The end is near for the current season of Criminal Minds: Evolution, and fans may be in for quite the ride. After Evolution’s season-long UnSub, Zach Gilford previewed the second-to-last episode, and showrunner Erica Messer is now teasing the finale, and it comes after the series finally revealed J.J.’s fate in the midseason premiere.
In the midseason finale of Criminal Minds: Evolution, J.J. and Luke were checking out a lead when there was an explosion, and fans were left to wonder what happened to them. Now the fandom is getting treated, as they not only know what happened to J.J., but they also have a sense of what’s going down in the finale, thanks to a recent interview that Erica Messer did.
The Explosion’s Aftermath
Ahead of next week’s return, the official Criminal Minds Twitter posted a brand-new clip from the episode, showing the immediate aftermath of the explosion. While J.J. seems to be fine, the team is worried about someone else:
We're on our way! Here is a first look at next week's all-new episode. #CriminalMinds pic.twitter.com/tgCnfW7VviJanuary 5, 2023
Leave it to Criminal Minds to reveal the fate of one character in danger but not the other, making it hard for fans to be relieved as they continue to worry. Surely they won’t kill off Luke; at the very least, he’s just injured or missing, right? At least it looks like we will finally be getting the team on the jet once again, and that “Wheels up” sounded so good. But what does this mean for the remaining episodes?
What’s Next
In a new interview with TV Insider, Erica Messer talked all about Evolution. When asked about setting up another season, Messer teased that storylines will be able to continue, and while there will be closure, there will still be some loose ends:
Part of it is closed, and part of it is a tease for this can be continued next year. We wanted a satisfying ending to this 10-episode run, but we also wanted to set up the promise of more to come, so it has both of those elements.
It’s hard to tell just what will happen in these final episodes, but it’s nice knowing that there will definitely be a nice ending while also setting up a potential season. Since episodes are longer on Paramount+ than on CBS, the show has had the advantage to tell more stories, even though the season is shorter. After all these stories, seeing how they all come together will be something to look forward to, but whether everyone will have a happy ending has yet to be seen.
Something else that fans will surely be looking forward to is some more information on Reid and Simmons’ whereabouts. The premier mentioned the two are on an assignment that can’t really be talked about, but it will be greatly needed in future episodes and a big part of a storyline, according to Messer. It should be interesting to see how that is brought up. If there is another season, hopefully, we’ll see Matthew Gray Gubler and/or Daniel Henney return.
New episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution return on Thursday, January 12, and can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription. Also, be sure to check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule to see what else to look forward to this year.
