Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Kingdom of the Blind

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Episode 4, “Kingdom of the Blind,” quickly resolves Emily’s encounter with the law when Brian decides to drop the charges. However, Emily isn’t done with him and is trying to figure out who put him up to set her up.

It is during this conversation with Brian that new information about Gold Star is revealed. Up until this point, both the BAU and Voit believed Gold Star was a person who set out to kill government employees.

Everything changes when a new case is closely connected to Gold Star in its point of origin: Stuart House.

“Kingdom of the Blind” starts off with a great plot twist. The episode presents us with our typical unsub/victim scenario: a young woman’s car stops by the side of the road, and a man pulls over to help her.

All signs point to the man being the attacker. However, it all takes a turn when the young woman suggests her tools are in the trunk and comes back to hit the man in the back of the head. We know the BAU will be looking for her from that moment on.

At first, Emily urges Rossi and Lewis to investigate the case as if unrelated to Gold Star. As more and more evidence becomes available to them, they realize the unsub was also in Stuart House, and the case might be related to Gold Star after all.

The Stuart House past and the fact that the attacker is leaving a clear mark on the victims’ eyes suggest Gold Star orchestrated or is behind this new case. It all becomes even more obvious when we see a bullet with a start on it.

When they realize the unsub this time is a woman, unlike the past cases, and Brian reveals he is close to uncovering the Gold Star program, the BAU realizes they are after an organization, not an individual. This is something that not even Voit himself was aware of.

However, like every organization, Gold Star has a leader: Damien. That is who Voit has previously spoken to and who the BAU needs him to contact to end this program.

Before Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Episode 4, “Kingdom of the Blind,” Voit had the upper hand. He has been able to use his secrets and his knowledge to control the team.

But things change the moment he sees his daughters. At first, he is upset about Holly hurting herself. He wants to find out if she is really suicidal or doing it for attention, but his wife refuses to give him any information.

The moment in which the tables turn, however, is when Holly attempts to kill him in prison. Luke is smart in using this to their advantage and shows who is holding the cards now.

Voit is desperate to get his daughter help. As Luke mentions, he passed the worst of himself down to Holly, and she might become the serial killer they chase next. Without admitting that Luke is right, Voit shows he is afraid.

Now, Emily can use this to the BAU’s advantage. They will only offer Holly the help she needs if Voit cooperates with them and contacts Damien.

As exciting as it is to see the team back in control, we cannot trust it will last long. Voit doesn’t do anything without thinking ten steps ahead. There must be a reason he shows himself so vulnerable in front of the team.

The BAU seems to be ahead this time, but a few things (besides Voit’s game) are of concern and might jeopardize this case. The first one is Tyler.

Yes, he does as Penelope tells him and gives the phone to Rossi and Emily, which leads to them uncovering the Gold Star program. But will the fact that he illegally obtained this phone come back to bite them?

What does this mean for his relationship with Penelope? The two of them continue to have to work together, and it is obvious that there are still feelings between them.

The second one is Rossi still hallucinating Voit’s presence. Even though he claims that seeing Voit helps him figure him out, how good can this be?

It will inevitably backfire and cause more harm than good. After all, how well can an FBI agent do his job if he is hallucinating an unsub?

The third one is the fact that JJ has yet to talk to Emily about BAU-gate and the AI porn that has been created with her image. At the end of Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 Episode 3, “Homesick,” it was obvious that JJ was affected by what she saw.

Is she upset with Emily for keeping the secret for so long?

Even though the images are upsetting, JJ proves on “Kingdom of the Blind” that she can do her job as she always has. She talks to Holly to figure out what is happening and brings more information to the table that helps the team.

Hopefully, she can talk to Emily before this affects her further.

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Criminal Minds: Evolution streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

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