Fans of #TheFBIs’ Nina/Scola pairing will finally get to check in on the new-ish, first-time parents when CBS’ FBI: Most Wanted kicks off a two-part crossover tonight at 10/9c.
In the FBI: Most Wanted episode “Supply Chain,” a drug deal between two teens is interrupted when a middle-aged woman abducts them at gunpoint, sending the Fugitive Task Force on the hunt to rescue them. Meanwhile, Nina and Scola (played by Shantel VanSanten and FBI’s John Boyd) “bump heads over parenting styles.”
TVLine spoke with VanSanten about the reveals to expect on Most Wanted, and the unexpected look at the couple we get in next week’s FBI.
TVLINE | How is motherhood going for Nina? We haven’t heard much from her about it yet.
No, right? It’s been this ongoing joke on-set, because when I joined Most Wanted, in my introduction and welcome, [the characters] asked me, “How’s the baby? How are you doing? You look great!” And I don’t really talk abut it again! We’ve had running jokes leading up to this episode where we get a peek into the life of “Scolina” and baby Dougie. I’m excited that we patiently waited, and hopefully the payoff is great for the fans.
TVLINE | What sort of peek will the Most Wanted episode give us?
It’s interesting — parenting with two working parents, that have the same job and that are in the FBI, is a challenge in and of itself, and we see that. But it’s a little bit more about diving into Nina and her past and her upbringing and what her life was like, and the way that’s really affecting her and her feelings about herself as a mother — and the way that she’s showing up in the relationship [with Scola] as well. There’s an issue in the relationship and in their life and it ends up really being not about parenting but about who Nina feels she is as a parent, and them getting to work through that together, which is really beautiful. it’s about understanding and accepting herself, and the case only amplifies her understanding of those things.
TVLINE | Is the issue that Nina set the bar too high for herself as a mom? Or is the bar at a normal height and she isn’t even reaching that?
Hmm, that’s such a good question. I don’t want to give a lot away, but Nina didn’t have an example of a mother, so she really has to define what that is. And if course in her life she’ll have friends and people around her who are mothers that can set that bar, but it’s really about not external expectations but self-expectations. I’m not a parent but many people that I love are, and they tell me that if you don’t feel like you’re failing you’re doing something wrong because every parent feels that way. I can’t imagine what that must feel like, and it’s very complex and nuanced because Nina went back to work early, and what she and Scola do is risky. And all of that comes into play. I’m really grateful that we saw Scolina’s journey to becoming parents, and now we’re “in it” with them.
TVLINE | I saw on your Instagram that you are blissfully in your “Auntie Era.” Did that help you interact with the baby Dougie actor?
Yeah, I’ve been an aunt for a while, but newly, just yesterday, I FaceTimed with both my 6-month-old nephew and my 2-month-old niece. I’m so in love with them. I have my dog that I get to cuddle with and who doesn’t make adorable sounds, but I feel really fortunate that I’ve had lots of experiences around babies.
TVLINE | I saw the still of Nina with Dougie, and you two got a cute one there.
The child is very beautiful. John [Boyd] and I were laughing because I think he probably resembled me a little bit more in coloring [Laughs], but the babies — they always have to get twins — were very sweet. It was surprising, I said, “How old is our kid?” and they said [holding hands a small distance apart] “this old”. So I said [to the twins’ mother], “Hi, mom! How old is our kid?” And she said 10 months. Good to know!
TVLINE | Can you give a flavor for what happens in the FBI half of this crossover (airing April 16)?
Um, I would say we get to see Scolina like we’ve never seen them before — and they’ve never seen each other in this way, either! [Laughs] We get to “be on the job with them,” let’s say that.
TVLINE | You said in a pre-season interview that it’d take a minute for Nina to warm up to and open up to any of her Most Wanted colleagues. Are you seeing that happen yet with anyone in particular?
Yeah. It’s so funny, we’re doing an episode right now with a director we had earlier this season, I think it was for Episode 3, where we had this incredible scene between myself and Edwin [Hodge], who plays Ray. The director came to us and said, “You have to see the director’s cut! It was the most charming, wonderful scene between the two of you guys. You had such wonderful chemistry, but it didn’t make the cut because of this and this….” I said, “I want you to send it to me and I’m going to record it on my phone and post it so everybody can see.” Because there are so many times we film these personal interactions between the agents and they’re cut because the episodes are really about [the case]. It’s such a bummer because they happen, and because they’ve happened we’ve all started to bond. I think it plays out in scenes, but I wish the audience got to see those.
CBS’ FBI: Most Wanted continues Season 5 this Tuesday at 10/9c. The two-part #Scolina crossover airs April 9 (on FBI: Most Wanted) and April 16 (on FBI).
