It is revealed in the first episodes of "Criminal Minds: Evolution" that Aisha Tyler's character, Dr. Tara Lewis, is dating Rebecca Wilson (Nicole Pacent), an employee at the Department of Justice. Tyler told Newsweek, "I think that, for Tara, she's really been married to her work for quite a bit of time. ... So it's been a real surprise for her to fall for someone again." She continued, "I think so much about [Tara Lewis'] pansexuality ... [but] it's just about falling in love with the person, you know what I mean?"
Tara first revealed that she was in a same-sex relationship to co-worker Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), but she later shared her story with a wrongfully convicted inmate who happens to be gay and closeted in order to comfort them. Tyler says that she is very proud to play the character and that she took her character's sexuality very seriously on the show. She told CBS Mornings, "I have a lot of very close friends of mine, my sister, are gay, and I really wanted to honor that storyline and bring a relationship that felt loving and real and dynamic and authentic."
She was quick to say what that authenticity meant to her. She said it was important that the relationship wasn't perfect, "because ... human beings are human beings. ... And I think you want to bring these nuanced portrayals of gay characters to the screen, as authentic as we possibly can be." As the season continues, it will be interesting to see if Tara can stay committed to Rebecca, or if she truly is married to her job.
