Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Moose
Just when you thought the Sicarius case couldn’t get more complicated, the BAU encounters another curve ball. Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 1 Episode 3, “Moose,” increases the stakes with satisfying twists and turns.
The tail end of a manhunt and another UnSub suicide kicks off the episode, escalating the tension since the BAU only has three chances left to take down one of the killers connected to the kill kits. Even though the season stretches out one overall arc, its pacing still keeps up the intensity of the normal case-of-the-week model.
Voit (Sicarius) is still a big mystery though the viewers get a chance to learn a little bit more about him and his compulsions. Despite appearing like the perfect family man, we know Voit is a twisted guy.
That point is emphasized throughout when he starts fantasizing about murdering his neighbor, an offensive jerk who verbally abuses Voit and his daughter. Those fantasy sequences aren’t that shocking in terms of narrative devices but they do provide a nice contrast to Voit’s real-life restraint.
His money problems, and subsequent job loss, create a potential explanation for his escalation. Learning that UnSubs send him money to join the network suggests it’s not only a cult but a sort of Ponzi scheme. Now that would be devious.
Later on, when he ends up killing a stand-in victim who looks like his neighbor, his rant about the other killers in the network not being able to follow the rules is almost funny. Voit seems to think he’s in some sort of serial killer group project where others aren’t pulling their weight instead of viewing it as the evil thing it is.
Gilford is excellent at switching between the docile Voit we see with his family and the cold, calculating Sicarius. When he jokes with his wife that their teen daughter is “fooling” them after making an excuse about a party it’s a chilling reminder that the only one fooling his wife is him.
Hopefully, we learn more about his history and what led him to this point later in the season. For now, the show does a nice job balancing his character development while still keeping him somewhat enigmatic.
Much less mysterious is the bureaucracy (or “typical bureaucratic bullsh*t” as Rossi puts it) the BAU has to deal with as Director Bailey forces them to work with the Domestic Terrorism Unit. It’s frustrating to watch the BAU piece together everything to then have their operation almost ruined.
Garcia proves she is sharper than ever, espousing the benefits of self-care, when she figures out how the network met and how Sicarius is matching UnSubs with existing kill kits through their online pitches to him.
The episode moves quickly, maybe a little too quickly, in putting the pieces together, but it’s thrilling to start to see the big picture.
Unfortunately just when it seems like the BAU gains the upper hand, it’s revealed the latest bomb-wielding UnSub Tyler (Ryan-James Hatanaka ) is actually a vigilante infiltrating the network and attempting to catch Sicarius for murdering his sister 15 years ago. His plans are blown up (pun intended) by the BAU catching him before Voit makes it into the park and can be caught by security cameras.
It’s with this kind of major twist, and the fallout, where Criminal Minds: Evolution can benefit from a season-long arc and the ability to explore things in depth. In seasons past these kinds of setups were rare due to the constraints of the network format.
Will Tyler end up being an ally or a roadblock? The team needs a win right now with Bailey breathing down their necks.
Additional Thoughts:
- Unlike the first two episodes, there is less time overall spent on the team’s lives outside of the office. The only domestic scenes we get this week are Rebecca and Tara’s discussions about moving in together, which end up being very sweet.
- Why did the show make up a fake park name in DC instead of using a real one? There are so many real park names it could use! Criminal Minds’ misuse of the DC region has always frustrated me as a viewer.
- Garcia’s reaction to Rossi’s cussing is a great joke for the audience. Her “wank weasel” insult isn’t too shabby though.
- Prentiss calling Bailey “a hedge fund manager with a badge” is also an iconic insult.
- Poor, poor Moose. He deserved so much better.
What did you think of this episode of Criminal Minds: Evolution? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Breeze Riley
Breeze Riley is a pop culture enthusiast who decided to turn her love of watching too much TV into a hobby writing about it. Although she's a convention-going sci-fi and fantasy nerd, she's just as likely to be watching an off-beat comedy or period drama. She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic.