FBI Season 7, Episode 2 Review: The Team’s Biggest Weakness Is Revealed
The following contains major spoilers from FBI Season 7, Episode 2, “Trusted,” which debuted Tuesday, Oct. 22 on CBS. It also contains mention of torture.
One of the best qualities about FBI is that the CBS show is never afraid to show the flaws of its heroes. And not in a melodramatic way where they make mistakes just to have emotional moments; it depicts the things they struggle with every day. Season 7, Episode 2, “Trusted” puts that aspect of the series front and center. It wants to be a twisty crime thriller, but it’s just as much about how the team struggles to adjust in one way or another.
“Trusted” focuses on a pair of inmates who escape from federal prison, only for one to realize the other is someone who should never have been let out. Meanwhile, Stuart Scola has to adjust to a rookie agent assigned to be his next partner, and OA Zidan runs into an old friend who conveniently shows up. All of this mixes together into an episode that has flaws, but that seems appropriate considering that so do all of the characters involved.
FBI Season 7, Episode 2 Has the Agents Off Their Game
Trusted” isn’t anyone’s best day at the FBI office. Most notably, Isobel Castille has some harsh words for Maggie Bell, as audiences find out that Maggie’s decision in the FBI Season 7 premiere wasn’t sanctioned by her boss. This explains why the premiere didn’t show Maggie trying to convince Isobel to not cooperate with the CIA — because that conversation didn’t happen. Isobel informs her agent (and everyone watching at home) that the whole unit is under scrutiny as a result of Maggie’s actions. It’ll be interesting to see if the writers pursue this idea over more than one episode or if it solely exists to add some extra tension to this storyline, but it’s fitting for Maggie, who’s been known for being headstrong since the very beginning. She fights for what she believes in, but that comes with consequences.
Maggie also shows her tendency to prejudge a situation in her interactions with John Pereira, one of the two suspects. Pereira insists that he wasn’t involved with the murder and torture of the couple living in a home where he claimed to have stashed $2 million. Maggie is not only skeptical, but she’s very pointed in talking to him, pointing out that his lie cost innocent people their lives. It’s completely understandable why she reacts that way — yet probably not the best approach. But that’s okay, because procedurals where the main characters are always smooth and know all the right moves just aren’t interesting.
Isobel Castille: You disobeyed a direct order in the field… Now we are under a microscope, all of us, because of you.
The biggest mistakes come from Scola’s new partner, an inexperienced agent named Sofia Otero, whose lack of seasoning shows throughout the episode. When she comes to the conclusion that she doesn’t belong on the team, the audience — and Maggie — have already gotten to that point. The best scene in “Trusted” is when Maggie chastizes Otero for wanting to bet on the outcome of a field operation. It upholds the idea of this FBI team as a professional unit, whereas another show might play Otero’s comment for laughs and forget about it. But it’s not funny and it’s nice to see the agents hold each other accountable. These characters never feel like stock heroes because they’re allowed to have that learning curve.
Why Missy Peregrym’s Maggie Bell Left and Returned to FBI – Again
FBI wrote out Missy Peregrym’s Maggie Bell in “Fear Nothing,” but that wasn’t the first time she was leaving. Here’s why she exited in Season 4.
FBI Hasn’t Forgotten About Tiffany Leaving
Episode 2 Gives Katherine Renee Kane Her Due Respect
Speaking of a learning curve, the introduction of Sofia Otero will be the biggest talking point in this FBI episode. Like Chicago PD, the show takes the approach of bringing in a temporary partner instead of immediately working in the permanent replacement. However, FBI executes the idea much better than Chicago PD Season 12 did — and does so in a way that honors what Katherine Renee Kane brought as Tiffany Wallace, even if Tiffany is no longer present.
The Chicago PD Season 12 premiere featured a character named Emily Martel (played by Gotham‘s Victoria Cartagena) who had all of her backstory explained to audiences before she was shot and killed. Martel existed solely for dramatic effect, so that audiences and Adam Ruzek could be shocked by her death in the line of duty. In contrast, FBI uses Otero’s brief stay to tell a story about whether or not Stuart Scola can adjust to a new partner, and to a lesser extent, to highlight what it takes to work on this specific team. This makes perfect sense because Scola’s arc in the FBI season premiere was about being unable to accept that Tiffany was leaving. It would be out of character if he just moved on right away and it would also be ridiculous if a new agent showed up and immediately knew how things were done.
OA Zidan: If you want to play big league ball, you got to earn your spot.
Instead, Tiffany still has a part to play in “Trusted.” Scola explains to Otero who she replaced, and in telling Scola that she’s leaving, Otero says she only knew his breakfast order because Tiffany had left a note in her desk addressed to “Scola’s next partner.” This affirms that Tiffany didn’t just leave; she took the time to look out for Scola and whomever followed her by hopefully easing the transition. It’s one last great moment for Tiffany. And it’s another nod to how underrated Scola is, because he does his best to work with Otero instead of brooding or pushing her away. For a one-episode guest arc, this is a very well-developed subplot, and it makes up for the weaknesses in the other two.
Season 7, Episode 2’s Personal Subplots Are Lacking
Jubal’s Family Problems Are Nothing New
Where FBI Season 7, Episode 2 falls short is in its personal storylines for OA and Jubal Valentine. There’s a brief scene near the top of Jubal and his ex-wife discussing their son Tyler’s college tuition, which is paid off at the end, when Jubal suggests to her that he move back into the family home in order to save money. But this is just not that interesting, because Jubal’s personal life has been a mess for a long time anyway, so this is just more of the same.
OA fares slightly better when he reunites with a Ranger colleague, Clay Voss, who’s now in private contracting. But that’s largely because it’s nice to see Guy Lockard after his character Dr. Dylan Scott was quickly written out of Chicago Med in Season 8. FBI has done the “someone from a hero’s past returns in a recurring role” bit before, most notably when Charlotte Sullivan played an old friend of Maggie’s. That storyline worked because it actually had a significant impact on Maggie’s life and her point of view (and because of the Rookie Blue reunion). The jury is still out on this one, as it ends with Clay guilt-tripping OA into distracting a restaurant waiter so that Clay can plant a surveillance bug. Clearly, Clay just sees his old friend as a tool in his arsenal — and it’s hard not to be disappointed in OA for going along with it. He’s been a character worth looking up to for so long, and yet he compromises his integrity in a way that will likely come back to haunt him.
Maggie Bell: What did this guy do to score a dinner invite with you?
OA Zidan: He saved my life.
FBI Season 7, Episode 2, “Trusted” is an episode that says more about the agents than the mystery they’re trying to solve. Audiences will be able to figure out the twists and turns relatively easily, including a foot chase that really isn’t much of one, and a bad guy who gets hit and killed by a car because he’s not paying attention. These things keep the action going — but they’re not as memorable as what fans learn about Scola, Maggie and OA.
