FBI Review: Fallout (Season 2 Episode 11)
Maggie says it best on FBI Season 2 Episode 11, “Fallout.” Tragedy doesn’t announce itself. It just happens.
One second, Kristen is fine, and the next, she’s fighting for her life. There is no foreshadowing in their world, so her stabbing in the closing moments of Season 2 Episode 10, “Ties That Bind,” is equal parts shocking and terrifying.
It’s also shocking how easily we humans tend to take things for granted. Why do we never realize how much someone or something means to us until we almost lose it?
It sucks that it takes such a traumatic event to finally forge a family out of these characters, but there is nobody to blame. Human nature is just a jerk like that.
Everyone processes trauma differently, and the episode does a great job of both exploring each character’s reactions while paralleling them to the case of the week.
OA has the most interesting reaction after Kristen’s stabbing. He and Kristen are not close, so he tries to ground himself in reality with the idea that she may not survive.
Subconsciously, however, he’s scared.
OA never hesitates to let Maggie shine, yet in this hour he is the most protective we have ever seen him. There is pure panic in his voice when he loses sight of her. He would probably carry her to the nearest ambulance himself if Maggie wasn’t so focused on the case.
Maggie throws herself into work presumably because the Kristen situation evokes bad memories of her husband, Jason. She can’t bear to see another person she cares about clinging to life, and it’s a shame that OA misses that because their miscommunication leads to their first fight.
Bicker? Disagreement? I’m honestly not sure what to call it, but I know I never want to see it again.
Like a true family, though, OA and Maggie patch things up and the entire team sticks together. OA asking Scola if he can pray with him is one of the most powerful moments of the hour. Scola feels helpless, so all he can do is pray. Nothing else matters in that moment. Kristen needs help, so they’re going to help her any way they can.
A long time passes before we know Kristen’s fate — maybe too long. Jubal’s rubber band is a simple, yet effective way to keep the uncertainty from overwhelming him. It’s frustrating not knowing if your friend and colleague will survive, and the rubber band keeps his mind off of it. Props to the writers for showing what an effective coping mechanism looks like.
Plus, flicking it into the trash the minute Isobel announces Kristen’s full recovery is the happy ending we seldom get on Dick Wolf shows.
Okay, it’s not completely happy since the case of the week deals with the murder of a former executive facing sexual misconduct allegations. But Kristen is going to be fine, and that’s what matters. This will only make her stronger.
What did you think of this episode of FBI? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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FBI airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on CBS.
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Gina Zippilli
Gina is the co-host of Meet Us At Molly’s, the first-ever Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. podcast. Outside of One Chicago, she has never met an ensemble-driven cop show, post-apocalyptic drama or true crime whodunit she has not liked.