FBI Review: Protective Details (Season 4 Episode 16)
The agents and viewers alike find themselves in challenging situations on FBI Season 4 Episode 16, “Protective Details.”
In life, the BIPOC community will inevitably, and unfortunately, have to deal with persons who do not like them. There’s no escaping it, especially in America.
But on TV — specifically, FBI, where the characters often try to challenge societal norms amongst criminals — there’s no reason it repeatedly has to happen.
The X(enophobic)-Files
Of all the hundreds of thousands of names in the world, FBI went with “Agent Mulder” for this episode, and it does make me wonder if either nobody caught it or if they just didn’t care enough to make it something else.
For almost all of “Protective Details,” OA is forced to deal with snide comments about his last name, parents, and culture. At one point, he’s even talked down to for not understanding why white people don’t like immigrants.
It is imperative to remember that while OA Zidan is just a character, Zeeko Zaki is not.
Even though he’s never directly spoken about the effect FBI has on him, it cannot be easy to star in multiple episodes set around xenophobia. The same should be considered for Tiffany’s actress Katherine Renee Turner.
You Can’t Be Apolitical and Run FBI
As we’ve seen in the past, this series often takes real-life problems and features them on the show; Black Lives Matter, gun violence, and now, undocumented immigrants.
When you create a show titled FBI and spend your entire first season fighting people who are against minorities and the like, you can’t turn it around three seasons in and hope nobody notices.
FBI has never been afraid of what to say. They’ve never been afraid to call out who needs to be called out or humiliated. So has the network begun cracking down? Or is there something deeper here?
Either way, these cases where the show fights for both sides of the problem — you know, the racist and nonracist parts — would be much better if they came to a thorough conclusion. But they never do.
Each episode ends on a note that signifies that both parties are correct in their unique ways. But they’re not, and I wish the show would get back to showing us that.
Tiffany + OA = BFF
Typically, when the show separates OA and Maggie, it’s not for an excellent reason. The move brings the episode down and it makes it hard to see why they’re separated, to begin with.
On “Protective Details,” however, it’s clear why Tiffany and OA needed to be together.
Tiffany and OA’s fist bump when she has the JOC track something down is a “blink-and-you-miss” moment. But if you notice it, the moment encapsulates why Tiffany and OA work so well together.
They understand and trust each other.
Overall, “Protective Details” is an okay episode, and it’s better than some of the more recent ones this series has done. Still, there is a long way to go to find the rhythm these stories held in past seasons.
Stray Thoughts
- Take a shot every time a character says “Leftist” or “Liberal,” and you’ll end up with alcohol poisoning.
- I can’t believe two of the only gay people FBI has ever had on the show have been murderers and accessories.
- Where is Maggie’s sister? I hope she comes back soon.
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What did you think of this episode of FBI? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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FBI airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on CBS.
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Laura Wanberg
Laura is a homebody who loves everything about TV. Some of her favorite shows include Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Parks and Recreation, and The Morning Show. With her ever-growing list of new shows to watch and books to read, her favorite thing to do is to cuddle up with her cat and get lost in someone else's world.