Season 3, episode 4 of Criminal Minds: Evolution, divides its focus between two main storylines. One involves a suspected organ trafficker and the other revolves around the efforts to help character Elias Voit (Zach Gilford) regain his memories. However, the weekly case proves to be more intricate than just selling organs on the black market. As the agents delve deeper, they uncover that the suspect is a former ER doctor, who is actually performing skin grafts to save his immune-deficient daughter, severely burned over most of her body. His partner in crime is the one involved in illegal organ harvesting as an additional income source.
In many instances, the driving force behind trading body parts or leftover tissues is different from the typical cases portrayed on Criminal Minds. In this instance, when the squad suspects they might be dealing with an organ harvesting operation following several victims having specific organs removed, Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) urges her team not to delve into the Harvard Morgue Scandal. Though this episode isn’t based on a real Criminal Minds case, Garcia’s comment references a true-life incident involving illegal trading of human remains.
The Harvard Morgue Case Was A Real Cadaver Trafficking Scandal In 2023
Cedric Lodge And Four Others Were Arrested For Their Involvement
2023 found me in a shocking predicament as I, a devoted cinephile, discovered that the manager at Harvard Medical School’s morgue was under investigation. This individual, Cedric Lodge, was accused of misconduct involving the transportation and illegal selling of pilfered human remains. It turned out that he and his wife were the ones responsible for the theft of cadavers donated to the university’s medical program.
Due to the field’s focus on exploring disease and decomposition, as well as training future medical practitioners, individuals can choose to donate their bodies to scientific research following their death. This could potentially aid in the advancement of various health-related studies, understanding postmortem changes in bodies disposed of by criminals, or providing hands-on learning opportunities for aspiring doctors during surgeries and autopsies. Many prestigious institutions, such as Harvard, run extensive programs dedicated to this purpose.
In a simpler phrasing, the person in question oversaw the handling of remains post-research. However, he exploited this role by secretly transporting the bodies to his residence and sending body parts to individuals who paid for them, in collaboration with his spouse.
As per Lodge’s confession, some customers would actually visit him at the morgue to choose body parts, which made this already distressing situation even more appalling for relatives of those who discovered his illegal activities. While Lodge had been employed by Harvard Medical School since 1995, the illicit scheme didn’t start until 2018.
Indeed, unlike the scenario portrayed in “Criminal Minds: Evolution,” where individuals were intentionally murdering people, the Harvard Morgue Scandal involved parties illegally obtaining the remains of deceased individuals, rather than actively seeking out and killing them.
Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 Has Had Some Gruesome Cases
The Streaming Series Is Able To Go Darker
In contrast to the original “Criminal Minds” series that ran for 15 seasons on CBS, “Criminal Minds: Evolution” can delve deeper into darker themes. With its new home on a streaming platform instead of traditional network television, the show is able to use more mature language and depict more intense horror scenes than what’s typically allowed on network TV. While the original series wasn’t shy about showing disturbing criminals, “Criminal Minds: Evolution” has taken it up a notch, particularly in season 3, where the cases have been exceptionally gruesome.
In this week’s installment, a paramedic and an ER doctor team up to deceive women they pick up from the roadside, promising medical aid but instead exploiting their bodies for personal benefit in a cruel and calculated manner. The doctor justifies his actions by claiming it’s necessary to save his daughter, while the paramedic is driven solely by greed. What makes this scheme particularly heinous is that the victims remain alive during the skin removal – organ harvesting occurs only after the doctor has finished with them.
Following the capture of an unidentified criminal, colloquially referred to as the Zookeeper, he kidnapped women, kept them confined in cages, and forced them to submit to his will. This submission often involved self-harm at his discretion. Once he achieved his objective, he would murder the woman and abduct another for further “training”. The depiction of this series of events, similar to this week’s installment, delves deeper than the CBS show ever did, making these horrific cases even more difficult to digest. This portrayal serves as a stark reminder to viewers about the true depths of evil that some individuals can reach.
Season 3 Has Done A Great Job Of Balancing Weekly Killers With The Voit Storyline
Criminal Minds: Evolution Marries Serialization With The Procedural Elements
Despite the stories being more complex and somber, “Criminal Minds: Evolution” has an edge at this stage in its series. It skillfully manages to delve deeper into serialized storytelling while preserving its procedural aspects effectively. Unlike the previous season which leaned heavily on the Gold Star narrative without fully utilizing the weekly case format, the original “Criminal Minds” was more naturally a procedural with only occasional longer arcs. The third season of “Criminal Minds: Evolution” has struck a better balance between these two storytelling styles.
In addition to focusing on Voit’s story as Sicarius, the team continues to handle their regular duties outside of him during season 3. This involves tackling fresh cases each week and keeping some members dedicated to his storyline. By dividing the team in this manner, it enables both narratives in each episode to be thoroughly developed, thereby enhancing “Criminal Minds: Evolution” and making it surpass the original series in quality.
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2025-05-31 06:08