I’ll preface by saying that, here at Fangirlish, we’re fans of a lot of things, and Criminal Minds (and Criminal Minds: Evolution!) is one of those things. So, if I had to choose how people go into this episode of the show, I’d say watch the show first! Or, at least, the new spinoff. There’s no better way to have the background than, well… have the background!
But of course, this show is on Season 19. Criminal Minds had 15 seasons, back when it aired on CBS. And Criminal Minds: Evolution is on its fourth season. So I understand that’s a lot of TV to consume to watch Connor Storrie’s debut on the show. So, considering what we know of his character and his arc, I’m going to do everyone a solid and recap what you need to know if you just want (or have no choice) but to jump into his episode blind.
What Is Criminal Minds: Evolution?
Criminal Minds: Evolution is the continuation of the original police procedural, which spawned 15 seasons. The revival once again brings back members of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) to hunt down highly complex networks of serial killers.
The show stars returning fan-favorite characters such as David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), JJ Jareau (A.J. Cook), Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler), and Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez).
What’s Connor’s Storyline on Criminal Minds: Evolution?
We don’t know for sure yet, but we know enough. The name of his character is Lance Kingston, and we see him in the trailer during an interrogation scene with Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer “JJ” Jareau (A.J. Cook). There’s also another disturbing shot of what looks to be him screaming, while tied up somewhere.
He also features in one of the episode stills, or at least a picture of him does! In the still, we see Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), Dr. Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler), and Elias Voit (Zach Gilford), with Voit having what looks to be a file on Kingston, Connor’s character, in front of him.
That, and what the showrunners said about Connor’s role, is enough to make it clear that Voit is involved. And this season, the team is after a Voit copycat. Could it be Connor’s character? Or is he just another victim? Both are possible, but to understand what comes next, we have to understand… well, Elias Voit.
Who is Elias Voit on Criminal Minds?
Voit is the connecting thread for the last few seasons of this show. But who is Elias Voit, and what do you need to know about him?
When we first met Voit, in Season 16, he was a seemingly benign family man. Well, a seemingly benign family man who ran a dark-web network of serial killers. So, basically, just a psychopath who controlled other psychopaths! Then, of course, the BAU caught him. Game over, right? Nope. In Season 17, Voit was still around, this time helping the BAU dismantle his network of serial killers.
Then, at the end of that season, he was attacked and beaten by the other inmates in jail. Game over? Think again. In Season 18, we find that Voit’s head injury leads to not just amnesia, but a return of his conscience. Yes, they hit him so hard that the empathy center of his brain started working again.
What does that mean? Well, remorse. And a redemption arc that saw him help bring down the killer network he’d built.
That takes us to now, with Voit in federal prison and seeking redemption. Yup, you read that right. He even goes on a podcast to try to convince true-crime enthusiasts that he isn’t a hero anyone should try to emulate. Except, you know, someone is trying to emulate him! And, well, there’s also the fact that this is still a man who did really evil things. Should we take his change at face value?
Where Does Connor Storrie’s Character Fit Into This?
We don’t know, but if Emily and Tara are talking to Voit about him, the character is likely tied to the “big bad” of the season, which probably isn’t Kingston aka Storrie. Especially if the character is going to be tied up and screaming. But why kidnap Kingston and not kill him right away? Maybe he does have a connection to this copycat killer? Or maybe he knows something or has something the killer needs?
Either way, we’ll be seeing Connor Storrie‘s first episode this week, but that won’t be the last we’ll see of him. And now that you understand the Voit of it all, hopefully, you can make up your own theories about what exactly his character will be up to and how it all ties to this season’s endgame.
New episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution are available to stream on Paramount+ on Thursdays.
