Criminal Minds Finally Reveals An Unseen OG Character After 19 Years

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2, episode 7.

Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2, episode 7 introduced a new character and revealed she’s been a part of the series since the beginning. Criminal Minds originally ran for 15 seasons on CBS from 2005 to 2020. In 2022, the series was revived as Criminal Minds: Evolution on Paramount+, opening up possibilities for new storylines, characters, and stylistic choices. Each season has 10 episodes, with more in-depth story arcs unfolding over the entire season instead of the typical single-episode case setup. Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 has already been confirmed, reflecting the revival’s success.

Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 is sometimes referred to as Criminal Minds season 17, as Evolution is a continuation of the series, not a reboot. Though one could watch Criminal Minds: Evolution without watching the first 15 seasons, the revival often caters to those who have been around since the beginning. These viewers were rewarded in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2, episode 7 when an old storyline was reopened, an important character was introduced, and reveals about the BAU provided new context for the entire series.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Finally Introduces Jason Gideon’s Ex-Wife, Jill

Jill Was Supposed To Be Part Of The Show Earlier

Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 is centered around the “Gold Star” case. The case is supposedly one of the biggest in BAU history, with the consequences of the truth of the “Gold Star Program” getting out considered a matter of national security. Thus, it makes sense that the case has led to some all-hands-on-deck scenarios. In Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2, episode 7, this led BAU Unit Chief Emily Prentiss to Jill Gideon’s door.

Jill is Jason Gideon’s ex-wife and a biological psychiatrist who specializes in epigenetics. Having an epigenetics expert working on the “Gold Star” case is crucial to stopping Damien, Jade, and the others in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2. Thus, Emily ignored Rossi’s orders and contacted her, convincing her to come back to Quantico and help them.

Jill was supposed to be a part of Criminal Minds from the beginning, but parts of Gideon’s backstory were cut from the pilot, according to showrunner Erica Messer. Jill, played by Felicity Huffman, is a recurring character in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2. There is no news yet about whether Jill will be in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3, but Messer shared the significance of her inclusion this season with TVLine, saying,

It never made it to air, but there was this idea that Gideons ex was his therapist. So its been stuck in my mind for a long time, Oh, that thing exists, and I always felt like itd be a fun nod to the fans whove been watching a long time hey, we have this really deep pull!

Why Jill Gideon Is So Important To Criminal Minds

Jill Was Instrumental In Creating The BAU

Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2, episode 7 split its time between a haunting case Luke, Penelope, and JJ were trying to solve, and Emily and Tyler’s visit to Jill’s house. Though only about half the episode was spent with Jill, it included many reveals about her character, her connections to other characters, and her past. The biggest reveal was that Jill and Rossi had a secret romantic affair in Criminal Minds that caused Rossi to quit the BAU in 1997 when she broke his heart.

However, the most important reveal was that Jill had been instrumental in creating the BAU. For 17 seasons, Criminal Minds has led viewers to believe that the BAU was started by David Rossi and Jason Gideon, who received little to no help and funding in their early days. Yet, Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2, episode 7 challenged this notion by revealing that Jill often helped them with their cases and is a major reason the BAU is where it is today.

Criminal Minds had a good reason for keeping this hidden. Gideon was worried that if people knew about the role Jill was playing in their cases, she’d be targeted by the serial killers they were chasing. This was reasonable given the fact that Gideon was killed by a serial killer from an old case in Criminal Minds season 10. Jill’s involvement was an open secret at the BAU, as she had relationships with the original characters.

Jill Gideons Absence Exposes A Problem With Criminal Minds & The BAU

The Former BAU Unit Chiefs Have Been Accused Of Misogyny

While Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 offered a good explanation for why Jill was never publicly part of the BAU, it raised some questions and exposed a past problem. The characters may have known about Jill and her reputation, but this wasn’t shared with viewers in 17 seasons of Criminal Minds. This is likely just because Criminal Minds: Evolution is trying to keep things fresh after almost 20 years, but it makes sense in the story for another unfortunate reason.

Since Criminal Minds began, the BAU has had strong female characters working on the team. In season 1, there was just one female profiler, with Elle leaving in Criminal Minds season 2. Emily replaced her shortly after and worked alongside Penelope as their technical analyst and JJ as their media liaison until JJ was promoted to profiler in Criminal Minds season 7. Despite having such great women working for the BAU, it took years for them to receive the same respect as the male characters–and they still have to fight for it occasionally.

When Hotch asked Emily to share one of his flaws in Criminal Minds season 2, episode 15, she told him he “[doesn’t] trust women as much as men.” It took until Criminal Minds season 13 for Emily to become the first female BAU unit chief. With the male Criminal Minds characters having histories of misogyny, it’s not surprising that Rossi and Gideon took sole credit for creating the BAU, even years after it was no longer a safety issue. Fortunately, Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 is giving Rossi the chance to right some wrongs.