Despite Voit having apparently taken down his serial killer network in the previous season, his dark influence continues to leave a major impact, as in the second episode of the ongoing Criminal Minds: Evolution, another of his disciples emerges—much to the dismay of the BAU team, who race against time to save the victim. In the previous episode, Rossi and JJ discover crucial clues about the attack on Voit in prison, which indicate that he had deliberately set up the assault in the first place. On the other hand, as a new serial killer named Franklin Fowler makes his presence known, BAU manages to save his newest victims—not before Fowler takes his own life before getting captured. It is revealed that Fowler was possibly a part of Voit’s serial killer network. A hospitalized Voit awakens from his comatose state and attacks a nurse.
Spoilers Ahead
Voit’s Strange Condition
The episode begins with a passionate lovemaking scene between Dr. Tara Lewis and her girlfriend, Justice Department Prosecutor Rebecca Wilson. Rebecca notices Tara’s willing attempt to not let commitment and emotional attachments dominate her perspective, which she deduces as her deliberate effort to keep her loved ones at a safe distance due to the nature of her vocation. Anyway, both of them, along with the rest of the BAU team members, receive the alarming update of Voit regaining his senses and attacking a nurse, which prompts them to visit the hospital at once.
Much to everyone’s disbelief, it is revealed that, suffering from the shock of the attack, Voit is diagnosed with retrograde amnesia, and not only has he forgotten everything related to his past, but his rudimentary verbal communication skills have also been lost. This indicates that Voit might escape legal repercussions for his actions by getting acquitted on compassion grounds. None of the BAU team members are convinced about Voit’s sudden psychological transformation into a seemingly innocent, childlike state—and they suspect that the psychopath is trying to act. Dr. Tara and Alvez try to trigger Voit’s memory through several visual suggestions, but to no avail—as it seems he has truly forgotten what kind of a monster he was in the past. Alvez is surprised to learn that the part of Voit’s brain that is responsible for empathetic expression has become active—which would have been otherwise impossible given as a merciless psychopath, he was previously unable to feel empathy erstwhile.
Who Is the Zookeeper?
Meanwhile, Tyler finds out Orlov, Voit’s lawyer and former accomplice, had apparently set up the attack on him in the prison in order to stay on the safe side and save his skin. Tyler manages to get his hands on Orlov’s hard drive, which Penelope tries to use as a means to learn further intel on Voit and his serial killer network. A bunch of encrypted files under the name of Zookeeper pop up under Orlov’s IP, which shows images and videos of a man clad in a mask and costume who has kept a woman in her mid-twenties abducted in a cage in his basement. The psycho takes great pleasure in showing how much control he has gained over his captive, as he coerces her to do as commanded. Upon further investigation, Penelope learns the woman, named Sabrina Traver, was a sex worker, and following her mysterious disappearance a year ago, the authorities didn’t even bother looking for her—showing pitiful negligence towards the marginalized ones. Penelope also figures out that Sabrina isn’t the only victim; judging from the pattern of past disappearances, Melissa Zyn and Kora Post—both susceptible to authoritative neglect due to being victims of domestic abuse or misconduct—might have fallen prey to the Zookeeper. Rossi and JJ meet with Sabrina’s elder sister, who reveals Sabrina’s former lover, Owen Moss, encouraged her to get into her exhibitionism profession.
Eventually, it becomes clear that this zookeeper is part of Voit’s network of serial killers, just another one of his acolytes. Rossi isn’t able to control his temper, and visiting Voit, he threatens him by trying to remind the name of Zookeeper—putting BAU’s position in jeopardy in the process. The strangest thing that has happened in the midst of all this is that Voit starts considering Rossi as his father, and according to the doctors, the only way for Voit to reconnect with the past is if Rossi plays along with him by posing as his father figure and triggers his dormant memories. This also runs the risk that now seemingly reformed Voit might get reacquainted with his psychopathic tendencies, which is why the BAU team appears conflicted about it.
On the other hand, Clyde Smets, a middle-aged man with an inclination to manifest comic-book fantasies and burdened in his corporate middle management job, is revealed to be the Zookeeper. An incel in his prime, Clyde takes pleasure in asserting control over hapless women, subjugating and humiliating them, as his need to feed his ego and self-worth is devious, to say the least. Actor Elden Henson, who plays Foggy Nelson in the “Daredevil” TV series, portrayed the role of Zookeeper, and fans like me, who are habituated to seeing him acting as Matt Murdock’s moral compass, will definitely get a jarring feeling seeing him as a depraved costumed psychopathic killer. The duality in Clyde’s diffident, unsure, polite self and Zookeeper’s sadist, vile, manipulative persona is showcased really well in Elden’s performance. Anyway, Clyde brings a new victim, a sex worker named Tia, into his house and asphyxiates her to knock her out. Keeping her captive in his basement cage, Clyde shares images through Orlov’s IP, which makes the BAU aware of Zookeeper’s latest victim. To share an example with Tia about his dominance over his captive subjects, Clyde shows how Sabrina has practically become his puppet at this point—before brutally killing her.
Did BAU Catch The Zookeeper?
A basic profiling of Zookeeper based on his MO and traits of targeting particular victims allows BAU to get a rough idea about the person, which the team runs through Owen Moss’ statements during his interrogation. This allows the team to learn about the real identity of Zookeeper as Clyde Smets, a white-collar guy whom Sabrina had met a year ago, and getting his address from one of Clyde’s colleagues, the team conducts a raid. Finding himself cornered all of a sudden, Clyde tries to kill Tia to remove any form of evidence, only for Tia to free herself and give a much-needed beatdown. Tia is rescued, but before FBI agents led by Tyler are able to nab Clyde, he slits his throat and takes his life. Tyler feels guilty, given it was his first active field duty as an FBI agent, and Rossi had warned that Clyde might try to take his own life—a trait that is common in Voit’s disciples. Penelope comforts Tyler, mentioning he did everything he could, and he should acknowledge that there will be situations that can’t always be controlled.
Rossi shares the tragic news of Sabrina’s demise with her sister, and this makes him determined enough to agree to even roleplay as Voit’s father if it ensures he will be able to save future victims from Voit’s psychopathic disciples. The episode ends on a shocking, tragic note, as suffering from an aneurysm and rupture in the thyroid artery, JJ’s husband, Will, passes away.