In the world of federal law enforcement, there are missions that go by the book, and then there are missions that tear the book apart. For Special Agents Maggie Bell and OA Zidan, the Season 8 episode “Manifest” (aired November 3, 2025) was exactly that—a “Point of No Return” that has fundamentally shifted their partnership as they head into the 2026 season.
While the team has survived countless shootouts, the failure of a high-profile protection detail and a terrifying brush with death has left scars that no amount of “de-stressing” at a holiday party can heal.
1. The Weight of a Failed Mission
Maggie and OA are the gold standard of the New York Field Office, which made their failure in “Manifest” all the more jarring. Tasked with escorting a U.S. Senator back to Washington D.C. after a failed assassination attempt, the duo found themselves in a mid-air nightmare.
Despite their best efforts, the Senator was assassinated right under their noses, poisoned by an assassin hidden in plain sight. For Maggie, who defines herself by her ability to protect, this “mission failure” has triggered a deep professional crisis. It has forced her to confront the reality that even the best agents can’t control every variable, fueling the “burnout” arc that has seen her questioning her future with the Bureau.
2. The Trauma of the Antidote
The emotional climax of the mission wasn’t the Senator’s death, but the moment OA collapsed. Exposed to the same neurotoxin that killed their witness, OA’s life depended entirely on Maggie’s ability to secure an antidote from the killer during a high-velocity struggle.
Zeeko Zaki and Missy Peregrym have both noted that this experience was a turning point for their characters.
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For Maggie: The desperation of almost losing her partner—the “one person she can’t lose”—has made her more overprotective than ever.
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For OA: Waking up in the hospital to find that Maggie went to the ends of the earth to save him has deepened his sense of loyalty, but it has also created a new layer of guilt. As seen in later episodes like “Ratlined,” OA has struggled to be honest with his girlfriend, Gemma, about the incident, further isolating him from his life outside the FBI and tethering him more tightly to Maggie.
3. The Shadow of the “CIA” Shake-Up
As the team processes the trauma of “Manifest,” the broader world of the FBI is changing. The recent CBS schedule shake-up, which moved FBI to Mondays to pair it with the new Tom Ellis-led spinoff CIA (premiering February 23, 2026), signals a shift in the series’ tone.
The writers have teased that the trauma from the “Final Descent” and the plane mission will lead to a more “off-the-grid” style of storytelling. Maggie and OA are no longer just agents following a script; they are survivors who have realized that the system they serve is as vulnerable as they are. This shared vulnerability is expected to lead to a major crossover event with the CIA team, where Maggie and OA’s gritty, street-level experience will clash with the rule-breaking style of Tom Ellis’s character.
Is Romance Finally on the Horizon?
With both agents currently struggling in their personal lives—Maggie with the loss of Ella and OA with the secrets he’s keeping from Gemma—fans are once again asking if this “Point of No Return” will finally push them into a romantic relationship.
While the actors describe their bond as “familial,” the intense stares and “will-they-won’t-they” tension following OA’s near-death experience suggest that Season 9 might finally break the glass ceiling of their partnership. Whether they become a couple or stay “battle-hardened” best friends, one thing is certain: the Maggie and OA who stepped onto that plane are not the ones who stepped off.
