The hit CBS series FBI comes from the mind of crime procedural extraordinaire Dick Wolf and has recently scored a multi-season renewal. The hit series features the FBI agents of the New York field office as they investigate cases ranging from murders to terrorism. The intense action meshes perfectly with the close-knit dynamic of the team and comes together to create an intense television series. The success of this series spawned the FBIs franchise that consists of FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International.
FBI does a fantastic job of crafting dynamic plotlines that allow the series to explore new territory while staying true to the classic procedural style that earned them their initial fanbase. The series also has a diverse cast of characters whose personal storylines can propel the plot forward while not overtaking the primary mystery of the episode. These 10 episodes are the best FBI has offered so far and do a great job embodying all that is great about the series.
10. “Doomsday” Immediately Comes Out Swinging
The Fictional Arrow Point Nuclear Power Plant Depicted in Doomsday is Modeled After the Controversial Indian Point Power Plant in New York
“Doomsday” is a high-intensity episode that follows a murder with major national security implications. FBI Special Agents Omar Adom ‘OA’ Zidan and Maggie Bell investigate the murder of a nuclear power plant inspector. The circumstances of her death terrify the agents as she is found radioactive and murdered as the plant conducts a safety drill. With the possibility of terrorism and nuclear sabotage afoot, the stakes are high as OA and Maggie race to solve the murder and potentially prevent a nuclear attack on New York and the surrounding area.
The consistent adrenaline of “Doomsday” makes it a highly engrossing episode to watch. However, this also contributes to a drawback in the episode. The intense case loses some of its action as it evolves and reveals connections to a dangerous cover-up at the nuclear power plant and a fugitive on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. The plot evolution betters the episode but does result in a loss of steam as the episode progresses.
9. “Fallout” Sees a Controversial Figure Struck Down
Fallout is Partially Inspired by the Me Too Movement That Exposed Many Elite Figures for Sexual Harassment
“Fallout” follows OA and Maggie working alongside FBI Special Agent Stuart Scola and his new temporary partner, FBI Special Agent Emily Ryder, investigating the murder of a prominent businessman. This businessman had a history of sexual harassment claims and a slew of alleged victims left in his wake. This leaves the FBI agents with a long list of potential killers who could have sought revenge.
The case puts the FBI agents on edge as they uncover a murder-for-hire plot. The intricacies of this new plot development are hindered by personal struggles within the team as they reel from the injury of their friend Kristen Chazal. The case and the emotional storyline surrounding Kristen are both hampered by the attempt to mesh these two stories into one episode.
8. “Compromised” Has the FBI Agents Racing to Save Lives
Michael Mosely Guest Stars as US Marshall Handler Paul Ackerman Who Works Alongside FBI Agents Bell and Zidan
“Compromised” continues a great run of episodes in the first season of FBI. “Compromised” sees Maggie and OA investigate a series of murders that occur to seemingly unrelated victims. A connection is uncovered when the victims are revealed to be protected witnesses under the care of the US Marshals Service. The FBI agents must work alongside the Marshals to find the source of the leak and protect the remaining witnesses on the list.
“Compromised” balances an intriguing murder case with the emotional repercussions that come with entering the Witness Protection Program and leaving your old life behind to bring a criminal to justice. The investigative elements of the case help develop the emotional undercurrent as Maggie and OA learn more about the intricacies involved in the program, such as living undercover and the subject cutting off all contact with their old life. The emotional and investigative complexity of “Compromised” come together to create a well-rounded episode that hooks viewers with an intriguing investigation that tugs on the heartstrings.
7. “Family Man” Takes OA and Maggie Into the Realm of Political Intrigue
Eion Bailey Guest Stars as Senator Gary Lynch, the Father of the Kidnap Victim and True Target of the Crime
“Family Man” sees OA and Maggie jump into action on a kidnapping case with massive repercussions. When the child of a powerful New York senator is kidnapped and held for ransom, the FBI must step in to return the child safely and navigate the political fallout of the crime. It soon becomes very apparent that Senator Lynch has skeletons in his closet that may have resulted in kidnapping as a form of revenge.
“Family Man” takes viewers behind the facade of political power and shows the messy reality lived by politicians. Senator Lynch is revealed to be involved with a shady businessman and has a love child with an affair partner. The identity of the kidnapper comes from this dark part of Lynch’s life, and he is forced to crack his facade to save his child. The decision to force a reckoning of Lynch’s morals to save who he loves the most is an inspired ending for “Family Man.”
6. “Legacy” Brings a Sensitive Case From the Past to the Present
Quincy Dunn Baker Appears as OA’s Comrade Terry Brooks From His Days as an Army Ranger
“Legacy” is a fast-paced episode that doesn’t pull punches. A weapons shipment is hijacked and upon further investigation, ties back to a terrorist leader. The terrorist was believed to have been killed in an operation FBI Agent OA Zidan, a former Army Ranger, participated in. The revelation that the terrorist leader is alive throws multiple agencies into high gear as they rush to take down the elusive and deadly man before an attack can occur.
“Legacy” has all the best elements of an action movie, with enough support from a personal storyline not to have it ring hollow. This case is challenging for OA in several ways, as it touches on his professional life and his sense of identity. OA feels like he has something to prove now that one of the biggest operations of his military career has been revealed to be botched. “Legacy” becomes an odyssey for OA as he seeks to deliver justice to someone who escaped and redeem himself in his own eyes and the eyes of his country.
5. “Hacktivist” Challenges the Team in a New Way
Caleb Reese Paul Reoccurs as Tyler Valentine, the teenage son of ASAC Jubal Valentine
“Hacktivist” sees the FBI team challenged in a way they have never been before. A massive cyberattack shuts down power and lifesaving equipment in several area hospitals, including one where Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine’s son Tyler is about to have surgery. The hacker will not restore the power and equipment to the hospital’s control until the agents stop a serial killer who has been targeting recently released patients. The team must race against the clock to find the killer to prevent any patients from dying as a result of the hack.
The stakes are incredibly high in “Hacktivist.” Multiple hospitals filled with grievously ill patients are being used as pawns by the mysterious hacker, and it is personal for the normally collected Jubal Valentine. The personal stakes held ratchet up the tension tenfold as a gripping serial killer hunt happens in lockstep with a gripping cyber attack. “Hacktivist” is a fantastic example of the creative prowess found in the FBI series that makes it a must-watch for new and old fans of crime dramas.
4. “Charlotte’s Web” is an Ensnaring Tale of Secrets and Obsession
Anni Kruger Stars as Charlotte Kincaid, a Kidnapping Victim and the Title Character of the Episode
“Charlotte’s Web” is an episode best described as a twisting tale of deception that leads to a young socialite being kidnapped by a deviant stalker. The victim had seemingly no secrets and a perfect relationship with her husband Alex, who OA and Maggie suspect is hiding something from them. When they investigate further with FBI Agents Stuart Scola and Tiffany Wallace, they learn that both Charlotte and Alex were cheating with the other, unaware of the infidelity.
“Charlotte’s Web” finds its primary storyline in the illicit and forbidden behaviors of a couple who appear to be perfect on the surface. Charlotte’s secret life puts her in the crosshairs of her captor and turns her escape into a nightmarish trap. This chilling fact incorporates a sinister tone to “Charlotte’s Web” that elevates the episode with every harrowing lead uncovered in the hunt for Charlotte and her captor.
3. “God Complex” Introduces a Serial Killer With Religious Overtones
Shantel VanSanten Reoccurs as FBI Special Agent Nina Chase
“God Complex” introduces one of the darkest serial killer cases depicted in FBI. The killer in question targets powerful people in society and kills them in a manner that has religious overtones. The FBI team races to decode the killer’s motivations in order to prevent him from taking another life under the guise of divine intervention.
“God Complex” depicts a killer whose belief that what he is doing is just, which makes him incredibly dangerous. He remains so right until the end of the episode, where he takes Special Agent Maggie Bell hostage and threatens to kill her. Luckily, Maggie is saved, and the killer is finally brought to justice. FBI, featuring a killer with a twisted psyche who believes himself to be a deity, perfectly toes the line between engrossing and unsettling.
2. “Unfinished Business” Sees the FBI Team In the Crosshairs
David Zayas Reoccurs as Cartel Leader and Enemy of the FBI Team Antonio Vargas
“Unfinished Business” begins with Assistant Director Nina Trenholm of the FBI team being gunned down in broad daylight when walking with Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine. The episode only grows in intensity after the shocking beginning. The FBI team relentlessly pursues the shooter but soon discovers that they are being hunted instead. The revelation that vicious Cartel Leader Antonio Vargas is responsible for orchestrating the campaign against the FBI team sends a chill down fans’ spines.
Vargas continued his ruthless streak from prison in “Unfinished Business.” He paid a weapons expert to craft multiple concealed robotic weapons equipped with facial recognition trained to recognize the members of the FBI team, which almost kills Maggie Bell in the field. Having an unknown number of these devices scattered across New York City ratchets up the tension for the episode as the agents must find the architect of the devices and shut them down before they become victims. This unique premise brings out a raw side of the normally composed FBI agents as they must fight for their lives. This race for survival gives “Unfinished Business” a unique edge that sets it apart from other episodes.
1. “Heroes” Sees One of the FBI’s Own in the Line of Fire
Recurring Character FBI Analyst Kelly Moran Takes Center Stage for a Bank Robbery Case
“Heroes” may seem like a standard bank robbery episode on the surface, but appearances can be deceiving. FBI Analyst Kelly Moran finds himself trapped in a bank hostage situation and must work from the inside to save the lives of the other hostages. Kelly is a fish out of water in this episode, as his background as an analyst often sees him behind a computer screen. Kelly proves that he is more than just a keyboard warrior and savvily alerts his boss, Jubal, about the robbery and helps him defuse the situation.
“Heroes” is the best episode of FBI because it incorporates the close team dynamic into the already adrenaline-fueled episode. The team works together to save Kelly, and along the way, they pair their competence with a fierce determination to save one of their own. Throughout this episode, the FBI team proves why they are the best in the business. From Kelly proving his worth by being an inside man to Jubal leaving Operations to go undercover, every member of this team brought their A-Game and saved the day despite going against formidable criminals. “Heroes” proves the FBI team are some of the best crime fighters on TV.
