The last several episodes of FBI have been rough for Jubal after his future with Rina went from looking bright to tragedy with her shooting at the direction of Vargas. Rina’s fate has been uncertain ever since she suffered some complications from being shot by Jubal’s side in the midseason finale back in December, and the January 11 episode will deliver some updates on her situation and Jubal’s place in her life. Star Jeremy Sisto spoke with CinemaBlend about what’s ahead for Jubal in FBI, and he’s in for a complicated ride.
The next big episode for Jeremy Sisto’s Jubal Valentine with regard to Kathleen Munroe’s Rina Trenholm is called “Grief.” When I noted that that’s a pretty foreboding title for an episode that addresses the events of the shooting in the midseason finale back in December, Sisto broke down where Jubal’s head is heading into the hour:
As a recovering alcoholic, in the 12-step programs, they instruct you to take relationships very slow, and not jump in anything until you're really emotionally ready for it, and add an ex wife and two kids into the equation in a very serious profession, Jubal adhered to that rule. It really took a long time. And so obviously it was a huge shock and traumatizing event for her to get shot like this, and then in the time that she's been in the hospital unresponsive, when he's had interactions with her ex, her family, there's been enough time to go through a lot of stuff. Part of that is a feeling of like, 'Was what we had really real? It was so new. Am I exaggerating? Should I even be here?' This is a new relationship. You know, Jubal was a destructive force, arguably in her life previously, so now suddenly, he's in this loving relationship with her but it hasn't really opened up. They hadn't done holidays together yet.
Things were going so well for them for at least a little while, with Jubal transforming from a formerly “destructive force” in her life to somebody who seemed to be building a healthy relationship with her. The midseason finale alone showed how tense things could get with the people who loved her prior to Jubal, including her ex. In the time that has passed since, he has evidently had time to doubt what he had with her compared to what they had.
Of course, Jubal being Jubal, he’s not going to stop working just because of some personal turmoil so long as he can manage (and Isobel allows it), and Sisto continued to preview how he will handle his emotions in “Grief” as he works on the case:
Another common thing [for Jubal] is he channels that emotion to a separate situation. And he happens to be working on a case where there is a grieving father, grieving person, a grieving guy, and he sort of infuses that person with his own emotion. [He’s] a little confused in his actions throughout this episode. So it's a complicated episode, and I'm excited for people to see it.
When FBI combines personal drama with intense cases, complications tend to be par for the course, and that could be rough on Jubal in an episode called “Grief.” Whatever happens with Rina and however he processes the emotion remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say that this will be a must-see hour of TV for fans, when it comes to the case as well as the characters. Jeremy Sisto shared what to expect from the case, which will involve the search for an abducted college co-ed:
It's really exciting and fun. Most cases you'll see, the ones that are written about in our show, all hands are needed on deck. This is one that's very active and has a real ticking clock. And so, you know, in those situations, whoever can make the most impact on the case, you never know who it's gonna be. If it's gonna be Elise or Kelly, or if it's going to be OA or Missy [Peregrym], or Stuart or Tiff, or Alana [de la Garza]. [laughs] You know, all the people.
Find out if Jubal and the rest of the team are able to rescue the co-ed in time, as well as how Jubal faces the next development with Rina’s fate for better or worse, with the “Grief” episode of FBI on Tuesday, January 11 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, ahead of FBI: International (which will give some more insight into one character’s past) at 9 p.m. and FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. in the winter TV lineup.
As of the end of the fall half of the 2021-2022 TV season, FBI stands as one of the biggest ratings hits on television, and it ranks alongside some of its fellow shows in the Dick Wolf television universe that will be getting even bigger in the not-too-distant future with the return of Law & Order, which previously starred Jeremy Sisto.
