If you’re still trying to wrap your head around the mess that was Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2, you aren't alone. The biggest shocker wasn’t just a new unsub; it was the revelation of Pete Bailey.
Honestly, we all spent most of the season wondering why Deputy Director Doug Bailey was so obsessed with the "Gold Star" phrase before he got his brains blown out by Elias Voit. We knew Doug was hiding something, but nobody—and I mean nobody—saw the "little brother" twist coming until it hit us like a ton of bricks.
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Pete Bailey isn't just some random addition to the lore. He is the missing piece of the Gold Star puzzle. Played by Alex Saxon (who you probably recognize from Nancy Drew or The Fosters), Pete is the darker, more tragic reflection of the Bailey family legacy. While Doug was climbing the FBI ladder, Pete was descending into a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and government distrust.
The Tragic Backstory of Pete Bailey
The dynamic between the Bailey brothers was basically a powder keg. Doug was the "good son," the high-ranking Fed who believed in the system. Pete? He was the opposite. He was a guy who felt the system had failed everyone.
Growing up with Libertarian parents, both boys were raised to be skeptical of authority. But while Doug channeled that into making sure the FBI ran efficiently, Pete’s skepticism turned into full-blown paranoia. He started hanging out with far-right extremist groups. We’re talking petty crimes, underage drinking, and even ransacking an IRS office.
Then came the Gold Star program.
This is where things get truly dark. Pete was one of five teenagers handpicked for this "Gold Star" social experiment/torture camp run by a private contractor named Frank Church. The goal? To create child soldiers by breaking their minds. They used Pete's existing paranoia against him, grooming him to believe that the government—and specifically the FBI—was the ultimate enemy.
Why Doug Kept Him a Secret
You might be asking why Doug never told Prentiss or Rossi about this. Put yourself in his shoes for a second. Doug was a rising star in the Bureau. Having a brother who is a literal "Gold Star" domestic threat is a career-killer.
But it wasn't just about his career. Doug actually cared. He tried to pull Pete out. He made a deal with the FBI Director to keep the Gold Star program buried as long as he could try to save his brother.
The brothers fought constantly. Pete would visit home on weekends, and they’d end up in physical brawls. Pete thought he was "saving" people from child trafficking rings; Doug knew Pete was being brainwashed by a cult leader. It was a mess.
Pete Bailey Criminal Minds: The Campaign Against Prentiss
When Doug was murdered by Elias Voit in the Season 16 finale, everything went south. Voit, being the manipulative genius he is, used Doug's death to fuel Pete's rage.
Pete was led to believe that Emily Prentiss was the one who got Doug killed. He didn't see Voit as a serial killer; he saw him as a patsy or a victim of the same "Deep State" that killed his brother.
Pete started a targeted campaign to dismantle Prentiss's life:
- He used a conspiracy theorist named Brian Garrity (Prentiss's former neighbor) to spread lies about the FBI.
- He had goons beat up Garrity and then forced Garrity to blame Prentiss for it.
- He leaked Prentiss's arrest to Politico, nearly costing her the job.
- He even went as far as drugging her (indirectly) with THC-laced snacks to make her look unstable.
It was personal. It wasn't just about "Gold Star" anymore—it was about revenge for a brother he thought the Bureau betrayed.
The Confrontation in "Save the Children"
Everything came to a head in the Season 2 finale, "Save the Children." Pete and his partner-in-crime, Jade Waters, kidnapped Prentiss. This was the moment where the BAU finally realized that "Pete B" wasn't just a code; it was a name.
The standoff was intense. Pete was convinced Prentiss was a murderer. It took the BAU showing Pete the actual evidence—the truth about how Elias Voit murdered Doug—to break through the brainwashing.
It’s one of those rare moments in Criminal Minds where the "unsub" isn't necessarily a monster, but a victim of a much larger, more institutionalized evil. When Pete realized he’d been played by Voit and Frank Church, the fight went out of him. He eventually convinced Jade to surrender, ending the Gold Star threat without more bloodshed.
What Most People Get Wrong About Pete
A lot of fans think Pete was just a "bad seed." That's way too simple. Pete was a victim of human trafficking and psychological warfare.
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He wasn't born a killer. He was conditioned to be one by a program that the government allowed to exist. The irony is that Doug died trying to protect the very secret that was destroying Pete. If Doug had been honest with the BAU from the start, things might have ended differently.
But then again, that's the tragedy of the Bailey family. One brother died for a secret, and the other lived to regret it.
The Future of Pete Bailey in Evolution
Right now, Pete is incarcerated. But with Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 on the horizon, don't count him out.
The BAU still has to deal with the fallout of the Gold Star program and whatever Elias Voit is planning next from inside his cell. Since Pete is one of the few surviving members of that program, his knowledge is gold. He might end up being an unlikely asset, or at the very least, a source of information for Prentiss as she tries to scrub the FBI of the corruption that created the "Gold Star" kids in the first place.
Practical Takeaways for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the Pete Bailey storyline, here’s how to navigate it:
- Watch Season 16, Episode 10: This is where Doug Bailey dies. Pay close attention to the way he reacts to the phrase "Gold Star." It hits differently once you know Pete exists.
- Rewatch Season 17, Episode 10: The finale, "Save the Children," is where Pete finally makes his move and the brother reveal happens.
- Follow the "Aida Limited" Clues: Throughout Season 2, keep an eye on how information was manipulated. The show explores deepfakes and digital gaslighting—which is how Pete was kept in the dark about his brother's love for him.
Pete Bailey basically changed the stakes of the show. He turned a procedural about "catching the bad guy" into a complex story about family, grief, and how easy it is to lose someone to the darker corners of the internet.
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The next step for any dedicated fan is to re-watch the Bailey brothers' interactions through this new lens. You'll see Doug's "annoying Bureaucrat" persona in a totally new light once you realize he was just a terrified older brother trying to keep his family out of the crosshairs.