Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Criminal Minds Season 18 Episode 6.When Criminal Minds: Evolution rebooted in 2022, it also waved in a new character who turned from a criminal hacker to valuable consultant for the BAU: Tyler Green (Ryan-James Hatanaka). However, at the beginning of Season 3, Green officially joins the ranks of the FBI and, as the season progresses, he becomes an honorary member of the BAU due to their work with prolific serial killer Elias Voit (Zach Gilford) and the renewal of his Sicarius network. Unfortunately, we’re over halfway into the season and Green still hasn’t quite found his role on the team yet, a fact that becomes more obvious during the latest episode. At the moment, he only makes sense in relation to Voit’s case, so Evolution needs to give Green a niche in order to differentiate him from his team members and ensure he doesn’t get lost in the fold.
Green Hasn’t Distinguished Himself in ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’
The first couple of episodes of Evolution Season 3 gave Green the label of an FBI rookie, and so, there is some leeway in the effort to find his niche as he is still somewhat navigating his first official “good guy” role. However, as a consultant in the previous season, Green had already established himself on the legal side of the law and his new job in the FBI simply expands on that. As such, by now, that is Season 3, Episode 6, most of the rookie jokes are out of the way and Green needs to find his footing in the team. The BAU team is also the biggest it has ever been, so it is much easier to get lost among these big names — Green needs to find a niche to stand out.
Green actually overtly addresses this idea in Episode 6, as he agrees to speak to Voit about his sister’s atrocious murder, including the fact that Voit allowed her to call Green just before she died. Green tells Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) that he needs to do this because he wants to add value to the team, which reveals he is afflicted with the understandable insecurity that comes with being a rookie, although it may be enhanced by his criminal background. However, it also feels like a nod to Evolution‘s inability to pin him down to a specific role in the team, acknowledging that he has become somewhat of a faceless agent, yet to become a memorable facet of the team that isn’t through his personal life (i.e. his potential romance with Garcia).
‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Needs to Give Green a Niche
Each BAU member in Criminal Minds is uniquely memorable due to their characterization, which naturally involves their personal lives but also includes their diverse and distinct roles in the team. They each serve some sort of function: Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) as the “boss lady” (as Garcia lovingly puts it), David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) as the experienced mentor, Garcia as the tech-specialist, Jenifer “JJ” Jareau (A.J. Cook) as a profiler with a knack for media liaising and talking to loved ones of the victim, and Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez) and Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler) in profiler/on-field positions. Whenever evidence or another twist within a case is revealed, you generally know who is going to appear next, and there’s a comfort in being so closely acquainted with the team.
Green almost disturbs this rhythm, as he is hovering around the team, jumping into different roles since he doesn’t really have one. The first half of the season saw him alongside Alvez and Lewis in the profiler and on-field positions, but Episode 6 saw him flexing his previous hacker muscles again with Garcia, as if Criminal Minds had just remembered he was tech-savvy. This would be okay if the said “jumping around” was executed purposefully, but it just seems like the show is adding him to scenes since he is part of the cast. If anything, his vague role in the team is slightly disorienting as we are reminded of his various skills, but being the jack of all trades is not as memorable as being a master of one; he needs to find his sweet spot.
Green Doesn’t Make Sense Without Voit in ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’
Green’s productivity in the BAu is also inherently linked to Voit’s presence as a serial killer in the show; currently, he only makes sense when Voit is around. When Green joined the FBI, he was told that it would take ten years before he could even apply to be a part of the BAU, as he needed to finish his rookie assignment then gain enough seniority to be considered. However, due to his history of being a part of the Sicarius network’s outer circle and his intimate knowledge of Voit after working with the BAU as a consultant, he was granted a spot on the team as they worked on Voit’s case. In other words, his presence in the team is literally contingent on Voit being a person of interest.
Even though Voit has had an unprecedented run in the Criminal Minds franchise as an antagonist, there will inevitably come a time when the show has to move on from this specific serial killer. Once this happens, where does it leave Green? Episode 6 really spotlighted this conundrum, as it is the first episode of the season where Green is at the forefront, but only in the context of his sister’s murder and Voit’s involvement. As such, Green proves he is invaluable in this case, but he doesn’t necessarily prove he is invaluable to the team. Finding a distinct function within the team seems to be the only way Evolution can justify his continued existence in the BAU and thus the show. Between his potential romance with Garcia and bromance with Alvez, Green is already a character we have invested in, but it is time for Evolution to flesh out his professional value as well.
New episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution are available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
Criminal Minds
- Release Date
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September 22, 2005
- Network
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CBS, Paramount+
- Showrunner
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Erica Messer
