Criminal Minds Resurrects A Controversial Plot That Should Have Never Happened In The First Place
Published Jun 27, 2026, 11:00 PM EDT
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Criminal Minds secretly foreshadowed season 19's biggest twist in one of the series' most divisive subplots. The newest installment of the Paramount+ crime drama has had some of the best and worst moments of the continuation's entire run, a dichotomy perfectly reflected in the ongoing Sicarius saga. Zach Gilford's Elias Voit joined the Criminal Minds: Evolution cast when it first started, disrupting the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) with their most difficult case in years. After his capture, however, Voit remained at the forefront of the series due to his connection to the main antagonists of every subsequent season.
Though the crime drama has practically exhausted Voit's character, each entry at least offers a new side to the infamous unsub. Season 17's Gold Star killers revealed how meticulously Voit had studied the BAU and how manipulative he was even to fellow killers. Then, The Disciple's stint in season 18 offered Voit an unconventional chance at redemption— since the serial killer's demeanor completely changed following a traumatic brain injury, he found himself eaten alive by remorse rather than insatiable bloodlust. Yet, Voit's parasocial tie to Criminal Minds season 19's main antagonist (The Fan) is the most intriguing by far.
As Voit is caught between two worlds— one begging him to stop fighting his killer instinct, the other guilt-tripping him into committing emotional self-flagellation— a deranged fan has emerged to try to replace his murderous idol. Consequently, despite the FBI's suspicion, Voit is seemingly doing everything he can to stop The Fan himself, no matter the cost. The slow-burning plot took a sharp turn, however, when "Proxy" revealed the BAU's traitor in Criminal Minds season 19: Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness).
Criminal Minds Season 19, Episode 6 Reveals Garcia Saved Voit's Life
The Technical Analyst Played A Pivotal Role In The Killer's Sentencing
For the first half of the season, Voit and the BAU had an awkward but operational working relationship, due in no small part to Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler) and her plan to conduct Mindhunter-esque interviews to psychoanalyze the Sicarius killer. Of course, the BAU members most impacted by his old self— like David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), Tyler Green (Ryan James Hatanaka), and Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (A.J. Cook)— still displayed a deep distrust of Voit, with some going so far as to suggest his newfound conscience was a complex ruse of its own.
That ever-building tension comes to a head in Criminal Minds season 19, episode 6, when Brian Garrity (Paul F. Tompkins) intercepts a secret message Voit hoped to send to The Fan. The BAU instantly falls into disarray at the notion that Voit was planning something sinister, only for Brian to turn the office upside down by casually revealing one FBI agent's testimony prevented Voit from being sent to death row. The incredulous team scramble to find another explanation, insisting it must have been someone from another department, but Garcia interjects to tearfully admit that it was her.
Thus far, Garcia's role in Criminal Minds: Evolution has felt supplemental at best. Most of the time, she's confined to a single scene of computer wizardry that blows the episodic case wide open. Alternatively, she'll prop up another character's subplot as a quirky side character who has ample style but not enough substance. As a result, Garcia's so-called betrayal of the BAU somewhat came out of left field in the context of season 19. Nevertheless, the twist itself is a fitting, perfectly plausible progression of a long-forgotten subplot.
Garcia's Twist Testimony Ties Back To Years-Old Storylines
Penelope's Connection To Elias Voit Goes Back To The Beginning Of Evolution
Truthfully, Garcia and Voit's characters have been intertwined since Evolution began. Longtime fans of the original CBS run of Criminal Minds will remember that Garcia leaving the FBI was the catalyst for the series ending after 15 seasons. When the continuation was first announced, however, Kirsten Vangsness was quickly confirmed to be a main character, meaning the show needed something major to justify Garcia's return.
Enter: Sicarius. Without a doubt, Elias Voit is the most tech-savvy unsub in Criminal Minds history. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Voit created a dark web community for like-minded killers, later to be known as The Sicarius Network. Similarly, years later, Voit used his technical prowess to coordinate kill kit drops, groom up-and-coming unsubs, and track the object of his obsession: David Rossi and the rest of the BAU.
Kirsten Vangsness is one of the only actors to appear in every season of Criminal Minds, both the original 15-season run and Evolution.
As such, it made sense for Garcia to make her dramatic comeback as the FBI's saving grace in the Sicarius case. Being generous, it even made sense for Garcia to stare deeply into Voit's eyes in the season 17 finale as an intimidation tactic, after which she claimed to catch a glimpse of a "soul" hidden beneath the darkness. The remnants of humanity she saw led directly into the season 18 premiere wherein, following Voit's near-death experience, Penelope was borderline glued to his hospital bed like a pastel goth Florence Nightingale.
Throughout the rest of Criminal Minds season 18, Penelope was a pivotal figure in Voit's rehabilitation. Her fascination with his inner psyche seemed to wane out of nowhere, however, with the storyline tapering off with little to no fanfare. Thus, the revelation that she secretly testified on his behalf and earned a lenient sentence for the BAU's new age nemesis is a fantastic way for the series to return to Garcia's unfinished business, and it may bode well for the crime drama's future.
The Bright Side Of Criminal Minds Season 19's Informant Twist
It Proves Paramount+ Doesn't Leave All Loose Ends Untied
Undoubtedly, the weakest part of Criminal Minds' Paramount+ era is its ability to craft satisfying conclusions for multi-season storylines. Out of the many changes made to mark the show's evolution, the switch to a serialized format has arguably been the most controversial. Focusing on one main killer each season comes with its own benefits and drawbacks, but there's something comforting about knowing the BAU will triumph over evil time and time again, leaving the most fearsome antagonists in the past like slain supervillains.
Related
Criminal Minds Proves It Can Run Forever
Criminal Minds has had several iterations between the original, spinoffs, and now a reboot, but Evolution has been making its case to run forever.
That routine sense of closure is precisely why so many viewers take issue with Voit's character. The epic showdown between Sicarius and the FBI wrapped up after 10 episodes, but Criminal Minds can't seem to let Zach Gilford go. Having to always return to the Elias Voit of it all adds an entirely new layer of constriction, all but guaranteeing subplots and side characters turn into loose ends and wasted potential. As frustrating as Garcia's testimony twist may be, there's no denying it's a step in the right direction— narratively speaking, at least.
Hopefully, this is the first of many bold callbacks Criminal Minds will make to older storylines that still require resolution. There are some moments, like Tara's highly-anticipated wedding, that fans will sadly never get to see, but there are just as many promising plotlines that Criminal Minds can breathe new life into in season 20 and beyond.
Release Date September 22, 2005
Showrunner Erica Messer
Writers Bruce Zimmerman, Virgil Williams, Edward Allen Bernero, Janine Sherman Barrois, Chris Mundy, Simon Mirren, Debra J. Fisher, Kimberly A. Harrison, Jay Beattie, Dan Dworkin, Karen Maser, Oanh Ly, Stephanie Sengupta, Aaron Zelman, Kirsten Vangsness, Erica Meredith, Andi Bushell, Holly Harold, Alicia Kirk, Jeff Davis, Randy Huggins, Edward Napier, Jayne A. Archer, Chikodili Agwuna
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Kirsten Vangsness
Penelope Garcia
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Matthew Gray Gubler
Dr. Spencer Reid
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