When it comes to this season of FBI: International, in our opinion it started out strong. It truly did. It felt as though the show had found its footing so much that we were willing to overlook certain things.
Looking back on this season, we were not so smart to overlook the past season and what has happened. Why? Because it feels right now as though they cleaned house and as if the show didn’t know what to do with itself.
And though we still love a lot of the season, we’re feeling a little let down. Does that take away from the actors? No. We absolutely love the cast and the characters. One of the hardest parts of thinking about what to write is that we love the cast.
TBH, the issue with the changeover of so many characters is that it feels like you can’t count on the show. When there are so many shakeups in one season, it feels as though you can’t trust that you should invest in the show. Yes, we say invest, because thaat’s exactly what it is. Time is valuable and the time that we give – watching any show – is an investment.
Now, don’t get us wrong, we know that people come and people go. We do understand that. However, that being said, the departure of the character of Scott Forrester feels abrupt and sudden. It was the same thing with Kellet and Damian this season. Had there been clues or a lead up, we’d be less pissed. But there was no lead up or clue.
There was just abruptness.
And that makes it feel like a writers room doesn’t know how to write off characters or that someone was fired abruptly. All of this being said, here we are and lets dive into the episode.
OSLO
The Norweigan Prime Minister doesn’t like the fact that The Fly Team is in Norway, but Lange and Vo aren’t going to back down. Norway rejects their request for an open seat for Cassidy and tells them to leave the country. It’s almost laughable, because we all know that they aren’t going anywhere.
For them to stay in the country and to try to rescue Cassidy, they have to be ghosts. The FBI will disavow them. For Vo and Lange, it seems to be the thrill of it all. But, you can see on Vo’s face that she would do anything to bring Scott home. She would do anything for Scott.
When we finally get a look at Angela Cassidy in prison, we were confused. That’s not Scotts Mom. The way that the show makes you believe that there was just a recast – but for once had dropped a clue that it wasn’t – was great. Terri Polo surprised us, but maybe that’s because lately we only associate her with The Fosters and that show was definitely nothing like this one.
MAKING A DEAL
The team isn’t about to leave without Scott and they know that for that they need to get Cassidy. So research – because Tate is always finding things – leads them to the man that is getting the Norwegian journalists out.
Lange goes on his own to make the deal to get Cassidy on the plane getting them out.
Okay, now we have to admit that for a moment we didn’t know what to think of Lange. He seemed abrassive and cold. Yet, suddenly, seeing him in this episode, it’s not that. It’s that he’s guarded due to the things that he has experienced. He’s got this tough exterior, but underneath, people come first.
Lange has lost someone. We know this from the episode before this. We know and we see him prove repeatedly that he doesn’t want anyone to go through what he’s gone through.
The deal is that the team has to find someone that the broker says is part of a Russian terrorist sect and blew up some cars. They want her back. Hey, a terrorist – the team is willing to find and hand over, BUT a Mom on the run from an abuser. Not so much.
When the team locates her, Lange and Vo are ready to get her and move forward. BUT when they hear a baby crying, they stop to listen. Listening, for these two, is everything. They know that they can’t hand over this girl and this baby. They have to protect her.
Even though they know it will cost them.
ANYONE FOR SKIING
When they go to make the exchange, Lange and Vo explain that it’s not going to happen and offer to double the fee that Nicolai is getting. But he ain’t having it. Like Nicolai really has a bad temper. Someone needs to slip him some therapy and some meds. It really is not a good look and it’s definitely quite annoying.
The team knows that they are risking a lot. It’s the push and pull between their humanity and job that really gets us. They want to do the right thing and what that is, well… that’s up to interpretation.
Yet, what we do find out is that it wasn’t a recast at all. What this was – we are unsure of who this imposter is at the beginning, but we find out who she is. She had gone to the Ukraine to volunteer and no one has seen or heard from her in 18 months. How she got Cassidy’s idenity and knew her CIA password, no one knows.
But they do find out that Cassidy had a dossier about Russia and it could be the largest dump of intelligence on Putin’s regime. They believe the person posing as Cassidy has the password.
It’s just getting her is going to be a huge issue.
Because of Tate they are able to see that she’s being held at the ski jump from the Olympics.
HELICOPTERS, GUNS, AND FIGHTS
So much for being ghosts, fly team.
Over the course of this episode, we have grown to love The Fly Team even more. We have also grown to see that Brian Lange is just misunderstood. Colin Donnell as Brian Lange makes us forget our anger over the way that Forrester leaving has been handled.
Colin Donnell is a treasure.
As the team undergoes a gun fight and some pretty epic fights, we are on the edge of our seat. Yes, they do get the imposter back and in turn get arrested.
One thing that I did love about this episode was them going to rescue the imposter. Did we like them getting arrested? No. Did we like the CIA agent really not trying hard to get them out? No. Did we like the fact that America abandoned them? No.
But did we love the fact that Lange knew exactly how to use leverage? Absolutely. Did we love the fact that Smitty knew exactly what to do to get them out of it? STANDING OVATION.
If they’ve set it up for us to like Lange and really see that he can be a part of the team, but then make it so he won’t be back next season, WE WOULD BE PISSED. Yes, we’re going to do everything that we can to not think negatively, but we have no faith. Like we said in the beginning – all the changes and the getting rid of the cast, makes us hesitant.
The thing is, if you’re finding footing, we get it. If you’re changing directions, we get it.
But what we don’t get is the way it’s been handled. So, yes, we’re going to need Lange to lead the flight team.
WHERE IS SCOTT?
The imposter used Cassidy’s identity because Scott had told her to. He had said that if she did, his team would come for her.
And they did.
We know that the real Cassidy is an expert at disappearing. Tate is able to find a traffic camera video of the two – Scott and Cassidy are somewhere in Alaska. They have an obligation to report it, but Lange says to wipe it and let it be.
Ya, he’s definitely a winner. We love him.
They didn’t kill Forrester, which we are thankful for. But we still feel cheated by the way that they wrote him out. We feel cheated for the show, for the character, and for all the fans. We said what we said.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- No joke, we’re not messing with Raines. That fight scene in the elevator – so good. But scared us
- Volkov is terrifying
- Really do want Brian Lange there fulltime. If Forrester is gone, he’s the best option
- Smitty taking out the helicopter was perfection
- Hard pass on that ski jump
- Tess saying he was right, I felt goosebumps
- What the hell is happening? Are we getting Lange in the next season. We’re in need of answers.
- Smitty will always reign supreme.
- Vo is a natural leader.