Criminal Minds: Evolution season 19, episode 9 threw us for so many loops, starting with the fact that while it looked like The Fan killed Laura, he actually was holding her captive. Plus, he had also abducted Brian Garrity’s ex-wife, Sheila, and used her to lure him into a trap. How did all of this lead one of his victims to meet a grisly end?
Even though the BAU were doing all they could to find out who The Fan was, he was still always one step ahead of them. He even managed to abduct Brian Garrity’s ex-wife, Sheila, played by the wonderful and hilarious Yvette Nicole Brown. The Fan used her to lure Brian Garrity to a church where they had once gotten married.
Brian Garrity plays a big role in episode 9
At first, it seemed like he wanted to use Sheila to lure Brian in. However, it soon became clear it was actually Sheila he needed. Sheila worked as an IRS agent, and her job involved being a liaison between the IRS and Witness Protection.Â
It’s pretty obvious to the audience that this is The Fan’s attempt to find Elias Voit’s family. While the team is focused on The Fan and not bringing Voit into this, the inmate himself is still plotting how to escape. He is worried for his family, and finding them is all he can think about.
Meanwhile, Garcia figures out The Fan is James Crowley, a guest lecturer who recently spoke at the college where his first victim, Victoria, studied. He had an allergy to leather and used stingray leather to bind his books.
The Fan hid Laura Boyd and allowed himself to get caught. While the team thought they could question him and get answers, he managed to outsmart them. Even when they brought Lance Kingston in to identify his voice, it still seemed he held all the cards.
Emily knew Lance lied about recognizing The Fan and she told Rebecca to make sure he had a protection detail. However, he managed to get away by saying he had to use the restroom. While Rossi and Tyler were watching Crowley after he was released, Lance used a spike to take the air out of their tires.
A complex character meets their fate in a way that doesn't feel deserved
It looked like Lance was working with The Fan, however, he only did so to find Laura and rescue her. Once he had the phone showing her location, he apologized to Brian and Sheila, who he briefly held at gunpoint while making it look like he was following Crowley.
Unfortunately, the phone in his hand was a bomb and when Lance got to his car, it exploded, killing him instantly. A part of us is still hoping for a fake-out like Laura in the previous episode; however, it looks like Lance met his end after trying to redeem himself in her eyes.
To be honest, Lance’s ending was really sad. He had nobody essentially and never seemed to deal with his anger issues. Then, he felt like he couldn’t turn to anyone for help and got led on by a psychopathic killer. Instead of growing as a person, he was killed before he could better himself. While it is likely Laura would not have wanted anything to do with him even if he had rescued her, he still could have had the chance to make different choices in his life had he not been killed.
Connor Storrie did an amazing job as Lance, showing the different sides to who he was as a person. He was brought on the show for a brief appearance but still managed to turn Lance into a complex character who you couldn’t help but root for, even knowing that he still had issues he had to work through.
We’re still wondering how Laura and Lance fit into Crowley’s agenda and how he even managed to find out about them. The BAU seems to be missing that connection, and with Laura still missing, is she a connection they have yet to become aware of? This is a question we’ve been wondering about, and with Laura still in danger, we wonder what is coming next. The BAU has been making a lot of mistakes when it comes to them, and it shows just how complex Crowley has been when it comes to his agenda.
As for the BAU themselves, they did manage to arrive at the church just as Sheila escaped and Crowley attempted to kill Brian. Brian had tried to trick him, and as he was nearly dying, Crowley escaped just before the BAU arrived.
Brian was eventually saved, and we saw Lance’s body get discovered after Crowley had tried to conceal him. But things aren’t over yet, as Crowley is still in play, and he has information he needs to find the people he is after. Most likely, all along this has been a ploy to get to Voit’s family, unless he is making it look like it in order to come face to face with Voit again.
As the episode ended, Voit pretended to have a medical episode, and a guard went inside. Voit managed to overpower him before dressing in his uniform and escaping. It looks like the season finale of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 19 will lead to a showdown between two killers.
Watch Criminal Minds: Evolution Thursdays, streaming on Paramount+.
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