FBI: International is on the verge of debuting the final episode of Season 1, on the heels of the two-season renewal that guarantees the action will pick up again next season. That doesn’t mean that the newest FBI show is coasting to the first season finish line, however, and star Luke Kleintank previewed what’s on the way with the episode, called “Crestfallen.” Fans should prepare to see Forrester risking everything, and that’s not nearly all.
The episode description for “Crestfallen” already revealed that Forrester will be conflicted when his mother (played by Lost alum Elizabeth Mitchell) sends him information on a case, while the Fly Team looks into a private jet that was shot down. Forrester has been solid as leader of the team, and it has really been when his mother is involved that he’s shaken up. Speaking with CinemaBlend, Luke Kleintank shared how his character will react to the reemergence of his mom:
It's shocking for him to see her come back in his life, and she's asking for a lot. There's a lot of things I can't give away, but she's asking for a lot and she's trying to help him solve something and also potentially help her in a way, and so he's conflicted with whether or not this is truthful, whether or not it's real, whether or not he can trust her. He ultimately decides, 'She's my mother, so I'm gonna try. I'm gonna risk everything.' So, he does. He risks everything. He goes on this journey by himself to maybe see where it ends up and it gives him a sense of peace at the end, but also the title of the episode is 'Crestfallen' and he's a little hurt. But you'll see it all unfold. It's an action-packed journey for him throughout the episode.
Forrester has always been a bold character, but risking everything for his mom is something that hasn’t happened before on FBI: International. Whether or not that pays off for him in a way bigger than a “sense of peace” remains to be seen. He’s not the same person that he was back when the show premiered, and some of his lessons were hard-won. What will he take away from helping his mom in “Crestfallen,”and will he regret it?
Only time and the Season 1 finale will tell on that front, but it’s clear that fans are in for a juicy hour of television with “Crestfallen.” When I asked Luke Kleintank whether Forrester has a blind spot when it comes to his mom or is more clear-eyed about her at this point at the end of the first season, the actor shared:
No, he's not clear-eyed about any of it. She's a complete blind spot. He's got abandonment issues. She left him. He went on to be a very successful FBI agent, so he's constantly looking at people for their lies and trying to judge them to solve a crime and solve the case. He's always looking over his back for her as well. He just doesn't know. His training comes in what he does for work, but also he's blinded by the fact that she's still his mother. He would kind of want to rectify the loss that he had with her over the last 15 years and understand why she did what she did. It's really tough. It's really tough situation to be in.
The instincts that he formed from her abandonment may be part of what formed him into such a successful agent, but that doesn’t mean that he’s at his most objective when his mother is involved. Depending on what she asks of him and what exactly he agrees to, the repercussions could potentially extend into Season 2 for Forrester. That said, even though the return of his mom is a personal issue, he’s far from alone when it comes to his daily life in Budapest.
The Fly Team has become the heart of FBI: International, to the point that even the Forrester/Kellett breakup didn’t shake the foundation of the little unit. Jaeger was even poised to lose her job over her support of the others despite their tendency to go rogue. (Fittingly, they went rogue and got creative to guarantee that she would keep her job.) Luke Kleintank weighed in on the importance of the Fly Team’s cohesiveness heading into the finale:
It's everything. Because again, Forrester goes rogue. Even when Carter [Redwood, who plays Raines] went rogue, the team was right behind him. They're always trying to protect each other, but they're always trying to do something for the greater good. Solving the crime or helping each other out and whatever it is. Carter's thing in Episode 15, that was [Raines'] sister. And so they did everything to keep it hush hush so that they could help him and get through and save his sister's life. So yeah, they do tend to go rogue. I don't know how much the FBI would like that in reality, but they care about each other. They're all a little family.
The agents have bent the rules to help each other out when necessary, which – as Kleintank noted – worked out for the best when Raines’ sister needed saving, and she undoubtedly would have died if not for a little bit of going rogue. Will the team be able to work together and come out on top this time, or will the finale have something else in store with the stakes seemingly higher than ever for Forrester and his mom?
That remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say that the Season 1 finale is going to leave fans hyped for Season 2 (and possibly ready for a Paramount+ subscription to rewatch the first batch of episodes). Luke Kleintank previewed:
It leaves off on a huge cliffhanger. It's a big cliffhanger, and not only Forrester, but the entire Fly Team is at risk. It's gonna be intense.
Tune in to CBS on Tuesday, May 24 at 9 p.m. ET to catch the Season 1 finale of FBI: International, between the Season 4 finale of FBI (which star Jeremy Sisto previewed as a “complicated” episode for Jubal) at 8 p.m. and Season 3 finale of FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. in the spring finale schedule. For some viewing options once International and the other FBIs are on their summer hiatuses, check out our 2022 TV premiere schedule.
