FBI Season 8 Episode 16 took my breath away in more than one sense.
As much as I didn’t like Erin’s death or think it was necessary, Maggie’s grief response was perfect, and I loved that it was threaded throughout the hour rather than just mentioned at the beginning and end.
In addition, the case of the week was more tense and interesting than usual, and the climax caught my attention in a way few stories have during FBI Season 8. More like this, please.
Maggie Spent FBI Season 8 Episode 16 Trying to Be Okay
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I’m all about trauma subplots, especially ones that are done well, and Maggie’s was.
That allowed FBI‘s Missy Peregrym to deliver a second powerful performance after Maggie learned of her sister’s death in the first place, and the episode did so without resorting to cliches.
It would have been so easy for Maggie’s grief to cause her to freeze or otherwise risk people’s lives because she returned to work too soon, but that would have been the same story we’ve seen countless other times on police procedurals.
Instead, Maggie had a much richer story — the woman who is trying to be okay and does exemplary work, but falls apart at the end.
It seemed like she was more affected by the suspect’s refusal to acknowledge that they shared a universal experience than by anything else.
She tried her hardest to empathize with him and convince him that revenge doesn’t fill the hole left behind by the unfair deaths of people you love, and she was likely half talking to herself about that.
Yet when all was said and done, her understanding of grief was met with a cold insistence that she didn’t understand at all, and that floored her.
It seemed as if she had hoped her work could make meaning out of the loss. If only she could use that grief to save lives, she could understand its purpose, and when that failed, she was left only with the awareness that her sister died for no good reason.
Is FBI Season 8 Setting Up Maggie’s Exit Story?
Rumors perpetually swirl around the idea of Maggie leaving FBI.
It’s understandable why people feel that way. Missy Peregrym’s character has been central for eight years, but thanks to cast-rotation policies, she disappears from the screen from time to time, prompting viewers to wonder whether her absence will be permanent.
There are no verified reports about Maggie leaving the series, but if she were going to, the end of FBI Season 8 Episode 16 set it up perfectly.
When Maggie said she was clearly not okay and didn’t know how she could lead her team when she was overcome with grief and guilt over Erin’s death, I braced myself, almost sure she was going to resign, or at least, ask for an indefinite leave of absence.
The scene reminded me too much of how Fin has mostly been written out of Law & Order: SVU Season 27, so I was relieved when Isobel reassured Maggie that they would help her, rather than anyone deciding to separate her from her gun and badge.
Still, Maggie could always decide later that even with support, this job is too much for her. On the other hand, FBI often makes it appear that characters are leaving, only for them to continue with the series.
It wasn’t that long ago that Isobel was poisoned, and everyone assumed she would either die or decide to retire because of it, after all.
Hopefully, OA can help Maggie through her trauma — she’s helped him deal with his experience in Afghanistan often enough.
I Was Surprised By How Exciting The Case’s Climax Felt
The first half of FBI Season 8 Episode 16 was typical investigative stuff — narrowing down leads, chasing down the wrong suspects (in one case, literally), and finding someone they needed to talk to dead in his apartment.
Once the story officially moved from double homicide to terrorist attack, I was prepared not to like it.
Not only has FBI had a million terrorist stories since its inception, but this one seemed extremely convoluted, with someone kidnapping and torturing a bomb-maker and then smuggling him into the country using a high-stakes conspiracy where no one person knew all the details and most of the participants were dead.
Isobel’s speech on code to her CI was original and interesting, but I wasn’t thrilled with the case or the mandatory shooting spree near the end.
I did like that CIA‘s Nikki Reynard had a brief cameo, although I’d have liked a stronger connection between the two shows. Maybe someday we’ll have a real crossover.
And once we got to the final fifteen minutes of the hour, everything changed.
The bomb-carrying drone threat, the inability to simply shoot the drones down or remotely take over control of them, the Navy’s refusal to evacuate their ship, and the terrorist’s refusal to negotiate all made for a tense battle against time.
I loved that Ian had a bigger part in the resolution of this case than usual, without being omnipotent because of his computer skills.
Far too often, computer experts on these types of procedurals are either given a tiny part or asked to magically solve everything, and this was a much more realistic use of the character.
What did you think, FBI fanatics?
I know you have opinions on Maggie’s return, so let’s have them!
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