Return of Criminal Minds. Thanksgiving Day saw the debut of Criminal Minds: Evolution on Paramount+, a resurrection of the original series that ran on CBS from 2005 to 2020. (CBS also showed the first episode.) The BAU team is initially dispersed when the first of 10 new episodes begins, but they quickly come together in the face of a new challenge that will have them pursuing a cunning mastermind for the duration of the entire season.
What Garcia has been up to since leaving the FBI (and if she ever went on that date with Luke), why Reid isn’t present to assist with the new investigation, and what is going on with the team’s plane were all major topics that “Just Getting Started” also addressed.
‘Criminal Minds’ reveals the outcome of Garcia and Alvez’s dinner date
Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) decided to leave the FBI in the Criminal Minds Season 15 finale. Agent Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez) was inspired to invite her to dinner as a result, as they would no longer be coworkers.
Fans naturally wanted to know what transpired on that particular date and whether it resulted in a long-term romance between the two. Well, the Evolution premiere showed what happened, and it’s not good news for Garcia and Alvez fans. The date apparently took place, however it was a failure.
Alvez unexpectedly visits Garcia’s residence and requests her assistance in finding a missing girl. Her Anglophile Baking Club meeting has been interrupted by him (how do we join, by the way). She whispers something in Garcia’s ear as she walks away, indicating that at least one of her pals is fully aware of their past.
Garcia says aloud, “One dinner, three years ago.” We thrive on being adversaries.
Alvez says, perplexed, “We’re pals.” Why am I forced to be your foe?
We also receive an update on Garcia’s activities since leaving the BAU. She “blocked the 24-hour news and doomscrolling” and developed a secure and safe social media platform for children. She’s psychologically sound and doesn’t want to be dragged back into the sinister realm of searching for serial killers. However, we have a hunch that she won’t be able to resist for very long, especially after she discovers that someone has been using her “unhackable” site to select victims.
When it was announced that Matthew Gray Gubler would not be reprising his role as eccentric FBI agent Spencer Reid in Evolution, many Criminal Minds fans were unhappy. (Gubler’s co-star Paget Brewster told Looper that he wanted to concentrate on other projects.) As Matt Simmons, David Henney will also not be coming back. Henney wasn’t available for the resurrection because he is presently appearing in The Wheel of Time on Prime Video.
The disappearance of both characters was briefly discussed in the Criminal Minds: Evolution premiere. Between the original end of the series and the start of the new one, Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) has been promoted. She is in charge of the BAU as well as several other teams, and she must deal with overworked agents and a tight budget. (David Rossi, played by Joe Mantegna, is in charge of the BAU but has been absent recently due to a personal situation.) Prentiss adds that Reid and Simmons aren’t present when attempting to persuade the FBI deputy director to give her extra resources.
Without SSAs Reid and Simmons’ assistance, she adds.
The deputy director responds, “Sorry, I’m not at liberty to reveal their tasks. “It is absolutely up to them whether and when they return. Sadly, we are powerless to intervene.
Reid and Simmons are currently absent from the scene, so we have no idea what they are doing specifically. All is not lost, though, for those holding out hope to see either figure once again. Both are still alive, even though they are not shown on screen, thus they might show up in a later episode.
Did the BAU get their jet back?
The agents in the first season of Criminal Minds travelled across the nation in a private jet. The plane in the programme evolved into almost as much of a character over time as the BAU agents. So, it was undoubtedly a sad moment when they had to shoot down the plane in the season 15 finale in order to defeat The Chameleon (Michael Mosley).
Unfortunately, the BAU agents are still without a plane in the Criminal Minds: Evolution premiere. Dr. Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler) notes that the bureau has benched their jet early in the episode.
What is the chance that we will receive that back this year? Asks Alvez.
She replies, “My friend, it’s looking dismal. “Very gloomy.”
It appears that the crew will be using commercial aircraft, at least initially.
Every week on Paramount+, new episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution are available.
