FBI Season 5 Episode 12 Review: Breakdown

On FBI Season 5 Episode 12, “Breakdown,” Jubal falls into an abyss he must climb his way out of as his son faces possible bad news. 

Framed as a multi-dimensional character, Jubal simply… isn’t. 

This isn’t to say that Jubal is a bad character, but he’s certainly not a good father, and he hasn’t been interesting in a few seasons. 

Jeremy Sisto is great – this isn’t anything to say about him – but it feels like every time the writers have a block in writing character-specific storylines, they lean against Jubal and his being a father as well as his sobriety. 

Jubal has promised his son multiple times over the course of the show that he’ll be there more. He’ll show up for his son and he’ll pay attention and he’ll stick by him when he needs him. 

Now, though, in a time when he is offered by Isobel to go and be with his son, he declines. 

We know he declines because he’s already started drinking, and now he must do everything possible to avoid it, but it’s still frustrating. 

We spend episode after episode of Jubal stating he’ll grow, he’ll learn, he’ll be better, only to, months later, have him do the exact opposite. 

It feels like we’ve wasted an exponential amount of time watching Jubal pretend to be a good father instead of actually being a good father. 

The exploration into his drinking is something we’ve seen before, but this time there are higher stakes due to Jubal already breaking his sobriety once he finds out the news about Tyler. 

Jubal has been seen, on more than one occasion, getting away with things other team members are chastised for. Getting into a fight with a suspect, or being upset with another agent. 

“Breakdown” is no different. 

OA, despite doing it gently, informed Maggie that he wouldn’t be able to keep it from the powers that be if she started taking anxiety medication after coming back from her sarin gas attack. 

He checked up on Maggie several times, going as far as to frame Isobel.

Meanwhile, with Jubal, in anger at her calling him out and being right, Jubal threatens to fire Maggie. 

Whether or not Jubal has the authority to do that, the threat he makes, on top of allowing the suspect to attack her earlier in the episode, seems reason enough to tell someone higher up about this. 

Addiction is a disease, and sometimes it’s uncontrollable, but Jubal allows Maggie to be attacked, doesn’t apologize, and then allows the alcohol to speak for him. 

Jubal shouldn’t be fired – he should be able to get help – but the fact that he has repeatedly done things other characters face consequences for is exhausting. 

Isobel should know that Jubal slipped. It doesn’t have to go above her, or to anyone besides her and Maggie, but Isobel needs to know that Jubal is not in a place where he can be a consistent, solid agent. 

“Breakdown” also features Maggie experiencing severe PTSD, and it’s unfair that we got more into Jubal and his not being there for his son than we got from Maggie’s aftermath. 

FBI has been too busy using Jubal’s addiction as a plot point that they’ve forgotten he’s allowed to be human outside of his sobriety and his job. 

It’s a shame.

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FBI airs Tuesday at 8/7c on CBS.

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