Criminal Minds – The Zookeeper

By: Mariah Thomas

The episode starts with a beautiful and sensual sex scene between Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler) and Rebecca Wilson (Nicole Pacent). Afterwards, the pair laugh in bed and have a conversation about their future. Tara makes a comment that Rebecca calls out about her need to protect herself from failing relationships. The conversation comes to a halt when they both receive work text messages. JJ (AJ Cook) and Penelope (Kirsten Vangsness) talk on the phone as they get ready for work. They discuss JJ’s son’s upcoming birthday party. That conversation also is interrupted by a work text. 

Tyler Green (RJ Hatanaka) brings Rossi (Joe Mantegna) some files regarding Voit (Zach Gilford) that could help tie him to the network. As they talk, Rossi gets a text. The BAU has all been alerted that Voit has woken from his coma. Rossi, JJ and Luke (Adam Rodriquez) watch Voit from his hospital window as he learns to walk again with the help of a nurse. Meanwhile, Prentiss and Lewis talk with Dr. Julia Ochoa (Aimee Garcia). She explains the logistics of Voit’s amnesia as the pair are bewildered. The Voit they have known for all this time is seemingly gone. 

Back in his hospital room, Voit appears to have a hard time speaking as his nurse helps him walk around the room to regain mobility. He turns to see Rossi standing by the door. Not knowing who he is, Voit whispers, “Dad?” Rossi looks at him in pure shock and disgust. Although to audiences, this will be a funny moment as you remember the history between these two.

Back at the BAU, Rossi is outraged as the team discusses this news. Most have a hard time believing the amnesia is real. Rossi is certain if anyone could fake amnesia, it would be him. Tara brings up the science behind it and how reputable Dr. Ochoa is. The team talks through fears of what this means for their case on Voit as Tyler walks in with an update about tracking down Voit’s lawyer. Prentiss reveals due to the circumstances at hand and Tyler’s knowledge on Voit, his first assignment will be in DC. Meaning he gets to continue working with the BAU. 

Dr. Ochoa and Luke watch on as Tara talks to Voit. She asks questions that he types out on a tablet for her. He seems upset he cannot remember anything and Tara sympathizes. Dr Ochoa comes in to show him a slideshow of his family and name to see if it triggers any memory. He remains confused. Tara shows him Rossi’s photo and Voit still thinks that Rossi is his father. He happily talks about him. Luke is angered and amused. Tara is fully convinced while Luke continues not to believe while Dr Ochoa remains persistent in her stance. 

In her lair, Garcia helps Tyler sort through files to track down The Zookeeper’s’ website. Uploaded are clips and photos of women being treated like animals. Garcia says to Tyler when he offers to watch in her place she says, “It’s not about me, this is about saving her”.  The two tearfully watch the clips before they realize the website is similar to that of Elias Voit. The zookeeper had contact with him through his network before being caught. Garcia and Tyler present their findings to Prentiss, Rossi and JJ. They profile the logistics of the case. Prentiss splits the team up to continue working further on the case to help rescue this woman.

They establish the unsub targets sex workers and when we see him next, he is attempting to impress a woman. Doing her job, the woman, Tia (Sadie Stanley) plays into the role of flirting with him not knowing what fate is ahead for her. The unsub excuses himself to grab a rope. Before he wraps it around her neck, she checks in that he remembers her safe word. He immediately is pulling too tight and she struggles to get her safe word out before collapsing. “I’m not going to kill you, I need to tame you first” is eerily said before the scene cuts. 

Back in the BAU, Tara and Luke report back to Prentiss. Tara reveals she doesn’t think Voit is faking. Dr Ochoa has encouraged the BAU to continue to run various tests to prove the science in Voit’s memory loss. Prentiss claims she is going to need “a shit ton of science” to believe Voit. Luke parrots her response. This conversation is cut short when Garcia enters the office to tell them she may have identified more victims in the zookeeper case. They are unable to concretely verify these women were victims as there are no official reports. Due to being sex workers, Garcia brings up the system did not care to find them. This shows them how the zookeeper has been able to be active for as long as he has. 

Garcia and JJ interview the sister of one of the women they are looking for. Rossi makes a promise that JJ stares him down for. He promises to bring her sister back. As much as they can hope to do so, there is no guarantee she is alive. 

We see a glimpse into the mindset of the unsub. While on a phone call, he is left feeling out of control. He immediately makes an excuse to end the call and puts on his BDSM mask. In this transformation, he goes to ‘tame’ the woman he kidnapped, which gives him a sense of control. His previous victim, Sabrina (Taiana Tully) is now his accomplice and though Tia pleads with her to be let go, she is too far gone. She is ‘tamed’ to please the unsub. The unsub places himself in front of her cage and makes her watch the other woman take care of his needs. Sabrina shaves his beard with a straight razor and Tia pleads with her to just kill him. Once she is done, the unsub ends up slitting Sabrina’s throat with the razor as he no longer has need for her. Tia remains strong in his attempts to take away her power. She tells him her friends and family will be looking for her and the police will find him soon enough. He taunts her and reveals he used AI to create fake photos and messages to send to them. Thinking he broke her, he smiles smugly. However, Tia says, “I would rather die than ever be your plaything.”

The BAU discovers the zookeeper’s newest victim. So they conclude this means Sabrina has been killed. Rossi feels guilt for having promised her sister she would return. Garcia pulls up the AI photos and voice messages to show the team as the reasons she has not been reported missing. JJ slowly approaches the screen with a bubbling anger. She scoffs and says “deep fakes” before Tyler points out how this is similar to BAU-gate. Rossi is angered and storms off knowing Voit is the one who taught him. 

Rossi visits Voit in the hospital and the two face off in a heated argument. Rossi keeps repeating “zookeeper” to a confused Voit and walks closer. Rossi aggressively grabs Voit and yells it at him once more. Voit is shaken up after the encounter before Tara and Luke pull Rossi away. Rebecca tells the team that as soon as Voit acquires new council, the BAU will most likely be barred from future tests. She also reveals Voit gave his doctor a handwritten note to give to Rossi saying, “Dad, I’m sorry I made you mad.” It is possible Voit may not listen to advice from his legal team on this matter. Tara adds it seems there is improvement in Voit the more time he spends with Rossi, thinking it’s his father. Prentiss chimes in to say Rossi has made it clear he will never play into the father bit. For the time being, they pause that conversation and continue talking through the current case. Garcia uncovers important information and the team springs into action. Prentiss tells Tara to get going on the tests before they are banned. 

Rossi and JJ question Sabrina’s ex-boyfriend who got her into prostitution. Little by little they get information out of him. When they begin to describe the man they are looking for, he claims she had talked about him before. Back in his home, the unsub gets a call that the FBI was just at his office. They had questions about Sabrina and his friend wondered what he may have done. He lets him know they have a warrant and are on their way to his place. In a panic, he goes downstairs with the intention of killing Tia. He opens the cage and lunges at her. 

Tyler is set to arrive before Rossi and JJ, so they give him advice on the takedown. Rossi says they need him alive. Back in the basement, Tia fights for her life and beats Clyde, the zookeeper. As this is happening Tyler and a police team break into the house and Tia chokes Clyde with the same red rope he used on her. Tyler pleads with her to let him go and she does. She gets in a final kick before walking to safety. Clyde is able to grab the straight razor and slit his throat. Tyler tries to stop the bleeding but is unsuccessful. 

Rossi and Prentiss piece together Voit may not have shut down his network, just temporality paused it. In a plan too big for them to fully see now, they think he may have thought this through before being injured. Prentiss says the team will need to discuss that theory further when the whole team is in. She then sighs and says she has to notify the families of the victims but Rossi requests to talk to Sabrina’s sister himself. 

Garcia calls Tyler to check up on him in light of his first death on the job. He is clearly processing guilt. He feels that he let the team down because they wanted him alive. Garcia reminds him that feelings are not facts. She tells him he is exactly where he belongs on the team.

JJ sends her oldest son, Henry (Mekhai Anderson) off to school. He is being picked up by friends. As he walks off one of his friends shows him his phone and whispers “dude, is that your mom?” Assuming the worst of BAU-gate, JJ requests to see the phone. It ends up being an article about the BAU saving the day with her photo attached. The friend calls her a badass and she teases him for it. She heads inside her house to make coffee. Will (Josh Stewart) is in the kitchen and complains about a headache. She goes to pour him a cup of coffee as he sways and passes out. JJ catches his body and calls for an ambulance. 

Tara and Rebecca have another insightful conversation in their new home. Tara wonders if it is smart to try to unearth Voit’s memories. She says Rossi helping out will be the biggest key. Their conversion is interrupted by a text message to which both have a shocked reaction. At the BAU Prentiss and Rossi have a conversation where Rossi finally realizes he will need to play the father role with Voit. That conversation is halted by the same text Tara and Rebecca received. The team all show up to the hospital awaiting news about Will. They discuss his previous health problems brought up in season 16, but are confused as he seemed to be better. Tara reveals he has an aneurysm. When JJ walks out, they are hopeful for good news. However, her silence and somber face lets them know it is not. She says, “He’s gone, Will’s dead,” and the team stands stunned in silence.