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FBI season finale proved how far the show has come in season 2

By Brittany Frederick

"Crossroads" -- A loving husband and father of two, Jim Russo (Claybourne Elder), is kidnapped after accidentally getting involved in illegal dealings far beyond what he imagined. Also, Jubal must make a difficult decision regarding his family and their future, on FBI, Tuesday, Oct. 22 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured (l-r) Jeremy Sisto as Jubal Valentine, Missy Peregrym as Special Agent Maggie Bell, Alana De La Garza as Isobel Castille and John Boyd as Stuart Scola Photo: Michael Parmelee/CBS ©2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
"Crossroads" -- A loving husband and father of two, Jim Russo (Claybourne Elder), is kidnapped after accidentally getting involved in illegal dealings far beyond what he imagined. Also, Jubal must make a difficult decision regarding his family and their future, on FBI, Tuesday, Oct. 22 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured (l-r) Jeremy Sisto as Jubal Valentine, Missy Peregrym as Special Agent Maggie Bell, Alana De La Garza as Isobel Castille and John Boyd as Stuart Scola Photo: Michael Parmelee/CBS ©2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved /
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The FBI season finale, even if not intended as the finale, proved how FBI season 2 has taken the CBS TV crime drama to another level of success.

FBI wrapped its season on Tuesday, several episodes ahead of schedule—but while it wasn’t the planned ending, “Emotional Rescue” was an example of how much the CBS crime drama has been even better the second time around.

The series was already a success last season; there are reasons why it was a ratings hit as soon as it premiered. But like every great show, FBI season 2 capitalized on the strengths the first season had and found new ways to keep moving the series forward.

In Tuesday’s episode audiences saw how the show has found the best dynamics between all of its characters. OA Zidan (Zeeko Zaki, who has been a standout all season) has developed such a great partnership with Maggie Bell that Missy Peregrym’s absence was definitely felt, despite the show bringing Tracy Spiridakos from Chicago PD to fill in.

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OA briefly mentioned Maggie in one scene during “Emotional Rescue,” making it clear how much respect and admiration he has for his partner.

Meanwhile, the additions of Alana de la Garza and John Boyd have proven to be a major plus. While Sela Ward was excellent as Dana Mosier last season, Isobel Castille has brought a different tone to the series that really works—and de la Garza’s existing rapport with her Law & Order costar Jeremy Sisto has made watching the interactions between Isobel and her right-hand man Jubal Valentine that much more fun. So many scenes between supervisory characters are just so dry and boring, but with Isobel and Jubal, we’ve gotten to see the back and forth that makes a unit tick.

Boyd’s character Stuart Scola has also been wonderful; given the awkward character he played on Bones, it wasn’t apparent right away if he would work for this show. But he fit in well as Scola and his partner (be it Kristen Chazal or Emily Ryder) have developed as a solid number-two team. FBI doesn’t give OA and Maggie all the action; it’s also spent time letting Stuart and his partners have their big moments, too.

And while it would be great to see Ebonee Noel‘s Kristen try to return to the field someday, CBS and the producers should strongly consider upping Catherine Haena Kim to a regular role. Emily has done well, and there’s a lot about her that audiences still want to learn.

The second season has realized which characters work best together, has developed each of those dynamics, and found ways to balance the storytelling so the different pairings all get used. While episodes naturally feature some characters more than others, FBI truly feels like a team, because nobody’s underutilized.

And with episodes that have pulled back on the procedural elements to make statements about important issues, such as the season premiere “Little Egypt” and Wednesday’s episode, there’s storytelling here that’s more than just following the clues to make an arrest. The show has more heart now, and that has made it connect with viewers on a deeper level. FBI has done everything right this year, and deserves a round of applause for an almost uniformly great season.

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FBI airs Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

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