Warning: spoilers are ahead for Episode 4 of FBI: International Season 4, called "The Unwinnable War."
FBI: International delivers action on a weekly basis since its return in the fall 2024 TV schedule with a premiere that was similar to a pilot, but Amanda Tate isn't usually the one risking life and limb to close a case. That wasn't the situation in "The Unwinnable War," when Tate's set of skills were needed in the field, which meant going undercover to get close to a very dangerous man... and she got closer than Wes intended. Still, he made her an offer at the end of the episode that could have changed everything, and actress Christina Wolfe spoke with CinemaBlend about Tate's decision, her "hunger," and what could change.
In "The Unwinnable War," Tate used her tech skills and fluency in Spanish to get close to Daniel Lopez, a dirty DEA agent who could be ousted once enough evidence was gathered against him. (The episode will be available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.) Unfortunately, that meant a very close call for Tate when there was no guarantee that the rest of the Fly Team could get to her in time to save her. She managed to save herself instead, impressing Wes enough that he decided she was "made for field work" and offered for her to switch over. She decided against it, looking at her daughter playing with Tank.
When I spoke with Christina Wolfe about Tate's first adventure into the field since a one-off in Season 3, I asked if her character was at all tempted by Wes' offer despite quickly turning him down, and the actress shared:
I think she is tempted, but at the end of this case, in the moment which he finds her and offers her to go in the field, at that point she's just grateful to be back with her daughter, lucky to be alive. At that point in time, she doesn't feel ready to make that transition. She took on the job because she wanted to prove herself that she was capable of field work, and she has, so I think she feels satisfied and grateful to have that position in the office that's safer. Plus she really excels in the office with her beloved tech and her team of analysts. [laughs]
Considering that Tate was spending a nice day with her daughter outdoors shortly after nearly being strangled to death by a dirty DEA agent, it's not hard to understand why she's feeling more lucky to be alive than excited to go back into the field. That doesn't mean that the agent intends to always stay behind at Fly Team HQ while the others are dodging bullets in the field, though. Wolfe went on:
She knows herself deep down. Although she says she's happy where she is, she's happy where she is for now, and she knows that that impulsive side of her and that hunger to prove herself and do more is still alive in there somewhere.
Not being ready to start flying across Europe to catch criminals on a weekly basis doesn't mean that Tate doesn't feel the impact of Wes' offer. It's a pretty big compliment coming from a man who was a cop for ten years before working his way up to FBI SSA. So, was her success in the field and getting that offer a boost of confidence for her potentially becoming a field agent? Wolfe explained:
Absolutely. This is the second time that she's excelled in the field, and she does feel a sense of pride that she doesn't have, necessarily, all the training, but she's quick on her feet, and she adapts very quickly to situations. So I think that she is getting more and more confident as each case goes.
She certainly earned her confidence boost, even if she had to cross an FBI line to get close to Lopez. She had more imminent problems than her future testimony when she was trapped in the dirty DEA agent's apartment, leading to a fight sequence that could have ended in Tate's death if she hadn't kept fighting through the pain and handily whacked him over the head with a heavy bottle. Wolfe opened up about getting to film some action sequences for this episode, saying:
I love doing stunt work and fight work. It's a whole new dimension to the character to develop, and we're so lucky that we have a really amazing stunt team, a stunt coordinator, Ken Barefield, who I loved working with. They're just so talented that not only can they sell it and they make it look so dramatic and believable, but they're also very good at teaching it to you and breaking it down to you in small, manageable parts. And then they do all the hard bits! [laughs] Really, it's like the perfect combination. I really enjoy those scenes.
Wes Mitchell has already had more action in his four episodes of FBI: International than Amanda Tate since she joined in Season 3, although Jesse Lee Soffer brought a decade of Chicago P.D. experience to the stuntwork on his new show. Wolfe's chances to film fights have been rarer, and I commented to the actress that I loved seeing Tate get a good hit in on Lopez to save her own life. She agreed, responding:
Yes, exactly! She does defend herself in this. She's not a damsel in distress at all, and I like that about her.
Only time will tell if and when Tate will be ready to go back out into the field, but there is still plenty of time left in FBI: International Season 4. Keep tuning in to CBS on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET for the newest episodes, between FBI Season 7 at 8 p.m. ET and FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. ET. You can also find the newest episodes streaming next day on Paramount+, and the first three seasons of International streaming with a Peacock subscription now.
