Criminal Minds: Cliffhanger Explained from Evolution Season 2, Episode 3
First appearing in *Criminal Minds* season 15, episode 4, "Saturday," Brian returned in *Criminal Minds: Evolution* season 2. Claiming that Emily and the FBI were monitoring him, Brian, Emily's former neighbor and conspiracy theorist, caused disturbance to the BAU Unit Chief on her day off. Emily was able to dissuade him from going after the case, but he kept advocating his conspiracy views.
Long videos Brian created "exposing" government secrets helped him build an online following during the epidemic. Brian somehow came into touch with a leak that gave him knowledge of FBI Deputy Director Bailey's death. Emily tried her hardest to stop Brian while FBI Director Madison gave Prentiss orders to stop.
Bau-Gate Clarified
As already noted, *Criminal Minds: Evolution* Season 2, Episode 3 showed what Voit mentioned in Luke's ear at the end of episode 2. Voit's rumors had been about Luke's team, as many had guessed based on Luke's abrupt angry and dramatic response. Voit informed Luke of a dark web location known as "BAU-Gate," an artificial intelligence pornographic website for BAU.
Luke asked Emily about this; but, she already knew, as did JJ, even if she had only heard stories about it during her time as media liaison. Luke corrected JJ's assumption that it was only anime porn and not anything to worry about. JJ was the BAU's media liaison almost ten years ago, hence Voit's network has plenty of time to update the website.
How Voit Made His Plan Using The BAU Successful?
When Luke first questioned JJ about "BAU-Gate," she pointed to what Elias had whispered to him as a "win-win scenario" for Voit. Should Luke tell JJ, she would become disturbed. Had Luke omitted telling JJ, he would have been hiding secrets, which would have made him feel like Voit and others like him. Given she already knew about the site, JJ advised Luke not to worry about that. But things changed when she discovered the truth of what Voit's network had done to her. When Voit showed Luke the place, his objective grew even more clear.
By doing this, he planted dissension inside the squad. Viewed as a betrayal, Luke was furious with Emily for failing to inform the team about the site. JJ defended Emily's choice to keep the knowledge hidden, but now that she knows she was the only target of the site, her views might have changed. Should the rest of the team learn, this can lead to more problems. It's the worst time for the BAU to have any infighting as Emily is now under Brian's accusation and any repercussions would affect her.
Why did Tyler Go off the Grid in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2, Episode 3?
Tyler has been a contentious character in *Criminal Minds: Evolution*. Tyler was a vigilante brought in to consult on the BAU's "Sicarius" case in the first season of the *Criminal Minds* revival because of his military intelligence experience and network penetration. Although Tyler developed a love relationship with Garcia that has now broken off due to a conflict of interest, there is a possibility they will still violate *Criminal Minds: Evolution* Season 2.
Tyler seems to be untrustworthy, which helps to explain his controversy. He deviated from the script in *Criminal Minds: Evolution* season 1 to hunt down Voit personally, and in season 2, Episode 3 with Sebastian, same thing. In the previous episode, he learned Sebastian was behind the escrow account sponsored by a bank seeking a strike team to eliminate "Gold Star." Unfortunately, "Gold Star" killed every member of the strike team first.
Is Emily demoted in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2?
Emily Prentiss was elevated to FBI Section Chief after the three-year time leap separating *Criminal Minds* ending from *Criminal Minds: Evolution*. Previously occupied since Hotch went for Witness Protection in *Criminal Minds* season 12, this position was a step up from BAU Unit Chief. This meant Rossi was elevated to BAU Unit Chief and she had authority beyond only the BAU.
But when Emily introduced herself to fresh characters in *Criminal Minds: Evolution* season 2, it was as the BAU Unit Chief, not the FBI Section Chief. This implies that Emily was demoted following Bailey's death along with Rossi, who had broken direct orders prior to Voit kidnapping her. With the cliffhanger involving Brian at the end of *Criminal Minds: Evolution* season 2, Emily's position could once more be under jeopardy.
How Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Modified The Standard Formula
From the first 15 seasons of *Criminal Minds*, season 2 saw some significant departures. The most clear-cut was that it changed the rules by moving from network television on CBS to streaming with Paramount+. Viewers would have seen curse words freely pouring from Rossi and Emily's mouths, never allowed on prime-time network TV.
Still another alteration, though, was maybe more subtle and developed over time in *Criminal Minds: Evolution*. Usually, the show's original formula showed viewers early on in an episode an unsub's identity, allowing them to see the BAU team attempt to find what they already knew. Though most episodes concentrated on one case at a time before moving on to the next in the following episode, occasionally more hazardous unsubs, like "The Boston Reaper" and "Mr. Scratch," occupied multi-episode arcs.
The Criminal Minds Plot: Evolution
The FBI's elite team of criminal profilers faces their greatest threat yet in *Criminal Minds: Evolution: a UnSub who has built a network of other serial killers using the epidemic. One murder at a time, the crew must find them as the world opens up and the network comes live. Original cast members keeping on their roles are Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez, and Paget Brewster. Zach Gilford adds to the dynamic group as a season-long guest star.
Thanks in great part to its captivating story, superb character development, and skilled cast, the show is among the most loved in its first run. The most amazing quality of the show is its capacity to examine human nature and the darker sides of the mind.
