Criminal Minds Season 19 Episode 4 Introduces Connor Storrie’s Lance in an Explosive Way

Critic’s Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

3.5

It was pretty much always a given that people were tuning into Criminal Minds Season 19 Episode 4 for Connor Storrie.

This was a chance to see the Heated Rivalry star prove he has what it takes to go up against some of the heavy hitters on TV, and he did not disappoint.

The case of the week, though, had a lot to be desired, opting for old tropes, as we went on a witch hunt.

The BAU Tackles a Case I Swear They’ve Had Before

We get a case that involves a guy going on a witch hunt, and I swear we’ve had this happen before.

I guess it’s always going to be difficult for the Criminal Minds writers to avoid every single type of UnSub they’ve had in the past, but this just felt like everything was the same.

Haven’t we had men go on witch hunts in the past? Haven’t we had UnSubs attack spouses and make them watch the torture inflicted on each other?

In fact, the Criminal Minds Season 19 premiere gave us something similar, with incels capturing couples and inflicting their own torture on them.

What didn’t make sense was that there was a survivor who wasn’t even able to give much insight into his wife’s killer.

This UnSub didn’t even wear a mask. Although he was a little bit of a “generic white guy,” so it makes sense that there wasn’t much of a description.

Overall, the case was one of those that was on the forgettable side. I had to even look at the title of the episode to remember the case of the week. That’s how forgettable it was.

The one thing it offered was more mentorship for Tyler, and I’ve loved the way that Rossi and Prentiss have taken him under their wings.

Tyler wants to be a good profiler, but he’s got a lot to learn.

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a new profiler come to the team and learn the intricate ways of figuring out who the UnSub could be.

I miss those earlier days, so I’m seated whenever Tyler kicks himself for not getting a profile right or for not seeing something the more seasoned professionals do.

While some seasoned team members in this genre might get annoyed by questions and mistakes, Rossi and Prentiss know what it’s like to learn.

They know the value of experience, which means trusting their gut when it speaks, even if it doesn’t make sense at first.

It’s the lesson at the very end that I adore most, as Tyler wishes he had listened to his gut sooner so he could have helped more people.

They can’t think like that, and I think it’s something every Criminal Minds fan has considered over the seasons.

How do you live with knowing that if you were a day earlier in figuring out the profile, you could have saved more people?

It turns out that they don’t live with the glass-half-empty mindset. They throw away the glass!

I just hope we see some development in Tyler from this point, because his overzealous nature will get tiring quickly if he doesn’t take this lesson to heart.

Connor Storrie Shows Why His Role Was Increased

When the Heated Rivalry star was initially cast on Criminal Minds Season 19, it was before the Canadian hockey drama came out.

Showrunner Erica Messer didn’t really know who she had on her hands, and Lance was only supposed to be a one-episode character.

Then Storrie excelled against the likes of AJ Cook and Adam Rodriguez (who have the sweetest moment when it comes to Henry), showing that his role needed to be extended.

Sure, the role itself is a pretty standard “angry white guy” one, which we see all the time on Criminal Minds, but seeing Storrie go from playing a cocky, confident Russian hockey player to a dangerous, threatening potential UnSub was pretty impressive.

It makes me interested in seeing what comes next and how this role was expanded.

Right now, it’s pretty clear that Lance isn’t The Fan that the BAU is now after, the one sending these threats to Voit, but there now has to be more to this character’s story.

He’s angry, and he hates that the photos he took ended up in the BAU’s hands. Finding out that someone hacked his computer to get to them is sure to set off a trigger that puts him back on the BAU’s radar.

For now, we know Lance isn’t The Fan. That means there is still someone dedicated enough to type “I am not pathetic” on a traditional typewriter.

Now, that is obsessive, but it means that we’re getting more and more of Voit, and it’s time for his arc to come to an end.

I loved getting a full season with an UnSub when Criminal Minds: Evolution was first developed, and I didn’t mind continuing his storyline in the second season of the revival.

At this point, I’m not sure there is any redemption for Voit, but that’s not what I really want to see. 

If we are going to get more of Voit, I want to see more debate on studying psychopathy and the idea of him sharing his story. 

Is he really helping to avoid other people like him, or is he setting up a game plan for future versions of him? Both facts are true.

This is the reason I got into Criminal Minds back in the day: I’m fascinated by anything related to psychology, and it’s been the scenes between Voit and Tara as they discuss this that have really piqued my interest.

It’s clear that some people have been following Voit’s story as a how-to manual, but without studying serial killers, the BAU couldn’t save as many people as they do episode after episode.

Just because you put one psychopath behind bars doesn’t mean there isn’t another one out there, and the next one could be far more dangerous, and this is the type of episode-long arc that I’m here for, especially with the way we haven’t seen The Fan’s face yet.

Let’s just end it with that I’ll be taking over the review coverage for Criminal Minds: Evolution at this point, and I’m ready to see where the show goes with Storrie’s character and The Fan.

Let’s hear it fellow Criminal Minds fans!
Did this episode have you hooked on The Fan? What did you think of Connor Storrie’s role? Are you done with the Voit storyline already? Share all your thoughts — good and bad — in the comments below.