After it was mentioned in the finale, the mystery around Gold Star will be further tackled in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 and showrunner Erica Messer teases what it means for the show’s future. The BAU’s return via Paramount+ has been a massive success, with the profilers finally able to take down Elias Voit and his network of UnSubs. On the heels of the serial killer’s arrest, however, Criminal Minds: Evolution also plants plot seeds of a new mystery that will be focused on in season 2.
Before the intense finale was released, news broke out that Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 has been greenlit. So, instead of waiting for the new year to set up the BAU’s next case, the show used the end of Voit’s reign of terror to lay the groundwork for what’s next for the profilers, and it will have to do something with the burgeoning mystery of Gold Star. Messer admits in an interview with TV Insider that they haven’t quite yet decided how to play out the new narrative, but it will certainly be part of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2. Read her full quote below:
I can’t say a whole heck of a lot about it right now because we are in the writers’ room for this second season [of Evolution] and Gold Star is shifting a little bit in our in our conversations, so I don’t wanna say anything that we then veer away from. But I can say that Voit clearly thinks knowing that phrase is going to be helpful for him in some kind of negotiating. And then the bigger mystery is, why does he know that? What is it that got our dear beloved deputy director killed? There’s not a whole lot of clues you could look for from previous seasons, but there will be some things that we introduced in Season 16 that will come into play regarding Gold Star for later.
Will Gold Star be a through line for the entire season or just part of it?
We know for sure it’ll be part of the first half of the season and then it’ll probably evolve out of that a little bit. But right now we’re hoping to follow the path we did last year, which is five episodes and then do a mini cliffhanger and then come back. That’s our plan right now and that’s how we’re crafting Gold Star.
What To Expect From Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2.
The fact that Messer and her team were able to introduce the mystery of Gold Star in the Criminal Minds: Evolution season 1 finale meant that they were aware ahead of time that the police procedural will be back for the sophomore year. Given this, it’s also safe to say that the big narrative beats of season 2 have already been laid out, with certain details revealed in its freshman outing expected to have a bigger impact on the show moving forward. Perhaps the plotline will be able to bring back missing profilers SSA Matt Simmons and Dr. Spencer Reid.
It’s clear that Voit thinks that having knowledge about Gold Star will be useful as a bargaining chip as he negotiates his prison set-up. Killing the once-conniving Deputy Director Bailey is a clever move as it increases his importance in cracking this new mystery because now, he’s the only one who supposedly knows the truth. While the term Gold Star is usually used as a reference in the military in real life, it’s unclear if Criminal Minds: Evolution is using it the same way. Whatever it is, the BAU’s work is cut out for them if they go down the rabbit hole of finding out what it really is.
Whatever the case may be, the good news is the BAU, as it is, remains complete. Despite Dave Rossi’s near-death experience, which followed JJ Jarreau and Luke Alvez’s own brush with death, the veteran profiler is able to escape and reunite with his crew. Hopefully, however, the team also finally gets to bring back both Simmons and Reid in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2.
