When a television show or anything for that matter says that “the future’s looking bright” I have to admit that I am on to get a little scared. Even with all of the good that it is supposed to infer, that phrase is an omen to me. An omen that something is about to go wrong.
When it comes to The Fly Team, I am definitely expecting things to be crazy and chaotic. Not that I hate that at all – it makes for good television. FBI: International makes for such great television this season (well, every season it’s been on).
This week the team headed to Warsaw. Why? In the episode, “an American man is kidnapped in Warsaw alongside a Ukrainian woman he met on a dating site, the Fly Team heads to Poland to track down the mastermind behind the site.”
All of the episodes this season have been really good and this episode was no exception.
THE CASE
Getting older is hard. Being alone and losing the one you love isn’t easy. For a man named Gil, he turned to online dating and met a woman. He’s decided that he’s going to Warsaw to meet her – that he wants to marry her.
He is desperately in love. She’s a young girl from Ukraine who acts as though she loves him. The man is being conned but doesn’t see it.
TBH, I feel bad for Gil. He’s a rich man who has lost his wife and wants nothing more than to be loved.
When he heads to Poland, he is kidnapped, along with the girl. Only the kidnapping is staged and Gil is being held for ransom. After three days of being MIA, the Fly Team becomes involved and heads to Warsaw to find him.
I DON’T WANT TO SHIP THEM
Wes Mitchell is attractive. I will admit that. I will also admit that I like the chemistry between Wes and Vo. It’s a friendship right now that has them speaking bluntly to each other. It’s a growing chemistry and one that I find myself going – wow, I could ship them.
Vo and Wes have a history – one that we don’t know a lot about yet, but it is there. When they are in the car and she says that they matched on their dating app, I about fell over. Are we going to have them together eventually? Are we getting set up that they won’t be? I don’t know. But what I do know is I find myself not minding the possibility IF it is a slow burn and takes time.
The two are working together with the Polish PD, and the dude in charge isn’t taking the abduction seriously. But this is the Fly Team and they aren’t going to give up. Wes, and his sarcastic charm is not going to let the politics get in the middle of things and is going to do whatever it takes to get Gil back.
The thing I love about the Fly Team is their dynamic. They are always there for each other, but with Wes, he’s got a guard up that Scott never had. Seeing them try to bond with Wes and bring Wes in to see that they are a team is something I am enjoying.
FINDING MORE INVOLVED
I don’t know what the team would do without Amanda Tate and her team. They’re able to find so much out about the dating site, which eventually leads the team to their next break.
The team is able to get one of the webmasters on the site. I loved seeing Wes and Vo working together to take the man down. It was just another thing that showed their dynamic. They move in sync and are able to play off of each other.
The team is able to get a list of men who are being marked – which leads them to a man names Larry. Larry is still in Poland after being conned and TBH, I can’t help but feel horrible for him. He’s waiting for his papers to be able to go back to the States but explains what happened to him.
I felt so bad for him because Larry just looked so miserable. He looks so sad and distraught. Seeing Raines and Smitty listening to him, I felt like they felt bad for him too. Larry, don’t feel shame because of what happened. You deserve better.
MIXER
Larry is able to tell the team about mixers with the site. The team is able to infiltrate and are able to find Natalya – the woman that Gil went to meet. It was easy for Wes to get outside and eventually for the FBI to take.
Part of me felt bad for Natalya – who told them that she did what she did because her refugee status in Poland was threatened. I don’t understand, because I couldn’t do it, but I do feel bad for her. She is able to tell them a few things and able to tell them about the plan to ransom Gil. This leads the team back to Gil’s daughter, Melissa.
Melissa is obviously distraught about her Dad. She didn’t tell them about the ransom out of fear. She was told by the kidnappers that she wasn’t allowed to bring the police in.
If I was in a situation like Melissa, I would want someone like Raines there to help me. Smitty too. The two are so calm and understanding, they are able to help her through everything. They are able to guide her through how to play the kidnapper and get information to get Gil back.
Tates team comes into play too, and they are able to track down a warehouse where Gil may be held. Again, Wes and Vo work together to try to save Gil, but he’s been moved.
What they do find is fingers. Cut off fingers. Did Gil lose his fingers? We’d seen in his ransom video they legit pulled out his teeth, but I mean – did they cut off his fingers too? That poor dude has been through enough.
The Polish police are finally taking everything seriously, which I appreciate. It always seems that the team is coming up against politics and people hating each other versus working with the team. It gets frustrating, but it does add to the drama, which I can appreciate.
THERE’S ANOTHER HOSTAGE
When the team finds where Gil is being held, they come under fire. Wes and Vo are both pinned down at different points. I have to admit that I was afraid that they were going to get hit. There was so much gunfire.
Personally, I couldn’t be an FBI agent. There is just so much cardio and gunfire. Hard pass on both. I do not have this kind of courage.
But I do love watching them.
Finding Gil, after the firefight, she finds that he has all his fingers. This means that there is a second hostage.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am worried about the hostage. I would just like to take a moment though to recognize the panic in Wes’ voice when he’s asking if Vo is okay. I know, I know, they are on the same team and so of course he’s worried. You can not smile and just honestly love their dynamic. I love the way that they look out for each other.
I know that I am going to get some pushback on Vo and Wes. Some of you reading this will tell me that I need to let it go. Look, I am not saying that I want them together tomorrow. I don’t want to ship them, but I am finding myself not minding it.
I think that Wes and Vo are going to have a great friendship and they will be the partners that we all wish were together, but they aren’t. Instead, we’ll watch them with other people and the whole angst thing.
And I am all for this.
I think that procedurals benefit from ships. Personally, I think that it has that angle that brings a different audience in and I can appreciate that. I love the whole will they, won’t they thing. As much as I love cases being solved, I also love a personal dynamic.
WE’VE GOT YOU SMITTY
The fingers belong to a British man who disappeared four months ago. No one has been looking for him. He has no family.
The team has found who they came there for. They could leave. But, that isn’t an option for them. Especially when Smitty says that she needs to find this man.
What I love about Smitty is that she’s this strong and fierce person, but she also has a heart of gold. She wants to help everyone and she will always put others before her. Smitty has this passion for solving cases because she genuinely wants to help. It’s her wanting to help everyone that is part of her charm and strength.
The team has her back. Smitty always has theirs, but she needs to see that they have hers too. That reassurance is a good thing for her to feel.
They are able to find the missing Brit and get him help.
Look, this episode wasn’t a five-star episode, but it was great. For me, it was great because we were able to see that the team was coming together. We got to see the different dynamics that are in play.
The Fly Team is figuring out who they are and I absolutely love that. They are all different with Wes as their leader and that is a positive thing. Their voices are stronger and they show this passion to be better and stronger.
I am obsessed. Are you?
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Cam telling Wes how to fix his dating profile – I died. Also, agree with her
- The Polish police officer that was working with them – when he slapped the guy – I shrieked. BUT, I love that Wes put him straight.
- I love that Wes is this up-and-up guy. He’s a good agent.
- Golf? Please no.
- The exchange of the pin – Wes and the police officer. Wes giving that coin – that just shows how good of a man he is.
- The ending – with the golf simulator. Look, Vo you are such a good person to put up with that and bring him there.
- I loved the ending scene with Vo and Wes. I am telling you – you’re gonna start to ship them.
MORE FBI: INTERNATIONAL REVIEWS
- FBI: International Season 4, Episode 1 Review: ‘A Leader, Not A Tourist’
- FBI: International Season 4, Episode 2 Review: ‘The Other Hard Part’
- FBI: International Season 4, Episode 3 Review: ‘Nothing Sudden About It’
- FBI: International Season 4, Episode 4 Review: ‘The Unwinnable War’
I agree with every word. I enjoy the center of the show which is solving the cases, but I’m expecting more of the personal life developments for the whole team. I believe they need to settle the team as it is and grow on from that. In order to engage with a show one must be compelled by the characters and how their lives are affected by the job and how this affects the dynamics. So… Don’t let anyone else go, keep Wes, bring stories about the other characters too and let them grow personaly and as a team. And I’m here for Wes and Cam as long as they remain being right written.