When FBI: Most Wanted was initially canceled, I wanted to see Agent Sheryll Barnes (Roxy Sternberg) take over as leader of the Fugitive Task Force. She had sacrificed so much over the seasons of the FBI spinoff, and she deserved it. However, there is one issue with that ending, and FBI: Most Wanted season 6, episode 17 brought it up, although it’s still not clear how Barnes will choose to move forward with the career opportunity.
Barnes is a mother, and right now, she is separated from her kids. While she should be able to take her career seriously, there are times when sacrifices are needed to be a good parent. Now that FBI: Most Wanted has been canceled, the ending needs to show how Barnes can have it all, and “Gut Job” has offered an opportunity for that.
Barnes Would Make An Excellent Leader in FBI: Most Wanted
Isobel Knows Barnes Can Lead A Team Well
I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Barnes would make an excellent leader. She has been with the Fugitive Task Force since it started, and she was always Jess LaCroix’s No. 2. Since she commands the respect of the team, she also gains their trust and loyalty, with people coming to her with issues and questions. In one of the most recent episodes, it’s clear that Hana talks to Barnes about her relationship with Ethan in ways that she doesn’t with other members of the team.
On top of that, she has literally put her life on the line for the team. Many feared that she would die in FBI: Most Wanted season 5 when she was shot, and there’s no way we can see the team without her. With a potential storyline of Remy Scott (Dylan McDermott) retiring from the FBI, the leadership position at Fugitive Task Force could be open, and it seems natural that Barnes would take on that role. In fact, FBI: Most Wanted season 6, episode 14 hinted that this would be the best ending.
We’ve known Isobel in the FBI flagship series long enough to know that she would only agree to this if she thought Barnes was capable of it.
Even Isobel Castille (Alana de la Garza) knows that Barnes would make an excellent leader. At the end of the FBI: Most Wanted season 6 episode, Barnes asked Isobel for a recommendation should she put herself forward for the Supervisory Agent position in DC, and Isobel agreed to do that. We’ve known Isobel in the FBI flagship series long enough to know that she would only agree to this if she thought Barnes was capable of it.
Taking Over The Fugitive Task Force Means Barnes Will Have Less Time For Her Kids
Barnes Made It Clear She Misses Her Kids
There is a major problem with Barnes becoming the leader of the Fugitive Task Force, though. It would mean that she is away from her children more, and she made it clear in FBI: Most Wanted season 6, episode 17 that she misses her children. Initially, she put up a fight when Charlotte (Fedna Jacquet) wanted to take the children to DC, but in the end, she realized that it was better for the children.
While Barnes has been away from her children with the Fugitive Task Force, she has always been present. When she was at home, she would do the morning tasks and spend quality time with her children. That has become much harder with them now in another city, and it would be much harder as the leader of the Fugitive Task Force. That job takes up more time with having to do paperwork and manage other elements of the team, and she would end up seeing her children less than she already does.
Eventually, her children are going to notice this, and they will wonder why she is putting her career before her time with them. The sort of resentment that builds with this realization can take years to unravel and deal with, and Barnes will find herself pushed more and more out of their lives. As she misses them more, she’ll most likely find herself resenting the leadership position and career she has.
What FBI: Most Wanted’s Best Ending For Barnes Is
Barnes Needs To Sacrifice Danger For Her Children
During FBI: Most Wanted season 6, episode 17, Barnes saw a posting for a Supervisory Agent in DC, and she is clearly considering the option. She hasn’t decided that she will put in an application, but by talking to Isobel about a recommendation, it suggests that she knows this is the best direction for her career and her life as a mother.
She will be able to split custody with her ex-wife more evenly, and she won’t feel like she is missing out on their lives.
Since FBI: Most Wanted season 7 isn’t happening, Barnes getting a promotion and being a more present mom is the ideal way to provide closure to her current arc. Of course, it will mean that she’s not in the field as much, as Isobel pointed out that it is a desk job, but it is the step up in her career, and it puts her in DC. She will be able to split custody with her ex-wife more evenly, and she won’t feel like she is missing out on their lives.
This isn’t to say that she would always be stuck behind a desk in the future. For now, though, the desk job would be safer and with less travel, making it a sacrifice worth making for Barnes to stop missing her children as much in FBI: Most Wanted.
