7 Biggest Unanswered Questions & Mysteries After Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3

Since Criminal Minds: Evolution premiered, the series has been focused on the Sicarius killer. With season 3 bringing that storyline to a tightly wrapped up conclusion, there are not a lot of open-ended plot threads left heading into the fourth season of the Criminal Minds revival series.

Despite the neat ending of the team putting an end to the Sicarius network and Elias Voit (Zach Gilford) heading to prison, that does not mean there are not any questions left to be answered. There are still some mysteries after the end of season 3 that can be unraveled in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 4.

9.Will Voit Succeed In Fighting His Violent Tendencies?

Voit’s Daydream Suggests Otherwise

One of the most fascinating parts of Criminal Minds: Evolution is the evolution of Voit himself. Voit’s traumatic brain injury at the end of season 2 meant that Voit was a changed man. He had developed a new sense of empathy while recovering his memories.

Despite that, the traumas of his past, the very things that helped him become Sicarius, were still there. When he had the chance to use violence against a stranger to save the life of Dr. Ochoa (Aimee Garcia), he beat the man to death with his bare hands.

When on a prison transport after his confession, Voit has a vivid daydream of killing one of the other prisoners while the rest of the bus cheers. Both scenes are a stark reminder that the violence Voit did not exhibit during the rest of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 is still inside of him.

It will require a huge amount of willpower for Voit to not give in to those violent tendencies when he is surrounded by people who might encourage it in him in prison.

8.What Role Will Voit Play In Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 4?

Gilford Will Return For Season 4

Though the investigation into the Sicarius killings and his network of serial killers is done, that does not mean Voit’s story is completely over. There’s still the matter of his trial, his sentencing, and what role he might play in the series going forward.

Gilford is set to return for Criminal Minds: Evolution season 4, but for how many episodes and in what capacity is not yet clear. With the actor confirmed to be a part of the series, there’s sure to be more to mine from his story in the series.

Showrunner Erica Messer has said that the BAU team will have to deal with the fact that Voit has become a modern celebrity because of the media coverage of his case. It could be interesting to see the team and Voit address our current obsession with true crime documentaries here.

Voit could also be utilized in a similar capacity in season 4 as he was in season 3. Just because his network has been rounded up does not mean Voit’s insight is done. A former serial killer whose guilt is eating away at him could make for a good consultant for the team on tough cases.

7.Who Will Be Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 4’s New Villain?

6.Will There Be A Season-Long Villain?

Part of what sets Criminal Minds: Evolution apart from the original CBS procedural is the serialization of its stories. The show has not had many cut-and-dry cases of the week in which the bad guy is apprehended by the end of the hour.

Instead, the first three seasons have largely focused on Voit as the “big bad” and other minor villains connected to him. With Voit’s network seemingly wiped out, that leaves the series with a clean slate to bring in new and unconnected villains for the show.

Whether the show will return to a case of the week format or continue to utilize a season-long villain, however, remains to be seen. The longer arcs have served the show well as the stories have been able to go into more depth and better utilize their supporting cast members, so it would make sense to stick with that format.

5.How Will Tyler Fit Into The BAU Now That The Sicarius Case Is Done?

4.Tyler Is A Sicarius Expert

Like several past FBI agents introduced in the series, Tyler Green has a military background and some unique skills. Many of his skills, however, were honed as a result of his investigating Sicarius on his own after his sister was murdered by Voit.

That means most of Tyler’s knowledge about serial killers comes from a very specific case and set of circumstances. While he did go through training classes to become an FBI agent heading into season 3 of the show, his field training has been on the Sicarius case with the BAU.

The show will have to find a niche for Tyler outside of Sicarius in the types of cases the BAU takes on. In the past, all of the members of the BAU have had specialized skills that differ from one another, which is what makes them work so well together.

With Tyler’s specialty lying in Voit’s network of killers, he will have to find a way to apply what he knows to new cases and find where he fits within the team without being in pursuit of Voit and his associates.

3.Will We See Rebecca & Tara’s Wedding?

The Series Deserves Some Light

Criminal Minds: Evolution has been much darker than the original Criminal Minds series. The franchise has always explored the darkest parts of human psychology, but Evolution takes that to a new level.

As a result, so much of what’s going on in the personal lives of the characters is also dark. Penelope grappled with coming back to the BAU, Rossi lost himself in depression, JJ lost her husband, and Tara got shot. The series needs light moments to balance it out.

Hopefully, some of those lighter moments will come in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 4 through Tara and Rebecca’s wedding. The show has not shied away from weddings in the past, with JJ and Rossi both having weddings attended by the entire team.

It’s only fitting that the series allows the audience to see Rebecca and Tara tie the knot (with Penelope officiating) after Tara decided to take the leap and propose in season 3.

2.Can Emily & JJ Be More Than Friends?

Emily And JJ Have Been Friends For Years

…Criminal Minds has not been known for showcasing same-gender relationship dynamics – until now.

JJ started dating Will (Josh Stewart) in season 2 of the original series, just before Emily Prentiss became a member of the BAU. In the years since, both women have become friends and kept one another’s secrets even from the rest of the team. There has been a large contingent of fans who hoped they would become romantic.

That relationship did not seem to be in the cards since neither of them had been revealed to have relationships with women in the past, and Criminal Minds has not been known for showcasing same-gender relationship dynamics – until now.

With Tara and Rebecca set to get married, the door is open for a larger variety of relationships. Emily and JJ also may have potentially opened the door further after a conversation they had in season 3.

In Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3, episode 5, Emily opened up to JJ about why a past relationship of hers ended. One of the reasons was that her previous partner broached the subject of a threesome, and Emily has always assumed he meant with JJ. JJ is surprised by the news, but does not really comment further than that.

It makes for a strange tease for the audience, knowing that there is interest in seeing that relationship. It makes us wonder if the show could address a potential relationship between the two in the future. Of course, that could be complicated given that Emily is the team’s boss now.

1.Will There Be Another Major Cameo In Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 4?

Matthew Gray Gubler Made A Brief Appearance

…there are a plethora of cast members who previously worked with the BAU that would be welcome cameos.

When Matthew Gray Gubler appeared in season 3 of the series, it was a brief sequence in which he appeared to comfort JJ after Will’s death. He only had one line, but the lining up of Gubler’s schedule with the show has made the audience even more eager for appearances from other original cast members.

The likelihood of extended appearances from original cast members is slim because, as showrunner Erica Messer has pointed out in interviews, episode scripts are written sometimes six months before the episode is actually filmed, making it hard to lock in a cast member that far in advance who is not already contracted to the show.

A cameo, like Gubler’s, however, is a bit easier to set up. While most fans have been questioning whether Gubler could return or Shemar Moore could make an appearance, there are a plethora of cast members who previously worked with the BAU that would be welcome cameos.

Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Kate Calahan appeared in a single season, taking a leave of absence when she was expecting a new child. Kate still works for the FBI. The same is true of Matt Simmons (Daniel Henney). Simmons was said to be on assignment in the first season of the revival series.

Whether Criminal Minds: Evolution season 4 can bring back more characters from the original series or not, there are sure to be plenty of mysteries to keep the audience entertained.