FBI Episode 5: Doomsday
It’s the nuclear end of the world as episode five starts… or is it? We start this episode with there being some sort of apparent insider attack on a nuclear power plant in New York. Within a few seconds, is is clear it is a drill. Then, the alarm sounds again and it’s not a drill this time. There is an air seal failure in the pool and wait, what?
There’s a body outside. We follow the staff to where a young woman’s body has been discovered, a headshot the cause of death. There is a second alarming discovery: her body is “hot” or radioactive. The inspector tells another employee to call the FBI.
I’m Radioactive, Radioactive…
OA is discussing his time at West Point, a military academy in New York (and very close to me again—this is the cool part about this show being based so local to my own home) which is situated about 15 minutes away from the Arrowpoint Nuclear Plant where the murder occurs. He remembers doing drills as a cadet involving the nuclear risk. Bell teases him.
Our duo meets with the plant manager who reveals to them that the victim is inspector Cameron Porter from the Inspectors General Office. He explains how they discovered her body and reveals that Porter was well liked and a fair inspector. The manager can’t think of any reason to why she may have wanted to cause a nuclear meltdown or how her body became radioactive. He also states that the uranium in the pool could wipe out New York if it got into the ground. She would be aware of this—most are.
They begin to question an insider job, but details are hazy. They go to the security room to watch the cameras, where they meet a security guard who is hesitant to help because he needs the job to support his family and doesn’t want it sabotaged by talking to the police. OA and Maggie are able to convince him to give him a name to investigate, a Garret Sebastian. Garret is a plumber on the plant who the security guard saw arguing with Cameron a few days previous.
First Leads…
When they find him, he is vague. Clearly suspicious of their questioning. He does not give them much and this sets off warning signs in my head. Unless you have some weird other motive, innocent people do not evade police. He’s hiding something. I’m calling it now, but the question is what? Is he our murderer?
In the bullpen, the team listens to Kristen’s details on our victim’s personal life. She says she keeps to herself and is very involved in her work. This gives us another lovely teasing scene between our duo. Their chemistry is so natural. This is a nice change from sometimes botchy partnerships in first seasons of a show. Missy Peregrym has truly smoothed into her role and continues to shine. Zeeko Zaki as well—considering this is a breakout role for him, he makes it look effortless.
Kristen can confirm that Cameron was shot in the woods and her body dragged. How did she end up radioactive and wet? Things aren’t adding up. Time for our duo to push harder. The sabotage to the plant was not successful, will there be another attack… who is to say what happens now?
It takes a lot of courage.
In search of details, the partners go to Cameron’s apartment to look for notes and her laptop. They discover the door open and come face to face with a woman who declares herself as Cameron’s best friend and fellow inspector Valerie. She is cleaning up her friend’s apartment and setting up for Cameron’s parents arrival. She is visibly upset, and mourning her death. Maggie takes a moment to bond with the woman, explains it takes a lot of courage to do what the girls do, she understands it. She loved someone who was the same way. The best friend leaves and OA questions Maggie’s statement. She evades his questions and he shows her the ovulation kit he found in the bathroom.
He states he believes she had a life. Maggie does not seem as convinced and knowingly explains she might be freezing her eggs for later use. There is an awkward pause to which Maggie reveals that her husband, Jason (first time we learn his name!) wanted kids and she wanted to wait. Another awkward pause and a little bit of tension. I’m hoping we get more out of her this episode. I’m betting that the person she mentioned to Valerie is her husband and there’s more to this story.
The guy who tried to save… or sabotage the world?
Maggie then finds a photo of Cameron with a guy and all the “Brave” fans can rejoice, we have the introduction to the character we’ve all been waiting for, Jake Fletcher, portrayed by Hadi Tabbal. Bell asks if he looks familiar and OA’s eyebrows furrow. We cut to the bullpen where we discover that Fletcher is on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list. He previously worked for the Arrowpoint plant before he was fired for leaking top secret documents that supposedly exposed the corruption within the plant. The plant says otherwise—they launched an investigation against him stating he became paranoid and abusive, creating a toxic work environment. While Fletcher claimed he was being set up, the plant fired him anyway and he went on the run from the government, eventually fleeing to Cuba.
Is he a whistleblower or an American traitor? OA and Bell don’t agree. Bell wants to give a chance to the idea that he isn’t a traitor, OA does not have the same feelings. But first, we must find him. Is he even in America?
Currently, I’m thinking back to the duo’s conversation with Garret Sebastian. He spoke about HR and the right to privacy and anonymity when making complaints. There are some puzzle pieces that seem to fit here… but to what?
Where the Whistle Blows…
The team discovers that Fletcher is back in the country having snuck in via Canada. OA continues to have anger toward him, while Bell explains that the public has a right to know if Fletcher was correct. They don’t come to an agreement on this yet.
Mosier asks what is his endgame? OA declares revenge. For the record, OA can say so much with his expression. His eyes and overall facial structure makes him one scary looking guy when he wants to be. I’m looking forward to the day in the show where someone really, really makes him angry.
Fletcher would not have been able to get into the country alone, so the team investigates people who he is friendly with. They discover one of his old colleagues, Richard Cook, a former Navy SEAL and current diver for Arrowpoint always believed him and they pay him a visit. He declares he was framed and states he is not a killer, nor a criminal. He’s an American hero. OA does not seem amused. Cook does not aid in finding Fletcher, but they decide to put a tail on him in case they meet up.
All is fair in love and nuclear war.
The team is able to get Fletcher’s case file from Valerie, Cameron’s best friend. I’m starting to realize there is something suspicious about her. Thinking back, why would she go into her apartment to clean up? Was there something she was trying to hide? I don’t like this chick anymore. She is shady. She explains to the two that there were many anonymous complaints against Fletcher and how much everyone disliked him. Cameron as well, so Valerie says. Was Garret one of the anonymous complaints? Valerie continues to share details and seems taken back by the idea that Cameron was with Fletcher. If Cameron didn’t trust Valerie enough to tell her the truth, what does that mean? I’m hearing alarm bells. This chick is up to NO GOOD.
Bell and Zidan leave the best friend and we finally get some detail into OA’s hesitance to believe that Fletcher isn’t a traitor. He explains that six months undercover in Special Forces made him that way. If someone leaked even one detail, you might not make it home to your family. It just isn’t how things operate. This could prove interesting later, I’m curious if his opinion softens at all. Kristen gives them more pictures of Fletcher and Cameron, clearly in love. OA thinks that it’s a sham to get Cameron to believe Fletcher, Bell says you can’t fake the look in their eyes. I guess we’ll see who is right. The hopeless romantic in me hopes its Bell.
Who Poisoned our Lead?
Kristen also tells them that Cameron received a text from Garret’s IP address the night she was murdered asking her to come to the plant, he’ll do what she wanted. This leads them back to Garret who again is vague, denies any details and is not cooperative. They arrest him, and he says that he argued with Cameron and sabotaged the plant but did not kill her. He was working for someone. He will not tell them who unless he is granted immunity. They go to bring him in, but they sound the FBI alarm for a dirty bomb alert. It’s high levels of radiation. Garret is radioactive.
Bell and Zidan must go decontaminate and we get another cute team bonding scene where OA worries he has too much exposure to isotopes and Bell seems calm. The doctor clears them both but tell them that Garret has radiation sickness—he ingested the radiation… someone poisoned him and he’s going to die. They can’t talk to him, it’s too late.
What now?
Our leads are dropping like flies, so who poisoned him…. Who had the access to? The only person who seems to have that ability is the diver, Richard Cook, per another inspector Bryce Miller. It fits as his levels of radiation exposure are too high for his amount of dive time at the plant. It means he’s handled radioactive materials. We might have a suspect. But is all what it seems? I feel as if there is a bigger picture here. I don’t think Cook is our bad guy. So what is it? I smell a set up.
They tail Cook to a marina where he is loading supplies onto a boat. They watch him leave and within minutes, Fletcher appears on another boat. Zidan stalks him to the edge of the marina where Maggie blocks him in with their SUV. We get our first real close up of Fletcher this episode. He knows he’s caught. And the Brave mega fan inside of me is screaming. Hello, Hadi Tabbal!
The Truth
At the bullpen, Mosier tells them that they need a confession, all they have on Fletcher is circumstantial. Maggie still doesn’t believe that Fletcher is a traitor, Mosier turns to OA and asks if he agrees with his partner. He has her back, but his eyes say otherwise. Mosier is a profiler, so she must realize this too, but she lets Maggie take the lead. Kristen comes up in the meantime and says there is no radiation residue, it isn’t possible that he poisoned Garret.
This leads Maggie to use Fletcher’s love of Cameron to get more answers. It takes a few minutes, but she is able to get him to open up about his side of the story. He declares that Cameron was the love of his life and they wanted to start a family. They were struggling to get pregnant and Cameron’s doctor in the US told her she needed invitro treatment to conceive. This means that Fletcher needed to be there too, hence why he was back in the country. He’d do anything for her.
They argued the night she went to the plant; he fell asleep on the couch and when he woke up, Cameron was already on the news being discovered as murdered. He was devastated, and, in these moments, he reveals a crucial detail. Valerie, Cameron’s best friend DID know he was here. Fletcher says Arrowpoint is corrupt and everyone is involved. This is about to get good, but also really bad.
What Makes Us Who We Are
After these details are made clear, Maggie pulls OA aside. She explains that her husband was an investigative reporter for the journal and one of his biggest cases was a Wall Street expose. He loved what he did, never backed down and worked long hours trying to make sure that the truth was always told. She can understand why Fletcher did what he did. It’s a moment of understanding for our duo. Maggie further reveals that one night she was working late in an organized crime unit and couldn’t answer her husband’s phone call. She missed the call and less than five minutes later, on his way home, someone ran a red light and he was killed.
This scene is brutal. I’ve been waiting for the details on how her husband died and it hurts. The raw emotions are real here and Missy Peregrym shines again. I did not expect his death to be accidental (well I suppose vehicular manslaughter isn’t necessarily accidental, but I digress) and something more sinister. Oddly, this only makes it sadder. There isn’t much time for the audience to mourn with Maggie, though we do have a few moments bonding between the two again. Please keep this going, writers! They make it look effortless.
Nothing Left to Lose
OA and Maggie move to interrogate Valerie who is hesitant to admit she was involved. They use the guilt of killing her best friend to get her to reveal details. Inspector Bryce Miller used Garret to lure Cameron to the plant. He is the one who killed her. But, they must prove it and they know that Miller will be too suspicious and won’t confess to them. They have to set up an ambush. OA says they need someone who has nothing left to lose. A slight smile. Fletcher’s going in for the set up.
This might be one of my favorite scenes in the show thus far. I also might be a little biased because of who Fletcher is played by, but it is such a good scene regardless! They set up the ambush at the pool where Miller is working on another drill of sorts. All the employees are in white hazmat type suits, so Fletcher is able to come and blend in with the others. Miller is speaking, and Fletcher calls him out. There’s words exchanged. A lot of angry words, where Fletcher is able to get Miller to admit his involvement in Cameron’s murder. Fletcher’s anger is starting to unravel, and Miller realizes he’s been set up.
The Final Countdown
They scuffle, and the team moves in. Above the pool, Fletcher and Miller fight, wherein Fletcher is thrown over the side, barely holding on. Interestingly, it is OA who comes to his aid while Maggie pursues Miller. “Put the gun down or die.” BADASS FEMALES FOR THE WIN.
OA grabs the arm of Fletcher just in time before he slips into the radioactive water. Maggie and the security guard from earlier (awesome moment, for the record—that security guard’s expression alone deserves a raise!) stop Miller and arrest him. OA pulls Fletcher to safety and our scene cuts.
You do what you were put here to do. Keep everyone safe.
Maggie and Fletcher have a moment as he is taken into custody. He says Maggie reminds him of her. If she believed in something or someone, she’d never let it go. Fletcher asks Maggie what will he do without Cameron? I don’t think Bell realized how close to home this case would take her. “You do what you were put here to do. Keep everyone safe.” Is she just speaking to him, or from her own experience? Gutting.
Then, OA also comes up to the car and knocks on the window. It is rolls down and OA extends his hand. Fletcher glances at his hand then at OA’s face. He shakes it. Then, another great line: “You just be the pain in the ass I know you can be”. There’s respect in his eyes. In both of their eyes. There is something powerful about this moment and I think in this scene I want Fletcher at some point to return to the show. I don’t know in what capacity, but I don’t think OA and Fletcher’s story is over. They could do more with him.
We cut to the final scene of the episode and if you haven’t needed tissues yet, you will now. Bell is sitting alone at her desk, staring at her phone. She plays a voicemail; it’s the last voicemail from her husband before he died. His last words were that he loved her. She starts to cry, and the episode solemnly ends.
What I Liked:
- I’ve been waiting for this episode. As a huge fan of The Brave, I was thrilled when Hadi Tabbal was announced as a guest role. I have so many things I could say about this, but I’ll try to keep it short. I loved the character he played. First, he wasn’t some typical Muslim terrorist character stereotype (in fact, his name was the most surprising to me) nor did they stick to a bland or typical storyline.
- In today’s world, I think this is hugely important. I would think and hope that those behind FBI know the positive impact that Hadi had with his role on The Brave and see the similar role that Zeeko Zaki is now portraying with a larger audience. I’m sure Zaki knows this too. The availability of positive and varied Muslim characters is so important in today’s political climate. I truly applaud the producers, writers and other staff of the show for this.
- This is why I would LOVE to see Hadi return to the show in the future. There is now backstory and chemistry between the two characters and a reasoning for the actors, too. I could not be more thrilled (especially following my lackluster feelings toward last episode’s storyline) with how this episode turned out.
I Liked A lot…
- Maggie Bell’s backstory. I enjoy backstory. Furthermore, I think to truly have an audience care for your show, they must care for your characters. There is a fine line between doing this well and making your storylines more about their background than their current scope. I’m here to watch a show about a team in the FBI, not their personal lives. So, revealing information and giving our characters the chance to be three dimensional is important and delicate. Most importantly (for me), it usually makes or breaks a show. I’m not here to watch a soap opera. So far, they’re doing this perfectly because each scene within the episode where Maggie gave information helped the episode but also gave us empathy for her character and OA’s. It was never just to make her a poor widow or someone to simply have sympathy for. Overall, it gave her the ability to see the case differently than OA. If not for this viewpoint, they might not have ever seen the truth.
- Because we need a little humor in our lives, I would like to state that security guard’s look when confronting Miller was hilarious. He was so tired of his cameras not functioning and the bullcrap that went on there. You go, security guard, you rock your job!
What I Didn’t Like:
- Episode was great. There were a couple short reviews on IMDB that stated this episode was slower than the rest and less intense and I could not disagree more. Above all, I love a good mystery with an action-packed ending… so this was perfect to me.
Questions I Have:
- First, when is Hadi Tabbal coming to reprise his role as Jake Fletcher? Okay, kidding aside… I’m not kidding. Find a way to bring him back. I’m only slightly biased. Hadi is a great actor and deserves to be on TV.
- Secondly, this episode was heavy on the duo bond. We’re about midway before mid-season… what’s building for the next few episodes? Will something bring our duo closer, or tear them apart? Hoping for the former, not the latter. So, producers and writers alike: if you’ve got something good going, don’t ruin it so soon. There is much they can do with these two.
Stay connected with So Many Shows:
More From So Many Shows: