FBI: International - General Discussion

[WendyCR72]

The third show in the CBS franchise, coming this fall!

[MountaineerBro10]

On 5/20/2021 at 11:59 PM, WendyCR72 said:

The third show in the CBS franchise, coming this fall!

Yeah I saw! Looking forward to it.

However, I don’t like how CBS has switched NCIS to Mondays so they could add International into their spot & make Tuesdays basically FBI night. I mean, I love the shows, but NCIS/FBI/Most Wanted was a perfect lineup IMO. Oh well. ‘21-‘22 should be good. 
 

BTW, bring back MacGyver!!

[illdoc]

Some casting news on this show: https://tvline.com/2021/07/08/fbi-international-cast-luke-kleintank-cbs-spinoff/

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, illdoc said:

Some casting news on this show: https://tvline.com/2021/07/08/fbi-international-cast-luke-kleintank-cbs-spinoff/

As one who watched Bones, I liked the actor and his character, so this could be good!

[illdoc]

Fall premiere date(s): Sept 21 & Sep 28. Let me explain---Sept 21 the order is FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, FBI: International (the first two are setting up the new series, so consider it a 3-parter). On Sept 28, the order is FBI, FBI: International, FBI: Most Wanted, which are the regular time slots. https://tvline.com/2021/07/12/cbs-fall-premiere-dates-survivor-ncis-young-sheldon/

[illdoc]

More FBI: I casting news: * FBI: International has added Christiane Paul (Counterpart) and Carter Redwood (The Long Road Home) to its cast, Deadline reports. Paul will play a Europol agent, while Redwood portrays a member of the FBI Fly Team in Budapest.

[WendyCR72]

Description of the season - and series -  premiere, and the last of a 3-way crossover with FBI and FBI: Most Wanted, airing tonight:

S01.E01: Pilot (3):

Quote

Special Agent Scott Forrester and his Budapest-based FBI fly team head to Croatia, after Isobel Castille enlists their help to capture an American fugitive who escaped to Zagreb with a 14-year-old girl. OA continues with the mission overseas, intent on bringing the fugitive to justice, while Europol agent Katrin Jaeger attempts to help the team secure the necessary support and access from the less-than-cooperative local authorities.

 

[Xeliou66]

Overall this was a satisfying conclusion to the 3 hour crossover and a good start to the new show.

I liked how the case played out, this was the least complicated hour of the 3 hours and was the easiest to follow, it was a good introduction to the team and a good way to conclude the storyline. Very satisfying to see all of the perps go down.

I liked how the crossover element worked - it was nice seeing Jubal and Isobel and even Ian and Kelly involved, and I was glad they showed LaCroix and Crosby at the hospital, it was a nice touch for Jess to apologize for his earlier outburst. And of course OA working with the International team was good, even though OA taking things personally gets a bit tiresome.

I liked the International team, they all seem like compelling characters and I look forward to seeing how the show does on its own. The dog is a cool feature even though I’m not sure what his role is. The one thing I didn’t like - the implication that Forrester and the second in command agent (I didn’t get her name) are sleeping together, that’s what I took away from the final scene, and that isn’t a good sign. I like how FBI original and MW have avoided all romances between main characters, and I don’t want this show to go down the soap opera drain.

So overall this was a successful crossover that did a good job of giving each character a role and told a complex story but wasn’t overly hard to follow. The villains were some of the worst we’ve ever seen, and it was satisfying to see them all go down.

 

[preeya]

17 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

And of course OA working with the International team was good, even though OA taking things personally gets a bit tiresome.

How many angry faces can one FBI Agent (OA) make in one one minute scene? Talk about taking it personally.

[judyri]

Yeah, I felt the international FBI guy 'schooling' OA was a bit condescending and out of place.  It's not like OA wouldn't understand the bigger picture, that was just poor writing, in my opinion.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Am willing to give this show a chance until I saw the last scene. The team’s second-in-command (Jamie) is sleeping with her boss (Scott). This is a big No-No for me. It’s too “One Chicago” and am sick of it. 😣

So buhbye FBI International 👋🏻 

[Raja]

23 hours ago, judyri said:

Yeah, I felt the international FBI guy 'schooling' OA was a bit condescending and out of place.  It's not like OA wouldn't understand the bigger picture, that was just poor writing, in my opinion.

I think OA came off as the condescending one, the Big Shot from the Big Apple by challenging the leadership of the Agent in Charge in front of everyone.  He certainly learned better at West Point long before joining the Bureau. 

[judyri]

30 minutes ago, Raja said:

On 9/23/2021 at 8:46 AM, judyri said:

Yeah, I felt the international FBI guy 'schooling' OA was a bit condescending and out of place.  It's not like OA wouldn't understand the bigger picture, that was just poor writing, in my opinion.

I think OA came off as the condescending one, the Big Shot from the Big Apple by challenging the leadership of the Agent in Charge in front of everyone.  He certainly learned better at West Point long before joining the Bureau. 

Fair point,  I think eithe way it showed poor writing as to how actual agents would behave in the field, considering their years of experience.

[Rambler]

It gave off a little too much of an ugly American vibe for my taste. "Oh you're angry that we are operating in your country without telling you first? Then you must be corrupt, because any cop not on the take would be happy that the almighty FBI broke into your countryman's home and started harassing him solely on the basis that he was seen on social media with our fugitive."

Punching unarmed suspects in the face is something I expect from the creators of Blue Bloods or Hawaii 5-O, not from the creator of Law and Order.

Oh well, it was the first episode. Hopefully they will tone it down for the rest of the season.

[Raja]

1 hour ago, Rambler said:

It gave off a little too much of an ugly American vibe for my taste. "Oh you're angry that we are operating in your country without telling you first? Then you must be corrupt, because any cop not on the take would be happy that the almighty FBI broke into your countryman's home and started harassing him solely on the basis that he was seen on social media with our fugitive."

Punching unarmed suspects in the face is something I expect from the creators of Blue Bloods or Hawaii 5-O, not from the creator of Law and Order.

Oh well, it was the first episode. Hopefully they will tone it down for the rest of the season.

Well in the modern era Wolf is also responsible for Chicago PD and the murdering murderer who murders Sergeant Voight.

Edited September 27, 2021 by Raja

[SunnyBeBe]

They really fooled me because throughout the episode I was thinking these agents are strictly business.  Then, that last scene! Not good.  Also, I thought they were being put up in a hotel….then Scott walks into his apartment…?  
 

I will watch it though…at least for a while.  

[Grrarrggh]

Ugh. White male is of course the boss. Not only that but he's sleeping with one of his team?! Ick. No thank you. 

[Misslindsey]

On 9/22/2021 at 1:07 AM, Xeliou66 said:

The one thing I didn’t like - the implication that Forrester and the second in command agent (I didn’t get her name) are sleeping together, that’s what I took away from the final scene, and that isn’t a good sign. I like how FBI original and MW have avoided all romances between main characters, and I don’t want this show to go down the soap opera drain.

I was disappointed in this development as well. I will see how it goes in the next episode or so, but I do not like it. 

It took me forever to place where I have seen the second in command agent before. Then I realized it was Elizabeth from Poldark. The short hair and bangs almost fooled me.

[SunnyBeBe]

40 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

Ugh. White male is of course the boss. Not only that but he's sleeping with one of his team?! Ick. No thank you. 

Yeah, do these writers stop to consider that they are starting out with a main character who is in a position of power over the subordinate and the affair is probably against policy, potentially damaging to both parties and unfair to the other people on the team.  Creates distrust and isn’t what viewers wanted to see right now.  Of course, maybe they are secretly married.   🥴

[WendyCR72]

S01.E02: The Edge

Airing tonight, September 28, 2021:

Quote

The International Fly Team is called on when a young mother flees to Hungary with her son, after losing partial custody of her son in the U.S. However, after the boy is kidnapped from his mother in broad daylight in Budapest, the team questions which parent is the danger in the child’s life.

 

[Xeliou66]

Pretty good episode, albeit somewhat predictable. It was pretty obvious what was going on the whole time so there wasn’t a lot of suspense, but I still liked it pretty good.

I loved seeing Tank the dog get some action in and knock the kidnapper down the escalator, that was pretty great!!

I like each member of the team, they work well together, the Europol female agent doesn’t seem to add a lot but overall I like the characters.

I loved seeing Jubal make a cameo assisting the team from NYC!! I like having some crossover between the shows and Jubal getting more screen time is always good.

The one thing I strongly dislike - Forrester and Jamie having a relationship. It adds nothing to the show but soapy drama, I don’t know why they went this route for this show but I really don’t like it. It’s unnecessary to add personal drama like that to each episode and it will just drag down the show.

But overall this is a decent show so far.

[Sandman]

I like Tank the dog. Everyone else I'm not sold on.

[illdoc]

Did anyone not know that the "let the rich guy go, here's his phone" was a set-up and there was a tracker on the phone? Except, of course, for the FBI agent? 

[Broderbits]

7 hours ago, Sandman said:

I like Tank the dog. Everyone else I'm not sold on.

The writing is ok to me, no real problem with the stories except for the decision to have 2 agents sleeping together. I just don't care for any of the actors at all. They're all just so forgettable, IMHO. I'm probably going to skip this show and stick to the other FBIs.

[Raja]

When Tank was introduced wasn't as a retired cadaver search dog? He didn't look the part that he played to me.

[LisaM]

Not thrilled. I think I am out. 

[Sandman]

16 hours ago, Raja said:

When Tank was introduced wasn't as a retired cadaver search dog? He didn't look the part that he played to me

Well, at least we know they're covered if there's ever an international zombie apocalypse (that starts in Hungary). I'd definitely want Tank the Cadaver Attack Dog on my side. In Tank's defense, that second kidnapper dude did look kinda pale and sickly.

[rove4]

I'm still in. I like the actors and I think the team works well together. I'm not thrilled about the romantic relationship between Forrester and Jamie but at least it hasn't seemed to bleed over into their work life...yet, anyway.  I think this is a solid addition to the FBI lineup and, as I recall, I wasn't immediately sold on OG FBI or Wanted either.  It took several episodes in both shows for the characters to win me over. 

[misstwpherecool]

I'm still stuck on them in a foreign country acting like it's their home town. I thought they were consultants and trainers. I would've started on slower with them aiding on a local case or working with local police. There more like bounty hunters.

[MountaineerBro10]

On 9/29/2021 at 9:35 AM, Sandman said:

I like Tank the dog. Everyone else I'm not sold on.

Agreed. Tank is badass. Everyone else? Eh, too soon to tell

[MountaineerBro10]

I just watched #1 & 2. International is ok. Not the worse, but also not the best. Just a little irritated by the fact Jamie & Luke are ALREADY sleeping together. So unoriginal.

I’ll watch the rest of the season, then decide if I like it. I do like Tank the dog. Very badass

Edited October 5, 2021 by MountaineerBro10

[WendyCR72]

Here is the description for S01.E03: Secrets As Weapons

Airing October 5, 2021:

Quote

The team investigates when the hijacking of millions worth of cryptocurrency en route to a safety vault in Switzerland leaves an American transporter dead and another on the run.

 

[Xeliou66]

The case was good in this episode, but it was really dragged down by the Forrester/Jamie relationship stuff. I really don’t like how right off the bat 2 main characters are in a relationship, and it was ever present in this episode. I didn’t see Jamie getting shot coming, and the suspense was good in this episode, and I liked how the investigation went with them tracking down the villains, but I’m just not a fan of personal relationships between the main characters. I still enjoyed the episode and thought the case was compelling and I liked Isobel making a cameo appearance. But I’m disappointed with the show for having the main characters in a relationship, it drags the show down.

[theschnauzers]

The only reason I am watching this is because of Luke Kleintank, going back to his time on The Man In The High Castle. In episode 3, he made an off hand reference about Ohio, which was fun, as he was born in Ohio. I’m not sure why Dick Wolf allowed a plot line of Jamie and Scott seeing each other, but then it’s not otherwise uncommon in the Wolf Universe for most of his other shows, but it doesn’t seem to fit.

[Sandman]

9 hours ago, theschnauzers said:

I’m not sure why Dick Wolf allowed a plot line of Jamie and Scott seeing each other, but then it’s not otherwise uncommon in the Wolf Universe ...

It might actually be de rigueur now.

[Dowel Jones]

I wonder how well Forrester's 'bull in a china shop' routine is going to go over when uber-rich billionaire calls his contacts back in DC and makes a public stink over being assaulted by him.

[Rambler]

Nice speech that Forrester gave to the Swiss policeman about how they were guests in his country and there wouldn't be any hidden agendas. I wonder if he gave that same speech to the local cops in the first two episodes, maybe some time before he started screaming at them about how they were getting in the way of his investigation. Oh right, they were Eastern European cops so it doesn’t matter if they were treated like garbage.

[mythoughtis]

I liked the courier couple and the Swiss detective better than anyone else on this episode.  The previews showed Julia? Getting shot so the suspense was gone for me.   I really don’t see this series lasting any longer than the Criminal Minds FBI international version did. It just doesn’t hold my interest.  Quite honestly the accents don’t help this 60+ year old hear the dialogue clearly. 

Edited October 9, 2021 by mythoughtis

[SunnyBeBe]

On 10/7/2021 at 1:09 PM, Dowel Jones said:

I wonder how well Forrester's 'bull in a china shop' routine is going to go over when uber-rich billionaire calls his contacts back in DC and makes a public stink over being assaulted by him.

Right.  So, are we supposed to be impressed that because his lover was shot, he got overly emotional and acted inappropriately?  I think some writers think that kind of thing demonstrates just how strong someone’s feelings are….😍 It’s one reason you shouldn’t be personally involved with a person working under you.  And,now that they are going go public, the other team members get to feel uncomfortable with it.  How do they not see how improper it is? Forrester is really putting himself out on a limb.  A claim from her that he used his position……and his career could be over.  He trust her completely. 
 

One thing I’ve noticed about this show is how they tend to have repeated scenes where they run up to a fleeing suspect and they take off in their car.  The agents give chase, but are too late and just stand there looking defeated….lol.  It happens more often on this show than any other I’ve ever seen before.  I find it odd.  You could almost do a drinking game with it.

I also don’t care for the character who’s involved with Forrester.  I’m not sure what it this. She’s just not appealing to me.  I wish she’d take the transfer and not show up anymore, though, she says she won’t take it.  

Edited October 9, 2021 by SunnyBeBe

[Grrarrggh]

On 10/9/2021 at 9:01 AM, SunnyBeBe said:

Right.  So, are we supposed to be impressed that because his lover was shot, he got overly emotional and acted inappropriately?  I think some writers think that kind of thing demonstrates just how strong someone’s feelings are….😍 It’s one reason you shouldn’t be personally involved with a person working under you.  And,now that they are going go public, the other team members get to feel uncomfortable with it.  How do they not see how improper it is? Forrester is really putting himself out on a limb.  A claim from her that he used his position……and his career could be over.  He trust her completely. 

HIS career?! No way, SHE would be out on her ass and he'd be excused. 

[WendyCR72]

Here is the description for S01.E04: American Optimism, airing October 12, 2021:

Quote

The team investigates an American citizen who is proclaiming his innocence after seeking sanctuary at Madrid’s U.S. embassy while still covered in the blood of his murdered Spanish boyfriend. Also, Vo and Raines continue to grow their friendship.

 

[illdoc]

Full season pick-up: https://tvline.com/2021/10/11/ncis-hawaii-full-season-1-order-fbi-international-cbs/

[theschnauzers]

That was fast. Apparently the entire night’s lineup in live plus seven is running 350 to 400 percent higher year to year over last yearin viewers and the demo. Averaging six plus to eight million or so week to week are strong numbers in this environment.

[MountaineerBro10]

3 minutes ago, theschnauzers said:

That was fast. Apparently the entire night’s lineup in live plus seven is running 350 to 400 percent higher year to year over last yearin viewers and the demo. Averaging six plus to eight million or so week to week are strong numbers in this environment.

Definitely. FBI International’s not bad, but I wouldn’t consider it as an all-in just yet. I haven’t even watched any of Hawaii yet. Is it any good? 

[Xeliou66]

Not a bad episode but it was pretty predictable - I knew that the American would be innocent, and there wasn’t a lot of investigation it seemed, it seemed that the scenes with the team battling the foreign officials were just as prominent as the investigation scenes, and those scenes get tiresome, I get sick of the cliche of the main characters always battling foreign officials and always being right, very predictable, and Forrester comes across as self righteous at times.

The case was very straightforward with not a lot of suspense IMO.

And the Forrester/Jamie relationship thing just drags down the show, so unnecessary to have 2 of the main characters in a relationship. This isn’t a bad show and I’ll continue watching for now, but it’s my least favorite of the 3 FBI shows.

[zoey1996]

So now others from the team know about Jamie & Forrester. When supervisor/supervisee relationships are not allowed, and they’re choosing to ignore that rule because they’re in Europe, what does that say about their ethics? What other rules are they willing to break? If there wasn’t a rule, I wouldn’t be bothered. I don’t think otj couple relationships are a good idea, but I wouldn’t care if there was no rule.

[Rickster]

I was impressed with how resourceful the team was to come up with formal wear  to attend the ambassador’s ball on a couple of hours notice in a foreign (to them) country…

It seems these NCIS/FBI shows like to have a funky office setting, but putting the team’s office in what appears to be an abandoned building with peeling paint and broken windows really bothers me. I’ve spent a little time in offices in a couple of Eastern European cities (not Budapest) and they’re not like this. I didn’t see the first episode of the show so maybe this was explained.

I think an issue with this show is coming up with plots that have a reasonable amount of action/tension but are also somewhat accurate about how a team like this would operate. In this week’s episode, I couldn’t figure out what the justification was for the team to muscle in on a local police investigation of a straightforward murder case, even if an American was involved . In reality, I’m sure they would just have some boring liaison role, if they were involved at all.

 

[WendyCR72]

The next episode will not air until November 2nd, but the description for S01.E05: The Soul Of Chess, is now up:

Quote

The team investigates an American journalist’s death by poison after his attempt to meet with an anonymous source in Poland. Also, Kellett takes Forrester to task for being overprotective with her during the mission.

 

[judyri]

I did not even recognize the lead from 'The Man in the High Castle', he looks so different.  Course, I dropped that after the first season.  And funny to see the other lead in FBI: Most Wanted.  Glad to see they landed on their feet.

[catrice2]

It kinda annoys me that this is on when Crossing Lines, a MUCH better show couldn't survive.