7 Years Before Sicarius, ‘Criminal Minds’ Already Gave Us a Terrifying Serial Killer Network

As if we didn’t already have enough reasons to be paranoid about the internet, the rebooted Criminal Minds: Evolution spent three seasons re-vamping this fear against the dark underbelly of the digital realm. Alongside online grooming and organ black markets, we can now add serial killer chat rooms to the list of potential dark web dangers. In the first season of Evolution, the BAU uncovers an online network of killers who share their most twisted homicidal fantasies and share tips about committing murder, allowing each potential and confirmed killer to hone their skills while mentoring others.

The Sicarius network is by far the most interesting aspect of serial killer Elias Voit’s (Zach Gilford) storyline in the show because of its novelty and the terror associated with killers being able to evolve. Surprisingly enough, this isn’t actually the first time Criminal Minds has hosted some form of a serial killer network. In Season 10, the BAU saw Kate Callahan (Jennifer Love Hewitt) join their ranks, and in her last episode, the finale, they came across a disturbing site hidden in the depths of the internet that threatened Kate’s niece/adopted daughter. While this network may not have been based on mentorship, it may be arguably creepier than Sicarius’.

‘Criminal Minds’ Featured an Online Shopping Site For Serial Killers

In the Criminal Minds Season 10 finale, Kate’s daughter, Megan (Hailey Sole), and her best friend get abducted after trying to meet up with a boy they met online. It sounds like a classic cautionary tale about never knowing who is behind the screen and another morbid case of grooming. Subsequently, everyone’s minds go to either a ransom or trafficking, but as the BAU investigates the disappearance, they realize more sinister things are afoot. Earlier in the season, Kate couldn’t quite let go of a case; they had arrested the killer, but she believed he had a partner, a belief she couldn’t prove. In the background, she had been working on this line of investigation, slowly coming closer to unearthing the truth. Soon, they realize Megan had been targeted due to her proximity to Kate. But even more worryingly, Megan wasn’t taken by a partner, but rather, the owner of a network.

As the investigation unfolds and the team starts connecting the dots to the previous case, they realize this wasn’t a regular trafficking network; the unsub was abducting and selling victims to serial killers specifically. Who needs to hunt down victims when you can buy them online? The process is unnerving to watch, as they change the appearance of “victims” or “goods”, take pictures of them with curated lighting, and start an auction online where criminals who prefer the kill over the hunt can place their bid. Not only does the unsub get the satisfaction of the hunt, but also a lucrative practice, all while being assisted by one of his former trauma-bonded victims. The only comfort we got during this episode was when the network allowed the BAU to track down each buyer and take a bunch of killers off the street in one fell swoop.

Jennifer Love Hewitt Made This ‘Criminal Minds’ Storyline More Terrifying

This is the first time in Criminal Minds that we see a large-scale network between serial killers that allows them to coordinate their homicidal efforts. It is terrifying for the same reasons that the Sicarius network is: it makes torturing and murdering easier for serial killers. The one drawback of the Season 10 network is that it was less accessible to killers who didn’t have the money, compared to the Sicarius network where Voit would often supply the materials. But the Sicarius network often planned their attacks, with the most recent season demonstrating a terror cell kind of activation protocol. Meanwhile, this network was simply supplying a demand for victims, only limited by how quickly the unsub could abduct people, and considering how many girls were listed on the site, it was pretty quick.

But another reason that made this Season 10 storyline even more sordidly fascinating was the revenge element woven into the story. In Megan’s case, she was practically collateral damage in the unsub’s personal vendetta against a nosy FBI agent. The concept itself incites an unnerving sentiment of “be careful who you wrong lest you get sold to a serial killer,” but it’s Hewitt’s and Sole’s performances that heighten this terror. Kate taught her daughter that you should never show a sexual sadist fear (once again, something you probably wish you never have to teach your daughter), and she herself is trained to remain calm under pressure. As such, both characters maintain that neutrality, but fear, guilt, and shock at each new revelation pour through the cracks, making it more of a visceral ordeal.

It’s as if all the emotion, peril, and tension of the three-season Sicarius storyline were bottled up into one fast-paced, disturbing episode. Criminal Minds managed to strike a balance between intimate stakes and a wider threat during this episode, allowing the horror and absurdity of a one-stop shop for serial killers to pan out. So, if you wanted another sinister take on Sicarius’ network now that it has been brought down, definitely revisit the Season 10 finale.