FBI Season 7 Finale Might Have Quietly Laid the Groundwork for Tom Ellis’ Upcoming CIA Spinoff

A major threat surfaces in FBI season 7, and new developments in the finale hint at how the upcoming CIA spinoff starring Tom Ellis might kick off its main storyline. The explosive “New Day” attacks set up by Forefront in the finale cause no end of trouble for the FBI season 7 cast, but the culprit behind them seems to have been apprehended for a mostly happy ending. But even if not for the shocking final seconds, the FBI season 7 finale also includes information that could play a significant role in future episodes.

The main question is whether Forefront’s threat will continue in FBI season 8 alone. Each of the various teams in the FBI universe has needed help from one another before. Even the very first episode of FBI: International was part of a three-way crossover between all FBI shows. That establishes a precedent for CIA to do something similar, especially since the series was originally meant to begin with a backdoor pilot that never saw the light of day. But while the details of that pilot remain unknown, there’s good reason to suspect it might have connected to Forefront.

FBI Season 7 Finale Case Explained

China Has Infiltrated The Bureau

When first introduced in FBI season 7, episode 10, Forefront felt like little more than a random name given to a group of terrorists that had managed to plant one of their own inside the U.S. Marshals Service. However, in the season 7 finale, it’s learned that Forefront has the resources and connections to plant multiple moles in the FBI as well. This forces the team to work in secret, with Isobel briefly faking her own death and working with only those she can trust.

Unfortunately, despite not initially being one of Forefront’s targets, the finale ends with Isobel’s life hanging in the balance. Her fate is naturally one of the most significant unanswered questions from the FBI season 7 finale, but it also remains unknown what next steps Forefront intends to take. We now know that Forefront is working with the Chinese to infiltrate the American government and law enforcement agencies, but that could entail any number of further schemes. That’s where the CIA comes in.

Taking Down Forefront Could Be The CIA Spinoff’s First Case

Forefront Justifies The Joint Task Force

Regardless of whether rumors about Alana de la Garza’s Isobel Castille leaving FBI are true, the attempt on her life will likely spur the Bureau’s efforts to track down the heads of Forefront and bring them to justice. However, their Chinese connections and ability to infiltrate multiple national security agencies suggest ties to foreign intelligence. That would justify bringing in the CIA. In FBI: International, these mutual interests between the FBI and CIA have previously led to the two agencies fighting over jurisdiction.

Nonetheless, that wouldn’t need to be the case with Forefront. Between being infiltrated and having had several of their own people murdered (including ADIC Reynolds and now possibly Castille), the FBI has a vested interest in seeing Forefront brought to its knees. But it’s also known that CIA will focus on a joint task force between the titular agency and the FBI, aiming to bring down terrorists in New York. Not only does Forefront fit that bill, but they could even wind up being the threat that leads to the task force’s formation in the first place.

Why Connecting The CIA Spinoff To FBI Sets It Up For Success

The New Spinoff Has Big Shoes To Fill

A crossover between CIA and FBI is far from promising. Showrunner David Hudgins has already said none of the FBI: Most Wanted characters will appear on CIA, and suggested the new spinoff will largely stand on its own at the start of the series. However, connecting CIA more directly to the world and the story of FBI would earn a lot of early goodwill from fans. Although many were excited to hear that Lucifer’s Tom Ellis would star in CIA, initial reactions to the new spinoff were far from unanimously optimistic.

The cancellation of FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International didn’t sit well with fans who had already grown attached to those characters, causing the announcement of CIA to feel like a parent had just brought home a new dog to replace the one that had become roadkill. Faith in the new series has been increasing steadily as new details are announced, but establishing Jubal’s team at 26 Fed early in the spinoff would more quickly bring Ellis and his team into the FBI family. And having them help eliminate Forefront would make for a particularly warm reception.