There are very few hours of television that you look forward to every week, but FBI has definitely solidified itself as one of those shows. With such a strong cast, strong writing, and the slow burn of everything all around, we can’t help but be obsessed.
And this weeks episode was no different. In the episode, Maggie goes undercover working in a bar to investigate an anti-government group that regularly gathers there and has several members suspected in a series of bombings. The case opens old wounds for her when a single father on the periphery of the group begins to fear he’s in danger of becoming collateral damage.
We’ve been anxious before, but this episode had us worried and we’re not loving that for us. Our people are our people and Maggie is our people. Lets break down what happened.
Would it be an FBI episode if things weren’t exploding? We don’t think so.
Maggie has gone undercover after a worker at a bar called in what he knows to be his boss and an extremist group toasting to a bomb killing people. Colin has done a good job calling in the FBI but he’s not trying to be a hero. He’s trying to be a good person.
And that’s how we get Maggie there undercover. She’s a waitress, and is trying to take everything in. The group is sitting at a table, seeming agitated. It’s the day that they had toasted to – the death of a city council man.
The men are so outspoken that they are on terror watch lists. Of course Maggie is able to steal a phone, and the construction van in the front year is holding OA and Ian. The phone she has is clean, which doesn’t shock me. After all, they seem to be somewhat cautious. And Maggie being Maggie is able to get the phone back before it’s a bigger issue.
But while they are doing this, a messenger service is dropping a box at a councilman’s office. It seems like a normal day, but this is FBI and nothing is normal. He tells his assistant to clear Thursday, he needs to be available for his daughters school day. So yes, instantly you start to look the man.
But that’s what TV does. It draws you in and reminds you why you should care about no one, because everyone is fair game. But I have to admit, I jumped when the package exploded and felt horrible for this man. This man who was just trying to do good.
Tiff and Scola are trying to figure out what has happened and talking to the assistant they are able to figure out who the man was.
The thing about FBI is that it reminds you that the FBI can find you anywhere. There is always a clue, even when you think you’ve left none behind. The delivery man works at a place called Door Hopper. Going there, the owner said they didn’t have a delivery to the councilman office. Scola and Tiff are able to show him a picture of the delivery man. It’s a man named Brian, who he was trying to help.
Brian is on the run. He’s using a fake ID, as he has a warrant out for his arrest for sexual assault. The FBI is able to track him and intercept him on a bus to Orlando. He tells them that he was paid $100 bucks to deliver the package. He lives at a homeless shelter, he has no money.
He has a valid point – even though it’s wrong – that he ran because he knows he has a warrant out for his arrest. His story checks out, but it is because of his story that they are able to tie it back to the group Maggie is working on.
Maggie has to get in deeper. That means though that we know that drama is going to get a lot crazier. Collin may be the person that got her in, but he wants nothing more to do with this situation. They try to pressure him to wear a wire, but he tells them no way. He is right that he doesn’t have an obligation and Maggie lets him go.
OA knows her well enough to know that this has something with her previous undercover assignment. You can say what you want about Maggie, but she is very sensitive. She is caring. Maggie has a heart of gold and she does get caught up in cases, even though she tries not to.
She is able to talk OA into a listening device. She’s trying to test it with OA. He’s not answering, and she’s talking faster. The extremist guys are circling the van, finding it suspicious. When they leave, he tells Maggie to get out.
She screams for Colin who she asks to stall them. He does. He’s not happy about it, and doesn’t hesitate to tell Maggie that at all. When he reminds her that he doesn’t want to be in that situation and to never put him in that situation again.
The listening devices may not be the best idea, because they are dangerous. Tiff and Scola are listening and hear a reference to someone entitled, “THE DUKE.” They are able to find who it is as and when they reach the apartment, of course dude isn’t about to go down without a fight.
The Duke has a bomb making room and the team, along with bomb techs are able to distinguish the type of bomb it will be – fertilizer bombs. Scola is looking around and finds a blueprint for it being a truck bomb. If that’s what they are building they are fearing up for another Oklahoma City.
Colin hasn’t seen them drive a truck and claims he hasn’t heard anything. Maggie asks why he keeps checking his phone and it’s because his babysitter is sick. She convinces him to go take care of his daughter. She’s got this.
It’s not the best time for him to disappear. Especially because the men in the back are spooked that the Duke’s apartment was raided. Jubel sends OA in to protect Maggie.
One of the terrorists finds the bug and they all set out. Maggie insists that her and OA go to Colins first. But she quickly finds out when she blows her cover that Dom was just going there to warn Colin to take some time off. But now that he knows his part, he’s not thrilled.
The team has no choice but to pressure Dom for information. He won’t give any, doesn’t believe that anyone that they are targeting is innocent. His sister died because of them.
Them? Who is them?
It’s a homeless shelter that was placed in the area. The community blames the shelter for the influx of drugs and violence in the area.
As the team descends on the shelter, and they see the truck. As they try to get everyone out of the shelter, Maggie realizes that they don’t have the time. The Navy Yard is close – 6 blocks away.
Maggie feels responsible because she chose to go to Dom’s first. So she doesn’t stop to think as she jumps in the truck and drives it quickly to the yard. OA tries to stop her, but she doesn’t listen.
Maggie is impulsive. She is driven by emotion. She genuinely wants the world to be a better place and I love her for that. But she’s sometimes reckless and that drives me insane. She doesn’t have to be a martyr.
She needs to practice what she preaches. And Maggie definitely needs to learn to let others be there for her and get the help she needs. When she narrowly escapes being blown up, I admit, I was thinking fuck – is this a casting shakeup we don’t want.
The truth is no one would ever be able to replace Maggie. She’s the soul of this team. She’s just got to realize that part of being the soul of something is realizing that you need others.
And maybe OA is the only person that can make her see that it is okay to not hold everything in. Part of being strong is being vulnerable. Part of being strong is letting others be there for you.
Over the years, Maggie has gotten more used to the concept. But she’s still go a ways to go. Truly, I hope that she realizes that. Especially because she’s going to be carrying all the weight of Colin telling her that she doesn’t care who she burns.
FBI stars Missy Peregrym stars as Special Agent Maggie Bell, Zeeko Zaki is Special Agent Omar Adom ‘OA’ Zidan, and Jeremy Sisto plays Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine, Alana De La Garza as Special Agent in Charge Isobel Castille, John Boyd as Special Agent Stuart Scola, and Katherine Renee Turner as Special Agent Tiffany Wallace.
Do you watch? What did you think of the episode?
