Welcome back, esteemed minds delving into the intricacies of criminal behavior! The allure of 'Criminal Minds: Evolution' season 2 enthralls us with a fresh enigma, but fret not, our encounter with the elusive Goldstar is imminent.
First, stage left, we encounter Bertoli, a figure carrying a heavy burden - his deceased wife, into a police station. The officers' reactions betray a familiarity, swiftly enveloping him in their custody. Yet, Bertoli stands frozen in a catatonic haze, his lips sealed to the truth of the tragedy.
Into this fray steps Emily, her presence like a breath of determined air. She requests a forensic scrutiny of Bertoli's gun, her eyes trained for a specific clue - a bullet etched with a mysterious five-pointed golden star, the calling card of an elusive killer. Emily's conviction is unwavering; Bertoli is not the perpetrator, but the fragile thread leading her to the shadowy Goldstar. Alone in her quest, she navigates the labyrinth of suspicion.
Elsewhere, the BAU's finest gather at Garcia's abode, the air heavy with the celebration of her birthday amidst subtle undercurrents of concern. Rossi, a veteran profiler, masks his turmoil beneath a facade of resilience, the weight of his recent ordeal - entombment and survival - still etched upon his soul. His comrades worry he's pushing too hard, urging caution as he yearns to reclaim his place at the forefront of justice. But Rossi, plagued by hallucinations that whisper of Elijah Voit, a.k.a. Sycarius, insists he stands tall.
As the evening progresses, Luke lingers, offering a helping hand to Garcia as they tend to the aftermath of the festivities. Their conversation drifts to the shores of her past, where Tyler, her ex, casts a lingering shadow. Garcia strives to disentangle herself from the web of memories, yet the heart remains steadfast in its recollections.
In parallel, Tara treads the path to Jennifer's abode, where their reunion blooms into a soulful exchange. Tara, too, battles the demons of her past, her mind twisting with regrets over her own lost love, Rebecca. She fears the window of opportunity for happiness has slammed shut, but Jennifer's words offer solace, reminding her that time, and chances, are not yet exhausted. Indeed, the door to tomorrow holds countless possibilities, waiting to be unlocked.
Their anxiety deepens as they fear Emily may drown herself in work, seeking solace from the excruciating pain of Bailey's untimely demise. Clearly, Emily is plagued by guilt, haunted by the image of Bailey's fateful encounter with a lethal bullet to the head.
In the realm of Emily's endeavors, her interview with Bertoli yields nothing but barren results. With a heavy heart, she implores the officers to keep a watchful eye on the man, fearing for his safety, and vows to return the following day, determined to uncover the truth. She is convinced that the killer's intention was to inflict upon Bertoli a torment beyond measure, yet the elusive motive remains shrouded in mystery.
Calling upon Tara, Emily seeks a meeting, eager to share the intricacies of her solo expedition into the labyrinth of Goldstar's crimes. The profile she presents is chilling, painting Goldstar as a seasoned serial killer with a trail of at least three unsolved murders. He weaves his deadly web across jurisdictions, evading capture and confounding investigators with his cunning ability to disconnect the dots.
Moreover, Goldstar leaves behind a sinister calling card, a taunt to the authorities. Tara listens intently, her trust in Emily unwavering, yet her curiosity piqued by the question of how and why Voit came to possess this knowledge, using it as a weapon. The thought of Bailey, an agent of the Behavioral Analysis Unit, keeping such a dangerous secret from them lingers, raising more questions than answers.
Emily postulates that Goldstar might be a rogue government assassin, his very existence now posing a threat to national security. Yet, it's the latest murder that truly perplexes her. It seems Goldstar has abandoned his meticulous methods, succumbing to the sway of his own emotions.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the duo decides to enlist Garcia's expertise in unraveling this new case. Garcia's investigation into Bertoli uncovers a startling revelation—the case has already been flagged by the Department of Justice. To compound the situation, Rebecca has delved into federal records, consulting with an inmate at Stoneward Penitentiary in Virginia. And to everyone's surprise, the inmate in question is none other than Elijah Voit, a name that sends shivers down their spines.
The following morning dawned with an air of urgency as Emily summoned the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) to an impromptu gathering, dropping explosive revelations amidst their midst. Firstly, it transpired that Voit had lingered for weeks on the ninth floor of their very own premises, only to be subsequently reassigned to Virginia. Delving deeper, they uncovered footage dating back two weeks, wherein Voit engaged in a clandestine encounter with FBI Director Ray Madison, bargaining for a deal.
In a cunningly crafted confession, Voit acknowledged his contact with Goldstar, a nefarious figure intertwined in his twisted serial killer web. Yet, he adroitly sidestepped the label of Sycarius, insisting he was merely an unwitting architect of a network that fell prey to such monstrous deeds. Voit, well aware of his strategic position, capitalized on the absence of concrete evidence linking him directly to the Sycarius moniker, dangling the promise of unraveling Goldstar's motive for murder in exchange for the quashing of all accusations against him.
The team's collective mind raced, swiftly piecing together the implications: Madison had evidently caved to Voit's demands, leaving them in a precarious predicament. None felt the sting of betrayal more acutely than Rossi, his fury palpable. Tara, too, found herself disillusioned with Rebecca, a confrontation ensuing that escalated tensions to fever pitch, Rebecca resorting to her fifth amendment rights, further fueling the intensity of the moment.
After the meeting's conclusion, Rossi confronts Emily with a resolute gaze, urging her to cease shouldering the weight alone. They forge a solemn pact, vowing to stand by each other's side and unanimously recognize the urgency of locating Goldstar before Voit does. This mission holds the key to nullifying Voit's sinister deal with the director. Emily then convenes the team, meticulously briefing them on the labyrinthine web of cases intertwined with Goldstar's sinister fingerprints. Beyond the eerie calling card, Goldstar's MO includes the gruesome act of enucleating his victims, painting him as a remorseless predator, possibly devoid of familial ties. An elite assassin gone rogue, their challenge lies in unraveling why he embarked on this path of personal vengeance.
Embarking on this quest, Emily and Rossi seek answers from Bertoli, only to encounter a tragic turn of events. Bertoli, momentarily roused from his catatonic stupor, erupts into a violent confrontation with a local officer, seizing the officer's weapon and taking his own life in a tragic act of self-destruction. Yet, amidst the sorrow, Emily discerns a glimmer of hope, deducing from Bertoli's post-bereavement behavior that he was a seasoned military operative, a fact conspicuously absent from his official records.
Elsewhere, Luke and Jennifer delve into the grisly crime scene photographs, piecing together Goldstar's twisted methodology. They theorize that Goldstar derived a twisted satisfaction from stripping Bertoli of his power and forcing him to bear witness to his wife's agonizing demise—a cruel, sadistic display of emotional torture that begs the question: Why?
Meanwhile, Garcia and Tara embark on a meticulous excavation into the Bertolis' lives, determined to uncover the motive that ignited this devastating attack. As the night wears on, the team reconvenes, Luke proposing a bold move: enlisting Tyler's expertise. Tyler, with his penchant for knowledge of covert soldiers and their clandestine operations, seems the perfect fit. After a moment of reflection, the team reaches a consensus, inviting Tyler into their fold.
Tyler arrives, his demeanor tinged with remorse over past missteps, yet Rossi sees it as a pivotal moment that ultimately saved him. They mutually agree to put the past behind them and concentrate solely on the case at hand. Garcia struggles to maintain her composure, the tension between them palpable yet undercurrents of mutual affection simmering beneath the surface. Tyler, ever resourceful, offers to delve into classified files and tap into his extensive network of contacts, determined to bring Goldstar's reign of terror to an end.
At the federal penitentiary, Voit delves deep into the case files, weaving his intricate theory with Rebecca. It's almost as if it takes a mind twisted by madness to comprehend another's equally distorted logic. He whispers to her, alleging that Goldstar's rampage stems from vengeful motives, and the victims are but pieces in a sinister puzzle, intricately connected. Goldstar, he warns, harbors one last quarry before vanishing into the shadows forever.
Rebecca, with a subtle sleight of hand, slips this vital information to Tara, though the air between them remains thick with unresolved tensions.
Meanwhile, Tyler uncovers a bizarre anomaly lurking in the victims' financial records, sparking a revelation: these individuals were once part of a covert government strike force. He conjectures that the state had secretly compensated them to eliminate Goldstar, only for him to uncover the plot and strike back, hunting them down one by one. With two remaining names on the hit list, the team springs into action, racing against time to safeguard these final targets.
But fate deals them a cruel blow. Arriving too late, they find one victim already slain, his corpse decomposing in his desolate abode. Their second attempt fares no better; as they reach the second target, Goldstar has already mutilated him, severing his tongue and leaving him to drown in his own crimson tide. Though their intervention thwarts Goldstar's completion of his twisted ritual, he still manages to abscond with the victim's police badge, a macabre trophy.
In the aftermath, Rossi and Emily confront Madison, accusing him of striking a Faustian bargain with Voit. Madison, unfazed, presents them with an ultimatum: collaborate with Voit or risk losing the chance to capture Goldstar. Emily, her resolve steeled, threatens to resign rather than rely on a serial killer's insights. Madison, unmoved, dares her to follow through. Rossi, however, adopts a more strategic approach, agreeing to Madison's terms but insisting that Tyler join them as a consultant. Madison grudgingly acquiesces.
Once Madison departs, Rossi reveals his cunning plan to ensnare Voit, revealing his true identity as Sycarius. He envisions a trap, leveraging Voit's colossal ego to lure him into self-incrimination during their consultations. Jennifer is tasked with making the first move, stealthily probing Voit's psyche, as the intricate game of cat and mouse begins anew.
