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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 18 Episode 5 “The Brutal Man.”‘]

We’ll be trustworthy: We’re nonetheless undecided if we belief Dr. Julia Ochoa (Aimee Garcia) on Legal Minds: Evolution. In spite of everything, she’s by Voit’s (Zach Gilford) aspect, and it doesn’t matter what the exams inform us, it appears like there’s a twist arising relating to his amnesia and lack of psychopathy.

However within the newest episode, which started streaming on Thursday, June 5, Voit’s on the fringes, not revealed till near the top of the episode to be sitting within the room as JJ (A.J. Prepare dinner) recounts the story of the Brutal Man, the newest UnSub from his community the BAU hunts down. It’s a revelatory dialog, for each JJ and Julia, with the latter speaking about faith, how her father died, and extra.

However ought to we be questioning if that was all true? We requested Aimee Garcia about that and extra.

I’ve been questioning if we should always belief Julia, if she could possibly be a part of Voit’s community working for him, one thing, there’s the remedy she’s prescribing him. There’s all these little bits that could possibly be including as much as one thing. So what would you say about how a lot we should always belief that she is precisely who she presents herself to be to the BAU?

Aimee Garcia: Wonderful query. In order you understand, Legal Minds does an important job of subverting expectations and placing every thing the wrong way up. The characters you want, you find yourself hating, the characters you hate, you ended up loving. So I can not affirm nor deny something, however I say belief nobody. And in the identical method that, is she the nice physician? Does she have an ulterior motive? Does she have a superior curiosity to Voit apart from do no hurt and to maintain him wholesome? I don’t know. However I’d say with a present like Legal Minds, every thing is on the desk and also you’re a really clever lady for asking very clever questions. I suppose we’ll simply have to attend and see.

I really feel like she’s gone above and past for Voit at occasions, however what does she see when she appears to be like at him? Does she see the serial killer that she retains being informed he was? Does see a affected person that she must look after? Is there a stability?

I feel she has skilled blinders on. I feel she sees a affected person in want. I feel she sees a affected person that simply got here out of a coma whereas the BAU sees a monster, a serial killer, a deviant. She swore an oath to not decide her affected person. So if somebody who dedicated a criminal offense is available in with a severed leg or with any type of psychological trauma, her job is to not decide them. She’s not a decide. She’s not a cop. She’s not a lawyer. She doesn’t work for the BAU. So it’s a very enjoyable perspective to have the place she doesn’t have the triggering background that each one the opposite members have. They hate him. They need to spit on his face. He’s actually a lot their Achilles heel. So it’s so enjoyable to have Dr. Julia Ochoa, okay, there’s rumors. She’s heard some issues, he’s handcuffed to the hospital mattress. However in her thoughts, he’s a miracle. He’s somebody who survived a brutal assault. He’s a affected person on a path to therapeutic, and he’s a helpless affected person who wants steerage, and that’s what she’s going to do as a result of she’s an expert.

What does she see in him on the finish of this episode within the interrogation room scene? As a result of that’s taking her out of her atmosphere and placing her within the BAU’s and seeing him in that world.

Right. I feel that’s the first episode and the primary time that she sees him as one thing aside from a helpless therapeutic affected person. I feel that you just’re proper, taking her out of her hospital consolation and into the BAU, she begins to see the destruction and the wrecking ball that he’s. And I feel she does begin to battle just a little bit, nevertheless it’s powerful. I feel to be a superb physician, you possibly can’t get emotionally hooked up. When you’re a surgeon, for instance, and a child is a affected person, you possibly can’t begin crying on the desk as a result of the child misplaced his leg. You’re not doing a service to that youngster. You must reserve your feelings. You must be skilled, and that you must attempt to [put] that leg again on. And I feel in the identical method, whereas empathy is essential to be a superb physician, she can not lose sight of his neurological progress and the truth that they’re awakening a monster, and in the event that they push him too arduous, he’ll go comatose. After which we’re all again to sq. one. You don’t have the important thing to your community. My affected person has regressed. No one wins right here. So I feel it’s a tightrope that Dr. Julia Ochoa is strolling between the human aspect of her who needs to empathize and doubtless hug him and the skilled aspect of her who needs to see him totally healed and have his reminiscences not stymie his medical progress.

At occasions, this episode virtually appears like a two-handed between you and A.J. Discuss filming these scenes.

It was a lot enjoyable. We simply had been so within the pocket. It was so trustworthy. It was so weak. A.J. is simply so unbelievable. It felt like a play. I felt like it’s such an actor’s dream to get to do these lengthy scenes and to get to play tennis with a tremendous — to me appearing is like tennis. You can not do it by your self. And to have a tennis associate, figuratively talking like A.J., who has been on the present for 18 years, I imply, she is simply so skilled and so type and a director and an actor, and so weak and humorous and an unbelievable humorousness. And we did have Zach’s face printed up and blown up on a C Stand, like on a lighting stand, and minimize out holes in the place his eyes can be, and we did have him there the entire time. In order that was actually enjoyable to simply have him be part of it and added some levity.

However she actually is so enjoyable to look at. The toughest half for me was actually not crying alongside her as a result of she’s so good and he or she actually rips your coronary heart out and simply touches your nerve and also you don’t see JJ’s character weak that usually. She’s Such a troublesome nut. And he or she’s so good with a weapon and he or she’s so good at being a frontrunner and a mother and a spouse and all this stuff. So it was very nice to get to see one other aspect of this beloved character. And he or she’s simply superior. We nonetheless textual content. She’s like, “Hey, the way you doing? What’s happening?” And he or she actually is the sort of lady that you just aspire to be like, but additionally need to be your good friend, which is what I feel makes the present so nice are the feminine friendships. You’re keen on the friendships between Garcia [Kirsten Vangsness] and JJ and Prentiss [Paget Brewster] and Lewis [Aisha Tyler], and also you’re like, “Oh my gosh, I really like these ladies. I would like them to return over so we will simply sip some wine and have a chat.”

That is essentially the most we find out about Julia all season. She talks about faith, about her father. Are you able to say if she was being trustworthy about her father and his loss of life and every thing, or may she have been sort of possibly making an attempt to govern JJ? as a result of JJ simply had this sudden loss and he or she says she misplaced her father immediately.

I performed it very actually, as a result of whereas I do assume once you’re making an attempt to be emotionally supportive to somebody, you attempt to discover widespread floor. If somebody says, “Oh, I had a nasty day at work,” you’re like, “Oh, so did I, you’re not alone.” I feel our empathetic nature is to make the particular person we’re making an attempt to assist really feel much less alone and really feel supported. So I do really feel like she is a grasp of the mind. Dr. Julia Ochoa in the identical method that somebody is a medical physician, she’s a mind physician. She is aware of the best way to set off folks. She is aware of the best way to calm folks down. She is aware of what medicines to offer folks. So I feel there’s a facet of her professionalism coming into play. However I personally, as an actor did play it as if she did lose her dad and he or she does carry a crucifix. She is a lady of religion. And I feel that it was actually stunning seeing these two skilled ladies bond over loss, which is such a common idea that all of us may relate to.

And that’s essentially the most open that we’ve seen Julia with anybody on the BAU.

Right. Yeah, that’s truly an important level. It additionally speaks to JJ’s capability as a personality. You understand how they are saying who guards the guards? I feel Dr. Julia Ochoa and JJ are equal in ladies which have a troublesome exterior and must see the ugly aspect of human nature. Clearly, Dr. Julia not as a lot as JJ, however that’s an important level. I don’t assume that Dr. Julia opens up. She sticks to info. She’s a scientist. She refers to MRIs. She appears to be like at mind scans. She believes within the science and within the analysis and within the drugs. So that you’re completely proper. I feel that it’s a testomony to how good of a profiler JJ is that she’s in a position to get Dr. Julia Ochoa to open up when Dr. Julia Ochoa is making an attempt to get JJ to open up.

Talking of believing within the science, is there any a part of Julia that doubts what the take a look at is saying within the scans is saying about Voit?

I don’t assume so. I feel that she is such an encyclopedic thoughts for science. I feel she’s one of many prime neuroscientists on this planet, and I feel she’s into chilly arduous info in the identical method that Scully was in X-Information. Though everybody has an arc, I feel that she is a Scully in that she’s — though she’s religious, which could be very distinctive to see a health care provider that put on a crucifix. And that’s why I feel that her father’s loss of life is real. However I feel so. I feel she’s excited in regards to the science. I feel the science proves to her that Voit is a miracle. Voit is the kind of affected person that different circumstances are based mostly on. Voit is the kind of profile that may result in different sufferers therapeutic. Not that she’s a mad scientist, however I feel she’s a really achieved lady who I don’t see her as having a household life. It looks like work first and profession is every thing to her, and I feel her sufferers are her world. And to have a affected person like Voit principally resurrect from the lifeless and go from serial killer monster to monosyllabic, lovely sleeper in hospital mattress, I feel that he’s an actual one-of-a-kind case, and so he’s intriguing to her. So I feel he turns into a very particular affected person for her.

Her most contentious relationship is clearly with Rossi (Joe Mantegna). After this sit-down we obtained with Julia and JJ on this episode, I can’t assist however surprise what a kind of prolonged sit-downs between Julia and Rossi would appear like at this level…

To begin with, Joe is a nationwide treasure that should be protected in any respect prices. I really like Joe, and I really like — it’s an episode arising. It’s actually three traces, nevertheless it was one in every of my favourite three traces as a result of she’s giving Joe a lot grief. And by the way in which, clearly, myself included, I’m a fan. We love Rossi. Rossi is to not be touched, to not be messed with, however I really like — so we have now a saying in Spanish. The phrase is esquincle, which suggests just a little rascal. And Rossi is a rascal. He doesn’t observe the foundations. He pushes the sting. They comply with present sure issues to Voit, after which he pulls out his little masks image. He’s just a little rascal. And I really like that he appears to be like just like the uncle that you just love and simply need to hug. No, no, no, no, no, my pals, Rossi is a rascal, and I really like [those] few traces the place Julia’s teasing him and it’s simply so enjoyable. So I feel that Julia would have a very arduous time not being charmed by Rossi. I feel she can be smiling on the within, and I feel it might be a very enjoyable sport of psychological chess the place clearly they’re each very smart and one sees issues as pink and one sees issues as inexperienced. So that might be actually enjoyable as a result of he’s simply so darn likable that.

What else is arising for Julia? With whom would you say she has essentially the most vital dialog in an upcoming episode?

I’d say Voit. There’s a whole lot of enjoyable stuff arising with Voit — if she survives, we don’t know as a result of everybody’s head is on the chopping block on Legal Minds. So I do flip by way of the script actually shortly to guarantee that I’m nonetheless there. I’m like, “Ah, okay. I made it one other day.” However yeah, I’d say Voit.

Something you possibly can tease about these conversations?

I’d say she is taken out of her aspect. We see one other aspect of her. She actually will get to place her hair down, I’ll say, and like Legal Minds does greatest, there’s a doable unsuspected flip that we see from a personality that’s actually near her. And let’s simply say it was a whole lot of enjoyable, and it’s a swinging time.

Legal Minds: Evolution, Thursdays, Paramount+