Spoilers ahead for Episode 5 of FBI: International Season 4, called "The Future's Looking Bright."
The action of FBI: International's latest episode in the 2024 TV schedule took the team to Poland, searching for a wealthy man who had been kidnapped when trying to connect with a beautiful young woman he'd met online. They managed to crack the case, catch the bad guys, and rescue the man... although not entirely unscathed. The element of the episode that has me already thinking ahead to the 2025 TV schedule was the storyline with Wes and Vo, however, and it reminded me of what new leading man Jesse Lee Soffer told CinemaBlend ahead of Season 4.
What Happened With Wes And Vo In Episode 5
Vo was of course the only member of the Fly Team who knew Wes before he came to Budapest in the pilot-like Season 4 premiere, but "The Future's Looking Bright" suggested a different kind of connection between the two agents. They matched on a dating site after Raines convinced him to join. Their interactions were actually pretty amusing when Vo mentioned it, with Wes calling himself out by saying "I need to adjust my age settings" and Vo clarifying that she just thought it was funny and suggested that he "tone down all the golf talk" on his profile.
That wasn't the end of the golf talk in the episode, though, as Vo brought him to a rented space held by a "blue chip CEO" who gave the Fly Team keys and only comes back a couple times per year. Inside the room? An elaborate virtual golf simulator setup, and Jesse Lee Soffer looked about as happy as Wes as he has all season... and really, happier than he did all of his final episodes on Chicago P.D. (You can stream this episode of International with a Paramount+ subscription.)
And I was surprised to see some sparks flying between Wes and Vo as Soffer and Vinesso Vidotto played their characters interacting off the clock! That's not to say that FBI: International intends to fan those sparks into flames, as previous attempts at inter-team romance didn't work out so well for Forrester and Kellett, and that just doesn't happen as frequently in the FBIs as over in Soffer's former home of One Chicago.
Plus, the boost in chemistry might just be attributable to two characters having something to smile about after a pretty intense episode. And who knows? Maybe Wes would have sparks with anybody who joined him at the golf simulator. It certainly seems to be his new favorite place in Budapest!
What Jesse Lee Soffer Said About Wes And Vo
When I had the opportunity to speak with Jesse Lee Soffer earlier in the fall about why Chicago P.D. fans should check out FBI: International and what he got himself into with joining the FBIs on CBS, I also asked what kind of a mentor or teacher Wes could be for Vo after how the Season 4 premiere ended. He shared:
Well, we do know that he was a really rough mentor on Vo, that he really put her through the wringer, and that he was hard on her, but with good reason, because if you want to do a job like be a field agent for the FBI, then you gotta know what you're doing and you're going to be ready. He trained her to be ready, and it's nice in the story, that she respects him now because of it, and she's grateful that that was her initiation into it.
The actor also clarified that he didn't "think it's going to be tricky" between Wes and Vo that she was once his trainee and is now closer to his peer as an agent to his SSA, and previewed that she "becomes his right hand in some ways." According to Soffer back in the very beginning of the season, Wes "says he trusts her, and he pays her that respect." All in all, International planted seeds at least for strong mutual trust that Wes doesn't necessarily have with all of the rest of the team.
So, whatever you read into the sparks that were flying between Wes and Vo in the latest episode, they may go no farther than him relying on her as his right hand agent and friend. Of course, I spoke with Soffer back in October, well before the latest episode aired, but I couldn't help but flash back after watching "The Future's Looking Bright."
And I also remembered a more lighthearted tangent that we took during the interview, after the Season 4 premiere ended with Wes playing the mini golf game in his new office. When I asked if Wes would be keeping the golf setup, Soffer responded:
Yes, absolutely. [laughs] He needs something to pass the time in between cases.
If only I knew at the time that Wes would be getting access to an elaborate golf simulator elsewhere in Budapest! Whatever happens next, I'm enjoying continuing to get lighthearted moments between members of the Fly Team. Wes and Tate also had a sweet conversation in the previous episode, in which he made her an offer that actress Christina Wolfe believes she was tempted to take.
FBI: International will continue airing new episodes on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, between FBI at 8 p.m. ET and FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. ET. CBS has also confirmed when the FBIs will return in 2025, and fans won't have too painfully long to wait into the new year.
