Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3, Episode 6 Ending Explained: Voit’s Memories Aren’t Coming Back Fast Enough To Save The BAU

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3, episode 6, “Hell is Empty…”Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3, episode 6 sets up an exciting cliffhanger in the first half of this two-episode arc — “Hell is Empty…” and “…All the Devils Are Here.” The BAU successfully brings in another one of Voit’s acolytes alive, but he leaves them with a cryptic message that quickly comes to pass. Penelope Garcia meets with Elias Voit for the first time since sitting at his bedside while he was comatose, and although she starts out quite guarded, she becomes perhaps too friendly and receptive by the end of the episode.

JJ’s obsessive behavior continues to be a concerning but productive way to use work to avoid her grief. Tara’s jealousy clouds her profiler objectivity when it comes to one of Rebecca’s exes. With Dr. Ochoa’s help, Voit’s memories are returning. But even with Voit genuinely on the side of the characters in Criminal Minds: Evolution, a new threat that the BAU didn’t know to prepare for strikes at the end of the episode.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3, Episode 6 Unsub & Case Explained

A Straightforward Case Takes A Chilling Turn When The Unsub Targets The One Person You Thought He Was Protecting

Because the ongoing Sicarius plot takes up so much of each episode, even when the case-of-the-week is tied to Voit’s network, it still feels like the cases aren’t given proper attention. “Hell is Empty…” has some interesting elements, like the unsub’s penchant for allowing his victims to make one final phone call, but the psychological aspect is weak. He wants “control” over exactly when the victim dies, which is why he uses a detonator even after burying his prey alive.

Garcia being able to track any unsub within the network with just a few search terms makes the actual investigative process feel lackluster. Even worse than uninteresting, it is vague. We never learn whether the first deaths were targeted or victims of opportunity, or why Kyle Mackey allows one final phone call. The twist of him burying his own daughter was shocking but superficially explained, with Kyle saying he wanted his ex-wife to suffer.

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As much as the unsubs are part of the larger Sicarius network, Criminal Minds: Evolution forgets they are disturbed individuals as well, and the BAU’s ability to get into their minds is what brought fans to the show in the first place. Kyle is the second Sicarius disciple to allow himself to be arrested rather than take his own life, which seems to indicate the plan is changing. Kyle seemingly threatens his ex-wife with a “this isn’t over” as he’s being taken away, but given the episode’s cliffhanger ending, he was probably issuing a cryptic taunt to Emily Prentiss.

Penelope Garcia & Tyler Green Team Up To Be Voit’s Next Memory Link

Penelope Garcia Meets With Voit For The First Time Since He Woke Up

Tyler Green continues to prove he is an asset to the BAU in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3, episode 6 when he maturely handles very upsetting information about his sister. Voit hoped Alison’s maternal warmth would cure him of his urges, but her affection only kept the demons at bay for a few months. While Voit shares the information in as straightforwardly a way as possible, it’s still heartbreaking.

However, Tyler not only processes the information despite his emotional connection, he realizes it’s the exact type of connection that Voit used to determine who was invited into the inner sanctum of his dark web, allowing for a break in the case. While I’m glad Tyler has the closure he sought, this is a very dark confession, and I hope the show doesn’t simply move on. It would be powerful to see Tyler share the news with his nephew that they finally have answers about his mother.

Luckily, Tyler had the best possible person to provide emotional support: Penelope Garcia, who has been underutilized so far in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3. Penelope volunteered to partner with Tyler, something that even Voit points out is of her own volition. At first, Penelope seems fairly hostile to Voit, even though neurologically he is a completely different person. Penelope wanted to see the good in Voit in the Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 premiere, and her icy exterior toward Voit quickly melts.

Quickly, Penelope uses her ultra-powerful laptop chip to plug into the new Sicarius network to crack the code as Voit suggested.

She helps Voit and Tyler bond by putting together a computer circuit board. Interestingly, there was even a small moment of flirtation when Penelope looks up with a certain eyebrow cocked when Voit says, “You solder, I screw.” Quickly, Penelope uses her ultra-powerful laptop chip to plug into the new Sicarius network to crack the code as Voit suggested. While Voit has nothing to do with the new iteration of the website, it’s worrying that she might be letting the digital demons in. It will be interesting to track Penelope’s relationship with Voit moving forward.

Despite Dr. Ochoa’s Test, The BAU Debates Whether Voit Isn’t Acting

Voit’s Ability To Slip Into Character With The Brutal Man In Chilling – If Not Concerning

Every test seems to confirm that Voit is truly a changed man, capable of medically demonstrated empathy. Nevertheless, every new person who hears of Voit’s amnesia questions how the BAU can know this isn’t all an act. Additionally, Tara Lewis has expressed concern that each reawakened memory risks reactivating his sociopathic side.

In the beginning of the episode, Voit plays the part of Sicarius perfectly in his interactions with Ronald Garber, aka The Brutal Man from Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3, episode 5. Voit slips seamlessly into his cold, dispassionate demeanor, not flinching as he recounts killing Ronald’s whole family and watching Ronald slip through the cracks of the foster care system.

Voit’s ability to process these new memories and deliver such a chilling performance for Ronald in real time is uncanny at best, if not a sign he is able to tap into his old darkness in more profound ways. Even the BAU questions how they can tell whether the act is no longer an act. Luckily, Dr. Ochoa has a portable test that re-confirms Voit is his new self, not his old one that puts these concerns to rest — for now.

JJ Uncovers A Disturbing Trend In The Sicarius Network

JJ’s Focus On Work Is A Distraction From Grief, But A Productive Distraction

Criminal Minds: Evolution continues to lay the groundwork for JJ becoming obsessive about the Sicarius plot instead of dealing with her grief over Will’s unexpected death. JJ is feverishly rewatching the Sicarius/Brutal Man interview footage when Emily Prentiss gently orders her to get some rest, yet she is back at work before anyone else, with a fully formed theory.

JJ believes each killer in the Sicarius network is being activated only after the previous one is eliminated, suggesting a deliberate pattern and, more alarmingly, communication between members. This theory is deeply unsettling and raises the stakes for the BAU—but it also highlights how JJ is avoiding her own emotional reality by immersing herself in the hunt.

Tara Lewis’s Jealousy Sideplot Is Harmless Fun – But Makes Her Seem Like A Bad Profiler

Tara’s Behavior – And Rebecca’s Response To It – Makes Them Less Likable

Tara and Rebecca’s side plot is meant to add some levity, but plays as pretty clunky and awkward overall. Tara meets a former flame of Rebecca’s, nicknamed Law School Evan, and becomes convinced he is trying to restart something when he invites them over for dinner. Tara really seems to be reading between the lines of something as innocent as a man smoothing his tie.

Main Cast of Criminal Minds: Evolution
Actor	Character	Seasons	Current Relationship Status
Paget Brewster	Emily Prentiss	2-18	Single after breaking up with Andrew Mendoza in between Criminal Minds finale and Evolution beginning after pressure to have a threesome.
Joe Mantegna	David Rossi	3-18	Grieving his wife Krystall in Evolution season 1. Romantically reconnected with Jill Gideon in season 2.
A.J. Cook	Jennifer “JJ” Jareau	1-18	Widowed mother of 2 boys after 15 years with her partner, Will LaMontagne Jr.
Kirsten Vangsness	Penelope Garcia	1-18	Single. Previously had a one-night stand with Tyler Green. Had one failed dated with Luke Alvez.
Aisha Tyler	Dr. Tara Lewis	11-18	In a committed relationship with Rebecca Wilson.
Adam Rodriguez	Luke Alvez	12-18	Single. Previously had a flirtation with Garcia, but they both agreed there wasn’t a real spark after one date.
Ryan-James Hatanaka	Tyler Green	16-18	Single. Had illicit chemistry with Garcia in Evolution season 1, but Prentiss ordered Garcia to end it.
Zach Gilford	Elias Voit	16-18	Voit was married to Sydney, sharing two children, but Voit’s amnesia means he can’t remember. His family is in witness protection and refuses to see him.

I was worried Criminal Minds: Evolution was setting up a threesome proposal after Emily’s shocking confession to JJ last week, but the truth was much more innocent yet embarrassing for Tara: Evan wanted to introduce “Becca” to his fiancée. While having a comedic relief B-plot can work to help balance the dark tone of Criminal Minds, having Tara be this aggressive and blatantly wrong makes her frankly seem bad at her job.

Criminal Minds: Evolution continues to feature Tara and Rebecca, trying to make them the new central couple to replace JJ and Will. However, it’s off-putting that Rebecca was attracted to Tara’s jealousy. It feels a little toxic, which doesn’t make me more invested in them as a couple, which the show wants viewers to be. Their elevator goodbye was filmed with awkwardly angled over-the-shoulder shots which seemed to unnecessarily emphasize their height differences.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3, Episode 6’s Cliffhanger Ending Puts The BAU In Jeopardy Of A Scheme Outside Voit’s Control

Next Week’s Episode “…All The Demons Are Here” Will Pick Up With Quantico In Lockdown

BAU around round table Criminal Minds Evolution season 3

Ronald Graber – the Brutal Man, delivered a vague, ominous quote from Shakespeare: “Hell is empty, and all the Devils are here.” JJ has since figured out a pattern where the Sicarius network seems to be activating murders, but new unsub Kyle leaves the BAU with a chilling thought: why would they limit themselves to only one serial killer at a time? This moment suggests the network’s capacity for escalation is far greater than the BAU feared, hinting at a coordinated chaos that could soon spiral beyond their control.

Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3, episode 6 ends with Quantico going into lockdown. Ronald wore a specific mask used in Japanese Noh theater to symbolize a ghost being tormented in hell, and one is ominously delivered in a suspicious package to the BAU initiating the lockdown. Ronald’s message might not be as metaphorical as the BAU thought.

Criminal Minds: Evolution has already been renewed for season 4 by Paramount+.

While Voit’s memories are coming back, there are gaps. So while there might be a scheme he set in motion, it might be out of his control now. When he and Penelope break into the network, he says the encryption is far more sophisticated than the one he wrote. Voit was able to convince Ronald that he is Sicarius because he reveals their shared past. If the network is already talking to each other and realizes Sicarius is gone for good, all bets are off in Criminal Minds: Evolution.

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