In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Tatiana Hullender, Sisto explained how there was some “relief” when FBI season 8 confirmed he’d been passed up on for the job. He explained how Jubal likes what he’s able to do as ASAC, and even though a promotion would be nice, he gets plenty of fulfillment from his current position:
ScreenRant: Jubal was recently passed over for the SAC role, while Isobel turned down her Assistant Director in Charge promotion. Will he want to move up the ladder should the opportunity arise again, and what do you think it would take for him to be ready to ascend to that position?
Jeremy Sisto: I think he actually got excited about it, but I feel like he loves doing the work of the chase more. He likes having a bit of removal from the biggest decisions; the ones that have the ultimate stake.
As tough as he can come across at times, we know he is a pretty fragile person, and he knows that, too. He’s not trying to risk his own sobriety or mental health. That said, he loves the job, and he is good at it, so I think he got kind of excited about the possibility. But there was also some relief when it occurred. He’d like to keep this job for a long time, and he’s not looking for a different job. He loves who he works with, he loves what they’ve got going on, and he thinks he’s in the right place as well.
Although it wasn’t necessarily super fun to hear from that jerk Ropac or whoever, and how he kind of went about it was maybe not the nicest thing to hear, I think Jubal really enjoys where he is. But he could handle a promotion, so I don’t think we would’ve to go through anything else to be ready. And I think Isobel thinks that too. She would’ve promoted him if it were up to her, but it ultimately wasn’t.
Jubal has been a core part of the team since the start, with his involvement in many cases being what helps the team catch the criminals they go after. While he’d tried to earn a higher position, his conversations with Assistant Director Leo Ropac made it clear he wasn’t going to be able to climb the ladder the way he wanted to.
At the same time, though, FBI season 8 has shown why Jubal is such an important part of the team in his current position. Multiple cases over the course of this season wouldn’t have been possible without him. There’s a parallel between him and Isobel’s attempts to climb, both realizing their value on the team over a different position.
Jubal’s involvement will also be crucial in the upcoming season 8 Fall finale. A recent clip from the two-parter indicated his son, Tyler, will play a crucial role in what happens next, having witnessed a shootout that will become part of the larger episode storyline. If Jubal wasn’t in his ASAC position, it’s unclear how helpful he could have been.
Even though Jubal wasn’t able to snag his promotion, FBI has clarified how important he is to the team. With his involvement in the Fall finale being heavy thanks to Tyler, this will only be further illustrated in the storyline to come. Perhaps it can even illustrate just how a SAC position wouldn’t fit him in contrast to ASAC.
