What I love about procedurals is that I do think that I know what is happening and then I am proven wrong. Photos that are put out into the press could be a red herring and they could have nothing to do with what you think they do. FBI: International did just that. FBI: International, Season 4, Episode 13, well it wasn’t what I expected at all.
I was angry over the pictures, thinking Quinn had messed with Wes. That made me ready to tear her to shreds and now, I feel bad for her. I feel bad for the situation that she’s been put in and also because her brother is not kind to her about it.
He’s the one who messed up, not her.
I am aware that we’re also in a situation where this episode could have made me think better of her and then she’s going to screw up. Thinking about that made me realize something – I am emotionally invested in her character already.
That is what FBI: International does. It grabs a hold of you and you are invested in every character. I may hate some and I may like some – but all the way around – I am invested.
In my opinion, that’s a sign of good television.
But it’s also a sign of good writing. I would have thought that Riley just made her choice to save her brother, but she has been dealing with the emotional dilemma of what to do since she arrived.
THE CASE
Screams are always scary. When there is a gunshot, followed by screams and ending with a girl walking down the street covered in blood – that’s terrifying. I even jumped and I knew it was a television show.
The team gets the case and I have to admit that I am excited to see things through their eyes. The team makes its way to Slovakia and their detective liaison is just gross. But, they are there to solve a case and to help Becca. She’s an American and is being held.
I loved that you could see on Wes’ face that he really doesn’t know what to believe coming from Becca. She’s overplaying her hand and I am really not sure at the beginning what to think of her. I do believe that Wes has a good gut instinct and I think that he’s torn on which way to follow it.
An American businessman was shot in the streets. Becca says that she saw the man’s face, that he wore no mask and she didn’t know what to do, so she screamed. Becca is the only witness and that means that she’s going to have to be the one to make an ID.
When she does make a positive ID, there is just something about her that rubs me the wrong way. She says that they can’t make her afraid when she’s only doing the right thing.
I think what bugs me here is that I also fell for the innocent young girl act that Becca was giving. Lesson to learn – pay more attention to Wes and Vo’s facial expressions. They know what they are talking about.
BROTHER
Quinn is a rarity. She wants to do everything right but also is put in a situation that has made that really hard. Everyone has wanted something from her and not one person seems to stop and think about what it does to her.
When she’s trying to explain what is happening to her brother, he’s gaslighting her. He’s also making her feel the worst that she can about everything.
I think that Quinn has a level of innocence that surrounds her, but maybe it is the fact she’s never been in high-stakes field work before. I do believe that she’s torn and REALLY wants to do the right thing, but what that is, is subjective.
Quinn does believe that Wes is a good man. She believes that he’s one of the best that the FBI has. Family guilt is another thing.
Quinn manages to get the evidence that she needs for the jerk who wants to bury Wes back home. I don’t believe that she would have given the information had her brother not guilted her. She would have found another way.
Csonka comes back to haunt the team again.
SLOVAKIA
Sometimes I miss Vo and Raines being partners and then at other times, I am thankful that Smitty and Raines bounce things off each other. The two of them are in the morgue in FBI: International Season 4, Episode 13, looking over the case, when they realize that Becca was the one who pulled the trigger.
When the team recognizes that Becca is the one who shot the man – they are going to track her down. They are doing everything that they can to make sure that no one else dies by Becca’s hand.
The cops in Slovakia are not on the up and up. The captain seems to be in bed with everyone doing wrong in the country. The captain has been investigated for being dirty, previously. Turns out that whoever did that investigation was really bad at their job.
I know that this is only a television show, so yes, I know I am criticizing a fake person.
Wes and Vo are at the business partner’s house when Becca opens fire into the apartment. She’s not caught, but as they keep searching for her, Dirty Cop receives a call and there is a hit put out on Becca.
When you have secrets to keep, people can and will use them to their advantage. Secrets are like currency and when someone has yours to use, that’s a big deal. The only way to keep a secret is to never tell anyone. That’s neither here nor there though.
DIRTY COP
The shipping yard and searching for Becca in FBI: International Season 4, Episode 13 had me nervous. We know that there is a hitman hired to take out Becca and the team needs to find her before she takes anyone out. But, why is she there? And why is she there so early? Is this an escape route?
I think that seeing the team work together and trying to make sure that everyone is okay. I think that it was great that they put Quinn as the person to get to Becca first. We needed to get to see another part of the dynamic that is Wes Mitchell.
He’s sassy, witty, smart, and well in the pursuit of justice. He’s like Superman in plaid.
Wes is always willing to do anything to de-escalate a situation. I appreciate that. It’s because he had to shoot the dirty cop and then got himself arrested. I don’t like seeing him hauled away in cuffs.
The Fly Team did what they had to do to save people. The dirty cop was coming after them because they caught him doing shady things. Wes was left with no choice but to protect himself and his team.
Say what you want about Wes, but he’s not willing to lose anyone. He’s lost members of his team before and it destroyed him. We don’t need him to have to get any more tattoos.
I believe that for Wes, his team is his family. He took a big leap heading up the Fly Team and I don’t think he expected to find his home there. But he has. He knows that with the job, it’s all about the people next to him and having his back. He has theirs.
CRISIS OF CONSCIOUS
The Fly Team has evolved this season and I have to appreciate how they have done that. I believe that they are a better team this season than they have been and it’s a good thing to watch. It’s about the evolution of characters and there isn’t an episode that this team isn’t evolving.
Quinn has become a member of the team and honestly, I am invested in this storyline. That being said, I think we all know it’s not going to be that easy – the kind of easy where everything can just be cleaned up easily.
You can see the agony in her eyes when she has to give the information on Wes to the Inspector in FBI: International Season 4, Episode 13. She knows that this isn’t right. Maybe that’s what I like and appreciate about Quinn – she knows that for every action there is a reaction.
It gets worse with Mitchell being arrested and her being the only witness. She’s told to let him rot, but she can’t do that. She has too much respect for him, The Fly Team, and herself. She also feels like Mitchell saved her life.
The implications of her telling the truth – she knows that there will be something that happens. However, when push comes to shove, she knows that this isn’t her.
What I love is that she knows that the person to go to is Vo. Meeting up with Vo in FBI: International Season 4, Episode 13, and telling her that she was in trouble was the smartest thing that she could have done. Yes, Vo is not going to be pleased, but she will do the right thing. She knows that things are not as black and white as they seem.
Whoever is coming after Wes, the team won’t stand for that. They saw what that did to Scott. Never again for that.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Wes and Raines bonding over golf and talking about Quinn – I like the fact that they are all getting along.
- Quinn and Vo – shoulder to shoulder – it’s a good story and it’s nice to see them bond
- Quinn, I do like her. I feel for her. That’s a good thing that the writers have given us a character that we can evolve with.
FBI: International airs Tuesdays on CBS.
