Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 Episode 1 recap: Voit gets out of the coma

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3, Episode 1, continues 6 months after th events of season 2, with the Behavioural Analysis Unit (BAU) dealing with the aftermath of the Elias Voit case. Voit is in custody now while the team is working with him to uncover the rest of the members in his serial killer network.

This will indeed unfold some adventure and suspense for the viewers in the brand new season 3, which premiered on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Read on to know the full recap of episode 1 of Criminal Minds: Evolution.

Here is what happened in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 episode 1

The episode opens with a new serial killer stalking a bar parking lot, after he has attacked a man with a spray and knocked him out. When the police officers intervene, the unsub pretends the victim to be his drug addicted brother, and the officer even helps him to put the body into the car. Eventually, the department learns that this is his fifth murder, and he attacks the victims along their ribcage and dumps the bodies in the ocean.

What appeared to be a standalone case then became part of the more gruesome serial killing, as Voit's networks continue to loom. The officers then discover the unsub is targeting victims through a beach rental site, where he’s likely mining data or interacting directly with renters. This points the BAU toward data brokers who may have access to or be misusing private information.

As the BAU gets closer, the unsub kidnaps a family of three and ends up shooting the father. The mother shows some survival instincts while the daughter tries to escape. The unsub tortured the family by trapping the mother-daughter duo and suffocating them. However, the officers tracing them manage to arrive just in time and save the duo. But the unsub, Franklin, then commits suicide, saying that it was all "part of the plan." This suggests a larger conspiracy.

How did episode 1 of Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 end

Elias Voit is further stabbed in the minimum security prison, but survives the attack. He ends up in a coma, but this raises a question that why was he not in a higher security facility? Prentiss joins the scene and shares medical imaging that shows brain damage, which is almost a decade old in Voit's scans, comparable to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), often seen in retired football players.

Trending

This damage should have impaired his cognitive functioning, yet Voit managed to handle a vast network of serial killers, implying something unusual about his neurological or psychological resilience. The officers later investigated that Voit might have staged the entire situation and allowed himself to be attacked for strategic reasons.

The episode comes with a chilling cliffhanger with Voit waking up from the coma and immediately strangling his night nurse, suggesting that even when he is not conscious, he could be dangerous. Voit is indeed manipulating events to confuse the investigators. Will it be too late till the officers realise his exact game in Criminal Minds: Evolution?

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback