FBI Season 5 Episode 15 Review: The Lies We Tell

On FBI Season 5 Episode 15, “The Lies We Tell,” the show takes things way too far, and it’s questionable whether or not it can come back from this. 

Dragging us through yet another chaotic case that, in the end, crumbles in on itself, this episode is quite possibly the worst of the season. Which is saying something. 

Something the show likes to do is add allegories to their episodes. This isn’t unusual, especially for a crime procedural, but “The Lies We Tell” lacks both a cohesive story and a lesson to take away from it.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of why this episode is horrifying, let’s discuss the COVID-sized elephant in the room. 

A threat to millions worldwide, a new vaccine working to prevent COVID-19 is stolen and threatened to be exposed, except the vaccine is 1,000 times more deadly than the original COVID-19, and releasing it now would cause millions to die. 

Hey, guys? Millions of people have already died from COVID-19. Using it as a plot point for a show that barely discussed adhering to the guidelines is a bit sick. 

Many people would choose to believe the pandemic is over, but we are still very much living through it. It’s bold and wholly distasteful to think we’re past it. 

And somehow, this isn’t the worst part of the episode.

No, the worst part is when Isobel decides that to get a man to cooperate with the FBI, they must alter a video from his wife and fake that she is alive and in their custody. 

The FBI creates a deep fake, presents it as evidence that a woman is safe, and proceeds to find her dead body a scene or two later. 

This is sick, and the worst part is that FBI has had episodes dedicated to why deep fakes are so harmful and scary. 

While there are, unfortunately, no laws that state that deep fakes are illegal, everyone and their brother knows they are morally reprehensible. 

At the end of the episode, when Maggie expresses guilt for taking part in creating the altered images, Isobel shuts her down and tells her it’s no one’s fault but Isobel’s. While true, it doesn’t make the situation any less terrible. 

Isobel is the head of an FBI department, with tens of people under her, and she had one of her staff create this deep fake. Isobel knows better than to manipulate people in this way.

This season of FBI has brought us a character with debilitating PTSD out in the field, a drunk man actively working a case, and now an executive requesting altered images to hold over a suspect. 

Drama needs to happen on a crime drama, but this kind of drama makes me question if the show is simply throwing darts at a dartboard and choosing whatever random storyline they pick. 

How is Maggie’s sister? Jubal’s daughter? Who’s this mystery man Isobel is seeing? And why are we consistently seeing the issues of one-episode characters take over when our team is right there?

I’ve not been shy about my disapproval of this season of FBI overall, but this episode somehow makes everything worse. 

It’s disappointing because the show has the potential to get there, to give us intriguing stories each week that surround the characters they’ve created, and instead, it’s the wow factor that has them begging for views. 

Though I usually hesitate to say something is terrible, as everyone doesn’t see things the same way, I can say with certainty: “The Lies We Tell” is a bad episode of television, and we need FBI to do better. 

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FBI airs Tuesday at 8/7c on CBS.

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