FBI Season 1 Finale
Following the semi-cliffhanger from the last episode, we catch up with Maggie waiting to meet with Angela Perez over coffee. When she doesn’t show, she reaches out to her, unaware that only moments previous, she was abducted at gunpoint. Maggie meets with the NYPD detective first on scene and she and OA take the case.
In a mad dash to find the one person who may be able to give Agent Bell answers, she is left short. Despite their best efforts, Maggie and OA find her dead, near the car she was abducted in but at a different location. Thankfully, someone called the car in as stolen and at the auto repair shop, the owner is willing to help. His dog was killed by the person who stole the car, so Maggie asks if they can use forensics to test if the dog got a piece of the thief.
The pup did its job and they find the abductor is a hitman, but in a pursuit from the duo is killed by a car. Out of options and running out of time, Maggie and OA begin to realize their leads are drying up fast. The ex-boyfriend has an alibi, but Kristen finds out that maybe Perez’s job hired the hitman. Her boss was the only person in the building at the time the call was made with a connection to Perez.
Personal or Professional?
Throughout the episode, the team worries about Maggie’s ability to keep it professional. For obvious reasons, she wants to figure out who did this to Perez and to see if perhaps there is a connection between her murder and her husband’s. Mosier’s trust in Maggie is continuously displayed, perhaps to too much of an extreme, but Jubal seems to trust her too.
One thing her ex-boyfriend did reveal was that Angela supposedly had a double life and that was why she couldn’t marry him. Upon digging, Kristen finds that she spent a lot of time in Mexico and not in resort-like areas. In the pictures from her trips, there is a man who pops up quite often. Kristen first believes it may be a boyfriend, but facial recognition reveals it’s the leader of a huge cartel in Mexico.
Interestingly, the cartel’s leader, Ernesto Moya, went to the same school in the United States as Perez’s boss, Sophie Keller. Looking through Maggie’s husband’s journalist notebook, Kristen finds a huge clue. They come to realize that Jason thought that the hotel company was a front for Moya’s cartel and in turn, money was being laundered through it.
Hotel Cocaine-fornia?
Maggie unravels it further. When Jason asked questions, Angela went and told her boss. Her boss had Jason killed and when Maggie showed up at her office looking to speak with her, she went to Sophie again and to keep everything quiet, she had her killed as well. Through paperwork, they’re able to prove this.
Unfortunately, Mosier doesn’t want Maggie there when they go and pick Sophie Keller up for murder; she believes she is too invested personally in the case. But, Maggie begs her to let her go, as she needed the closure to move on. Surprisingly, her boss caves and lets her. They follow after Sophie after she flees the office and heads toward Long Island and a private airport. Someone must’ve tipped her off. (Side note: this airport they mention is ten minutes or so from my house. Pretty cool.)
Raiding the office changes her direction and she instead heads toward a boatyard. Maggie and OA quickly follow, OA securing her driver while Bell heads after Sophie even through Mosier asks that OA take the lead. They run through the boatyard and Maggie corners her with the gun. Mosier asked that their body cams be turned on so all of the office can see this showdown, and it is clear that Jubal and Dana are nervous.
“He was my husband.”
Maggie gets her to admit that she killed both Perez and Jason and this only fuels her anger. Sophie pulls the victim card and tries to say she’s sorry, but Agent Bell is smarter and angrier and knows this is a lie. While Sophie comes closer, beckoning Agent Bell to shoot her, the entire office holds their breath. Maggie, emotional and probably wanting revenge, stands steady. Finally, she puts the gun down, slugs Sophie (NICE SHOT!) and somewhat aggressively arrests her, not that the woman doesn’t deserve that and more.
It is also important to point out that OA was there the entire time and did not interfere. It is nice to see that her team trusts her judgment. At the JOC, Maggie and OA walk into applause and congratulations from everyone. Maggie says she is glad it is over.
“Life is for the living.”
Tearfully (weird), Mosier agrees. She leaves the room and curious, Jubal follows. In Mosier’s office, he asks if everything is okay. At first, Dana says it is and he goes to leave, clearly not pressuring her. Then, she reveals that she put in for her retirement papers, as it “is time”. He gives her a look and she explains that she decided on empathy and emotion, not logic and protocol. She furthers that this could’ve ended much differently and as their boss, she cannot think that way. Mosier admits that she’s excited to retire and hopes that he’d be happy for her. He tells her that he is if she is happy and comes forward to hug her. They joke that she’ll be missed, and we cut scenes.
Maggie is about to leave, and OA says they need to have a real meal together, as they have been partners for about ten months and never have. While Maggie first seems hesitant, she agrees. And in probably one of my favorite ways to end a show (a perhaps a nod to Wolf Productions), the season finale ends with Maggie and OA standing in the elevator as the doors close.
Wow, what an action-packed episode!
Just some general thoughts:
I love that everyone trusted Maggie, even if it wasn’t technically realistic. I think it shows how strong all of their relationships are and even in the highest tension, OA trusted that she wouldn’t use the gun. And, Maggie gets closure! How important for her and her character. I like that it didn’t drag onto next season, turning into this long, boring process of who killed her husband It wraps up one part of her life and the storyline, opening new doors for season two.
Dana Mosier (Sela Ward) is leaving! The actress also announced she is leaving the show, which means we have a position open in the FBI office. AIC Valentine, perhaps? Do we want to see him in that role? Or do we want a new character brought in? I, personally, like seeing him in the field from time to time, something that would probably happen less if he became the AIC. But, with only a few main characters, it is hard to say what will happen in season two just yet. They have the ability to expand the cast and grow or promote within. Either way, we’ll definitely have a new face next year.
Onto growing, Kristen’s field agent training will probably occur while the show is on hiatus! (Of course, figuratively.) Will we see her as an Agent next season and a new analyst come in? I think it’s a fair point that the show could use a few other faces. And I for one would like to see her team up with Agent Perkins from a few episodes back.
To wrap up…
And finally, because I saw it and maybe others did too: there was a hinting at Maggie and OA giving it a go in that final scene. (For SVU fans, did anyone else get vibes of Stabler and Benson in that elevator?) Do we want this? I never really know how to feel about pairing off partners on cop shows. We all know in reality this means they’d be split up, but some shows have done it well while others were not so great. Hell, Missy Peregrym’s last character on Rookie Blue ended up marrying her partner.
But, again… what happens if they don’t? Will we play the “will they, won’t they” storyline for a few seasons? Benson and Stabler did that for twelve; I’m not so sure that it is always a good thing to pair them off. The tension can be fun, or it can get boring. But, in my personal opinion, I don’t see the chemistry in terms of romance. I think they have a great partnership, but more platonic than not.
Regardless, that wraps up season one of FBI. Most, if not all storylines were wrapped up. Already renewed, it is definitely coming back in the fall… as a fan, what do you want to see? Let us know!
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