Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 1 Episode 6 Review: True Conviction
Criminal Minds: Evolution‘s title emphasizes how individuals evolve into the heinous serial killers the BAU tracks down. On Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 1 Episode 6, “True Conviction,” it’s Sicarius’ evolution that’s in the spotlight.
An adrenaline-packed start finds the team scrambling to learn the fates of JJ and Alvez (who are unsurprisingly fine). It’s hard to top the team getting its jet back and Prentiss delivering the iconic ‘Wheels up,” line.
Yet the history of Sicarius does just that, creating a tantalizing narrative that bolsters the episode to be one of the season’s best. His origin is the puzzle piece the show has been missing.
Finally, it feels like Criminal Minds: Evolution lives up to its potential promised at the beginning of the season. The cases of the week are put second to the hunt for Sicarius as the team hones in on profiling him, and the audience and BAU learn more about his progression as a killer.
Of all the UnSubs in this season, Sicarius is the most dangerous and interesting. We see through flashbacks that his path to becoming a killer started as a child under the tutelage of his Uncle Cyrus (Silas Weir Mitchell) who took him in after his parents died.
It’s an abusive relationship but also a mentorship. It’s no wonder Sicarius ended up the way he did despite trying to leave that life behind.
Sicarius needs to tie up loose ends, starting with Benjamin Reeves, and ending with his uncle, the one man who could connect him to some of the evidence found in Georgia. The scenes between Zach Gilford and Mitchell are some of the best of the season.
Gilford plays Sicarius as cool and collected for the most part but facing Cyrus we see the pain and instability boiling underneath and he cracks. Gilford is slightly unexpected as a serial killer, but the casting makes perfect sense given his ability to play emotionally wrought and vulnerable characters so well from his time on Friday Night Lights to the present on shows like Midnight Mass.
When Cyrus reminds him it’s family that gets you killed after he learns Sicarius poisoned him, it’s an ominous warning that Sicarius’ house of cards is crumbling.
The flashbacks don’t answer every question about Sicarius, which is a good thing since it’s not as much fun to watch the BAU profile a killer you already know everything about. Cyrus hints that he and Sicarius may not be the only ones in the family who have murder in their blood, which sets up another question about his past.
Technically there is a “case of the week” but it’s without the baggage of the network since it’s based on evidence found in the wreckage of the second shipping container. Instead of stopping a killer, the team must stop the wrongful execution of an innocent man who Cyrus blackmailed into confessing to one of his murders.
It whips up plenty of drama for the team, especially since Tara’s girlfriend was the original prosecutor, but does so without undermining the fact this is Sicarius’ episode more than it is the BAU’s. Not only does the BAU get to free an innocent man in the process they’re able to connect Sicarius to Cyrus through the investigation.
Watching them finally put the pieces together and develop a more detailed profile of Sicarius is so satisfying. The dramatic tension of seeing the BAU struggle made sense in the first half of the season, but now it’s time for them to do what they do best.
Even the side-plot of Garcia’s burgeoning romance with Green nicely fits into the overall focus on Sicarius’ evolution. Without all the forced bickering, their dynamic is actually very sweet as Garcia helps him come to terms with his sister’s death after the FBI finds her DNA in Sicarius’ second shipping container.
By letting his more vulnerable side emerge again, the audience connects with Green over his loss. While some shows may make the killer the sympathetic protagonist, Criminal Minds: Evolution keeps the human cost of Sicarius’ spree at the forefront of the story.
The BAU is quickly gaining on Sicarius’ trail, heightening the anticipation for the showdown soon to come.
Additional Thoughts:
- Sicarius gets the opening quote again. Giving the UnSub the voiceover quote is such a great subversion.
- I didn’t realize just how much I missed the team jet until now.
- Sicarius reading one of Rossi’s books on profiling during the flashback is perfection.
- Director Bailey finally stands up for the team! I never thought I’d see the day.
- I didn’t expect to shout “Kiss!” at my TV this season, but that scene with Green and Garcia is just too cute.
- We can all agree Rebecca is a little unfair to Tara, right?
- “Are you safe? That sounded like Big Foot.” If only you knew, Luke!
- The attempt to make Sicarius look like a teenager by giving him swoopy hair… did not work.
What did you think of this episode of Criminal Minds: Evolution? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Criminal Minds: Evolution airs Thursdays on Paramount+.
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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.
2 comments
Evolution is fantastic! Our BAU profilers are amazing. Well written!
By far the best episode of this season. Fantastic.
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