Criminal Minds Season 16 Finale Image Spoils Major Character Return

Episode 9 of Criminal Minds: Evolution has left things complicated for the BAU and especially for David Rossi who has been kidnapped by the unsub of the season Elias Voit. The team now has a very limited amount of time to find Rossi in an abandoned container where Voit has imprisoned him. In addition, the bureaucratic grip on the unit is tightening. No wonder fans are eagerly awaiting the Season 1 finale with many questions running through their minds. Will Rossi survive? Will Sicarius be captured? Will he kill any of the other major characters? Will the BAU cease to exist?

And Paramount+ added to the anticipation with a very intriguing spoiler. A gallery of two images was released on Evolution's official Instagram account ahead of the finale, with the following caption: "Swipe for a surprise."

While the first image shows Rossi sitting in the container with a brooding expression, the second reveals a surprise reappearance of Rossi's late wife, Krystal.

Krystall was a recurring character in several seasons of Criminal Minds. After her and Rossi's drunken Vegas marriage and subsequent annulment, the two stayed in touch and gradually grew closer, rekindling their relationship and remarrying in Season 14. Unfortunately, their second marriage did not last long. Krystal had died a year before the events of Evolution, and throughout the season, Rossi had a hard time accepting it. Episode 9 showed flashbacks to the day of Krystal's funeral, and now the finale will reunite the couple.

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Since Krystall is dead, it is most likely that Rossi will see her in a vision of sorts, just as Derek Morgan saw his father when he was being tortured by an unsub in Season 11. Derek used the vision to work through his feelings about his late father's death and come up with a plan to escape. The same will likely happen to Rossi.

Rossi's season arc revolved around the death of Krystall. The agent seemed to be going through the cycle of acceptance, starting with depression in Episode 1 and coming to acceptance in the finale. The vision of his late wife will undoubtedly help him accept her death and finally move on.

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In addition, the vision could help Rossi devise a plan to escape Voit and win him at his twisted games. What does the surprise cameo really mean? Finale will reveal.