Criminal Minds' Season 19 Finale: [Spoiler] Is Gone! Hear From The Exiting Cast Member

This post contains spoilers from Thursday's "Criminal Minds: Evolution" finale. Proceed accordingly.

The serial killer formerly known as Sicarius won't be the Behavioral Analysis Unit's problem any longer: As of the Season 19 finale, which began streaming today, "Criminal Minds: Evolution" villain-turned-resource Elias Voit, played by Zach Gilford, has left the building.

The season's final hour found Voit-obsessed serial murderer James Crowley, aka The Fan (Justin Kirk), kidnapping Voit's daughter, Holly, to lure her dad into escaping from prison. When Voit rode to her rescue, he nearly became one of Crowley's victims, himself... until Holly killed Crowley, saving her father.

Knowing that the truth's getting out would affect Holly's life forever, Voit made it look like he'd ended Crowley's life. And though Rossi knew that his longtime nemesis hadn't actually committed the killing, he held up Voit's version of events when questioned by FBI Director Ray Madison (a returning Clark Gregg).

Voit was transferred from FCI Butner to an undisclosed, high security federal penitentiary to serve the rest of his 64 consecutive life sentences.

"So, does this mean it's all over? That we've seen the last of Voit?" Tyler asked during a debrief. "As far as Director Madison is concerned, Elias Voit shall not darken the door of the BAU ever again," Rebecca reported.

Of course, we had to check in with Gilford — who joined the procedural in Season 16 as its continuation debuted on Paramount+ — to see if his polarizing character was really finished. Read on to hear what Gilford, whose other TV credits include "Friday Night Lights" and "Midnight Mass," had to say.

TVLINE | Are you done with the show for now?
ZACH GILFORD | I'm done, definitely for now, sadly, I think for the BAU it means they're not gonna solve any crimes. [Laughs] I don't know what they're gonna do.

TVLINE | They did spend an awful lot of time consulting with him over the past few seasons.
Yeah. I'm like, "Guys, what, what did you get hired for?" [Laughs]

TVLINE | All kidding aside, he has become kind of an ancillary BAU member, right? Do you think he ever saw himself that way? Do you think he found some purpose in being part of this effort?
Not until this last season. Before, he just looked down his nose at these people and was just always trying to outsmart them — which he usually always did. But this season, he's definitely looking for some sort of... I don't even think he's looking for redemption. I think he's just trying to do what he thinks is right, and, and not even right wrongs, but mitigate the repercussions of his past actions.

TVLINE | When the fan shows him the photo of his family, it seems like that changes a lot for him. Accurate?
Yes, very accurate. It's kind of funny. There was a big discussion around that photo. When we shot the first scene, they didn't have the photo, they didn't know what it was going to be. They're like, "It's a photo of his family. " I'm like, "Well, [Crowley] could have gotten this off Facebook. Like, what's this mean?" [Laughs] It was like such an ordeal, figuring out what this photo was and why. Because I was like, "He's in the news. Everyone knows he has a family. He's not anonymous. Cool, like, you printed up a picture of my family?" ... They're like, "Ultimately, it's gonna make sense." And I've worked in TV enough, I was like, "I know it will. I just want to raise the question. Anyone could get a photo of my family!" [Laughs]

TVLINE | I thought it was interesting, when Voit calls to say goodbye to Rossi, the way Rossi speaks to him on that call is so different from the way Rossi speaks to him in his head.
I think the reason why Rossi is in Voit's head is because he's the only person that he respects as kind of his mental rival. And within that, we all speak so harshly to ourselves; Joe [Mantegna] did a great job this season of like, really, antagonizing Voit when he's in his head and laughing at him. Our inner critics are so hard on us, and having it be Rossi — the only person that Voit kind of respects, even though he doesn't want to admit it — it's kind of a father figure. It's perfect that he's just so harsh on him and always calling him an idiot, because clearly Voit has daddy issues. [Laughs]

TVLINE | Holly saves the day, but does it by murdering someone. For Voit, I would imagine that might be his worst nightmare, seeing this action play out via his kid. Talk to me about that.
Yeah. I think it's always been lurking in the back of his head, like going back to Season 2, when he finds out that she's been cutting. And he's like, "Well, what kind of cuts? Is it this? Is it for attention?" Because he's always been terrified his kids will be like him. And I really should have done more research — I don't think serial killing is a genetic trait — but I imagine if you are a serial killer and you don't want to be one, you want to be a good dad, you're scared you're going to pass that on to your kids.

TVLINE | Well, we see her ask Crowley about that, too.
[For Voit], I think it's more just like, "Man, like, look at the position I've put my daughter in. All this bull***t I've done my whole life has now put my daughter in a spot where she has to kill someone." I think it's more that than, "Oh no, is my daughter a murderer?"

TVLINE | Earlier this season, we saw Rossi go hard on Penelope for speaking in Voit's favor. But at the end of the episode, Rossi's decision to lie for Voit essentially is the reason Voit doesn't get a harsher punishment. When they first met, do you think your character ever would have dreamed that Rossi would stand up for him in that way? 6:41: No. No, in no way — and I don't think Rossi ever would have dreamed it either. I think what the audience has seen over four years is also what Rossi has seen over four seasons: that this person has changed and they are remorseful and they want to do different, and they don't want special treatment. I mean, I think Voit wants to be put to death. It's almost like a double-edged sword. It's like Rossi's actually kind of punishing him. [Laughs]

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