Just as the team investigated a double homicide in FBI season 8, episode 16, Maggie Bell returned to work following bereavement leave. But was Maggie actually ready to come back to work, and how did she handle a case that hit close to home?
Taking place during Fleet Week, the team looked into the murders of a husband and wife, both of whom didn’t seem like anyone who would be killed. At first, it looked like the wife, Mel, could have been the target of an ex-boyfriend, but then it was determined that her husband, Charlie’s job as a longshoreman may have been related.
Charlie’s boss, Ron Strumberger, would smuggle things into the port, and then, when he saw one in particular, he got greedy and wanted to get more cash from the smugglers. However, the people behind it killed the people who knew about it.
It turned out it wasn’t a what but a who who was smuggled in. Someone had brought a Chechen bomb maker into the United States, and now they needed to find out who was involved. Once they found him, they learned a man named Hamzah Al-Haddad was plotting to attack during Fleet Week.
Isobel called for assistance from Nikki Reynard with the State Department, who knew about Al-Haddad and how he operated with his fellow Houthi militants. After telling the team about who he was, she also revealed that one of the battleships currently in port had been part of a missile attack that killed 20 civilians, including Al-Haddad’s wife and daughter.
While Scola and Ramos went on board the U.S.S. Maldonado to look for potential bombs onboard, OA and Maggie searched for the suspected terrorist. Eventually, they found a walkie-talkie on one of his men after a nearby shooting and used the signal to find him. Maggie tried to use her recent loss of her sister to empathize with him, but he ignored her efforts.
Jubal took control of the drones within seconds of it detonating in front of the ship. With everyone on board safe, including Scola and Ramos, Al-Haddad was taken into custody. Maggie then went back to talk to Isobel, admitting that while she wanted to come back to work, she had no idea how to be the person she used to be. She blamed herself for what happened, especially after seeing her parents crying at Erin’s funeral.
Isobel assured Maggie her team had her back and they would help her get through this.
This episode not only tied the case to what was going on with Maggie, but it also showed how grief is a process. While Maggie may have wanted to get back into the game, she still needed to be ready to rely on support from those around her.
FBI will be taking a one-week break before returning with new episodes on Monday, April 13, at 9/8c. You can find previous episodes available on Paramount+.