Dick Wolf’s FBI franchise isn’t yet the cultural juggernaut of the creator’s Law & Order and Chicago series, especially given the recent cancellations of spinoffs FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International. But the flagship series continues to be an audience favorite, averaging more than 10 million viewers per episode across broadcast and streaming, according to Nielsen data.
Tonight, FBI wrapped its 22-episode seventh season. The provocative hour saw the FBI office imperiled by Forefront, an extremist, anti-government group previously featured in the season 7 episode “Redoubt.”
It’s an existential threat for senior agents Jubal Valentine (Jeremy Sisto) and Isobel Castille (Alana de la Garza), both of whom nearly meet their ends in the finale.
So, who is Forefront, and with whom are they affiliated? Did the 26 Fed squad survive the finale? And how about that cliffhanger? Read on as we explain the FBI season 7 ending and what it means for the future of the series.
What is Forefront?
Forefront is an extremist outfit that’s said to be “anti-government.” We last saw them in the season 7 episode “Redoubt,” when the group infiltrated the U.S. Marshals and saw its plans for a terror attack thwarted by Jubal.
At the end of that episode, the case was handed off to a different organization, with fans assuming that the group may resurface in FBI‘s upcoming CIA spinoff. That may still be true, but Forefront was most certainly at the forefront of FBI‘s finale, nearly pulling off a coup that would’ve put it (and the group’s recruits inside the Bureau) at the head of the agency.
Who were Forefront’s moles in the FBI?
It turns out Forefront had several moles inside the FBI, including one senior official in Deputy Assistant Director Simon Keene and a number of special agents.
We encounter two of them near the beginning of the episode, when Jubal meets with a Department of Defense whistleblower named Kevin (Kevin Sussman). Kevin claims to have discovered a terror plot targeting 26 Fed. “You and your people are in danger,” he warns right before being killed by a pair of assassins.
We soon learn that both assassins are special agents, and Jubal is forced to kill one while escaping. Later, he describes her as “legit,” and wonders why she’d be involved with Forefront.
This plants paranoia among Jubal and his colleagues. Jubal himself is even suspected by ADIC Reynolds (Ben Shenkman), who finds it suspicious that Jubal has survived two attacks by the group. Reynolds also notes that Jubal, a recovering alcoholic with a history of unprofessional workplace conduct, has a “sordid past” and “could be easy to blackmail.”
This, in turn, causes Jubal to suspect Reynolds. The truth, however, is that they’re both innocent.
What was Forefront’s plan?
The terror attack uncovered by the whistleblower involves a shipment of cell phones rigged with micro-explosives that can be detonated by an encrypted text message. And, to the team’s terror, they realize those phones are already in the hands of several FBI agents. Just as they uncover the plot, the explosives are triggered. Nine agents, including Reynolds, are killed in the attack.
This puts Keene in charge, and he immediately shuts down the New York field offices, claiming that they won’t reopen until they know who the moles are. The lockdown includes stripping the team of their badges, phones, and weapons.
Maggie (Missy Peregrym) and Isobel, who was initially thought dead in the explosion that killed Reynolds, both overhear Keene plotting with another Forefront mole, Special Agent Wabash. This leads them to, in Isobel’s words, “move in the shadows” and “go dark” in order to uncover Forefront’s plan.
Isobel, Jubal, Maggie, OA (Zeeko Zaki), Elise (Vedette Lim), Ian (James Chen), Kelly (Taylor Anthony Miller), Scola (John Boyd), and Dani (Emily Alabi) retreat to an undercover site in a dark, abandoned subway to plan their next move.
By looking at the connections between the agents killed in the attack, they realize each of the deceased was investigating Chinese interference in U.S. governance. Together, the team discovers that Forefront is working with China to “destabilize New York’s law enforcement” and “install corrupt leaders” so the Chinese government can “expand their reach without retaliation.”
How does the FBI stop Forefront?
Isobel, thought dead by Keene and his flunkies, visits Keene at the 26 Fed, catching him off guard. She surprises him even more by pretending to be on board with Forefront’s plan.
“I don’t have to be collateral damage for you,” Isobel says. “I think you’ll find my connections in the Bureau invaluable to your cause.” As a show of loyalty, she tells Keene where Jubal and the rest of JOC are hiding.
Keene buys it, sending assassins into the subway to take them out. But the team is waiting, having leaned on their confidential informants to build up a makeshift arsenal, and a firefight ensues. In the end, the FBI stands tall. They even take the traitorous Agent Wabash alive.
Isobel not only has Wabash’s confession, which confirms Forefront’s collaboration with China, but she also has a tape of her encounter with Keene. That’s enough for the NYPD to arrest Keene and the other moles at 26 Fed.
In defense, Keene asserts, “You and your agents have no idea what’s really happening out there. This country is being left behind, and I am just trying to protect us.” His goal, he says, is to help turn China from an adversary to an ally. Isobel calls him a traitor, and Keene is taken away.
How does FBI season 7 end?
In the closing moments of season 7, Jubal returns to 26 Fed and thanks everyone while paying tribute to the late agents. Isobel follows him, but begins tripping over her words. She faints in front of the office. Jubal checks on her, only to find that she has no pulse.
How’s that for a cliffhanger?
Did Isobel die in the FBI season 7 finale?
As of now, it’s unclear if Isobel is actually dead at the end of FBI season 7. Having no pulse, though, isn’t exactly a good sign.
It’s the second death scare for Isobel in the season finale, as the episode also led viewers to believe that she died alongside Reynolds when his cell phone exploded. She resurfaced with a few open wounds shortly after, but perhaps her injuries were more severe than they first appeared?
If Isobel is dead, it’s a cruel trick to play at the end of a season that not only introduced us to her loving husband, but also found her contemplating retirement before deciding she had more work to do. Even if she survives, however, her near-death experience could have major ramifications on the chain of command inside 26 Fed.
When it returns to CBS this fall, FBI season 8 will have plenty of explaining to do.
