The only thing worse than a network canceling a hit series is when that series doesn’t deliver an acceptable ending.
It feels like they slapped the audience in the face twice, and that’s precisely what it’s like for viewers tuning in to say goodbye to FBI: International.
Many fans are still livid about the series signing off. We’ve lamented how losing two spinoffs in favor of a third has sent viewers into a tailspin.
FBI: International Fumbles Finale
But the very least that FBI: International could do, given the circumstances, was deliver a final hour that gave viewers a modicum of peace, closure, and the feeling that if they must bid farewell to a series that they loved, at least it happened in style.
I’ll give it to FBI: Most Wanted. At least there was a notable shift in their later installments, and the writers started working in bits and pieces to set up a serviceable finale that would wrap up the arcs of all of its coveted characters.
By the final moments of the series finale, they played it safe, cheesy but endearing enough by establishing that the Fugitive Task Force was Remy’s family.
Everyone made natural life choices that felt like they were entering new stages, and while we wouldn’t be joining them, they’d all be okay.
International had the time to do that.
Welcome to the Wild, Wild Wes Chronicles
As far as we know, the series was still filming until the beginning of May, so there was ample time between the cancellation news in March and as recently as this month to produce a serviceable and satisfying conclusion to the series.
Unfortunately, it did not.
They leaned into one of the most polarizing aspects of this new season, Wes Mitchell. The majority of the finale focused on the Fly Team’s new leader as they juggled a case in Tokyo and his personal life, resulting in a cliffhanger in which few of us had any real investment.
Despite Jesse Lee Soffer’s best efforts, Wes has never fully taken off as a character to a point where he was anything less than polarizing at best for most of the viewers.
He has a particular style that doesn’t appeal to everyone, and he epitomizes “acquired taste.”
Benching OG International Characters Was a Poor Choice
Spending the entire final hour of the series on one of the newest characters while essentially benching actual original members of this series: Vo and Raines, was an egregious oversight on the writers’ part and truly puzzling.
Regardless of how people feel about Vo and Raines — hell, maybe there are viewers out there who don’t care for one or both, I don’t know — for nostalgia sake, it would’ve made the most sense to center them more in the series finale, not sideline them for more Wes adventures and angst.
Worse yet, the one arc Vo and Raines had going for them was learning which of them would get promoted, and the finale didn’t even have the decency to give us that conclusion.
Instead, in an attempt to be cheeky, presumably, or not have to commit in any way, they leave us in the dark, instead opting for a final shot of the two best friends holding hands as they await the news.
Why? With ample time to develop something halfway decent and satisfying, why didn’t they pivot just a little?
An Unforgettable Finale is an Insulting Farewell to Fans
Would it have hurt anyone to restructure the finale and give the other characters a hint of closure and fans, too?
Taking Wes to Tokyo was exciting because the series traditionally stayed within Eastern Europe. I understand how heading to Asia in this capacity was a bold, finale-worthy move.
However, half of the Fly Team remained back in Budapest and barely had screentime. This was such a disservice to fans who tuned in for one last hurrah with their favorite characters on a series they loved.
By the time Wes came face-to-face with the little sister he had never known, I could barely muster up more than a frustrated sigh.
It was just another episode of FBI: International, The Wes Chronicles. Except it wasn’t supposed to be — how unfortunate.
