Joe Mantegna talks about Dave Rossi and Penelope Garcia’s tense relationship in Criminal Minds: Evolution. The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) is already back on the small screen just two years after its CBS run ended in 2020. This time, the profilers’ new adventure is available to stream on Paramount+, and while it’s essentially a continuation of the original Criminal Minds, there are already a couple of noticeable differences between this new take on the show and its predecessor. That includes a more complicated dynamic within the BAU, especially involving Rossi and Garcia.
The Criminal Minds reboot picks up years after the original show’s end. At this point, the BAU tackles their biggest case yet, despite being both underfunded and undermanned. To make matters worse, Rossi is dealing with a personal tragedy that makes him erratic and difficult to work with. This has caused friction between him and Garcia, who is recruited back into the team after working outside the FBI for a couple of years. In a new interview with TV Line, Mantegna opens up about the difficulties of filming tense moments between Rossi and Garcia and teases what lies ahead for them. Read his full quote below:
That takes acting, boy, because first of all I couldn’t love anybody more than I love Kirsten. When you talk about people you work with being ‘family,’ that’s an instance where it is… We have to tap into something else to show this aspect of our on-screen relationship, but that’s what [acting] is all about. And that’s what comes through, too, that people who do love each other — whether they’re in their own family or not — will have those moments where it gets really bad. Can you get past that? And do you get past that? Hopefully you can, and should.
Why Garcia and Rossi’s New Dynamic Is Good For The Criminal Minds Reboot
Throughout its 15-year run on CBS, Criminal Minds barely showed the BAU members fighting. Granted, there have been conflicts, but they’re usually resolved right away. So, seeing Rossi go off on some of his teammates, including Luke Alvez and Jennifer Jarreau, is quite bizarre in the Paramount+ revival Criminal Minds: Evolution. What makes this more interesting is that Rossi has always been the most logical and level-headed member of the team, which comes with his years of experience working as a profiler. So, seeing him struggling to deal with his emotions and letting his anger control him is simultaneously heartbreaking and refreshing.
As for Garcia, the fact that she’s the only member of the BAU who isn’t trained to be an FBI profiler makes the rest of the team very protective of her. Ever since she left the bureau, however, in the Criminal Minds season 15 finale, she has learned to actively advocate for herself. So, when she kindly called out Rossi for his rude behavior, it was shocking, but also an indication of how much she’s grown since she ventured out of the FBI. Considering everything that she has been through, it’s great to see her standing up for herself.
Longtime fans of Criminal Minds may have found it difficult to see Rossi and Garcia have this frosty relationship. But while Mantegna is being coy about how this particular plot point will develop moving forward, it’s safe to say the pair will eventually get past this rough patch. If anything, this will only make their bond stronger as Criminal Minds: Evolution on Paramount+ continues.
Criminal Minds: Evolution airs new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+
