Throughout its seven-season run, Omar Adom “OA” Zidan (played by Zeeko Zaki) has evolved into the emotional heart of the FBI franchise. However, for a character who gives so much to his country and his team, the narrative has been relentlessly punishing. Recently, the “OA Deserves Better” sentiment has reached a fever pitch among fans as the show has delivered a string of heartbreaking moments that have left audiences in tears and questioning how much more one man can endure.
The emotional gauntlet truly intensified in Season 7 during the episode “Riptide.” OA was forced to confront a ghost from his past: Clay, a former military brother-in-arms who had literally saved OA’s life in Afghanistan. Against his better judgment and Maggie’s warnings, OA clung to the belief that Clay was still the hero he once knew. The tragedy culminated in a devastating standoff where OA was forced to shoot and kill his best friend to prevent a massacre. The look of pure betrayal and grief on OA’s face as he realized the man who saved him had become the villain remains one of the most soul-crushing scenes in the series’ history.
The heartbreak didn’t stop at professional betrayal; it moved into his personal life with the collapse of his relationship with Gemma Brooks. For years, fans watched OA struggle to balance the secrecy of his job with the intimacy Gemma craved. In a particularly cruel twist in late 2025, just as OA finally lowered his guard and confessed, “I love you, and I don’t want to push you away anymore,” Gemma dropped a bombshell. She revealed that she had sought emotional comfort in someone else, effectively ending their relationship right as OA was ready to commit. Seeing a man who survives explosions and gunfights every week get destroyed by a simple conversation in a hallway was a bridge too far for many viewers.
Beyond the immediate plot twists, there is the lingering shadow of OA’s PTSD. The show has begun to peel back the layers of his 23-day captivity by the Taliban in Afghanistan, revealing the deep-seated trauma that drives his hyper-vigilance and occasional emotional outbursts. Whether he is performing life-saving CPR on Maggie after a chemical attack or standing alone in the JOC after a grueling case, there is a profound sense of isolation surrounding him. He is the protector who has no one to protect him, the anchor who is constantly being pulled underwater.
As we move further into Season 8, the hope among the fandom is that the writers will finally grant OA a moment of genuine peace. While his “ride or die” bond with Maggie Bell remains the show’s strongest pillar, the cumulative weight of his losses—his friends, his romantic life, and his sense of security—has created a portrait of a hero who is running on fumes. OA Zidan has proven his strength time and again, but as fans frequently point out on social media, even the strongest heroes eventually deserve a break from the tragedy.
