Spoilers ahead for the Season 3 premiere of FBI: International, called "June."
Few shows ended on as stressful a cliffhanger in 2023 as FBI: International, with almost the entire Fly Team inside of a building that exploded in the final moments of Season 2. The WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike meant that the resolution didn't come for the better part of a year. Now that the third season has arrived, fans got to see the unexpected character who was dealt a bloody twist, as well as say goodbye to a series regular. For better or worse, it was an intense way to debut in the 2024 TV schedule, and star Luke Kleintank broke down what happened.
"June" picked up where the Season 2 finale left off, with Raines (Carter Redwood) as the only human member of the Fly Team who was safe from the explosion. The characters who we seemingly needed to really worry about were Forrester (Luke Kleintank), Kellett (Heida Reed), Vo (Vinessa Vidotto), Smitty (Eva-Jane Willis), and Powell (Greg Hovanessian), with Raines free and clear. That made the twist all the more painful when Raines was crushed while trying to save Powell, and he was the one whose life was in grave danger. When I spoke with Kleintank about the return of International, he opened up about the tragic switcheroo of Raines ending up on death's door:
It was pretty crazy. I know that for Carter, when he read the script, he got to that part in the script and he had to sit down for a second because he was mentally preparing himself whether or not he was going to make it in the end, or whether or not he was going to be a paraplegic for the rest of the season and that commitment that he had to make. It was a shock for all of us, but it's great. I think that's something that Matt Olmstead, our new showrunner, is implementing in the show. The stakes are higher, and the storylines are just more intense, and I think that makes for better, binge-worthy TV.
Is there any wonder that Carter Redwood needed to take a seat while reading the script, since it seemed likely in "June" that Raines was going to be permanently paralyzed in the best case scenario? Luckily, an American surgeon was able to make the trip to Budapest in time to work some medical miracles and save Raines' life and leg, so the bloody twist turned out to be a thrilling rather than tragic shock. Luke Kleintank credited Matt Olmstead, who was previously showrunner on Chicago P.D. before joining International, with raising the stakes, and I'd say Season 3 is off to a strong start!
Sadly, the Season 3 premiere did also have to say a goodbye. Although some first-look photos had confirmed that Kellett survived the explosion, fans already knew that the character would be out of the Fly Team in the third season. News broke over the long hiatus that Heida Reed would be leaving the show, and "June" wasted no time in setting that up. Shaken by the explosion, Kellett realized that she needed to live a full life to honor her sister's memory, which meant a transfer back to D.C. Luke Kleintank addressed Kellett's decision to leave to honor her sister, saying:
I think that's something her character has been struggling with, throughout Season 1, throughout Season 2, and it's a nice sendoff for Kellett. And we never know what the future holds, so she could always be coming back. You never know. So we'll see.
Hey, if Christiane Paul could reprise her role as Katrin Jaeger just a season after she left as a series regular, why not hope to see Heida Reed back as Kellett at some point in Season 3 or beyond? Of course, "June" did tug on the heartstrings with her farewell, as Forrester started the episode by bellowing her name when he didn't know if she was alive or dead. He immediately tried to talk her out of leaving once she broke the news, and said goodbye to her at a train station. I asked Luke Kleintank how much Kellett's leaving would affect Forrester, and he shared:
I think their relationship is strong enough. I mean, from a romantic standpoint, I think that ship had sailed in Season 1 [and] Season 2, but there's still that love for one another. A part of him is definitely gonna miss her because she was such a strong presence to him and his life and also in the office. But I think also too, it was time. It was time for her to move on. People who care about each other, people who love each other, they allow that other person to do that. So I think there's a there's a sense of relief and a sense of... It's a mixed feeling. It's bittersweet.
Kellett got about as happy an ending as could be hoped for, especially in light of a cliffhanger that could have dropped a lot of bodies. Her ending is also open, so it's possible that fans will get to see her again, or at least get an update as the third season continues.
"June" also introduced Kellett's replacement: Batwoman's Christina Wolfe as analyst Amanda Tate. Luke Kleintank described the character as "somewhat of a pseudo-Jubal character in our office" and the person "keeping things down at the home base while we're off investigating and doing stuff as the Fly Team" when not in the Budapest office.
Tate clearly won't be Kellett 2.0, but it remains to be seen how well she'll fit into the overall dynamic. Find out with new episodes of FBI: International on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, between FBI at 8 p.m. and FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. You can also revisit earlier episodes streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
