While the upcoming installment will see Scola “dealing with the memory of his brother,” the fall finale focused heavily on OA. Maggie’s suspicions are confirmed when Clay betrays the FBI and OA is left with no choice but to shoot and kill his former army buddy. Zeeko Zaki says the situation was one of “intense heartbreak,” as OA believed that Clay wouldn’t ask him to compromise his core beliefs. OA will likely lean on Maggie following the tragic incident, with Zaki emphasizing that the partners continuously overcome their struggles together.
ScreenRant interviews Zaki about OA’s past with Clay, the fall finale’s major twist, his take on OA and Maggie’s relationship, and what fans can expect when FBI season 7 returns.
Maggie And OA’s Partnership In FBI Is Owed To Clay
“He did Maggie a service by saving my life because then we got to work together.”
ScreenRant: I love episodes that showcase the bond between OA and Maggie. They already have a strong relationship, so how do you feel this episode strengthened it even more?
Zeeko Zaki: Yeah, that’s what’s really a magical part of our show—how strong OA and Maggie’s relationship is. No matter what tests it goes through, it just keeps making it stronger. OA wouldn’t have even gotten to the end of this episode, yet alone, this far into the show without our ability to ride or die with each other. There are moments in this episode where OA challenges her commitment to him with a line, like, “Get in the car, or I’m leaving you.”
I like to believe that that was a bluff because, at the end of the day, no matter how much we are questioning our partner’s decisions we’ll always get in the car, and it’s just really nice to see that. It’s a really nice way to end the episode after something so intense that we have the power to make the space for each other, see each other, handle it quickly, and get back to work.
Maggie finds out that Clay, essentially, prioritized OA’s life over all else in the army. Can you give some insight into OA’s headspace when he’s forced to choose between his morals and his friend?
Zeeko Zaki: I think they both start off with the same foundation, which is, “Both of these people have saved my life and saved my life.” Maggie saves my life countless times when we’re out in the field, and Clay saved my life. And for me to sort of have an old friend and a new friend and to show that I trust my life—I owe my life, really, to Clay.
Our partnership is owed to Clay. He did Maggie a service by saving my life because then we got to work together. We got to meet. And that’s the toughest thing. I’m sure there’s some speculation in a way of Clay’s virtue, and his style, and how he lives his life, but at the end of the day, he saved his life and getting to lead with that gives us a really fun journey to go on.
OA Is Heartbroken Over Clay’s Betrayal In FBI Season 7, Episode 8
“Our first few episodes were real buddy-buddy, and it was really kind of fun to play, but of course, the fun can’t last forever.”
Maggie does tell OA he might have a bit of a blind spot. Did any part of OA consider Clay was playing him?
Zeeko Zaki: I think it comes back to, if it’s a blind spot or not, these blind spots are created in moments that change people’s lives, getting your life saved by somebody. If that creates a blind spot, then so be it. But I think OA has always been good at making decisions, making choices, and living with them, and we get to see some more choices get made that he’s going to have to live with in this episode.
We have to talk about the huge shocker towards the end. What was going through OA’s mind when this man who saved him from something so horrific pointed a gun at him and said, “You owe me.”
Zeeko Zaki: I think the easiest way to put it is heartbreak. When you have somebody really close to you, and you truly believe that they actually do understand where you are, the rules that you live your life by, who you are, and then they ask you to go against that—it’s a real intense heartbreaking moment for OA.
He has to deal with a lot of really heavy things, but at the end of the day, the superpower that these agencies have, and these people have, is the ability to compartmentalize their emotional life with their work life, and we get to see that in this episode.
I really hoped that Clay was going to come through. Were you surprised when you found out that OA was going to kill him?
Zeeko Zaki: Yes, very surprised. Our first few episodes were real buddy-buddy, and it was really kind of fun to play, but of course, the fun can’t last forever. It was intense. All these shows have so many metaphors for things that people deal with on a daily basis. Friends betraying friends, people changing and growing, and learning that somebody may have been something years ago, and they aren’t that anymore. It’s just cool stuff to get to bring to screen.
Zaki Believes OA And Maggie’s Partnership Is The Backbone Of FBI
“We have to show the world that incredibly intimate and strong friendships between men and women are possible.”
OA’s been through so much—it’s just piling up at this point. Going forward, how is what happened going to impact him personally and professionally?
Zeeko Zaki: Again, I’m so lucky to get to play such a strong character, and he can put things away, and he can cage things up and deal with them either later or deal with them in the moment. I’m excited to see where the writers want to take it and how we want to play this moving forward.
I think it’ll be honored, and we will definitely get to get into my reality with losing my friend and Maggie’s losing hers and things like that will absolutely get to come up and get discussed. And again, on different levels of the spectrum, a lot of people experience things like this with loss and friendships and love, so it’s really nice to get to bring it into our show.
I was going to ask you about that. Given what Maggie is going through with Ella and what just happened to OA, will we continue to see them lean on one another?
Zeeko Zaki: Yeah. I think the backbone of the show is the chemistry and the friendship and the partnership that we do have. Whatever hurdles we’ve got to cross, we’ll cross them together. We’re two people that each character feels comfortable being extremely vulnerable with, and we’ve earned it. I think it’ll be exciting to just keep taking it higher or just to keep upping the stakes on that and to see where our relationship goes.
When you have a long-running procedural like FBI, it’s not unusual for the character dynamics to change. Do you see that ever happening for Maggie and OA or do you think it’s important that their relationship does not go in a romantic direction?
Zeeko Zaki: No, I definitely think friendship is the best course just because, again, we have to show the world that incredibly intimate and strong friendships between men and women are possible, and it doesn’t always have to go a romantic route. We got really lucky casting-wise, character-wise, and with the writing. It really gives us this space.
It’s amazing to get to have each other’s back and to be there for each other in such a platonic way that we would die for each other every day. There’s so much to explore, especially with it being such a long-running procedural, there’s still a lot to explore through the eyes of other relationships that each character might have and things like that. It’s just such a blessing to be this far into a show and feel like we haven’t run out of opportunities to show our relationship.
OA And Gemma’s Relationship Will Be Tested When FBI Season 7 Returns
“We’re going to get to see her step in and sort of be my partner in a way that we are used to seeing Maggie being.”
Over the course of the show, we’ve learned more about OA’s time in the army and the extent of what he’s been through. Are there any questions that you still have about that period or his life in general?
Zeeko Zaki: As an actor, getting cast as such a strong, secure character, you learn that through the revealing of these things he’s gone through, I’ve gotten to learn that the strongest people are strongest because they’ve overcome such challenging and difficult moments in their lives. I’m excited. I hope they keep going with it.
I hope I get to keep learning some new things like that because it just justifies the intensity and the power that OA has. So I’m along for the ride with a lot of this, just like the audience. And I think maybe that’s why I’m having so much fun, and why I feel like there’s still so much to do. I’m along for the ride, but my questions, I leave them to the writers, and I’m just happy and blessed that I get to keep playing him.
What are you most excited for fans to see when FBI season 7 returns?
Zeeko Zaki: I’m really excited for fans to see where me and Gemma’s relationship goes. It’s going to be tested, and it’s going to grow, and we’re going to get to see her step in and sort of be my partner in a way that we are used to seeing Maggie being, but it’s going to be a fun ride in the new year with OA and Gemma.
