Jubal Moves Toward His Dream in FBI, But the Cost Could Be Massive

Season 7, episode 17 of FBI just dangled a massive carrot in front of Jubal (Jeremy Sisto), but the situation is still too complicated to pay off just yet. It’s far from unusual for Dick Wolf’s TV shows to change the status quo drastically from time to time, especially since the vast majority of them run for so many seasons that it would be borderline impossible not to see a few cast replacements. In fact, FBI‘s cast of characters has been changing since the pilot episode, with the series going through three team leaders in its first two seasons alone.

Thanks to recent cancelations by CBS and the confirmation of an upcoming new spinoff, it’s also fair to assume that there might be a ripple effect across the entire franchise by the time FBI season 8 rolls out. And since the newest spinoff involves the CIA, it’s likely that Jubal’s position running the fusion center will become particularly important in the near future. On the other hand, that’s only technically true if he maintains that position, and the recent episode “Lineage” nearly seemed like it was about to change that.

Isobel Considers Retirement In FBI Season 7, Episode 17 (But Postpones It)

This Could Arguably Be The Most Lucrative Time For Her To Leave

Early in the episode, Isobel (Alana de la Garza) tells her husband Phillip (The Flash‘s Tom Cavanagh) that she’s officially hit 20 years in the bureau. As a result, she’s now able to retire at any time while receiving full benefits. Yet Isobel seems a bit reticent to retire from her position as team leader and asks how Phillip chose the right time to retire himself. He responds that the work never ends, but it’s just a matter of deciding when you’re ready for your own part of the work to end.

Isobel initially seems set on taking Phillip’s advice, but things get complicated when the team’s weekly case puts her on the trail of Frank Grippo, a gangster whose wife’s death Isobel investigated and who shot one of her Quantico instructors. Frank doesn’t survive the episode, but Isobel decides she still has work left to do after all after Frank’s daughter tricks the FBI into helping her take over and expand Grippo’s empire. Phillip supports Isobel’s decision to keep chasing criminals, but the knowledge she can retire at any time leaves her future a lot more open-ended than it was before.

Isobel Retiring Positions Jubal To Be Promoted

He’s Expressed Interest In Moving Up Before

Meanwhile, Jubal might seem fairly comfortable barking orders to the fusion office, but it’s been established that he’s applied for Isobel’s job before. Although he seems shocked when she announces that she’s thinking of getting out, Isobel’s retirement would be the likeliest catalyst for Jubal to finally be promoted. Considering FBI has already had to deal with status quo changes such as Scola’s (John Boyd) new partner Dani (Emily Alabi), another shakeup to the show’s cast dynamic would almost be par for the course right now.

Realistically, Jubal probably won’t get Isobel’s job unless Alana de la Garza stops renewing her acting contract. But if she ever does, FBI will also have to answer the question of who steps up to fill Jubal’s shoes, and that’s a big role right now. Despite CBS canceling the FBI: CIA backdoor pilot, the upcoming spinoff’s team will almost certainly make contact with the fusion center early in the series. That would typically make way for a Jeremy Sisto cameo, but if Jubal moves up, it’ll be exciting to see who takes that position in his stead.