The tragic end of FBI season 6 episode 6, "Unforeseen," may be how Maggie Bell becomes a mother on the series. The question of whether she wants to be a parent has come up more than once in the show's run, but she's been seriously considering the possibility since she's seen how her friend Jess has been raising her daughter, Ella. So much so that during her eval with Isobel, Maggie brought up that she's thinking about IVF.
However, Maggie was still weighing the pros and cons of what it would be to go through that process, getting pregnant, and then being responsible for the life and upbringing of a child, particularly as a single parent. But, as Jess told her, being able to control every minute detail of your existence isn't how life works. Unfortunately, they both had to contend with that after Jess collapsed in the middle of the case.
The fear was that she'd been dosed with ricin gas as that'd been the focus of their investigation but upon transfer to the hospital, and getting checked out by doctor, it was revealed that Jess had suffered a mild aneurysm. She was told that they wanted to prep her for an exploratory surgery, and she needed to assign someone temporary guardianship of her daughter. Jess chose Maggie. They were both nervous about the procedure but were staying positive about it.
Unfortunately, the surgery didn't go as planned. Jess' blood pressure dropped and they were unable to revive her. With her passing, presumably Maggie is going to be retaining custody of Ella at least for the time being. But it's hard to tell what direction FBI is headed in with this storyline since the promo and the stills for the next episode, "Behind the Veil," point to an Isobel-centric episode.
If Maggie does become Ella's guardian, with the potential for her to become her parent, that means she'll be stepping into the shoes of a mother far earlier and faster than she planned with a grieving child to take care of instead of an infant. This might be the solution the writers have for satisfying this story element that's always been a part of Maggie's story without having to write-in struggles with IVF, a pregnancy, an eventual maternity leave, and juggling being an agent while caring for a baby.
There are two models of parenting on FBI currently. Jubal's kids live with their mother for the majority of the time, but he's active in their lives and we get regular updates about them especially his son, Tyler. Scola is a new father, but he and Nina split duties even with them both working in different divisions as she's joined the Fugitive Task Force (as seen in FBI: Most Wanted). Maggie stepping up for Ella and raising her would make her a single, adoptive parent which is a path the series has yet to explore with a main character.
It'll be interesting to see where the show goes next with Maggie's journey to motherhood if she does become Ella's guardian. Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more news and coverage. New episodes of FBI air Mondays on CBS. Next day streaming is available on Paramount+.