‘Criminal Minds Evolution’ Digs Into Rossi’s Past As The Fan’s Identity Comes Into Focus

Paramount+ dropped the ninth episode of ‘Criminal Minds Evolution’ season 19 this week, and it pushes the season’s central mystery about as far as it can go before the finale. The episode, titled ‘Badder Blood,’ arrived on July 16, 2026, and it puts the BAU’s long hunt for the elusive killer known as The Fan on a collision course with David Rossi’s own history.

The season has spent much of its run building toward this moment, and ‘Badder Blood’ finally starts paying off that patience. With only one episode left after this one, the show is using this hour to lock pieces into place rather than simply teasing more mystery.

What Happens In Criminal Minds Season 19 Episode 9

The official synopsis frames the episode simply, noting that ‘Criminal Minds’ subtitled Evolution follows members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit as they face a network of serial killers built during the COVID nineteen pandemic. That larger arc comes to a head in ‘Badder Blood,’ where the team believes it is finally gaining ground on its target only to be pulled somewhere far more dangerous.

According to the official episode description, the BAU identifies The Fan’s true identity, but he is one step ahead, leading them into a trap at a location tied to Rossi’s past. That framing gives the hour a personal edge that the show has been building toward across the back half of the season.

Coverage of the episode also notes the specific mechanics of that trap, pointing out that the team believes it is closer to uncovering the killer’s true identity before being lured into a dangerous situation connected to one of Rossi’s darkest memories. The BAU’s confidence early in the episode is meant to be undercut by just how thoroughly The Fan has anticipated their next move.

Reporting on the episode also lays out the season’s broader structure, noting that this run has ‘leaned hard into serialized storytelling rather than the case of the week format longtime viewers grew up on,’ with episode 9 landing as the moment that approach starts to pay off. The season has still made room for standalone stories along the way, including cases built around a killer in Seattle, a bomber in Chicago, and a stalker in Atlanta.

The Fan’s Identity Finally Comes Into Focus

A review of the episode reveals that the man behind the season’s central threat is identified as James Crowley. The reviewer notes that The Fan has a name, and it is James Crowley, which may be an allusion to Aleister Crowley, once called the wickedest man in the world.

The same review lays out how the episode gets there, explaining that Lance Kingston, a character introduced earlier in the season, was brought in to identify Crowley but instead lied to the team. Once Prentiss realizes he cannot be trusted, the BAU makes a difficult choice, deciding to let the man go and follow him rather than risk the safety of Brian, Sheila, and Laura.

That decision does not go smoothly. The review points out a key twist in the plot, noting that the BAU knew enough to bring Lance in to identify The Fan but not enough to consider that Voit’s suspicions about his family were any different than what Lance was going through with Laura. The consequences of that miscalculation are steep, and the review confirms that Lance does not survive the episode.

The reviewer also connects the reveal back to the larger case, explaining that Sheila’s true work with the IRS turns out to be as a liaison for the Witness Security Program, which is exactly how Crowley intends to track down Elias Voit’s family. That detail reframes much of the episode’s cat and mouse structure as Crowley working toward a very specific, very personal goal.

Brian Garrity Becomes An Unlikely Asset For The BAU

One of the more unexpected threads in ‘Badder Blood’ involves conspiracy theorist Brian Garrity, played by Paul F. Tompkins, who was brought back for the season reprising his earlier role as the conspiracy theorist first introduced in Criminal Minds season 15. The character’s presence throughout the episode is significant enough that the hour’s promotional materials centered on him directly.

The review of the episode is candid about how odd this pairing feels, noting that ‘you’d never guess that one of the men who would help bring The Fan down would be the buffoon Brian Garrity,’ while still calling the hour ‘a somewhat enjoyable episode’ when weighed against the darker tone of the previous installment. The reviewer draws a direct comparison, describing ‘Badder Blood’ as a tonal counter to season 19 episode 8, which the same critic called dark enough to require ‘a mental flush afterward.’

That said, the review is not entirely won over by Garrity’s expanded role. The critic writes a pointed aside to the show’s producers, referencing how the introduction of the character Tyler back in season 16 eventually led to him joining the team full time, and expressing hope that the same path is not being set up for Garrity here. The reviewer does concede that Garrity ‘held up well during a situation when he really shouldn’t have,’ crediting recent episodes with doing solid character work on him.

How Badder Blood Sets Up The Criminal Minds Finale

With Crowley’s identity now known and Lance gone, ‘Badder Blood’ positions the season finale as the moment everything The Fan storyline has been building toward finally collides. Coverage of the season notes that the finale, titled ‘Special Agent Garrido,’ is set to arrive on July 23, 2026, and will bring the final showdown between the BAU, The Fan, and Elias Voit, along with a revelation about a new agent that leaves the team’s future in doubt.

Reporting on the season also notes that a twentieth season has already been confirmed, which takes some of the pressure off the finale needing to resolve every thread on its own. Reaction to the season overall has trended positive among longtime viewers, with the serialized approach to The Fan case drawing consistent engagement even as the show continues folding in standalone cases.

With Crowley’s true motive tied to Voit’s family now out in the open, and Rossi’s own history dragged into the center of the case, the final hour of the season has a lot riding on it heading into next week.

What did you make of Crowley’s connection to Rossi’s past, and do you think Brian Garrity has earned a permanent seat with the BAU after this episode.