Criminal Minds: Evolution Star Reveals The Unexpected Truth About Will’s Death Scene: “We Got So Freaked Out By It”

JJ and co. had to say goodbye to Will in Criminal Minds: Evolution, but the truth behind filming his death scene wasn’t as straightforward as one might think. The police procedural crime drama TV series has featured numerous deaths over the course of its 18-season run (which includes the three seasons of Evolution). Many Criminal Minds characters whom the fans knew and loved have died. Sadly, Will was added to the deceased list at the beginning of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3.

Following the release of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3, episode 2, star A.J. Cook spoke with TVLine about filming her onscreen husband’s death. They asked her how it felt when Josh Stewart walked on set, knowing his character was going to die. However, Cook revealed that that moment never actually happened. Stewart didn’t reprise his role as Will to film his death for season 3. Instead, Criminal Minds: Evolution used a deleted scene from season 1 to double as Will’s death. Cook explained:

“People don’t know this, I guess. But he wasn’t coming back to the show. Our writers had to get very creative. Remember the cancer storyline that we wrote in [during season 1]? We so badly were like, ‘We don’t want [Josh] to think he’s going to die,’ we got so freaked out by it, that we pulled this scene [of Will collapsing]. That’s how much we did not want Josh to leave us. [But when it was decided that Will would die], our brilliant showrunner [Erica Messer] was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we have this scene that we never used.’ Erica Messer put the pieces of a really complicated puzzle together, and it worked. It’s weird how it happened that way, but that just goes to show how much we just did not want any more pain to come to this family.”

What Will’s Death Means For Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3

JJ’s Story Will Revolve Around Her Grief

Now that Will is gone in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3, JJ will be forced to face her grief as the rest of the episodes play out. However, knowing JJ, she won’t prioritize her issues (as proven by the events of episode 3). She’ll push her feelings down to ensure that everyone else is okay. It especially doesn’t help that the BAU’s problems with Voit haven’t ceased — in fact, they will seemingly only get worse as time goes on, meaning JJ likely won’t give herself time to grieve her husband’s death.

As Criminal Minds: Evolution star A.J. Cook told Screen Rant, “[JJ is] grieving, and we’re gonna see her maybe not make some great decisions … We’re gonna get to see JJ struggle with some things.” So, the BAU Supervisory Special Agent certainly won’t handle her grief in a healthy way in the following episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3. Only time will tell if JJ’s able to get back on track by the ending, or if her friends and family will be able to help her cope with her heartbreak.

Our Take On Will’s Death In Criminal Minds: Evolution

Criminal Minds Isn’t New To Big Deaths

Will succumbing to a spontaneous aneurysm (arising from the thyroid issues he had back in season 1 of the revival) is arguably one of Criminal Minds‘s most heartbreaking deaths, and there have been many deaths. JJ’s husband has been around since the second season of the original version of the show. He might not be a main character, but he still played an important role in the series. So, Will’s death will undoubtedly have a significant effect not only on JJ in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3, but the show as a whole.