Adam Rodriguez is the latest addition to the cast of "Criminal Minds" as Luke Alvez, an Army veteran who has joined the FBI as a fugitive recovery specialist. The new regular has played a huge part in the Season 11 finale, which showcased an immense prison break. In Season 12, Alvez will join FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) to capture the escaped criminals once again.
Among the 13 escapees is The Crimson King, which is also the title of this week's premiere episode of "Criminal Minds" Season 12, BuddyTV reported. Alvez and the Crimson King have a long history, with the latter described as the agent's "white whale."
"Criminal Minds" showrunner Erica Messer said that the Crimson King was responsible for the paralysis of Alvez's former partner. The guilt Alvez feels about the matter spurs him on even more to catch the fugitive and avenge his partner.
In an interview with TVGuide, Rodriguez said that Alvez's perceptiveness will be a great addition to the BAU team. The actor described his character as "a very street smart guy" who's accustomed to "being on the move all the time," BuddyTV further reported.
Despite this experience, Alvez will have a hard time getting into the groove of the BAU crew. Rodriguez told Entertainment Weekly that Alvez will "work his butt off to try and catch up to these people that are already so great at what they do." Alvez will have to contribute to the BAU team and learn from them at the same time.
Alvez serves as a replacement to Shemar Moore's Derek Morgan. This change will not be easy on Kirsten Vangsness' Penelope Garcia, who is Morgan's close friend. At first, Garcia will be indignant towards Alvez because he reminds her and pushes her to accept that Morgan has left.
"He understands where it's all coming from," Vangsness said of Alvez and Garcia's relationship, as quoted by BuddyTV. "She doesn't have anything personal against him; she just wants her friend back."
Paget Brewster's Emily Prentiss is once again a regular on "Criminal Minds" to replace Thomas Gibson's BAU Chief Aaron Hotchner. Messer said that there will be a "fun friendship" between Prentiss and Alvez, TVGuide reported.
The Season 12 premiere of "Criminal Minds" will pick up in real time after skipping the summer period. At the moment, the BAU crew already caught eight of the 13 unsubs who escaped the prison. One of the remaining escapees, aside from the Crimson King, is Mr. Scratch (Bodhi Elfman), who is the mastermind of the jailbreak.
Fans should also prepare themselves for Episode 13 to be co-written by Messer and Vangsness. Messer assured that the episode will be "big."
