[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 9 “Col1ateRal.”]
The penultimate episode of Legal Minds: Evolution ends with these three phrases that we each dread (and secretly love): “To Be Continued…”
The BAU continues to lose towards this season’s iteration of Voit’s (Zach Gilford) community, this time with one of many orderlies on his flooring — he kills the spouse of one of many males the BAU caught in Episode 7 and kidnaps his child and leaves one of many masks behind. It’s the disciple sending a reminder of the suicide pact of the community, and it really works: that man, in addition to the opposite one they caught on the identical time, are each lifeless. Of the UnSubs left in custody, Ronald is brain-dead, and the BAU shortly will get to work on discovering Kyle (Aaron Stanford) and securing his ex-wife and daughter, Lainey (Alicia Urizar McCallum) and Ava (Audrina Miranda). Taking a hostage (a child, Andrew) isn’t one thing Voit would ever do, the once-serial killer who’s now not a psychopath confirms. He wasn’t taken as collateral however quite as a result of the UnSub is a pedophile.
The subsequent loss: There’s no file of Kyle within the jail system and his ex-wife and daughter have disappeared. Then, one other bundle is delivered to the BAU. On her approach as much as it, Tara (Aisha Tyler) asks Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) to officiate her and Rebecca’s (Nicole Pacent) wedding ceremony (which seems like the one brilliant mild this season) … as soon as they set a date. As for that bundle, inside is Andrew, alive.
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The child has a message for “agent JJ”: “Now I lay me right down to sleep, your husband’s soul is God’s to maintain, Lainey and Ava will probably be protected when you launch the person who dug their graves.” JJ is, in fact, indignant that the community is utilizing her lifeless husband, however Prentiss (Paget Brewster) factors out they’ve made an error: They don’t have Lainey and Ava. Meaning they’re on the run as a result of somebody tipped them off. Plus, using JJ’s nickname, one thing that few folks outdoors the crew know, alerts a leak, presumably on the hospital.
Then issues begin trying up, at the very least briefly. Kyle is in jail, slightly below a unique identify — he deliberate it as a result of he knew the community would goal him after he was arrested. He teases them about one thing referred to as Venture Checkmate, the final transfer that wins the sport, however says he’ll solely speak in the event that they let him stroll … till the BAU realizes Voit’s the one who tipped Lainey and Ava off. They arrest him for obstruction of justice, Rossi (Joe Mantegna) swears they’ll defend Lainey and Ava, and Voit helps convey them in. After Lainey talks to/threatens her ex-husband, he talks. Venture Checkmate is killing any unfastened ends (UnSubs, the would-be victims the BAU rescued, and so forth.), Kyle says. “Bulls**t,” Prentiss insists. The BAU is aware of that the community leaks misinformation to scramble the profile and get away clear. Kyle then talks in regards to the Engineer, who confirmed him methods to rig the explosives in his coffins. He’s possible the leak and the final unfastened finish, probably the most direct connection to the community. Kyle doesn’t know who he’s however does supply up details about provides he would have purchased and expertise he would wish. Rossi sees this new data as placing them within the lead for the primary time.
In the meantime, Rossi has Tara cease by a couple of hunch, which he sees as a waste of time however makes her hearken to after she catches him with a bottle of mediation and finds out that he’s taking Wellbutrin: A mix of a unfastened dose and remedy have made a distinction on him seeing “bizarre stuff.” Tara dances in celebration. His hunch does appear to repay: What if the disciple is a lady? The disciple did, in spite of everything, ship again Andrew and made positive he wasn’t harm — and masked her voice as a result of he would’ve caught on in any other case. Again when Cyrus was an individual of curiosity within the Herrera case, a lady answered the door and recognized herself as his daughter, Tessa. Cyrus might have molded her into Voit 2.0 and she or he could possibly be good sufficient to be working the community. Voit doesn’t acknowledge the identify.
However this Tessa is nice sufficient to have framed Monica, Voit’s nurse, within the orderly John’s place. To attempt to get forward, Garcia posts from Lainey’s account that Kyle is lifeless, and so subsequently the disciple will go after the Engineer subsequent. They’ve a lead, John Peters, however after an evening of a number of stakeouts (John’s house in addition to these of the victims they rescued and now have on the BAU), they uncover that the property is registered to him however he lives in Miami and hasn’t been there in 5 years. “We obtained f**ked,” Prentiss places it plainly. Kyle insists that the Engineer exists; he laughed about it, how he lived proper outdoors their zip code they usually didn’t know.
That will get Prentiss considering: In all their a long time of expertise, when have they ever had as many UnSubs — all those this season — this near them? It’s how they checkmate them, splitting them in numerous instructions and stretching them so skinny they will’t reply in time for the ultimate transfer: They left Voit uncovered.
On the hospital, Ochoa (Aimee Garcia) confronts Voit in regards to the telephone he used to warn Lainey and Ava. He says he discovered it on the nurse’s station. As Ochoa sees it now, Voit’s not a psychopath anymore, however he’s not a great particular person both. She’s placing in for a switch — for him, again to minimal safety. As she goes to go away his room, nevertheless, he grabs her from behind, hand over her mouth, to cease her. It’s solely this quiet, like it’s outdoors the room, when he’s about to kill somebody. And he’s proper: Somebody kills everybody within the corridor then enters his room and turns the lights off earlier than aiming a gun.
By the point JJ (A.J. Prepare dinner), Prentiss, and Rossi get to the hospital 37 minutes later, Voit’s hospital room is empty.
What are your predictions for the finale after this episode? Tell us within the feedback part beneath.
Legal Minds: Evolution, Season 18 Finale, Thursday, July 10, Paramount+