroyed. Throw in an equally-incredible guest performance from LaTanya Richardson Jackson, and this episode ought to rank among some of the best. In many ways, some of which I’ll highlight below, it absolutely does.

But the hour kind of suffers from how we got here. More specifically, it suffers from where the storytelling fits into an overall trend in TV and film. And that’s unfortunate. The emotional journey that Tara goes on here is an important one. Yes, she absolutely did need to make some peace with losing her mother before being able to jump in, both feet, with Rebecca. Additionally, I can’t stress enough how beautifully performed (and shot, and edited) Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8 is.

But this idea that a woman — a Black woman, one in a sapphic relationship no less — needs to nearly become yet another victim of the “bury your gays” trope in order to have that emotional development just makes me super uncomfortable. Especially since, coincidentally, the cliffhanger at the end of Episode 7 with Tara being left for dead happened to release in Pride month and on Juneteenth. Was that intentional? Like I said in a brief comment in the last review, the answer probably no. Am I being too protective or cautious here? Eh, probably. But an honest review is, well, honest. So, here we are.

That’s not to say that a character like Tara Lewis, or a relationship like Tarbecca, can’t ever go through terrible things. That would be ridiculous, especially on a series like this one. After all, our main characters are forever one split-second decision away from death by UnSub. We do, however, have to consider that, especially with the Law School Evan incel revelation red herring (a mouthful, but how else should I put it?), there were other ways to put Tara and Rebecca through it than…this. Things work out well in the end here, so a lot of this is probably a moot point for this particular situation. But because of how often things don’t turn out well, discomfort is somewhat impossible to avoid.

Again, though, that’s all more a problem of the setup that brought us to this point than what this hour actually presents. So, let’s discuss Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8 for what it is.

MORE: Anyone else wish Tara could’ve had this experience with her mom’s ghost some other way? I mean, Jemily had their “it gives me you” moment in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 17 Episode 6 — no near-death experience needed.

“I’ll be here until you open your eyes.”

Right from that first phone call to Emily to tell her about the shooting, Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8 makes it very clear that, for Rebecca, losing Tara is simply not an option. She’s devastated and just…a mess throughout the hour. (I might or might not refer to the character as “a mess” and/or “absolutely wrecked” in my notes more times than I’d like to admit, seeing as how I allegedly have a vocabulary that’s made up of more than a handful of words.) And, as we go on a journey that’s mostly with Tara herself, it’s quite obvious that until Tara isn’t out of that in-between space where those of us among the living cannot follow, Rebecca won’t be out of the woods — out of her own in-between space — until Tara is safe.

Where she goes, Rebecca goes. And if Rebecca’s left behind…actually, no. Let’s not even think of that.

Nicole Pacent does truly remarkable work in this episode, fully embodying what it is to want to claw someone you love back from the grip of mortality itself. When Rebecca tells Emily about the shooting, Pacent has to force the words out. Because to say them is to admit they’re true, that this isn’t some horrible nightmare. Then, when Penelope and Emily come to the hospital, every word is laced with a desperate sense of urgency — a need to hear any news, whatsoever. You also get the feeling she’s anxiously reaching out for someone, anyone, to tell her it’ll be ok. But there’s the exhaustion after experiencing something so traumatic and waiting a seemingly endless amount of time for that news, too. Not to mention, there’s the shock adding extra weight to everything.

Somewhere in all of this, grief and guilt manage to make their way into the picture, as well. When Rebecca tells the others about Tara seeing the gun first and pushing her out of the way, Pacent’s voice breaks. Whatever energy she’d previously had in the scene temporarily just disappears. And, later in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8, the character is both lost and completely at a loss. Every time someone asks her how Tara’s doing — first Law School Evan’s fiancee Michelle, later Law School Evan himself — Rebecca just deflates. Whatever mask of strength or reassurance she was trying (failing) to wear for others just can’t hold up. Because she can’t hold up if she even has to consider any outcome other than one. Thankfully, this episode, does end the only acceptable way — with Tara ok.

But there are degrees to how much Rebecca lets herself break. It’s when she’s alone, just before Law School Evan comes into the waiting area, that the full weight of how wrung out and traumatized this character is shows. And, because she’s closer to Law School Evan than to Tara’s work family, it’s no surprise that whatever catch in her voice came when relaying the news to Prentiss and Garcia pales in comparison to Pacent’s totally broken delivery on “they got the bullets out” and the “what if.” (The “what if” that Rebecca can’t even finish asking, I might add.)

Each time we revisit the character, waiting in that horribly uncertain space, we get deeper and deeper glimpses into just how bad the waiting is. And it rings true to life. At some point, we all have to check out of reality, become a little more zombie like as we sip on our bad hospital coffee and just…keep…waiting. But no, leaving isn’t an option either. When Law School Evan suggests she go hoe to rest, that look of betrayal Rebecca gives her old friend is absolutely everything.

And wow, does it hurt to hear her beat herself up about her “last words” to Tara. We never know what the last words we get to share with a loved one are going to be. The idea that such a silly, them sort of moment could turn sour — could become something for Rebecca to regret if the unthinkable happens — is a lot to process. Honestly, it’s just too much. And, again, another true to life situation.

Pacent has another great moment when the doctor finally gives us an update. There’s so, so much hope in her eyes — and a burning sort of energy, forcing its way out of all that exhaustion — and it just disappears. It’s like she’s more drained than ever after hearing that Tara’s prognosis is “not what we might’ve hoped for.” This, right after Rebecca couldn’t even quite breathe in the right rhythm when she was begging to be asked to consider ties to Voit only after Tara was better. (A sentence the character, rightly, doesn’t even get to finish — no point in letting yourself believe if it only means more hurt later.)

And, of course, the image of a tearful Rebecca seated on Tara’s bed, promising to stay by her side, is yet another powerful one. But it’s the Rebecca Wilson we get at the end, even before the proposal (!!!), that I love the best. Just so silly, and in love, and happy: that’s how I want to see these strong female characters — Rebecca and Tara both. When Emily tells Tara not to even think about coming back to work, that look Rebecca gives Emily says, “yeah, right, you know this workaholic. But she’s my workaholic.” It’s another little detail that, really, is kind of a big deal.

And, no, I just simply don’t think anyone here needed to “earn” all that joy. For all the many ways Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8 delivers and allows Pacent and Tyler to work, I just wish it didn’t feel like it was some price we had to pay for the privilege of such a beautiful reward in the end.

MORE: Last season’s close call with a bomb was another opportunity for us to see how much Tara means to Rebecca…but seriously, does every step forward for TV relationships have to be “earned” this way?

Tara finally processes her grief.

With all of the above being said, Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8 is called ‘Tara’ for a reason. (Hint: It’s kinda all about her.) Which means it’s all about putting Aisha Tyler in the spotlight — right where she belongs. That initial scene says it all. As Tara awakens in that dream space, first kind of foggy on what’s happened to her, then equal parts confused and hurt to find out she’s alone and cold, then trying to rationalize herself out of the situation she’s in, and finally whimpering “oh, God” as she tries to bargain her way out of death, it’s obvious that our Dr. Lewis fears being alone at the end. Fears it more than death itself, even.

But as we’ve seen, that’s not all she’s afraid of. What if she takes the leap, only to find nowhere to land, to find she’s been abandoned? That might be the scariest thought of all.

Clearly, Tyler’s meant to carry this hour. Not only does she do so, but she makes it look so easy. As Tara tries to convince whoever may be listening that she’s fine, good even, Tyler makes sure to keep the terror just simmering beneath the surface. It’s oh, so carefully controlled. She delivers the majority of Tara’s little speech with such strength, so much assurance…and just the tiniest bit of doubt. But when it comes time to declare, boldly, that she has “nothing to work out,” the character just can’t put on a show anymore. And so, Tyler drops the force behind all those words, practically whispering, overcome with doubt. Because deep, deep down, she knows not only that there is something she regrets but also how difficult it’s going to be to deal with it.

And, uh, difficult is an understatement.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8 forces Tara to process decades-old grief, a pain she’s buried deep down but never gotten over. It’s a story about our hero fighting for her life in the “real” world while she fights with her lost loved one in that place between life and death. And it’s an hour that paints us a beautiful, complicated, picture of what it is to be a mother and daughter whose relationship came to its final, terrible end while those women were not on great terms. Heartbreakingly, the whole reason they weren’t in the best place at the time of Caroline’s death was because Caroline tried to protect her daughter.

But how do you protect someone by shutting them out, by not letting them know how precious and short their remaining time with you is? Not until it’s way, way too late, at least. On the other hand, as Rebecca experiences with the looming threat of suddenly, senselessly losing Tara, there’s never enough time no matter what.

Aisha Tyler and LaTanya Richardson Jackson hit so many fantastic beats in this hour, it’s actually impossible to find a place to start describing all the little details they put into every single second. As Tara’s mom Caroline, Richardson Jackson just fits. There’s something in the way she stays present, yet distant enough to still be believable as an apparition. And the woman in the hospital bed — Tara’s memory of the last time she saw her mom — is simultaneously so very different from who she becomes when they change location…and exactly the same. Both have a certain sense of truth to them, and the chemistry between Richardson Jackson and Tyler is pitch perfect at all times.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8 gives us a Tara Lewis who’s filled with quiet disbelief when she spots her mom in that bed, her voice lifting in pitch when she asks “Mom?” And then, she’s snarky, lashing out when Caroline’s mention of “a mother-daughter tradition” hits a nerve. She tries to convince her mom — and herself — of how great her life is now, stuttering through protests that no, she isn’t stuck. (She totally is.) When she starts to get a little tougher, a little more like the Tara we know, while declaring she doesn’t want to fight with her dead mother, Caroline blows that energy out of the water, demanding that she fight. It’s all so good. And that is just the beginning for these two.

I loved that pleased, little smile when Tara’s mom called her “formidable.” Same goes for the touch of humor with her slight pushback on being called a workaholic. The way Tyler roars “WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO? I COULDN’T GET ANGRY AT YOU. YOU WERE DYING” speaks to not only that bottled anger, but also just the casual cruelty of the situation. Then, when we return to that last place where Tara saw Caroline alive, there’s a much more hushed quality again.

MORE: Need a break from all this pain? Let’s go back to the beginning of Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 2, when Tara and Rebecca were happy.

“But you didn’t cry. You didn’t yell or scream into a pillow.”

Some of the best scenes in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8 are also the quietest ones. Notably, when Tara begins to open up and show some vulnerability, Tyler’s delivery is the most hushed. Take, for example, how the character talks about what p—sed her off the most. At that point, she comes across as anything but angry — more like the most hurt. Yes, there are so many reasons to hate it when someone dies. But when that death leads to even more loss, like in Tara’s family, that’s the absolute worst. How awful for her to have to carry the guilt, as well as that feeling of not being enough to fill the void her mom left on top of all that grief.

But the true outpouring of grief, the true pain underneath all that anger, can only come after Tara’s mom apologizes for not being there — another superb moment for both actors. But it’s when Tara is back in that place, fully admitting to the struggles she went through after losing her mom and having no one who could help, that the emotion is at its absolute highest.

“How can you all just go on? The world needs to stop and feel what I’m feeling. The world needs to know i’m not ok. But it…it doesn’t — it doesn’t stop. It just goes on, and…eventually, people stop asking how you’re doing. Especially if you’re not crying or talking about it. They just…they don’t want to bring it up. They don’t want to know what it was like for me. A motherless daughter. So, I just…I pushed it all down. Because the only person who could’ve helped me through all that grief was you.”

And the way Tyler delivers those lines, the emotion growing in bits and agonizing bits, is truly exquisite. Everything about the way she takes those pauses, and lets her voice be so tiny and high in places, and brings us a Tara Lewis who’s nothing like the very rational and contained person we know works so very well. For Richardson Jackson’s part, she’s got to be silent, listening, reacting yet not overshadowing — and she nails it all, as well.

Before they say goodbye, mother and daughter eulogize Caroline while a proud and loving mother also gets to note her daughter’s accomplishments. While they do this, we see a montage of all the things Dr. Lewis has done, all the things her mom missed. And perhaps the most lasting image from Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8 will be the one that comes right after Tara tells her “mommy” she loves her. There’s something so powerful, and absolutely gorgeous, about the way the two women embrace, their foreheads touching, holding each other up .

It’s also kind of perfect that they hold each other right before Tara wakes up. Because in the end, Tara was right. The only person who could help her process all that grief, deal with all that pain, was her mom. If only we could all have that one last moment, that kinda perfect goodbye, that Tara experiences in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8.

MORE: Aisha Tyler directed one of last season’s best episodes.

More on Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8

“Hello? The love of your life just had a nightmare. I could use a cuddle…” Ok. First of all, between this and the thing about not being able to go to her mom for a hug after she died, I’m just like someone please hug Tara Lewis. But also: On some level, she knows what she means to Rebecca.
I love the way they use that bright light during all those Tara scenes.
Just as a general rule, there is a clear, stunning artistic vision in this hour. Very well blocked, lit, filmed, and edited.
“If you know me even a little bit, you know I’m good.” Well. We know she tries to force herself to believe she’s good.
Super effect with that blood just…blossoming on her shirt, too.
Whatever you do, don’t think about the bookends of the single tear in the first scene and, later, the one as Tara’s about to wake up in the “real” world.
“How are you holding up?” “I’m not.” Emily is so real for this.
“…ugh. It sounds like I’m about to put on a pot of coffee.” Someone please let Emily take a nap.
Ok but if the theory is that it’s someone at the hospital, why trust Dr. Ochoa? Literally, I am once again asking if we should trust her.
Also: I’m once again asking why I love the Voit/Garcia friendship so much. (Does it count as a friendship when he’s…Voit?) The way he shushes Ochoa because Penelope’s asleep just got me. And that’s not to mention how soft and fond he is while watching her and talking about skin-to-skin with his babies.
Mother Emily, out here cringing over having to wake Penelope from her uncomfortable sprawl in that chair.
“Sorry.” “Don’t be. And…thank you.” The way he makes a point of thanking her, though! Truly hate that I love them so much. (Have I mentioned that enough times yet? Probably not!)
Emily Prentiss in full-on panic mode, looking like someone hit her when she hears that Tara was shot. Twice.
“I’m dying.” Me, watching Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8.
“We made a lot of memories, Tara. Not enough. Have you forgotten all of the good?” “Pretty hard, Mom, when the bad was so incredibly bad.” I feel called out. Lots. (Also, notice the difference between Mom here and Mommy later.)
There’s something in the way Rebecca leans toward Emily and Penelope, like she wants to lean on them but can’t.
I just think that Mother Prentiss in glasses.
Ok but can we pause for a minute and talk about Paget Brewster? I’m not sure if the whole Emily monologue feels forced for TV or not, but I genuinely could not be bothered to care. Brewster’s just way too good there. Again with the contained, understated emotion. Because, yes, like she says — many times! — she is completely and utterly exhausted. Frustrated, too. But she has got to keep it under control because otherwise? She breaks. Emily is hanging on by a thread. You can hear it in the very first “I’m tired.” But she can’t afford to lose her grip when she’s leading this team.
TL;DR Let Emily sleep, let someone comfort Emily, and give Paget Brewster some respect.
Also: “I’m too tired to be polite.” Another “Emily Prentiss, the most real” moment.
Brilliant little nod of “it’s ok” from Zach Gilford there when Voit hears Prentiss is tired of him, too.
Plus, the way we cut back and forth to Tara fighting for her life. OOF.
Thank you, Law School Evan’s Fiancee, for asking for consent before hugging Rebecca.
“You’re thinking it’s…it’s weird that we’re sitting here talking like old friends after all the sh— I put you through.” A.J. Cook with the sassy little facial expression to react to this.
“You’re a high-functioning overachiever who became a fixer to avoid grief.”
“I swore an oath to protect my patients; I would never talk about Elias with anyone.” Ok, but she doesn’t have to talk to anyone about him if she’s, you know, the disciple.
“It’s like I’m a serial killer again, only my M.O. is twisted collateral damage.” “Yeah, you’re like a disease…you said it yourself, actually. A social contagion. Oh, you — you probably don’t remember that.” “No, I do not.” Elias Voit and Tyler Green still delightfully awkward.
“He’s an incel. I had to kick him off the network.” “Why? Killing is fine; misogyny isn’t?” GET HIM TYLER.
I’m always grateful for some Garcia time, but I’m extra grateful for her little banter with Tyler. Like, the way Kirsten Vangsness does her thing will never get old for me. Particularly love the way her tone totally changes when she realizes Tyler’s in her office, the “mere mortal” line, and the facial expression — plus, you know, all the disgruntled muttering — when he reveals he really thought he could get into her computer. I probably just listed everything. I’m not sorry.
Cute work from RJ Hatanaka with the faux innocent “nope, nope…nope” when Garcia asks Green if he’s touching her stuff, too.
Plus, you know, there’s this: “Oh! Men are pigs.” “…that’s true.” (Good boy, Tyler!)
Emily and JJ, both like “boy, what” when Tyler shares his theory about Law School Evan.
“Yours was the first face I wanted to see.” Um ok but she’s just not into you, Law School Evan.
The part where Tara, like, watches her own surgery with her mom through that mirror (?) before the camera pulls away…wow. Seriously, so many great artistic choices here. Well done.
It’s like she’s so small when she looks down at their clasped hands?
Rebecca’s gratitude when JJ and Luke show up, though. And check out Luke keeping a watchful eye.
Super work from Geoff Stults and Adam Rodriguez in that interrogation scene. Law School Evan is completely believable as the incel dude — and as someone who’s offended and frustrated anyone would even ask. And Luke just…is so careful about drawing whatever reaction or info out of him he can. (I’d say something about surgical precision here, but given the circumstances, maybe I’ll pass.)
“There’s easier ways to get rid of a romantic rival.” “There are.” “Annnnd that’s what’s bugging you.” I love when “Dad” and Voit put their heads together!
If Rebecca wasn’t already part of the family before Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 8, she definitely is after it. And no, I’m not talking about the proposal. I’m talking about the way Penelope and Emily are there for her — not just Tara — all along. There’s also something very special about the way Emily is this pillar of strength, right behind her, when she gets the news from the doctor. And then, Penelope supports them both. Just that tiny hand on a shoulder (or two!). Such interesting choices here.
Would like to, once again, point out how in awe I am of the “motherless daughter” speech I highlighted up above. The words, the person saying them, and the person listening. Awe.
“No matter how scared you are, no matter how hurt you are, I’m here…”
So, if we’re looking at our season-wide arc, this Maria Jones case is a big deal, I guess? Two more episodes, folks!
“…a young woman smarter than she ever was. Who is full of life, and love, and loyalty. A strong woman, who has dedicated her life to helping those around her. To fighting the wrongs of the world, to holding those responsible accountable, to being fierce. My hero.” It’s raining on my face.
“Just don’t spend your life alone because you’re looking for perfection. Or because you’re afraid to do the hard work. You’ve been alive longer than I’ve been dead, and it’s time for you to help you.” I have never been more attacked in my life?
The shot of Tara’s hand moving over and covering Rebecca’s, though.
“Things get missed.” “Yeah. Tell me about it.” I know Law School Evan isn’t sassing Voit’s “Dad” like that. Someone come take out this trash.
And to make Emily Prentiss have to do the awkward apology thing???
…oh, ok. He said he understood. We’re good.
On the one hand, JJ’s little smile in the background — because she knows what Tara’s about to do, whether Tara told her or not — is adorable. But on the other? Something inside me is extra broken thinking of her being so happy for her friend, so soon after losing Will.
“Rebecca, this team: they’re my family. They’re my chosen family.” Eyeballs leaking, I fear.
Emily covering her mouth, Rebecca getting all nervous with the “hold on,” Emily’s hands under her chin, Luke just cheesing…and of course, Penelope starts screaming and celebrating out loud first.
I love them.
But oh, ok. Rebecca’s “are you sure” hurts a little.
The shared looks between Tara and the ghost of her mommy got to me!
It’s the way she goes over and shoves her little chin against Tara’s shoulder for me, though.
MAZEL TOV TO TARBECCA.
And they all lived happily ever after. No more case!
…if only.