Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Milliken Isn’t as Good as Alvez’s Thinks
While it’s always nice to see recurring guest stars show up on Criminal Minds: Evolution, fans have sadly learned how it goes. They either become the unsub or they get killed. Sadly for Milliken, the latter is his destiny.
Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 Episode 5, “Friendly Fire,” brings Milliken to the end of his road, leading Luke Alvez down a rabbit hole that makes him question everything he knows about his friend. Lucky for Alvez, he has a village that stands by him and carries him to the end.
Death and grief are common themes on Criminal Minds: Evolution. The BAU has to face this day in and day out as they take on new cases. However, they become heavy topics when they touch one of the team members closely.
And while death is discussed openly, grief seems to be something that is reserved. We’ve seen this with JJ and the boys after Will’s death, and we see it again with Luke as he faces the loss of Milliken.
Penelope, whom Luke admits is the one who always sees him, tries to get him to talk about his feelings, but fails. This isn’t because Penelope isn’t good at what she does or Luke doesn’t trust her, but rather because he isn’t ready to talk about it.
Instead, we see him opening up to JJ about grief and what this means for him. This gives both characters the opportunity to open up about their feelings regarding the recent losses in their lives. While it’s not comparable in any way, it’s a source of comfort for each of them to know there’s someone who understands.
Even though we didn’t see much of Milliken and Luke’s friendship, Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 Episode 5, “Friendly Fire,” gives us enough background to understand their bond. They understood their military background, and Luke respected him in a way that showed love and admiration, which is why it’s hard for him to even fathom the idea that Milliken might have committed suicide.
On the one hand, we see Tyler do what Rossi has encouraged him to try this season. He analyzes every possible venue, going over every theory he can think of. This means that he will bring up Milliken taking antidepressants and what this might mean.
Tyler opens the door for the BAU (and the viewers) to think about the possibility that it could have been a suicide. This is further pushed and explored when Luke remembers the conversation he had with Milliken not too long ago, in which he mentioned that if his wife left him, he didn’t know what he would do. It becomes an even stronger possibility when there are mentions of a possible divorce.
However, on the other hand, we see Luke struggling with having to work the case when he is so closely connected to the victim. Unlike Tyler, he can’t go down the many theories road because it would cause him more harm than good.
But it is that connection to the victim, combined with his experience and the evidence, that leads him to solve the case. This only proves that Prentiss allows him to stay on because she trusts him and knows he can work it out.
As the Voit storyline continues, so does the connection between him and Rossi. Now that Voit’s fan (if we could call him that) has reached out to Garrity, Voit believes the only way to get him to come forward is to get Rossi on the podcast.
While the BAU uses Tara to deal with Garrity because he trusts her, Voit wants them to use Rossi to get God (he calls himself that) to come out of hiding. The plan works at first, but it quickly turns to chaos when Lance is tortured on the phone.
Even though Voit claims they have caused a man’s death, he is the one responsible for this. Everything that’s come out of the Sicarius killings goes back to him, so is it fair for him to tell Garrity that he just caused a man’s death?
What did you think of this episode of Criminal Minds: Evolution? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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Criminal Minds: Evolution airs Thursdays at 3/2 am on Paramount+.
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Lara Rosales
By day, Lara Rosales (she/her) is a solo mom by choice and a bilingual writer with a BA in Latin-American Literature known as a Media Relations Expert. By night, she is a TV enjoyer who used to host a podcast (Cats, Milfs & Lesbian Things). You can find her work published on Eulalie Magazine, Geek Girl Authority, W Spotlight, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, Nicki Swift, and Flip Screened.