FBI Review: Broken Promises (Season 2 Episode 17)

FBI is back after a two-week break, and you know what? Absence DOES make the heart grow fonder.

… to an extent. Look, I’m done pretending that everything is fine and dandy. As much as we wish it did, television does not happen in a vacuum; there are some stressful and scary things happening in the world right now.

I bring this up not to be a buzzkill, but to say that the first five minutes of FBI Season 2 Episode 17, “Broken Promises,” are hard to swallow. The initial shooting is not the problem; it’s the premise of a climate change protest and the speculated political motive.

It’s not a boredom thing, either. It’s fatigue. We hear buzzwords and phrases like “politics” and “climate change” hundreds of times a day. Thankfully, politics are ruled out quickly, and the episode takes off in an entirely different direction.

Nobody can attest to the fondness brought on by absence better than Maggie. She’s in her feelings the entire episode; though, she looks more annoyed than excited at first.

Accepting the undercover assignment seems like a simple decision, but its the seemingly easiest choices that throw us for the biggest loops. Sure, it will boost her career, but at what cost?

Maggie is lucky enough to love what she does and the people she does it with. It takes peace of mind before she can accept the gig. Yeah, it’s going to suck without her partner’s hand on her back, but he’ll be okay— especially now that Mona is back.

I was all aboard the Mona train in FBI Season 2 Episode 6, “Outsider,” but “Broken Promises” swings things in the opposite direction. Her confidence as a modern, independent Muslim woman should be celebrated, but her privilege— especially compared to OA’s childhood — casts her in a negative light.

Granted, her position as a prosecutor comes preassembled with bad lighting. Mona has a job to do that requires her to be tough and emotionally detached — that part is understood. Jumping into Alex Bryant’s head and treating it like the Limbo phase from Inception, however, is irresponsible.

I’m going to take a moment to be THAT friend to OA and ask the uncomfortable question: are you sure that Mona is right for you?

It seems that she makes OA doubt himself more than anything else, and that’s not something he needs in his life. OA usually navigates crises of confidence well, but only after absorbing the emotional blow. Without Maggie there to ground him, he’s especially vulnerable. 

The case in this episode is a heartbreaker, but there are a few other variables that help make it one of the strongest of the season.

Roman, our shooter, is not an inherently bad guy. He’s a loving father carrying a heavy load of guilt. Getting to know the perpetrator before he or she faces justice keeps viewers engaged because we are able to empathize with, and maybe even root for or against him or her.

We’ve just come off of a two-week break and now look to be heading towards another. Intermittent breaks are usually a fan’s worst nightmare, but it’s actually a good thing for FBI.

You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, right? Temporarily.

Don’t freak out. We’ve still got a season to finish!

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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