Criminal Minds Season 19 Marks The End Of An Era For An Original CBS Character

As Criminal Minds: Evolution enters its newest season, the series marks the end of an era for one of the CBS show’s original characters. Throughout the past few seasons of Criminal Minds, viewers have fallen back in step with the team at the BAU after years away, getting to know the new ins and outs of the team in its current iteration. While there have been some peaks and valleys when it comes to Criminal Minds: Evolution and its modern format, revisiting the team and watching them do what they’re best at has been a high point of the reboot.

Coming back into the lives of the BAU has been interesting, especially when it comes to how the show has chosen to build on their pre-existing characters. Getting to know new iterations of the team has come with some changes, and while some are more accepted by viewers than others, it’s been refreshing to see their lives continue to grow, even nearly 20 seasons into the show’s run. With one of the major critiques surrounding Criminal Minds: Evolution being a lack of Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez), it was exciting to see that an emotionally weighty arc was coming his way.

As Criminal Minds: Evolution season 19 episode 2, “Cluster”, made it clear that Alvez was dealing with something more emotionally heavy than he has in the entirety of the reboot, the series reckoned with the end of an era that will, hopefully, continue changing things for Luke moving forward.

Criminal Minds Season 19 Episode 2 Highlights Alvez Losing His Therapy Dog, Roxy

First introduced in Criminal Minds season 12 alongside Alvez, Luke struggled throughout the second episode of the season after having to put down his therapy dog, Roxy. While the storyline at its core seems like something light, the emotional resonance of Luke’s strife over losing Roxy was surprisingly palpable. Throughout the episode, Alvez’s loss reveals itself as he has a tough time keeping his own emotions in check while dealing with a military case that hits close to home. Roxy, who helped Alvez return to civilian life after serving, was a stable presence in his life through the subsequent years.

As Alvez struggles and pushes to investigate the case, which sees the unsub at hand performing lobotomies with an ice pick on people who have struggled to help him deal with a brain tumor, his emotional unraveling makes it clear that Roxy’s loss is far tougher than that of a typical pet. For Luke, Roxy represented his ability to work through his own PTSD after being in the military, and without her, he seems to be struggling to keep himself together in the way he’s learned to through the years. Roxy’s passing marks the end of an era for Alvez.

Alvez’s Loss Destabilizes His Character, Which Could Lead To Bigger Swings

After losing something that held such a specific place in his life, Alvez doesn’t seem to know where to turn. For Criminal Minds: Evolution, this could lead to something that’s incredibly needed for the show to feel whole as it continues on. Throughout the first seasons of the reboot, Alvez’s role has felt like a supporting one. Though viewers have consistently seen him from season to season, Alvez hasn’t been growing in who he is or changing with the rest of the team. Instead, he’s been a shoulder to cry on, a savior, and in moments, a pillar of strength.

Seeing the rest of the BAU tackle personal problems throughout the seasons has made Criminal Minds: Evolution feel a bit less like a straight-reboot of the original series, and more of an extension. With more layered storytelling and in-depth character shifts, the BAU has been able to redefine who they are, what they do, and what comes next. Now, with a storyline that could derail Alvez’s daily life in staggering ways at hand, it’s possible that Criminal Minds: Evolution could finally be playing into a bigger story. With the end of an era upon us, Criminal Minds has newfound potential.

Release Date: September 22, 2005
Showrunner: Erica Messer
Directors: Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Rob Bailey, Matthew Gray Gubler, Joe Mantegna, John Gallagher, Douglas Aarniokoski, Guy Norman Bee, Larry Teng, Nelson McCormick, Alec Smight, Charles S. Carroll, Rob Spera, Charles Haid, Diana Valentine, Rob Hardy, Tawnia McKiernan, Bethany Rooney, Karen Gaviola, Sharat Raju, Thomas Gibson, Aisha Tyler, Anna Foerster, Gloria Muzio, John Terlesky
Writers: Bruce Zimmerman, Virgil Williams, Edward Allen Bernero, Janine Sherman Barrois, Chris Mundy, Simon Mirren, Debra J. Fisher, Kimberly A. Harrison, Jay Beattie, Dan Dworkin, Karen Maser, Oanh Ly, Stephanie Sengupta, Aaron Zelman, Kirsten Vangsness, Erica Meredith, Andi Bushell, Holly Harold, Alicia Kirk, Jeff Davis, Randy Huggins, Edward Napier, Jayne A. Archer, Chikodili Agwuna