S16E6 - “True Conviction”

Recap by Cat from CmCrazies!

The episode opens with fire and debris across the grass, from the explosion we saw in episode 5. We then cut to the BAU in the round table room., where the team is scrambling for information on what has happened. Garica has a switch moment where she thinks she can get their cameras to turn back on. We see Rossi and Garica rushing to her office and we see Garcia working her magic on her computer, and on comes JJ’s body cam. JJ is laying on the ground; she seems to be injured and trying to place where she is. She manages to get up and starts to look for Luke.

We then go back to Prentiss, Tara, and Doug. Prentis tells Doug that they need to get to Georgia. She asks him to use the BAU’s private jet saying “now is the time.” Doug offers to dispatch the Atlanta field office, and Prentis convinces him to allow the BAU to take the jet. We see them entering the elevator, where we finally get the here the first “wheels up” of the new season! We see Emily, Tara and Rossi sat in separate places on the jet, which is new and improved. The private jet definitely had an upgrade. They are all sat in silence, worried about their team members. 

Cut bak to the explosion- JJ finds Luke and is able to wake him up. We then cut to a conspicuous car parked near the explosion site, which no one seemed to have picked up on. Daddy Voit is hunkered down inside, clearly checking the crime scene to see who survived. We get the opening quote for this episode (“people who believe that they’re strong-willed, and  the masters of their destiny can only continue to believe this by becoming specialists in self-depiction” - James Baldwin).

We see Daddy Voit calling his wife Sydney. He gets her voicemail. He tells her that he loves her and he can’t wait to see her and the kids. We then see Daddy Voit search for a location on his tablet (Falls Lake, NC). Sort of a Google Maps situation. He chooses a route and heads off.

Cut to a flashback scene. There is no specific year stated. We see a young Elias Voit (around 12/13 years old) running through the woods, pursued by someone. He is eventually caught and hit on the back of the head. The man who captures him we later learn is Voit’s uncle Cyrus Lebrun, the man we saw a flashback of in episode 4 talking about “rules”. We then see young Elias being locked in a cupboard with a dead cat. We see time pass and food being slid under the door.

Then we see young Elias laying in bed, and his uncle Cyrus bringing him a mac and cheese meal. Cyrus reminds Elias that the court has granted him custody- so it’s Cyrus or a group home. Cyrus lays the ground rules for his nephew and tells him about a study where dogs were kept in cages and tortured. Cyrus tells Elias that eventually the dogs give up and accept their fate, meaning that Elias has no choice but to give in.

We cut back to JJ and Luke. It’s the next morning, and they’re being cared for by an ambulance. If you were at all worried about their well-being, you should not have been. Both JJ and Luke are perfectly fine and only have mild injuries. This is odd as they were literally blown up by Voit! Like… literally blown up! They don’t even go to the hospital. They get right back to work. Ridiculous.

The rest of the BAU arrives at the crime scene. When asked how JJ and Luke got out, JJ explains that Voit called a phone located somewhere inside the storage container multiple times. While they didn’t answer the phone, this signaled to Luke that Voit was warning them that the storage container was about to explode. So because Voit called, Luke told JJ about the bomb, and they hurried outside. This was not portrayed well at all in episode 5. We did hear the phone ringing one time, but this was not clarified.

The BAU realizes that Voit must have detonated the bomb and made the phone call from nearby. They split up and discover an abandoned car with a deceased Benjamin Reeves in it, looking as if he has died from suicide.

Back with Daddy- he is sitting at a petrol station (or what you call a gas station) listening to “Spirit in the sky” by Norman Greenbaum. This takes us back to another flashback scene, a young Elias sat in the back of a truck listening to the song on the radio. Uncle Cyrus is there and tells “Lee” to turn the volume down. Cyrus teaches Lee about disposing of bodies, as he has murdered someone and has the body in the back of his truck. We learn that Cyrus never kidnaps or kills people with a connection to him (something he imparted on Voit).

Back at the shipping container- we see a crime scene unit inside the unit, where they find what looks to be an early kill kit. Prentiss gets a call from a not so happy Depty Doug, who basically tells her they have to pin the Sicarius murders on Benjamin Reeves because the DOJ wants to close the case. The BAU is running out of time.

Back at Quantico! Information about bodies found in the shipping containers is being processed, and Garcia is alerted that Allison Green’s body has been found. Remember, Allison is the sister of Tyler Green, who is the BAU’s informant. Garcia then breaks the news to Tyler about his sister, and he, understandably, takes the news hard.

We skip the BAU on the jet, JJ and Luke make jokes about having the jet back. They found half a dozen stalker photos that survived the shipping container explosion inside a haeberlin case. One of the photos in the case is that of Maria Jones, a woman who was murdered twenty years ago in North Carolina. Maria’s boyfriend, a man named Silvio Herrerra, confessed to killing her. Silvio is currently on death row awaiting execution. Executions were paused due to COVID, but coincidentally, Silvio is scheduled to be killed in forty-eight hours. d currently on death row awaiting execution in 48 hours. The photo of Maria that the BAU has, it timestamped after her death, suggesting that she may have not been murdered the way the state believes she was killed. The BAU, of course, thinks Sicarius is involved somehow.

On the plane, Prentis corners Tara in the breakroom. She mentions that she noticed an “R. Wilson” was involved with prosecuting and ultimately sentencing Silvio Herrera. Tara tells Prentis that “R. Wilson” stands for Rebecca, as in, Tara’s girlfriend Rebecca from the DOJ. Tara also tells Prentis that Silvio’s conviction is what “made Rebecca’s career.” Prentis questions Tara’s ability to work on the case, although Tara insists that it’s not a conflict of interest.

We go back to the Quantico field office, where we see Tyler Green leave a room in normal clothes. And Garica is waiting for him, and we learn that Tyler is a free man. Garcia says: “It’s amazing what cooperating will get you!” Tyler asks about Sicaruis, and Garica explains how the BAU has hit a wall in the investigation but assures him that they will continue to move forward. Tyler does not seem satisfied with this remark, and we don’t really understand why Garcia says that they’ve hit a wall, because they’re turning up with new information every day. They literally just got the Maria Jones lead, but whatever. Tyler is obviously distressed, and he leaves. Garcia realizes that he’s upset and probably shouldn’t be left to his own devices, but it’s too late, and Tyler is already in the elevator and leaving the building.

We see Slivo being handcuffed to a table in an interrogation room. Prentis and Luke enter and begin to question him about Maria. Silvio just shrugs them off and is very aggressive when he’s questioned. Prentis shows him a picture of a dilapidated house and asks him if this is where he murdered Maria. Silvio heartily agrees that he took her to the location in the picture and killed her. Prentis then goes: “Silvio. This is an abandoned house in Ireland.” Silvio refuses to talk any more and insists that he’s ready and willing to die.

We then go back to the bullpen, and JJ gets a facetime call from Will. She tells him how sorry she is for breaking the pinky promise of speaking to him before getting involved in a dangerous situation. Because, you know, she literally was blown up, but it’s okay, she’s fine. Will fell asleep putting Michael to bed and promises this won’t ever happen again and I’m like… how can you promise that? Anyways, Will tells JJ that her family is behind her and supports her 100%.

In the round table room, we see Garcia and Rossi putting together a victim board. They compare and contrast the victims from the first and second shipping containers. Apparently, Sicaruius used the same kill methods in both containers, and may have even refined his murders. For example, one victim in the first shipping container had spiders poured down her throat, but these spiders were not as deadly as the Sicarius spiders. Daddy then upgraded to Sicarius spiders with the second container.

In the middle of all this, Garcia gets a call on her cellphone and tells the rest of the team that she has to leave. We cut to Garcia helping a drunk and beaten-up Tyler Green into her apartment. Apparently, Tyler got into a fight with someone at a bar who called him a terrorist. Garcia is upset with herself for letting Tyler leave Quantico, because she sympathizes with him, knowing what it’s like to lose a family member. Even though Allison Green has been missing for years, there was a chance that she was still alive. Having her DNA found in the shipping container and confirming her death has sent Tyler into a spiral. Garcia sets Tyler up on her couch with a cute ice pack and a trash can. She is going to work from home the rest of the day to take care of him.

Daddy Voit is back in a cabin in the middle of the woods in North Carolina. He takes off his shirt, and we see a large scar on his shoulder. He touches the scar, and we flashback again. We’re inside Cyrus’ cabin, and Daddy is older. He’s meant to be around seventeen or eighteen, but it’s literally Zach Gilford in a long t-shirt and badly gelled hair. Like… the man can act… but he’s forty years old. You can’t erase twenty years by dressing him silly. Anyways, “young” Voit is reading David Rossi’s book “Deviance”.

We see that Maria Jones is chained up on the floor a couple feet away from young Voit. She asks his name and he tells her Lee, and she tries to get him to free her. It’s clear she’s been chained up for some time, and she promises that she won’t tell the police anything. Voit agrees to release her, and just as he does, she attacks him with some sort of metal object. She stabs him and tries to kill him, but only manages to hit his shoulder (thus the scar we just saw). Just as it’s looking grim for Voit, Cyrus shows up and kills Maria by stabbing her to death. He then smacks Daddy and screams at him.

Back at the BAU, we see Tara, luke and Prentisdiscussing the Silvio Herrea case. During the time of his arrest, Silvio belonged to the “mala noche” gang, a violent gang. However, there are no records of Silvio being violent or murdering anyone in the past. His records show that he was involved with drug dealing. An escalation of murder from drug dealing puzzles the BAU. Rebecca comes into the room and gets heated with Tara, demanding to know when Tara was going to mention to her that the BAU is looking into Silvio’s case. Unsure how Rebecca found out that the BAU pulled Silvio’s file, but whatever. Rebecca and Tara speak privately and Tara tells her girlfriend that she is questioning Silvio’s guilt. Rebecca is insistent that Silvio is the man who murdered Maria Jones. They are at an impasse.

In the round table room, JJ is on a video call with Garcia. They discuss the lifestyles of the victims in both the shipping containers. The main takeaway is that the victims from the second container were all parents.

Luke and Emily go through Silvio Harrera’s belongings from jail. Tara joins them and says that she does not want to talk about her imploding relationship but wants to focus on the case. Thankfully, they respect this. Silvio did not have any visitors in jail or many letters, but he did get pictures of the same man every year from up and down the eastern seaboard. We later learn that the man in the pictures is named Juan Gutierrez. On the back of the pictures is a part of the catholic confessional prayer. “I confess to almighty god and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I’ve sinned, through my own fault, in my thoughts, and in my words, in what I have done, and what I have failed to do.”

We jump to Emily and Luke back in the integration room with Silvio. They have the photographs of Juan that were being sent to Silvio in jail. Luke asks who this man is, and Silvio plays hardball. Prentis then tells Silvio that the BAU was struggling to understand why someone would confess to a crime they haven’t committed. Prentis says: “I’m going to be completely honest with you. When we brought you here, we thought you were protecting a killer. But you know what I think now? I think you were protecting him (meaning Juan) from one.”

Tara then enters the room and asks for a minute alone with Silvio. Luke and Prentis reluctantly leave. Tara then opens up to Silvio about her struggle with her own sexuality. Tara believes Silvio is gay and that Juan is someone he had a romantic relationship with. Tara points out that being involved in Mala Noche likely forced Silvio to uphold the values of Machismo and may have discouraged him from being open about his own sexuality. Silvio confirms what Tara suspects but refuses to get into the details of anything.

Garica locates Juan Gutierrez. We learn that Juan was Silvio’s right-hand man for drug distribution within Mala Noche. Juan went off the grid after Silvio’s incarceration. Garcia found him, though. A moan is heard from Garcia’s side of the video call, and she brushes it off and makes a comment about her cat. We know, however, that the moan was from Tyler Green! Garcia disconnects the call.

In Garcia’s apartment, Tyler has brought Garcia a mug of tea. He’s definitely sobered up, and he’s really grateful for Garcia’s help. They open up to one another about losing siblings. Sparks are flying! Tyler leans in for a kiss, and Garcia jumps up and freaks out. She tells him that they need to go for a walk and get some fresh air, and be in public!

We get another flashback scene. We see young Lee and Cyrus, watching as sirens go past. Cyrus is suspicious about the police activity, claiming that there has never been this much activity before. He tells Lee that he’s covered his tracks for Maria’s death and has a fall guy. And then we immediately cut to another flashback scene, several days later, Lee packing a bag and preparing to finally leave his uncle’s house. Cyrus starts yelling at Lee and gets into a physical altercation with Lee. Lee pins Cyrus to the ground and almost kills him but stops at the last minute. Cyrus tells Lee that he made a smart choice, because, remember, there are rules! You can’t kill people you know, because the police can connect you to the crimes. Anyways, Lee leaves, but he does take some stalker photos with him, including the photo of Maria Jones we saw earlier this episode.

Cutting back the BAU we see Emily, Luke, and Tara speaking with Juan Guretrriez about the new evidence that has come to light in Silvio’s case. Juan is confident that Silvio is innocent because, on the night of Maria’s murder, Juan and Silvio were at a club together. Their first public appearance as a couple. Juan has photos of the two men together at the club. Juan repeatedly told Silvio that he would hand over the photos to the police, but Silvio refused. Juan tells the BAU that he will help free Silvio in any way necessary. The BAU is now confident of Silvio’s innocence.

Up pops Deputy Doug. He tells the BAU that Silvio is still refusing to cooperate and insisting that he is guilty of Maria’s murder. He is scheduled for execution and will die. The only way to save an innocent man is for someone on the original case to talk to the attorney general about Silvio’s innocence. Tara agrees to talk to Rebecca. We cut immediately to Tara and Rebecca. Tara explains everything to Rebecca, who agrees to talk to the attorney general. However, she still feels betrayed by Tara and tells Tara that the relationship is over.

We skip to Tyler and Garcia walking around. They walk around the area where Allison used to work, a diner called Delilah’s, which we heard about in an earlier episode. Delilah’s is no longer there but used to be on a street called Oak Street, which used to be called Second Street. Garcia has an epiphany about the case and tells Tyler she has to go back to the BAU. She hails a taxi and is about to run off when she hurries back to Tyler and smooches him. She gives him the keys to her apartment and tells him that she will see him later.

Back at Quantico, Rebecca talked to the DOJ and Attorney General, and they are dropping the Silvio Herrera case. Rebecca is under review for her handling of the case. She tells Tara that she knows freeing Silvio was the right move, but she’s still upset about everything.

Back in the conference room, Rossi has a theory that Sicarius is actually a father based on the fact that all the victims in the second shipping container were parents. Garcia then comes barging in with her theory- that Sicarius has trauma involving the location of “Second Street.” Apparently, all the victims in the second shipping container lived or worked around Second Street. The team is at first confused (I am too) but then is like, ah yes, second street. The most common street in the US! Yes, actually, we didn’t notice before, but all the victims lived or worked on Second Street. Garcia is correct!

Finally, we cut back to Cyrus’ cabin in the woods. Cyrus is older and in ill health. He’s sitting in armchair with an IV bag in his arm. Daddy Voit reveals himself, and Cyrus is all: “Well, well, well. The prodigal son returns after 20 years.” Cyrus then puts together that Voit is Sicarius. Then Cyrus asks about Daddy’s family, and tells Daddy that family is always what gets you killed. Indicating that in his own fucked up way, Cyrus did genuinely care for Lee. Cyrus asks Daddy if he came here to kill him, reminding him that Lee can be linked to Cyrus. Daddy then reveals that he killed Cyrus by slipping some naproxen in his IV. This was off-camera I guess? So naproxen will make it look like Cyrus died from kidney failure? Anyways, that’s the end of the episode.