FBI: International Season 4, Episode 20, “We’re Out of Here” makes a pretty good argument for why the show exists. The CBS series delivers a case of the week that truly relies on its international element, instead of just being a crime story that happens to take place overseas. And when it leans into that portion of the show, the story illustrates why Wes Mitchell is a very good leader for the Fly Team — and why Jesse Lee Soffer is a more than capable leader for the series.
“We’re Out of Here” revolves around a prisoner swap between the United States and Iran. The Fly Team is tasked with getting the three Iranian prisoners to the site of the swap, but they quickly find themselves under attack, which causes the entire deal to be jeopardized. It may not be the most action-packed episode, but it does showcase everything that both Wes and Soffer bring to the table, without the usual amount of angst that Wes has been saddled with.
FBI: International Mostly Avoids Season 4’s Biggest Problem
Wes’s Personal Issues Are Kept to a Minimum
The episode does suffer from the typical TV habit of hilariously bad timing, though. So many TV dramas choose the most random times to remind characters (and by extension fans) that they have personal problems, and that happens here when Tyler Booth decides to give Wes more unsolicited advice about his family as they’re driving with one of the Iranian prisoners in the back seat. A conversation like that should definitely be confined to a later place and time — especially when it’s mentioning specific personal information that the third party could, in a worst case, use for personal gain. It’s kind of funny when the duo tell the prisoner to shut up when he tries to interject, but that doesn’t make the scene less random.
FBI Season 7, Episode 20, “Startup” almost falls into the show’s CBS most obvious plot trap – and yet that’s part of what makes the story work.
FBI: International Season 4, Episode 20 Showcases Wes as a Leader
Jesse Lee Soffer Does Just as Well in Quieter Scenes
The main plotline showcases Wes’ leadership skills in a fairly extreme way. Zahra Nawaz begs the FBI not to send her back to Iran, then winds up orchestrating her own escape with the help of a childhood friend, Mohsen Shah. When Cameron Vo and Andre Raines track Zahra down at a jewelry store, a subsequent standoff ends with Cameron being forced to shoot Zahra when the other woman reaches for a gun. Much is made of Cameron’s guilt, as she fears the American prisoners will be stranded in Iran due to her actions. But this isn’t a Cameron episode; it becomes about Wes stepping up to defuse the situation for his team.
Campbell (to Wes): You were pulled into this to do an impossible task. Take the win.
Characters like Breaking Bad’s Mike Ehrmantaut, Cheers’ Frasier Crane, and It’s Always Sunny’s Frank debuted after their TV show’s first season.
Where Can FBI: International Season 4 Go From Here?
Episode 20 Has a Few Ideas – Yet There’s Little Time Left
FBI: International has a lot of character dynamics left to play with, and Season 4, Episode 20 shows that. “We’re Out of Here,” however ironically titled given the circumstances, also shows what makes this spinoff so unique. It’s not just another crime show. Even FBI: Most Wanted is treading somewhat familiar ground. FBI: International Season 4, Episode 20 highlights the pitfalls of fighting crime on international soil, and that’s a perspective no other show has.
FBI: International airs Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. on CBS.
