FBI: International has gone through a surprising amount of main cast turnover for a show that's only four seasons in, but a recent episode in the 2025 TV schedule proved yet again that a character leaving the Fly Team doesn't mean they're gone for good. When Smitty needed an assist to close a case that hit her close to home in the "Veritas Fidelis" episode, she called on none other than Europol Agent Katrin Jaeger, delivering a surprise cameo from former series regular Christiane Paul. Eva-Jane Willis shared how the show made it happen to bring Jaeger back, and I just love that it was a surprise for fans.
Christiane Paul was the first main cast member to leave FBI: International following the Season 1 finale, with Jaeger returning to Europol and arranging for Smitty to take her place on the Fly Team. The actress returned as a guest star for a highly-anticipated episode of Season 2, but CBS kept a lid on her latest appearance in the big Smitty episode that aired on February 11.
When I was fortunate enough to speak with Eva-Jane Willis about her character's return to the U.K., she shared why it was such a treat for her that Smitty was able to call on Jaeger for help. Although she hadn't yet seen the episode herself, Willis said:
It's a real treat just to have her come in, especially because she was the one who brought Smitty into the team in the first place. So the fact that in Episode 10, there's a question of whether Smitty is going to stay or not, and then Episode 11, it's like she's taken a tiny step over into a more rebellious future, and Katrin is there – it kind of brings the whole thing full circle. It's a really lovely treat for me and hopefully for the audience as well. Christiane is such a fantastic actor, and her character is so watchable. So for me, it's something I can't wait to see.
Smitty went from offering to leave the Fly Team so that Tyler Booth could stay to bending the rules to catch the culprits at her old university in the very next episode, so 2025 got off to an eventful start for the agent! (Both episodes are available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription now.) She needed Jaeger's assistance when a young man guilty of murder tried to flee to Germany to escape prosecution in the U.K. And can there be any doubt that Jaeger delivered, despite the killer's dad's efforts to intimidate her?
The only downside of Jaeger helping save the day from Germany was that she didn't reunite with the rest of the Fly Team in the U.K. or in Budapest before the final credits rolled. So, did the cast interact with Christiane Paul at all even though Jaeger was several nations away in the episode? Eva-Jane Willis cleared up how the FBI: International team pulled it off:
It was two separate units. I've not had a chance to speak to her or see her. They actually went to Germany to film that part, so I stayed in Budapest filming other stuff while she was filming that over in Germany. And that's why it is actually going to be a proper treat for me when I watch it, because I have no idea what to expect. It's nice that Smitty and Katrin have had the opportunity in this episode to join forces and get the bad guy. That's a cool payoff.
Just like how FBI: International went to Christiane Paul's native Germany to film her episode of Season 2, a unit went to Germany to film her portion of this Season 4 episode. This time, that just didn't include any of her former series regular co-stars. While we didn't get to see the Europol agents together in the flesh in this episode, I told Eva-Jane Willis that I love the implication that Smitty and Jaeger keep in contact off-screen, and the actress responded:
And every time Smitty speaks to her, practically, she says, 'I owe you one. I owe you a drink.' [laughs] At some point they're going to go and get that drink. I know they are. But it's been an ongoing theme that Smitty owes her, not just for every time she helps her in a case, but literally for the position that she holds now in the team.
It remains to be seen if Smitty and Jaeger will bond over drinks before the end of Season 4, but my fingers are crossed! Plus, seeing Christiane Paul gives me hope for other former International stars to turn up every once in a while. Forrester's disappearance might rule out Luke Kleintank, but Kellett was still alive and on the grid when Heida Reed left in Season 3. Tyler Booth leaving the Fly Team so he could spend more time with his daughter in the U.S. suggests that he might not be eager to relocate to Budapest full time, but I'd love to see Jay Hayden again.
For now, keep tuning in to CBS on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET for new episodes of FBI: International, between FBI at 8 p.m. ET and the always gruesome FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. ET. Eva-Jane Willis' Smitty seems to be getting more comfortable with bending rules like Wes Mitchell, so it'll be interesting to see how that continues to develop in Season 4.
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