One thing was clear for FBI: International. There was always a plan to bring us a fifth season, but CBS affected that plan. In the end, the FBI: International season 4 finale became a disappointing cliffhanger series finale.
Amanda Tate was brought into the series in the third season, following the departure of Jamie Kellett, played by Heida Reed. She was the tech analyst, bringing her own team to the new HQ, but sadly, she didn’t quite get the character development she should have. While season 3 focused a little on her personal life and her abilities as an ethical hacker, the fourth season pushed her to one side.
Would we have learned more about her hacking skills in FBI: International season 5?
It’s possible that the fifth season could have gone more into Amanda’s skills as a hacker. She only did things for the business, but we’ve seen with the likes of FBI: Most Wanted, that sometimes, lines are crossed. Knowing how she feels about child trafficking rings, it would have made sense for Amanda to cross the line now and then into catfishing people.
Alternatively, maybe we could have learned of a skill that she had that wasn’t usually shown on the screen. Or there could have been another side of her work life that we didn’t know existed.
It would have also been great to see her backstory with her team explored, as it’s clear she already knew some of those people as they joined the Fly Team. The entire support staff were overlooked for other characters, and more episodes would have given more time.
Could more focus on Amanda and Wes have happened in FBI: International?
There was a sudden twist in the story toward the end of FBI: International season 4. Amanda helped to get a drunken Wes back to his apartment, and Wes almost kissed her. This left Amanda a little confused, but she didn’t address it afterward.
It’s likely that she put that off as a drunken thing, and maybe she didn’t feel anything for him on a romantic level. However, that could have been explored in FBI: International season 5. We already saw what it was like for a supervisor and an agent to be together, and that relationship didn’t end up on good terms. FBI: International could have given us the start of that type of relationship, including the questions of whether it was a good idea considering the working environment or not.
I could have seen this relationship naturally developing as Wes took on a big brother role to his younger half-sister. Knowing Amanda has a daughter, he could have asked for Amanda’s advice on certain situations, which could have led to the two of them opening up. And maybe we could have seen more of Amanda as a mom and not just a tech genius in the office.
FBI: International is available to stream on Paramount+.
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