Warning: SPOILERS for Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3, Episode 1, "Swimmer's Calculus."ending of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 tied all of its storylines up with a well-crafted bow, but the potential happily ever afters quickly unraveled for the BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) in “Swimmer’s Calculus.” Compared to the high-octane openings of the previous Criminal Minds: Evolution seasons (alternatively stylized as seasons 16 and 17), season 3 was a able yet predictable opening that failed to offer anything new.
ittedly, knowing that Matthew Gray Gubler’s Spencer Reid will return in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 immediately sets a higher— and perhaps unrealistic— standard for the Paramount+ reboot. Anticipation surrounding the guest role evokes the iconic character’s memory in even the most casual viewer, casting the new unsubs and episodes against the nostalgia-favored hits from Criminal Minds’ original run. Nevertheless, even if each episode is doomed to simply bide time until Reid’s return, “Swimmer’s Calculus” still somewhat misses the mark, even by Evolution’s metrics.
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Months After Taking Down A Vast Conspiracy, The Agents Return To Business As Usual
Following the intricately tangled web of ’s Gold Star conspiracy would be a difficult ask for even the biggest of bads, but season 3, episode 1 opts for an overly understated antagonist to ring in the new year.
After a string of bodies appears in coastal Maryland, Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), and the rest of the team quickly discover that not everything is as it seems: though the corpses washed ashore, the titular “Swimmer’s Calculus” (a deep-brown stain on the teeth from chlorine exposure) proves the victims drowned in a residential pool. The unsub is revealed to be Franklin Fowler, a man with no discernible traits aside from his asthma and 12 Feet Deep-adjacent M.O.
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Blissfully, small glimpses into the BAU’s lives are sprinkled throughout the investigation: Jennifer “JJ” Jareau (A.J. Cook) gripes about her mother-in-law’s impending visit, Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler) expresses trepidation over her father’s wish to meet her girlfriend (Nicole Pacent’s Rebecca Wilson), and the team at large has apparently soldiered past the traumatic events of Criminal Minds: Evolutions season 2. The update that Tyler Green (Ryan-James Hatanaka) — now an FBI rookie — is awaiting a field office assignment felt abrupt, but I can forgive the brevity if it means ’s love triangle is finally being put to rest.
Elias Voit’s Surprise Prison Attack Is A Thorn In Rossi’s Side
Criminal Minds: Evolution’s Last Cliffhanger Gets A Quick Resolution
Of course, an episode of Criminal Minds: Evolution wouldn’t be complete without a heavy focus on Elias Voit (Zach Gilford). Voit — born Lee Duval — was the notorious serial killer who, among other accolades, started a digital commonplace for killers to interact without detection in the reboot’s freshman year. The killer returned in the second season as a Hannibal-Lecter-type, aiding and abetting Gold Star from jail and egging on anyone who would listen. Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2’s cliffhanger, however, teased that Voit may finally be done for after a prison fight breaks out.
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The season 3 premiere almost immediately reveals that Voit has been in a coma for six months, dismissing the hopeful notion entirely. Naturally, his ongoing feud with Rossi thrust the SSA under the watchful eye of the Office of Professional Responsibility (aka the “FBI’s internal affairs”). In a much more mind-boggling development, “Swimmer’s Calculus” casts Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) as Voit’s unlikely — and borderline unbelievable — companion. The technical analyst has allegedly stood by the killer’s bedside since the attack, with Penelope insisting she saw “a soul” in Voit while justifying her actions to Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez).
Voit’s comatose state was practically Chekhov's shooting gallery.
The underwhelming development that Voit has been in a coma is rivaled only by the “surprise” ending when the criminal suddenly wakes up and attacks his nurse. If typical storylines have Chekhov's gun, Voit’s comatose state was practically Chekhov's shooting gallery. There was never any possible outcome aside from Voit’s near-comical return from certain death, and the reboot’s reluctance to move on from Sicarius has turned a once-terrifying unsub into a needling nuisance that jeopardizes Rossi’s career more than his life.
Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 Connects Its First Unsub To Voit’s Dangerous Technology
The Twist Ending Fails To Actually Surprise
For as bare-bones as the unsub was, he at least served a larger purpose in the overarching narrative. Elias Voit’s monopoly as the antagonist of Criminal Minds: Evolution has been exhausting at times, but his story is clearly not over yet. Rather than spend another 10 episodes playing cat and mouse with the serial killer, however, the BAU seems poised to take on a much more interesting (and much more dangerous) target: Voit’s technology.
The season premiere ends on a dazzlingly self-evident note: these murders, too, tie back to Elias Voit...
After Prentiss uncovers the videos taken by Franklin of his victims drowning, the season premiere ends on a dazzlingly self-evident note: these murders, too, tie back to Elias Voit — more specifically, Franklin ed his snuff films using the same codex as the Sicarius network. Though the unsub died by suicide before the FBI could apprehend him, Franklin acts as a narrative switch, bringing Criminal Minds: Evolution’s focus back to the unkempt jungle of killers teased throughout the pilot season as proxies for Voit. The delivery may have been disappointing, but the storyline certainly has potential.
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It’s never ideal when the most memorable part of a Criminal Minds unsub is their victims, but Franklin left much to be desired, especially compared to the refreshingly bright mother-daughter duo who escaped his final trap. From using simple logic to float rather than tread water and employing more advanced strategies like using a corkscrew to dangle from the pool’s cover, the two background characters stole the show, which is a double-edged sword for the series. Yet, I’ll it it wisely played on humanity’s base fear of drowning without feeling too contrived, which is a small but earned victory.
Criminal Minds: Evolutions season 3 has a long way to go before the season-long conflict can be properly judged, but “Swimmer’s Calculus” was a mixed bag. By now, the continuation should have a clear sense of self and a firm handle on narrative balance, something the season premiere palpably lacked. The beloved characters, impressive cinematography, and entertaining writing made for great moments, but I’m concerned with this season's big picture. Luckily, there are still nine episodes for Criminal Minds: Evolution to prove me wrong.
Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 airs weekly each Thursday on Paramount+.
Criminal Minds follows an elite team of FBI profilers from the Behavioral Analysis Unit as they analyze the nation's most complex criminal minds, led by experienced agent David Rossi. The team works to anticipate and prevent crimes by understanding the behavior of these dangerous individuals.
- Network
- CBS, Paramount+
- Cast
- Kirsten Vangsness, Matthew Gray Gubler, A.J. Cook, Joe Mantegna, Thomas Gibson, Shemar Moore, Daniel Henney, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Mandy Patinkin, Lola Glaudini, Josh Stamberg, C. Thomas Howell, Danny Nucci, Derek Webster, Nestor Serrano, Cade Owens, Zach Gilford, Ryan-James Hatanaka, Damon Gupton, Rachel Nichols, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Andre Royo
- Showrunner
- Erica Messer
- Franchise(s)
- Criminal Minds
- Creator(s)
- Jeff Davis
- The background characters are great and steal the show
- The season 3 premiere doesn't have a handle on narrative balance
- Underwhelming resolution to season 2's cliffhanger
