When shows bring in new characters, the writers need to flesh them out quickly. FBI: International season 4 introduced Wes Mitchell (Jesse Lee Soffer) as the replacement boss when Scott Forrester (Luke Kleintank) left the series, and this character needed to be well-liked but also layered. The series has certainly spent time on fleshing out his backstory, but it has come at the expense of one character in particular.
Amanda Tate (Christina Wolfe) joined the Fly Team in FBI: International season 3, but it still feels like she’s a new character, as we know little about her backstory and her life now. The latest episode offered a tease of her story, but it didn’t go into many details, as the episode was still focused on Wes. With CBS canceling FBI: International, the series needs to find a way to give her more to do and tell us who she really is.
FBI: International Has Brought 3 Guest Agents In To Flesh Out Wes’ Backstory
Wes Has had 7 Episodes In A Row To Tell His Story
Over the course of the last seven episodes of the FBI spin-off series, we’ve been introduced to three guest agents working with the Fly Team, and all were connected to Wes in one way or another. The first was Tyler Booth (Jay Hayden), who had a clear connection to Wes on a case that ruffled some feathers. Then we got to meet Riley Quinn (Veronica St. Clair), who was sent to Budapest to help capture a particular criminal but had a side story to help David Zaleski (John Emmet Tracy) take down Wes Mitchell for a perceived transgression during Wes’ Quantico days.
As the episode ended, Wes closed the door on that part of his life for good, although it’s clear that Ella still affects him personally.
In the most recent episode, Wes’ ex-girlfriend, Ella Driscoll (Jade Tailor), returned. While it looked like she had lied on the case just to get close to Wes and potentially get him back, there was a more personal storyline for her linked to the person the Fly Team was after. As the episode ended, Wes closed the door on that part of his life for good, although it’s clear that Ella still affects him personally.
Amanda’s Personal Story Is More Interesting & Important, And FBI: International Needs To Focus On That
All We Know About Amanda Right Now Is That She’s A Mom
In FBI: International season 4, episode 16, Amanda showed that her personal experience is intersecting with her professional advocacy. When Wes asked for her opinion about how to handle Ella’s conflict of interest and what that could mean for the case, Amanda shared that she would put the case first. While Ella gets to walk away with money, that’s much better than a child kidnapper walking free.
This is a situation from experience, as we know she is a mom. During FBI: International season 3, episode 10, she feared the loss of her daughter as she went through a brutal custody battle as her ex-husband wanted to take their daughter back to the United States. Raines (Carter Redwood) stepped in to get Amanda her diplomatic passport, helping to save the day and end the custody battle, making it clear that she had quickly become part of this family.
Then in a later episode, she went undercover, but she didn’t do this easily or confidently at first. She feared what the mission would mean for her daughter, making it clear that she is always thinking about her life as a mom as well as an FBI agent. This time, she opened up more immediately to the team, showing her growing connection to everyone.
So, the most recent episode continued that focus, creating a far more impactful story than just some basic moral opinions that many FBI agents will have.
So, the most recent episode continued that focus, creating a far more impactful story than just some basic moral opinions that many FBI agents will have. Amanda clearly had her daughter in mind when the baby was kidnapped, and that pushed her to do everything she could to get the baby back and ensure the kidnappers couldn’t do it again.
FBI: International Needs To Focus On Its Core Characters For A Good Ending
Every Character Deserves Time For Closure
While the writers had no idea that FBI: International season 4 would be the last when first crafting these storylines, just spending seven episodes developing one character is over the top. This is an ensemble show, and the writers owe it to every character to give them a good ending. Now FBI: International season 5 isn’t happening, it’s time to offer the core characters time to find closure, and the only way to do that is to take the focus off the Fly Team leader for a while.
Amanda is the least developed character of the entire team, and we have no idea what her goals are in life outside of being a good mom to her daughter. Other characters have had time with family or they’ve had some time with each other to talk about their lives, but Amanda hasn’t had that. And yet, there’s still a strong sense of disconnect between her and the rest of the team.
The latest episode hints that there could be something more between Amanda and Wes, but it came out of the left field and doesn’t feel genuine at this point.
The latest episode hints that there could be something more between Amanda and Wes, but it came out of the left field and doesn’t feel genuine at this point. There was even a comment about how she would pack lunches for her husband while she was eight months pregnant to show how much she wants to help people, hinting that there is more to her becoming part of the support team for the Fly Team. With NBC not likely to save FBI: International, we’ll potentially never find out what that reason is.
To bring closure for every member of the Fly Team, FBI: International needs to take the focus off Wes for a while and put it on the core characters to finish exploring them in depth. We know enough about Wes now, and the hints of Amanda’s backstory mean she needs time to shine.
