Yes, we have a new character on FBI: International.
At this point, the Fly Team’s office sees more action than an actual airport. Arrivals and departures have become the norm, making it hard to keep everyone’s names straight after a while.
Oh, and don’t get too attached to anyone; they’ll disappear in the blink of an eye.
I’m still trying to adjust to Wes Mitchell.
He is basically a more obnoxious but self-aware and unapologetic version of Chicago PD‘s Jay Halstead.
FBI: International’s Revolving Door Cast is Growing Tiresome
Admittedly, I miss Brian Lange, and Tyler Booth was still growing on me, but I sure as hell enjoyed staring at him.
Before the dust can settle and we can find our bearings for the umpteenth time, they’ve whisked in a young, fairly new agent, Riley Quinn. Her name alone sounds equal parts badass and wholesome, and it’s amusing that La Brea’s Veronica St. Clair is once again playing a character named Riley.
The entirety of FBI: International Season 4 revolves around plotting against Wes Mitchell for serving as a virtual cowboy with his professional antics and approach to the job.
He’s a polarizing character, with FBI: International leaning into viewers’ natural uneasiness when a new person replaces a series lead.
It’s not unfamiliar territory for them as FBI: Most Wanted faced something similar when Remy replaced Jess.
FBI: International Season 4 is Devoted to Humbling Wes
Here, we have Zaleski, who has an ax to grind with Wes. He is determined to bury him in some capacity to replace him with someone new. He’s resorting to cartoonish levels of antagonism to take Wes down.
His latest plan involves using a fairly new agent whose only experience has been evidence recovery in Baltimore and sticking her on the team to become a mole who shares intel.
Do you see what I mean about the cartoonish levels of villainy? It’s become such a standard practice for crime procedurals like this that the whole concept makes me cringe.
It also makes Zaleski look worse than Wes could ever be since we know if Riley doesn’t give him anything he desires, he’ll find a way to ruin her career or dismiss write off her findings since she has limited experience.
Riley’s Mole Arc is Unoriginal But Has Potential
Zaleski gets to weaponize Riley’s limited experience as he deems fit, making him more offputting than whatever the heck Wes does on occasion.
Perhaps that’s the plan the whole time, to endear a conflicted audience to Wes once and for all. It can have its merits and effectiveness, even if the execution and manipulation are cheap.
In many ways, this feels like an incredibly overused trope that the season could go without, and given that we already can’t latch onto any of the new characters for long, it’s frustrating.
However, it may be the key to settling the show once and for all. At some point, FBI: International needs to shift away from internal conflicts and politics and lean into crimefighting.
Riley’s introduction into the series as a mole is already annoying, but the character herself isn’t.
Riley Seems More Like an Ally Than Foe and Unlocks New Layers to Wes
What’s promising about Riley is that she seems tough as nails and astute. She doesn’t allow anyone or anything to sway her too much as she forms her own opinion, not even the section chief.
She’s in a crappy position, and we know by now that she’ll likely learn about some of Wes’ questionable decisions, like what happened in Paris or Germany, and how he flies off the handle and goes a bit rogue in some “ends justify the means” matter that makes the buttoned-up suits squeamish.
And it’s true that Wes is a wild card, which isn’t always ideal for the leader of an elite unit who needs to exercise decorum and diplomacy. The series also tends to push aside characters who can balance him out.
It feels like the series set Riley up for failure, and it’s frustrating because it makes you wonder how long she is for FBI: International’s world.
She potentially offers something fresh to the team, but it’s tainted by this tired position she’s in, and now we have the genuine concern that she could disappear from the series as quickly as she popped up.
Riley May Be the Key to a Cohesive Team If they Actually Keep Her
The cast turnover for the entire FBI franchise has become a source of frustration. However, through Riley, we may get more out of Wes, and maybe that’s promising.
Notably, within the hour, we learned about his background, growing up in a household of fear and with a narcissistic parent.
He heavily implied it and shared this tidbit of information about himself so freely and casually with Riley that it raised a brow.
Maybe Riley and this mole arc can round off some of Wes’ sharp edges and smooth over some of the jagged bits that still give people some pause.
FBI: International Handles Riley’s Introduction Poorly, But the Potential Is Still There
Fascinatingly, we have a relatively green agent with limited experience immersed in an emotional case and working alongside a maverick like Wes, yes, but also a fellow female agent who seems confident in leadership like Vo.
As much as Riley’s interactions with Wes were interesting, so were the ones with Vo. The potential for a strong female friendship between the two feels exciting, but will the series follow through?
Riley’s addition feels promising even if the show’s execution of it is poor, but now we have to hope FBI: International doesn’t fumble it.
Over to you, FBI: International Fanatics. How do you feel about Riley? Let’s hear it below!
Watch FBI: International Online
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Source: TV Fanatic
