FBI: International Season 3 Finale Set Up An Intriguing Aftermath For Forrester's Disappearance, And I Totally Fell For The Bait And Switch
Spoilers ahead for the Season 3 finale of FBI: International, called "Tuxhorn."
The personal stakes were about as high as they've ever been for the Fly Team in FBI: International's Season 3 finale, with Forrester MIA with the plot thickening about his mother, Angela Cassidy. The team chased Forrester to Norway without the approval of the Norwegian government, and they didn't have much to barter with when officials caught them. That said, International didn't end the spring 2024 TV schedule without any answers, and what Eva-Jane Willis told CinemaBlend paints an interesting picture for Season 4... and I can admit that the bait and switch in "Tuxhorn" initially got me.
How "Tuxhorn" Successfully Tricked Me
While Forrester wasn't expected to appear in the finale due to Luke Kleintank's departure with two episodes left to go in the season, Angela Cassidy in the mix suggested that perhaps she would show her face. And FBI: International did show a woman with long blonde hair who was purported to be Angela. The only problem? Teri Polo was playing the part rather than Elizabeth Mitchell, who originated the role back in 2022, and long blonde hair can't turn Teri Polo into Elizabeth Mitchell.
And my assumption was that FBI: International had simply recast the role of Angela Cassidy due to needing her for the finale but Elizabeth Mitchell was either unwilling or unavailable. As it turns out, though, the woman was actually Tess Chaplain, who was only believed to be Angela. It wasn't a case of an unannounced recasting at all, but International had me fooled up until Vo got a look at the woman and confirmed that the person in the photo definitely wasn't Forrester's mom.
It turned out that the real Angela Cassidy was indeed with her son, and their last known position was an area of Russia quite close to Alaska. Instead of reporting the details to the FBI Deputy Director, they instead buried to evidence to give Forrester his best chance at a happy ending with his mom. Would the character have gotten a happier ending or a better sendoff if Luke Kleintank had at least made a cameo? Probably, but short of him somehow reuniting with Kellett, starting over with his mom was a pretty solid way to say goodbye to Forrester. Even if he was off screen for it!
The Aftermath Of Forrester's Departure, According To One Star
The Fly Team spent the last two episodes of Season 3 pouring all their resources into finding Forrester and then helping him from afar as best they could, so there wasn't really time to see how they would operate when they knew for a fact that he wasn't coming back. With no word that Colin Donnell is joining the FBI: International cast as a series regular despite his main role in the final pair of episodes, it could well be the Season 4 will open with just the remnants of Scott's team in play.
When I spoke with Eva-Jane Willis ahead of Smitty's big England-centric episode earlier in May, it was shortly after the news broke about Kleintank leaving International. I asked the actress about how Forrester's departure would affect her character, and she dropped this tease for what comes next:
I think that we'll have to see Season 4 to see the aftermath of Forrester's departure. I think all that anyone on the Fly Team would want is for Forrester to be safe and well... We don't see much of Smitty beyond the departure yet. So that'll be something that you have to tune in to Season 4 for.
It sounds like FBI: International will explore at least some of the aftermath of Forrester's departure when Season 4 picks up, which was far from a guarantee for a show that is pretty heavily procedural rather than serialized. One element that fans probably don't have to worry about is a potential leadership vacuum, thanks to Vo sticking around. When I asked how Smitty feels about Vo as more of a leader this season, Willis shared:
I think Smitty is 100% feminist. [laughs] I think she admires Vo and trust her completely. I think essentially, Smitty will trust anyone that Forrester trusts and Forrester puts his trust in Vo and therefore Smitty does too. I think she looks up to Vo and is happy to follow her as a leader. But of course, Forrester is the one who she moved to Budapest for to work with because I think she said in Season 2, he was the best boss she'd ever had. With his guidance, she has come to completely trust Vo now.
Unfortunately, even with the implication that the show will cover the aftermath of losing Forrester in Season 4, there's now a long wait for whatever comes next. FBI: International will return in the fall; we can only speculate about a precise date. You can find all three seasons of the show streaming with a Paramount Plus and the first two seasons streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
