‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’: RJ Hatanaka Talks Tyler & Voit, Trusting No One & More

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 6 “Hell Is Empty…”]

The UnSub (Aaron Stanford) of the Thursday, June 12, episode of Criminal Minds: Evolution has to make any list of most disturbing ones yet — he buries his daughter alive! Fortunately, the BAU saves her in time.

Meanwhile, they continue to work with Voit (Zach Gilford) on unlocking his memory of the network — his brain scans continue to show he’s no longer a psychopath, even after he takes on the Sicarius persona to get the message from Episode 5’s UnSub, Ronald (Winter Andrews): “Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.” During this episode, the team discovers personal connections between Voit and the UnSubs so far: Franklin killed his own family at the same age Voit killed his, Clyde was locked in a cage as a kid like Voit was in a closet, and the latest: Kyle, is going through a messy divorce like Voit and his wife nearly did (and he shared on his network). Plus, Tyler (RJ Hatanaka) sits down with Voit and gets the answers he’s wanted about his sister. The episode ends with the BAU getting one of those creepy masks delivered to their front door.

Below, RJ Hatanaka discusses those Tyler and Voit scenes, the mask, if we should trust Rebecca’s (Nicole Pacent) old friend (Geoff Stults) who just seems maybe too nice and is there right before the package is delivered, and more.

This episode asks, more than any other this season so far, if the old Voit is still in there, given what we see from him in the interrogation room with Ronald. Tyler even says it’s not the same Voit as his last run-in with him, but how much does he believe that Voit has changed?

RJ Hatanaka: That’s the big question. I think Zach as an actor is riding that line really nicely, and I think that the team trying to assess all that stuff; we’re coming at it from a couple of different ways. I think Tyler, because of all his personal experience with Voit and the history between them when they come face to face, that’s a very intense moment, and he is really looking and watching whether Voit gives away any of his past behavior. So I think that they’re starting to kind of unravel where he’s at. They already know that being in proximity to people triggers something in him and having a personal connection triggers something else. So it’s a very interesting balance that the writers are trying to find and all the actors are riding as well.

Tyler volunteers to talk to Voit and then tells Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) it’s about being an asset to the team, but he does also end up getting answers that he needed. So in that moment when he says he’ll talk to him, how much is it about helping as a member of the team and how much is he thinking he can help himself?

I think that the conversation that Tyler had with Prentiss [Paget Brewster] at the end of Episode 4 on the plane was a big moment for him. I think that he truly is trying to figure out how he can be an asset to this team. It’s a very strong team with people with wide-ranging skill sets. So what can he actually bring that kind of differentiates himself? And the intensity of what he’s gone through in his irregular path onto the BAU, I think, puts him in a unique situation to try and help this team by going face to face with Voit. I always do think that the push and pull with Tyler is — he’s got a lot coming back from what he’s been through with Voit. I mean, how do you do that? How do you start to do that? So there’s always, I think, that darkness that crops up in him, and Voit has a line in this, too. You can’t hide the darkness that’s inside you or a dark history or something like that. And I think that those scenes with Zach are nice because he always kind of sticks the knife in and twists it a little bit. And it’s up to Tyler whether to explode or whether to use what he’s learned by being on the BAU to moderate his emotions.

I was going to bring up the fact that Voit brings up that inner darkness in Tyler, which Tyler says he put there. But how does Tyler view that darkness and how that’s affected him? What does that mean for who he is now, especially as he is trying to do things with a badge?

I think that the losses and the mistakes that he makes early in the season really help to inform his path throughout this year. And I think it’s a very quick learning curve as it has to be in a job like this because there are real consequences, and there’s certainly some self-doubt this season for Tyler. This season is just kind of a reengagement with his new life, and I think he doesn’t even really know how this happened, and it happened so quickly. And I think on one side, he can’t even understand kind of how lucky he is to be with this amazing group of people, but there still is that darkness certainly. And he’s always fighting that off as trauma does. It doesn’t necessarily just fix itself. It’s a constant reengagement that you have to have with it.

The start of his BAU career has been rough…

It has been rough. But you know what? I think that there’s so much loss on this team. I’m a big fan of the show, and each character throughout these 18 seasons, they all go through so much. And that’s the question, right? That’s, I think, the psychological kind of human question that has fans so crazy about the show after 20 years, is how do you reengage with the pain in your life? How do you come up against these difficult decisions? How do you come up against the fact that humanity is sometimes dark? And how do you find the joy in that? And the BAU seems to do that together in a really nice way.

How does Tyler feel about Voit seeing that darkness in him?

I think that a lot of what Tyler’s trying to do is represent himself in a certain way. And so moments like that where Voit sees who he is, on one hand, it makes sense. They know each other on such an irregular personal level, but I think that that really knocks him off balance here and there. And it just takes some maturity that he now has a little bit of to reengage with what he’s actually trying to accomplish. And he gets there in this episode, which is a big moment for him.

Tyler and Voit do talk about his sister. In theory, it should have given Tyler some sort of closure, but how is Tyler feeling about it? Does he regret asking how he did it?

I think that with the support that he’s gotten from the BAU, he’s stronger than he ever has been — certainly stronger than when he was on his own. So I think back in the day, back in Season 16 when we meet Tyler, had he gotten that information, he probably would’ve just lost it. He says in Season 16 that he was on a one-way path with this whole thing with his sister and Voit. And now with the maturity that he’s built and the support of his team, I think he’s OK. I think he asked the question purposefully, and I think that he knows that the answer is going to hurt, but it’s worth it to try and figure out this scenario and try and figure out who this UnSub is and where he is. And the fact that they saved the little girl at the end kind of makes the whole thing worth it, right?

Yeah, and speaking of, being buried alive is bad enough, but oh my God…

Audrina Miranda was excellent.

Of course Criminal Minds would do this, with burying victims alive. 

In the next few episodes, too…There’s always stuff in this show that you’re just like, “Oof,” and as a little teaser, too — we recently had the table read for Episode 1 of Season 19, and afterwards, everyone just kind of turned to each other and they’re like, “Oh my God.” So it keeps coming, keeps getting better. So fans should be excited.

Talk about filming those Tyler and Voit scenes with Zach, with him playing this new Voit and adjusting that dynamic.

Yeah, Zach’s great to work with. I think that holding the screen with someone like Zach is, it just is a great challenge and just a really fun day. I think that he has such a strong arc this season and so does Tyler, that the two kind of meeting at this crux will prove to be a very important moment for Tyler in the future and a great unique challenge, which is really what it’s all about, right?

Are there more Tyler and Voit scenes coming this season as significant as what we got in this episode?

There are a few more. He’s always around and always giving the team some unique challenges. So, yeah, there’s a lot more to come, let’s put it that way.

Let’s talk about that Yase-Otoko mask that was delivered to the team. We know what it represents (a ghost who suffers in hell). The fact that it was delivered to the BAU is chilling. Can you say if this is leading to the next UnSub, if it’s connected to Ronald or Voit, or if it’s something else entirely?

I can say that this network of UnSubs, the network of Voit being activated here is a real problem. And throughout the rest of the season, the BAU really has to scramble and do some of their best work to try and figure out where this is all coming from, where the mask conversation is stemming from, and what the actual force bringing all these people to the surface is. Is it the fact that they’re restless with Voit being in custody? Is it something else entirely? So it’s a really interesting last few episodes. I can’t believe we’re getting down to already, I mean, there’s only what, four more in Season 18? Fans are going to love it. Truly, it’s a very strong end to the season.

What can you say about what the mask being delivered to the BAU means? Is it just a message? Is it a threat for something that’s coming up?

That is something that’s discussed in Episode 7, exactly what it means. So I won’t give away that, but yeah, it’s a very strong message. I’ll put it that way. It’s a very strong message and it really ups the ante in terms of the timeline that people have to figure out what’s going on.

Are there more packages coming?

There is more…. That’s a good question. There’s more…. Oof.

How about, are they thinking that there could be more packages coming? 

I think that what is coming in and out of the building and the places that the BAU has their eye on is certainly something that comes up in the next few episodes. That’s very vague. I understand. But you’ll see.

When I spoke with Zach last week, he said that the UnSub in Episode 7 is the most messed up that you’ve done so far. Would you agree? And what can you tease?

I can tease that I agree. I can tease that it really is going to make a lot of people squirm. A.J. [Cook] directed Episode 7. It’s a great, great episode. I’m out in the field for a lot of it, and we come up against some stuff that’s pretty chilling. I would agree with Zach’s assessment.

Rebecca’s old friend seems nice, maybe too nice. I trust no one on Criminal Minds who comes into the BAU’s lives. And the timing of his introduction and then the delivery of the mask… I could be totally off. But will he be back? And is there anything you can say about that character?

Yeah, I think Geoff Stults does a really good job with that character. I can say that Tyler’s where you are in terms of, I don’t think he trusts new people coming in and out, too. He deeply trusts the BAU because they saved his life in a lot of ways. But new people coming in and out present some challenges, and especially in a time like this where security is a question. I think that that is something that the team comes up against in the next few episodes, especially.

Because they’re living in a world where it’s like, can they kind of trust Voit in a way more than some other people?

Yeah, and it’s such a psychological, complex kind of process that you have to go through, right? It’s like, whether to trust Voit is a huge question this season. And then as other people come in, it’s just adding to it. So the writers did a really, really good job this season, and in terms of who to trust and always planting that doubt in the characters, for sure.

Tyler and Garcia have seemingly settled into being friends and coworkers. How are they doing going forward? Is there a possibility of them getting back together or do you think they have firmly left romance in the past?

I think never say never. Kirsten is wonderful to work with. She’s such a unique person, unique personality, and I’m very grateful to her because that first season that I was on the show, I was recurring and my time spent with her really allowed me to get comfortable and find a place on this show. I think that that allowed me to expand my role, and people saw that. I love working with her in any capacity. So we’ll see what the writers have in store. I’m at the point now — This is my fourth season working on the show. These writers are wonderful. They really, really care about the characters. They’ve been doing this for a long time. So I’m down for whatever storyline they present.

What can you preview about the finale and how it sets up Season 19?

It’s a powerful finale. There’s big payoff for Season 18, so I think people will be really, really happy about that. And yeah, it all ties together very, very nicely while setting up some serious, unique possibilities for Season 19.

Criminal Minds: Evolution, Thursdays, Paramount+