There’s something to be said for FBI: International this season and the way that they have managed to reinvent themselves. It feels like a brand new show and yet has the heart of the show that I have loved. It feels like the character of Amanda Tate has been what has been missing all along.
I know that statement is a bold one. But, that being said, it is a statement that I will stand by. I will stand by it because I have truly believe it. She feels like that new girl in school that if you just gave a chance to, you would know that she’s the friend you have always wanted in life.
Going into a Raines and Tate centric episode I wasn’t sure what to expect. Now, I think we’ve all learned over time that Raines is a badass who is going to blow us away with whatever he does. He’s fearless and a warrior. He’s protective of his team. What he’s managed to overcome is more than a lot of us ever could.
And while we still have a lot to learn about Tate, it doesn’t take away from what we did learn about her. We have known that she doesn’t have a lot of field experience and that she is more comfortable in an office than in the field.
But when she and Raines head to Romania for the transfer of a prisoner – in what is supposed to be an easy assignment things go chaotic. You see, they are there to pick up a man who is the second in command. He’s got a stolen laptop that can take The Chain Cutters down. This group claims that they are rescuing kids from trafficking but the reality is that they are kidnapping children and then staging a rescue mission in order to get donations.
But what seems as though it will be simple, never is. They are ambushed by a man on a mission to take out the guy they are there to pick up.
What doesn’t shock me is that Raines is on a mission to kick some a**. He’s making sure Tate is okay, but also knows that he needs to go after whomever killed all the people in the cabin. Tate and him are both okay, but when he tells Tate to stay put, she’s not about to.
And the one survivor tells them both to go.
What I loved was that Raines didn’t sugar coat anything for Tate. He’s told her that it will be dangerous and that split second decisions could mean the difference between life and death. She takes it seriously, but she’s definitely going. She is a team member and she’s definitely not going to leave Raines to himself.
When the two head out on the hunt, they find the leader that is really the worst. Sam Keaton thinks that he is doing the world a favor and that no one really knows what a liar he is. But the thing is, Raines and Tate are not buying it. They also know some of what he is up to so his lies just make it worse.
But when Tate and Raines find out that the person that they are hunting isn’t Tate and he is actually a man named Lee, who has a kidnapped little girl with him, my heart breaks. It breaks because these two break and you can see it in their face. You know that they are going to move heaven and earth to get her back and I am not made about it.
While I will say that this episode had more gunshots than I cared for, I understood why. I also understood that for Raines and Tate there was nothing more important than saving this little girl and then taking this group down. Raines knew that he had a responsibility to Dora (the little girl that was kidnapped) and to Tate. As they come up against every obstacle, they figure a way out or through.
Even as Tate is show, she’s still telling Raines that she is okay. Raines isn’t willing to let her be put in anymore of harms way though. As they figure out where Lee (the gunman is) he tells her to stay put, because her daughter needs her.
And if we’re being honest, I can’t hate him for that. Raines isn’t being a martyr. He’s being protective because he knows that it’s his job to look out for her.
Just as it is his job to rescue Dora. What I didn’t expect though was to find myself in tears as we see a little girl sitting on an altar with a bomb attached to her. I knew, without a doubt that Raines was going to do whatever it took to get to her. To save her.
And he really fights with all his might. There were times where I found myself screaming that if they killed him off I was coming for someone. I didn’t know who I was coming for, but it would be someone.
When it came down to it though, Tate shows up and saves him. For her, being there for Raines was what she needed to do, but she doesn’t need anyone to praise her for it. I think in a way when it comes to Tate, she’s afraid to feel, but she’s also afraid to not feel. I think that to a certain point Tate is caught between something and we don’t know what that is yet. I think though that she hates it about herself but it’s necessary for her survival.
And that’s gotta be hard.
I have so much respect though for Tate and Raines. They made sure that Dora got home and they made sure that they did. What we witnessed in this episode is another reminder that every member of this team is so important and we all need to remember that.
The Fly Team is a team – inside the office or out of it.
FBI: International airs Tuesdays on CBS.