WhenCriminal Mindsfirst began on CBS, it was the kind of show that promised main cast members were not safe, but that particular type of plot twist was absent for years before reappearing inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 3. In the early seasons of the series, characters like Elle (Lola Glaudini), Hotch (Thomas Gibson), and Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) saw unsubs invade their homes. Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) even lost his life to an unsub after retirement. Once the regular cast was established in the later seasons of the series, those kinds of twists were few and far between.
Criminal Minds: Evolutionhas not been shy about putting the main characters in dangerous situations in the field, but there has never really been the possibility of main characters being killed on the job until season 3. That kind of plot twist raises the stakes for the revival series, but it also means those working behind the series should take extra care not to spoil the outcomes of those twists.
Tara’s Death Crisis Is Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3’s Biggest Plot Twist
Tara’s Brush With Death Was Not Expected
Criminal Minds’twists are usually devoted to the criminals at the center of the cases instead of the Behavioral Analysis Unit team members.Twists the show has employed in recent seasons for the team members have been ones that the audience has mostly been able to see coming. Voit (Zach Gilford) surviving after the events ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 2 was expected, and fans speculated Will (Josh Stewart) would die in the first season of the revival.
In the first season ofCriminal Minds: Evolution, Deputy Director Bailey (Nicholas D’Agosto) was the big character death of the season. The audience had not had as much time to get to know him yet, and he had mostly been a minor antagonist for the team, who just wanted to do their jobs. Prior to his death, the last twist with a team member’s life on the line was in season 13 of the original series, whenStephen Walker (Damon Gupta) was written outof the show after only being a member of the BAU team since season 12.
All of that makes a threat to Tara’s life in season 3 ofCriminal Minds: Evolutiona true twist for the show. It’s something the audience would never see coming, largely because Tara has not been in the middle of the danger in the field. Instead, she has been focused on Voit’s recovery in the hospital and on strengthening her romantic relationship. There has been no reason to suspect Tara’s life would be in danger. She, Evan (Geoff Stults), and Rebecca (Nicole Pacent) walking into a parking garage would not be cause for alarm.
In any other season, Tara would likely be the person not wounded when a gunman took shots at the group on their way to a meeting, but she appears to be in serious danger at the end ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 3, episode 7, while Rebecca is unscathed (though terrified) and Evan looks to be dead instead.
Tara’s Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 Story Would Have Been Powerful If We Didn’t Know Aisha Tyler’s Season 4 Return
Aisha Tyler Is Not Leaving Criminal Minds
Ending episode 7 on a cliffhanger like that would normally lead to a lot of speculation that a series regular would not be returning for the series. That’s not the case following Tara being shot. Fans are not worried about her becausethe show’s official social media accounts have already confirmed that Aisha Tyler is filming season 4.
Criminal Minds: Evolutionwas renewed for seasons 3 and 4 at the same time. While which cast would be back for which season was not announced at the time, it was initially assumed that most of the main cast would make the return.TheCriminal MindsInstagram account confirmed thatwhen season 4 began filming.
Given that we live in an age when nearly everyone watching a streaming series is also active on the same social media used to promote that series, a good number of the audience would have already seen the cast photo for the start of filming.With the information already out that Tyler is returning, it lessens the blow of Tara’s life being in danger. If we did not know that Tyler was already back on set, the audience would have been more likely to believe the danger and be invested in the story.
The social media post eliminates a lot of the fan concern and speculation.
This is especially true given that a small piece of the scene in which Tara is shot appeared in the season trailer. It had plenty of people speculating thatRebecca would end up shot inCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 3. Fans invested in Tara’s relationship have been wondering about the potential ramifications there, but with the airing of the episode, fans should be worried about Tara. The social media post eliminates a lot of the fan concern and speculation.
Criminal Minds: Evolution Didn’t Need To Spoil Tara’s Fate In Season 3
The Social Media Post Could Have Waited
The start of filming… could have been commemorated with the image of a clapboard or a location instead of the full cast…
The cast and crew ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionhave always been active on social media, so commemorating the start of filming for the new season is not a surprise. The start of filmingCriminal Minds: Evolutionseason 4, however, could have been commemorated with the image of a clapboard or a location instead of the full cast, waiting until Tara was out of the woods on the show to share images of Aisha Tyler on set instead.
New episodes ofCriminal Minds: Evolutionstream on Thursdays on Paramount+.
Of course, Tyler is also an accomplished director. She has directed several episodes ofCriminal Minds, including “The Zookeeper” from this season, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility to consider whether she might be on set as a director instead of an actor. That idea falls apart when it’s evident she is wearing the usual blazer and slacks that Tara would wear in the series, though.
The social media team forCriminal Minds: Evolutionshould be a little more careful about what is being shared online to help continue building anticipation for their more surprising storylines.
