The fate of Sheryll Barnes is left up in the air at the end of the latest FBI: Most Wanted, in perhaps the most devastating way possible, with her wife telling her: “I’ve met someone.” It’s pretty high on the list of things you don’t want to hear from your wife. And yet, perhaps, not as surprising considering this is a TV procedural, and Sheryll’s wife, Charlotte Gaines (Fedna Jacquet), is a lawyer whose job has taken her out of town for extended periods.
Fangirlish spoke with Roxy Sternberg about how to approach such a storyline, and when she found out this was where the story was going. “They never tell us.” Sternberg was clear. “We just find that in the script. We don’t get any full warning with the stuff, and it’s interesting because we both have very demanding roles, you know. Charlotte is kind of starting her career. She’s kind of making a name for herself. So, her role is extremely demanding.”
For Stenberg, there’s an understanding of where the relationship went wrong. “So, it’s not even like we can point the finger at one another and say…you know, it’s not like one person’s been at home, and the other person’s been out working, you know, after hours and whatnot. Both of us have been committed to our work and not committed to one another, it seems.”
Not just that, Sternberg went as far as to tie those relationship issues to who Barnes is. “I feel like with Barnes it feels like it was more of a choice, and with Charlotte, it feels like she has to because she’s still building a name for herself in her career, whereas, you know, there’s 5 FBI agents. I’m sure the other 4 would be able to take on a case if I needed to be at home one time with my family. I feel like Barnes is a workaholic, and it feels like it’s her choice, but it’s a choice that has led to this very sad predicament.”
Barnes, of course, doesn’t learn until the end of the episode that Charlotte has met someone else, which is why she can compartmentalize her feelings about the relationship woes that play out in the background of the hour. This means, that it’ll be interesting to see how this will affect Barnes going forward.
“In her professional life. I think she’s only human, even though she’s great at what she does. I think it would seep into her job,” Sternberg shared, and she added that “naturally, if we were to have that bomb drop at the beginning, it would affect her work, and maybe would see me like calling home, trying to trying to connect with her, trying to sort this out.”
Now, this doesn’t mean that it’s exactly how it’s going to play out going forward, but there’s no chance this doesn’t affect Barnes. And Sternberg believes there’s something worth saving in the relationship.
“I think they’ve been together for such a long time. They’ve got 2 children. I think there are so many reasons to save it. I think they love each other. I know they love each other. I just think that they’ve neglected one another. Barnes has certainly neglected Charlotte’s needs. So, I’m optimistic, too. But this is different. This is different from the rest of the time. So, this will be a different challenge in itself. And I hope I really hope they can get over this hurdle.”
But it’s not all about hope, it’s about work. And Sternberg teased that Barnes is ready to put in some of the work needed, including a great moment with Barnes and a castmate, “one where she goes to a castmate to lean on their shoulder, and it’s a lovely, very rare, unusual moment that I’ve not played before with this character.”
“So, there’s a lovely thing that comes as a result of it with myself and another actor and another character. And I think you’re going to see Barnes in different environments as well, fighting for this marriage.”
Character-wise, this is also an opportunity for growth. “I think this is a moment for her to also be vulnerable. I think she had to be vulnerable when Jess died. But I feel like she was vulnerable, and she went home and was with the family for a while, and I feel like she needs to take time out for herself.”
“I feel like this is a moment for Barnes to really focus on herself and look inward. With the death of Jess, she went home, and there was another distraction. Family life, a newborn. She wasn’t able to take the time that she needed to actually go inward and reassess, and reevaluate. I think that’s needed. So, I think I think there’s an opportunity for that for her to do that.
And hopefully, fix her marriage too. There is that.
FBI: Most Wanted airs Tuesdays on CBS.
