‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Reveals Why Prentiss & Mendoza Broke Up

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 5 “The Brutal Man.”]

We’ll be honest: We never could have predicted the revelation in the latest Criminal Minds: Evolution episode, which began streaming on Paramount+ on Thursday, June 5.

JJ (A.J. Cook) returned to work and insisted she join the BAU in the field on their latest case, hunting down the UnSub known as the Brutal Man, with Prentiss (Paget Brewster), clearly very worried for her friend following the sudden death of her husband, only reluctantly agreeing. “You told me to prioritize myself, and that’s what I’m doing, I am prioritizing myself, and I need to get back to work. I need it,” JJ explained.