Sumith Prasad
The second season of Paramount+’s procedural series ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ ends with a showdown between the surviving members of Gold Star and the agents of the BAU. Gold Star’s killing spree, which is rooted in vengeance, progresses beyond the professionals associated with Stuart House and the people connected with its members’ lives personally when they abduct Emily Prentiss. The fifth member of the serial killer faction then shows up out of nowhere to kill her colleagues as well. The motives behind Gold Star’s wish to murder the BAU officers are rooted in lies, misunderstandings, and manipulation that present themselves as an intricate web! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Elias Voit’s Manipulation
The members of Gold Star started their murder spree by murdering the officers who set out to kill them. After eliminating these men, the individual “stars” began hunting down people who worked in the same institution and contributed to the torture they had to suffer. Jade’s murders range from her father, who allowed her admission to the place, to doctors who treated the children at Stuart House. Damien Booth also has a similar story. When they learn from Elias Voit that North Star is none other than the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), they turn their attention to Dr. Jill Gideon, the former agent who contributed to and released the white paper that “created” Gold Star.
However, Jill Gideon is the least of Elias’ concerns. The serial killer tries to help the members of Gold Star to exact his vengeance on the BAU agents who destroyed his life. His arrest by the officers paved the way for his separation from his wife and children, which forms a severe aversion in him toward David Rossi and his colleagues. Since he is in prison, Elias wants Gold Star to do what he cannot do: kill Rossi and other agents. His case that reaches the hands of Jade and Damien leads one-half of the duo to a place where he has stored everything the group needs to know about the BAU officers.
But why does Gold Star enter dangerous territories by targeting the BAU for Elias? Well, they don’t target Emily and others only for the serial killer in prison. That’s where the identity of Pete/Peter B. comes into play. The fifth member of Gold Star has been evading the authorities for a long period because he has been saving himself for the final act.
Peter “Pete” Bailey’s Vengeance
Peter “Pete” Bailey, the brother of Douglas “Doug” Bailey, is the fifth member of Gold Star. When Frank Church had his hands on the white paper the BAU developed, he kickstarted Operation Gold Star and recruited the FBI agent’s brother. The young man was told that his efforts were used to bring down child trafficking rings that were operating in the country. Church and his associates might have used him for several missions or murders by tricking him into believing he was contributing to a noble cause. Despite Doug’s best efforts to convince his brother that the latter was wrong, Pete remained an integral part of Operation Gold Star.
That’s when Elias surfaces on the radar of the BAU as a serial killer. The “cat-and-mouse” game he plays with the FBI ends when David Rossi identifies him as the suspect the bureau has been looking for months. Meanwhile, his wife learns the truth about him. The BAU agents surround Elias and make him realize that there is no way out for him to disappear and escape from the authorities. The serial killer then uses his trump card to exact his revenge on the unit and ensure his release from federal captivity: Gold Star. His plan starts with the murder of Doug. After abducting Rossi, Elias talks to Doug in the first season, only to mention “Gold Star.”
As a protective brother, Doug gets alarmed when he listens to the name of the operation, which includes his sibling, Pete. The FBI agent realizes that if the serial killer discloses everything he knows about the operation to the BAU and the bureau’s other officials, his brother will be targeted. To avoid Pete’s arrest, Doug goes to Elias himself, hoping to learn the location of the former and save him. However, the serial killer welcomes the agent with a gunshot at point blank. The criminal mentions “Gold Star” to lure Doug into his house and kill him. Elias then creates the narrative that the BAU agents killed Doug themselves after learning about his relationship with Pete, a member of Gold Star.
Since Gold Star has been a beneficiary of Elias’ actions, the young murderers do not doubt him, which allows him to manipulate them. Pete gets convinced that the BAU killed Doug to stop the latter from jeopardizing the unit’s investigation into Gold Star. Rossi eventually understands why the group has been targeting him and his colleagues, which makes him project Elias’ confession for Pete to watch. The fifth member of the clandestine organization figures out the truth and lets Emily go and deactivate the bombs planted to kill her fellow agents. Thus, Gold Star’s enmity towards the BAU is a creation of Elias, who wants to see the agents dead because they arrested him and took his family away.
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