FBI - General Discussion

[callie lee 29]

I finally watched the episode (missed that it was on Sunday) and I thought it was an incredibly mature way to handle the situation especially for a cop show.  Scola is probably my favorite character on the show and I like Nina so hopefully this lets her stay around awhile.

[JPPT1974]

Scola sorry is my least favorite as the guy is a bit smug and arrogant for my taste. Can't wait for Maggie to get on back. As really wonder if Nina's actress is pregnant in real life?!

[LadyChaos]

48 hours till Maggie is back! 

I wonder if we'll get any clips tomorrow.

[LadyChaos]

https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/fbi-star-missy-peregrym-previews-maggies-risky-return-to-work-and-redefining-the-partnership-with-oa

[LadyChaos]

Glad to see Maggie back, but she so clearly is not ready to be back. OA might be overprotective, but I feel like its justified. She froze in the field, might be taking anti-anxiety meds which would pull her from the field, forgot her gun, clearly is still dealing with things....OA had reason to be concerned. I think Scola wasn't comfortable with her being at the meet and greet either and only Tiffany seemed to take her at her word that she was ready.

I think once it was clear that the gang were users as well as dealers they should've known it wasn't gonna go well....and I don't think OA was wrong for going in....pulling the fire alarm was better then breaking her cover. And I think it would've went bad whether OA did that or not.

OA was basically having a panic attack in the car and it felt so real that it set off my anxiety..lol.

Figured it would end on an argument between them...tptb said 507/508 were supposed to be a 2 part thing, I guess that means only in regards to them fighting?

I wish there would've been something from Scola about Nina.

[LadyChaos]

[WendyCR72]

I am glad to see Maggie back, but the meds, forgetting her gun, her flashing back...clearly, she is not as confident and ready as she claims, and I also think OA felt like he did what he had to.

The ending between them was well done, however, for both POVs. The Wolf shows always did like to dive into partner dynamics no matter the show. Glad to see tradition continue in that sense. (Stabler/Benson had their issues; ditto Goren/Eames and Briscoe/Curtis, etc.! As I said, tradition!)

Will be interesting to see how this evolves.

Was sort of surprised there was no word about Nina, but maybe that's part of the "time" deal she wanted.

[LadyChaos]

17 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

Will be interesting to see how this evolves.

Was sort of surprised there was no word about Nina, but maybe that's part of the "time" deal she wanted.

It honestly went better than expected. I actually expected the show to end with one or both of them talking about not sure they'd be able to work together...the promo for next week looks like their still tense with each other. To me, its also clear that OA is struggling A LOT, they both are. I think Scola knows OA is in love with Maggie...or at the very least understands what he is going through since he went through a similar thing with Nina in the last episode. 

I really wish we'd get Scola and OA sitting down and Scola telling him about how he feels about Nina being pregnant, and OA talking out his feelings. But I have a feeling we won't get any acknowledgment of Scolina until 510.

[Xeliou66]

It was very nice to see Maggie back tonight, but the case was rather run of the mill and didn’t feel very original, there wasn’t a lot of detective work done either. Not quite enough of Jubal and his people either. Isobel had some good scenes which was nice. But OA bugged the hell out of me, he was constantly butting in on Maggie’s business and not trusting her, and it really annoyed me, Maggie had things under control but OA was ready to fly off the handle constantly. I liked that Maggie let him have it at the end, OA deserved it. Sometimes OA can really get on my nerves and he certainly did tonight. I hope this doesn’t continue with OA being overly protecting of Maggie. I did like that they didn’t bring up the Nina stuff, I’m still not happy with that pregnancy storyline and I’m not sure how they’ll resolve it but it’s too soapy for me, at least it won’t drag down the next couple or episodes.

[LadyChaos]

9 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

But OA bugged the hell out of me, he was constantly butting in on Maggie’s business and not trusting her, and it really annoyed me, Maggie had things under control but OA was ready to fly off the handle constantly. 

Maggie absolutely did NOT have things under control...and he had every reason to doubt her ability to do her job....She even admitted to him that she'd been cleared to come back to work, but it was recommended she take more time which suggests that they knew she wasn't really ready to come back. She chose to ignore that advice. And she wasn't being honest about the pills.....she told OA she would tell him if she was considering taking them, and kept denying that she was considering taking them.....you know what I do when a Dr gives me a prescription for a pill I don't plan on taking....I don't get it filled...and anti-anxiety meds are no joke...especially in the beginning until you get used to them, they can make you extremely lethargic, super exhausted, hard to focus....and she had them in her go bag in case the day became too much. ....and honestly, because this is a drama....I think we'll find out that she's been secretly taking them for a while.

And their partners, and their supposed to have each others backs to protect and count on to back them in a pinch....so Maggie's well being and state of mind, especially in the field...is his business.

Edited November 16, 2022 by LadyChaos

[mythoughtis]

I think it was a bad idea for  Maggie  to fill the prescription and an even worse one to bring it to work with her.  Either she was ready to come back under agency rules about medication or she shouldn’t have come  back.  She was absent minded, but she did do her job okay. Yes it was rocky at the first( freezing, flashback) but she handled the meets with the drug dealers fine.  

[Dowel Jones]

By the same token, I thought it was a gross violation of boundaries for OA to pick up a bottle of her pills and say "Why are you taking these?"  Not your business, even if she's your partner.  If you have concerns, address them directly and to your supervisor.

[mommalib]

I was annoyed by both Maggie and OA as usual. And I prefer the other lady to Maggie.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

I think it was a bad idea for  Maggie  to fill the prescription and an even worse one to bring it to work with her.  Either she was ready to come back under agency rules about medication or she shouldn’t have come  back.  She was absent minded, but she did do her job okay. Yes it was rocky at the first( freezing, flashback) but she handled the meets with the drug dealers fine.  

This👆 left OA in an impossible position. If OA says nothing to Maggie about his concerns based on what he's seeing, and then something terrible happens to her, he will forever wish he'd said something to prevent it, not to mention having to answer to higher ups about what he observed. If OA says something to their boss, well, that's not going to end well. 

Was the real issue that her FBI medical benefits for mental health did not adequately apply HIPAA privacy provisions? 
IDK.
Should the psychiatrist just know the implications of her taking anxiety meds (especially starting them) while on the job?
Or maybe the psychiatrist did discuss this with her and assumed she wasn't going back to work yet (since she still had leave left)? 

What we Did see was Maggie looking at that bottle in the middle of a mission, which seemed to imply she was considering taking them.
But maybe she was considering something like: "Do I need to finish the rest of my allowed medical leave and start taking these?" rather than "should I take one now?"

Every crime/law show I've watched this season has been just as vague as this one about what the characters are really thinking. Maybe this is because of all the online discussion like we have here and on Reddit and elsewhere that the writers and show runners want to encourage?

Or is it just me here wondering what Maggie was really thinking about the pill bottle?

[LadyChaos]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

This👆 left OA in an impossible position. If OA says nothing to Maggie about his concerns based on what he's seeing, and then something terrible happens to her, he will forever wish he'd said something to prevent it, not to mention having to answer to higher ups about what he observed. If OA says something to their boss, well, that's not going to end well. 

Was the real issue that her FBI medical benefits for mental health did not adequately apply HIPAA privacy provisions? 
IDK.
Should the psychiatrist just know the implications of her taking anxiety meds (especially starting them) while on the job?
Or maybe the psychiatrist did discuss this with her and assumed she wasn't going back to work yet (since she still had leave left)? 

What we Did see was Maggie looking at that bottle in the middle of a mission, which seemed to imply she was considering taking them.
But maybe she was considering something like: "Do I need to finish the rest of my allowed medical leave and start taking these?" rather than "should I take one now?"

Every crime/law show I've watched this season has been just as vague as this one about what the characters are really thinking. Maybe this is because of all the online discussion like we have here and on Reddit and elsewhere that the writers and show runners want to encourage?

Or is it just me here wondering what Maggie was really thinking about the pill bottle?

In any military/law enforcement job, HIPAA gets a bit....the same rights don't necessarily apply in the sense that an employee is required to report any and all medications/precedures/conditions that can affect their ability to do their job. Just like Elise being temporarily assigned to another unit because she had PTSD and was struggling...the same thing would've happened to Maggie, even if she'd been allowed back in the field...which, most likely, if they knew she was on Xanax, most likely not. The medical doctor that cleared her to go back to work, and the FBI psychiatrist would've been required to report their evaluations to the FBI... Which is why, Maggie said, she went to an outside psychiatrist that didn't report to the FBI....that in and of itself, should've been a red flag to OA, because it means she was hiding things from the FBI psychiatrist that was evaluating her for return to active duty. 

And not for nothing, though I think OA isn't thinking about his own life on the line, more that he is worried about her and his own fear of not getting to her in time.....The reality is, given their job, her state of mind and ability to do her job, also puts his life at risk if he needs her help and she froze again, has a flashback at the wrong time, is sluggish from taking a Xanax before a mission, etc...

Edited November 16, 2022 by LadyChaos

[WendyCR72]

Yeah, if this was a simple desk job, the medication angle to me would be moot and only Maggie's business.

But the fact is, both she and OA are in a very tense/dangerous line of work. They need to be present and 100% AT ALL TIMES. Any freezing or delayed response due to medication reactions COULD literally cost someone their life.

While I do understand some being annoyed by OA as far as Maggie's business, I am also in the camp that - in this case - Maggie's business IS also OA's business. Maggie is his partner and supposed to watch his back and vice versa.

OA is probably more concerned about Maggie than himself, but the point stands. Her not being completely in control is not just an ego thing that will resolve itself. It can be lethal.

[LadyChaos]

I keep forgetting that Scola is actually supposed to be in his mid/late-forties. Which puts him about 10 years older than Maggie, OA, and Tiff.

I mean he was already an established broker on WallStreet doing really well for himself, when 9/11 happened and he lost his brother which motivated him to join the FBI. He said he'd been in the FBI for nearly 20 years when we met him....which also makes me wonder, why he isn't the lead field Agent instead of Maggie. I get that he probably doesn't want to ride a desk....but he doesn't seem to have any seniority...just like why has Jubal been passed over by at least 3 other people for the SAC position.....like what did these two do that stopped them from being promoted any further? I assume Jubal's might be that he is an alcoholic, and has a tendency to not always play by the rules when it matters to him....but what did Scola do?

Edited November 17, 2022 by LadyChaos

[mythoughtis]

2 hours ago, LadyChaos said:

I keep forgetting that Scola is actually supposed to be in his mid/late-forties. Which puts him about 10 years older than Maggie, OA, and Tiff.

I mean he was already an established broker on WallStreet doing really well for himself, when 9/11 happened and he lost his brother which motivated him to join the FBI. He said he'd been in the FBI for nearly 20 years when we met him....which also makes me wonder, why he isn't the lead field Agent instead of Maggie. I get that he probably doesn't want to ride a desk....but he doesn't seem to have any seniority...just like why has Jubal been passed over by at least 3 other people for the SAC position.....like what did these two do that stopped them from being promoted any further? I assume Jubal's might be that he is an alcoholic, and has a tendency to not always play by the rules when it matters to him....but what did Scola do?

Scola has a tendency  to tell it like it is.  No glad handing.  Plus up until recently he wasn’t a sociable person at all.  Tiffany had to really work to get him to let her in.  The only really decent thing I’ve seen Tiffany do.  I don’t think he’s interested in supervision - he wasn’t all that thrilled about being Krystin’s training agent. 

Edited November 17, 2022 by mythoughtis

[LadyChaos]

9 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

Scola has a tendency  to tell it like it is.  No glad handing.  Plus up until recently he wasn’t a sociable person at all.  Tiffany had to really work to get him to let her in.  The only really decent thing I’ve seen Tiffany do.  I don’t think he’s interested in supervision - he wasn’t all that thrilled about being Krystin’s training agent. 

I actually think he enjoyed training Kristen. Well he certainly liked working with her. I thought it was an interesting decision by tptb to keep her in the command center and start minimizing her time post stabbing.....I'm kind of wondering if the actor who played Kristen was getting bad feedback in the dailies or she'd already decided to leave...

[mythoughtis]

14 minutes ago, LadyChaos said:

I actually think he enjoyed training Kristen. Well he certainly liked working with her. I thought it was an interesting decision by tptb to keep her in the command center and start minimizing her time post stabbing.....I'm kind of wondering if the actor who played Kristen was getting bad feedback in the dailies or she'd already decided to leave...

I was sad to see her go.  I liked that character in the command room, not so much in the field. 

[LadyChaos]

45 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

I was sad to see her go.  I liked that character in the command room, not so much in the field. 

same....but after laying the ground work for her to be in the field, it was weird to put her back in the JOC.

[LadyChaos]

Episode 508, 11/22/22-“Into the Fire” – When a deadly truck heist arms the killers with enough ammonium nitrate to construct a massive bomb, the team discovers a link to a terrorist group Maggie is working to infiltrate.

Episode 509, 12/13/22: Mid-Season finale- “Fortunate Son,” A teen shows up at FBI headquarters with a large bag of fentanyl, seeking the team’s protection from the men who shot his father. Plus, Nina comes to Scola with a proposal he is hesitant to accept 

Edited November 21, 2022 by LadyChaos
fixed date

[illdoc]

33 minutes ago, LadyChaos said:

Episode 509, 10/13/22: Mid-Season finale

Um.... explain this to me. Did you mean 12-13-22????

[LadyChaos]

46 minutes ago, illdoc said:

Um.... explain this to me. Did you mean 12-13-22????

lol.....yes....will go back and fix.

[LadyChaos]

Are we supposed to believe Maggie got a repport with these guys so fast that she's get invited to a party and no one thinks its weird since their secretly planning a terrorist attack at it?

Gotta say I do love when their doing their high speed chases with their tactical driving.

Who's fault was it?......No ones?.....Disagree, Maggie was told to wait for backup and their protective suits, and didn't listen....so yeah....her instincts, not always so great. And quite frankly, having her be the one in the right here...especially since she only knew this guy less than 2 weeks....kind of discounts that last week there was no acknowledgement from her of her actually clearly not ready to come back.

The show runners said in an article that OA and Maggie end this episode on stronger footing....and honestly I felt like this didn't pay it out. This episode should of ended with some acknowledgement on both sides that they were both right and wrong....instead of just making it about OA being overprotective because of his guilt. Massive fail IMO.

And I would add that while I think ZZ and MP acted that last scene really well....the way the writers and directors chose how that last scene was going to go felt very much like: Oh you think you're to blame for what happened to me? Well you're not, so you just need to get over it so we can get back to how we were before you had to watch me almost die. 

Edited November 23, 2022 by LadyChaos

[Jaded]

I dipped out when Maggie started having trouble putting the tracker on that truck. I just wasn't up for more of her tonight after last week. I didn't mind her that much before she was sent off to "recuperate" since she's returned that's changed. 

[Xeliou66]

Pretty good episode - interesting how it started with the murder and then they linked it to the group Maggie was infiltrating. Good use of each character, and I liked the scene where Scola was able to distract the guy and swipe his phone. Jubal and his room of agents were used well and I liked seeing Ian out in the field. Not much suspense as to who was responsible but I liked seeing the case play out as they tried to prove it and stop the attack.

OA was kind of irritating once again with his over-protectiveness of Maggie, and I was glad they seemed to be returning to their usual dynamic after their last conversation. 

[illdoc]

13 hours ago, LadyChaos said:

Are we supposed to believe Maggie got a repport with these guys so fast that she's get invited to a party and no one thinks its weird since their secretly planning a terrorist attack at it?

Equally weird...she arrives at the party, 5 minutes later "goes in search of a bathroom", 10 minutes later leaves the party and no one seems to notice! I thought when she snuck out to grab the hoodie (or whatever it was) and got into her truck, she was just going to hide it (under a seat?) and then go back to the party, hang around another half hour, then make up an excuse to leave (keeping her cover intact, but then again, no one but the brother seemed to notice she vanished and even he didn't seem to care).

[shapeshifter]

6 minutes ago, illdoc said:

13 hours ago, LadyChaos said:

Are we supposed to believe Maggie got a repport with these guys so fast that she's get invited to a party and no one thinks its weird since their secretly planning a terrorist attack at it?

Equally weird...she arrives at the party, 5 minutes later "goes in search of a bathroom", 10 minutes later leaves the party and no one seems to notice! I thought when she snuck out to grab the hoodie (or whatever it was) and got into her truck, she was just going to hide it (under a seat?) and then go back to the party, hang around another half hour, then make up an excuse to leave (keeping her cover intact, but then again, no one but the brother seemed to notice she vanished and even he didn't seem to care).

Regardless of the unlikeliness of Maggie getting away with any of it, kudos to the writers for concocting an total Jump-Scare episode. I was so anxious, I considered quitting the show (and still might). 

[Dowel Jones]

By the way, I wonder if there was a legit reason they re-used the plot device of identifying the type of pickup used by the weight of the chemicals?  They did the same thing back in S1, I think, and the agent who picked up on it got an attaboy from Jubal.

[LadyChaos]

8 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

By the way, I wonder if there was a legit reason they re-used the plot device of identifying the type of pickup used by the weight of the chemicals?  They did the same thing back in S1, I think, and the agent who picked up on it got an attaboy from Jubal.

Ehh...I don't think its a reuse of a plot device....its just one of many ways they used to chase a lead.

[shrewd.buddha]

re: Episode 508, 11/22/22-“Into the Fire” 

Maggie and OA need to break up.  Actually, their supervisor should step in after their argument during the bomb crisis. 

I did wonder if Maggie and OA would fight over who would go maverick and drive the truck bomb off to explode at the last second.  But, alas, this bomb was not on a timer.  Now they are still tied at 1-1. 

[MerBearHou]

I just don’t want Maggie to become St. Olivia Benson 2.0 who can do/solve/handle everything in all of the cases.  I was already starting to feel that way about Maggie before Missy left on maternity leave and it’s such a Dick Wolf writers’ room tendency.  Please don’t go that direction, FBI.  Please spread around the “hero of the day”.  As in all of L&O, I like to think that all of them are equally capable.  

[Snazzy Daisy]

S05•E08 - Into The Fire

Maggie’s UC story isn’t that believable this time. Her eagerness to be invited to a kid’s birthday party, are you for real Deke?

I giggled at Scola and Ian wearing the same plaid shirts. Does FBI buy UC clothes in bulk? 😂

Edited November 26, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[LadyChaos]

[LadyChaos]

Wow Nina ... No, your not signing over your parental rights at all...this is just a contract that states I have complete and total control over our childs life and you have no say while I move across the country where you can never see it....but you know, you can be as involved as you want to be...

[KLovestoShop]

Overall, a pretty boring episode. Very predictable.  I wonder if Missy, Zeeko and  Jeremy even got paid for appearing for a few minutes. 

[LadyChaos]

11 minutes ago, KLovestoShop said:

Overall, a pretty boring episode. Very predictable.  I wonder if Missy, Zeeko and  Jeremy even got paid for appearing for a few minutes. 

They are series regulars, they get paid whether they appear in the episodes or not. MP would've been paid for every ep she was on maternity leave for.

[MerBearHou]

The dad was despicable and a scum of a father.  I was glad with the ending of the show with Scola saying “no” to Nina and her starting to see what this baby means to him.  I also like the way they’ve brought along Tiffany’s character.  

[shapeshifter]

47 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

 I was glad with the ending of the show with Scola saying “no” to Nina and her starting to see what this baby means to him.

Anyone else wonder if Nina was hoping Scola wouldn’t sign? That she was either just offering him a way out if he wanted it, or that she wanted him to have to decide to commit to being involved if he was going to be at all? 
Do we know anything about Nina’s parents and how involved they were or were not? Or was she adopted maybe?

Who played the drug dealer father?

Edited December 14, 2022 by shapeshifter

[LadyChaos]

31 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Anyone else wonder if Nina was hoping Scola wouldn’t sign? That she was either just offering him a way out if he wanted it, or that she wanted him to have to decide to commit to being involved if he was going to be at all? 
Do we know anything about Nina’s parents and how involved they were or were not? Or was she adopted maybe?

Who played the drug dealer father?

No...I think she meant what she said, she needed to have total control over her and the babies lives and Scola being an active parent prevents that. We've seen her need to be in charge and go it alone. I think in her mind, relying on Scola in any way is setting herself up for failure. But hearing him speak the way he did, seemed to help her understand that she didn't need to do it alone and help her understand that he wanted his child too...otherwise I think she wouldn't have been so understanding when he said no.

I do think she will turn down the job in LA to try to raise the baby with Scola.

Though, TBH, if he had agreed...I would start wondering what the showrunners have against men being good fathers cause OA's dad died when he was young, Jubal's kids live full time with their mother and he only sees them when he can drive out of the city to see them, Elise is a single mother, some of the remarks made by Maggie imply her upbringing wasn't great, Scola's brother died when his kids were young....Do we know if Tiffany's father was around? I don't remember.

[shapeshifter]

14 minutes ago, LadyChaos said:

No...I think she meant what she said,

Yeah, I was probably just projecting onto Nina the writers' agenda for the characters. 

[WendyCR72]

I'm rather shocked/appalled that Nina even did this to start with.

I mean, I could see if Scola was proven to be an awful person, but he isn't. If this is a ploy by the writers to have viewers start to dislike Nina, it worked. At least for me.

At least she seemed to relent when Scola turned it down, but what a cold move.

[KLovestoShop]

3 hours ago, LadyChaos said:

They are series regulars, they get paid whether they appear in the episodes or not. MP would've been paid for every ep she was on maternity leave for.

I was being facetious in saying if the other actors were being paid, and trying to make the point that the other major actors, along with the secondary actors, had less than 5 minutes of screen time tonight. 

[meira.hand]

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Who played the drug dealer father?

Will Sasso, a Canadian actor (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0766005/)

[jabRI]

So glad Scola saw through here bs : "It's just a document, nothing is set in stone" is the very definition of a signed document.  Scola used to work on Wall Street, you don't think he knows the basics of binding commitment>

[morriss]

You can always count on these 3 things in an episode of FBI

1)  they put the squeeze on somebody to wear a wire to get what they want

2) foot chase

3) an agent thinks they have a better plan, so Isobel waffles and says "o.k...go ahead...."

Might have to quit watching for awhile.

[Broderbits]

17 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Anyone else wonder if Nina was hoping Scola wouldn’t sign? That she was either just offering him a way out if he wanted it, or that she wanted him to have to decide to commit to being involved if he was going to be at all? 

I also felt she was hoping against hope that he would react exactly the way he did. She seems happy that he wants to have a relationship with the baby even if there's no deeper relationship with her.

[Xeliou66]

This episode was boring and I hate seeing the show become a family soap opera with regards to Nina and Scola. I really don’t want baby drama and I’ve hated this whole storyline with Nina getting pregnant, it’s soapy and it looks like the soapy shit will stick around. Blah. I was hoping Nina would terminate the pregnancy, but I knew the show wouldn’t have the guts to have a character have an abortion, they don’t want to offend any viewers. This whole baby storyline has been terrible and I still don’t get Nina and Scola’s whole relationship, are they going to be together or not? And I’ve never sensed much romantic chemistry there.

The case was boring and was stuff we had all seen before, not enough investigation and not enough Jubal and the command room either. The show is feeling a tad stale and soapy right now, hopefully it improves when it returns.

[Snazzy Daisy]

S05•E09 - Fortunate Son

This is not my favorite episode - lack of Maggie and OA, lame COTW and the return of annoying Nina.

Happily going to discuss baby's name over dinner, holding hands and all, I hope Scola will not fall for Nina's BS and mind games in the long run. Dude, good luck for having a baby mama who loves to be in control!