Spoilers ahead for Episode 2 of FBI: Most Wanted Season 5, called "Footsteps."
FBI: Most Wanted kicked off Season 5 with a big cast change in the premiere, and the second episode shifted the focus over to Ray Cannon, with a relatively rare glimpse into his personal life and family. It was a complicated episode for the agent as the case of the week reunited him with his father, played by Steven Williams, but ended on a happy note between father, son, and the family that Ray is building for himself. Edwin Hodge, who joined Most Wanted in Season 4, opened up to CinemaBlend about the meaningful final scene as well as his own questions about what comes next in the 2024 TV schedule.
The case of the week kicked off with a series of bombings that seemed to be targeting retired NYPD officers, which ultimately led to Ray introducing his father to his coworkers. His life was in jeopardy when the killers confused Ray Cannon Jr. for Ray Cannon Sr., which also endangered Cora's son Caleb. Luckily, none of the agent's loved ones were killed in "Footsteps," and the episode ended with the Cannon men celebrating with Caleb and Cora at a bowling alley. The future is looking bright for Ray's relationship with Cora and bond with Caleb, although only time will tell if Steven William returns as Ray Sr.
When I spoke with Edwin Hodge about the episode, I noted that I loved the ending with the unconventional family bonding at a bowling alley. He responded:
That's huge for me, huge in our community. You know, the representation of fatherhood is something that isn't really presented well through history, through TV and so forth. And now we have two generations of blood relatives, and another generation who Ray at this point is trying to take under his wing. He knows that his father is not in the picture, he knows that he loves this woman, and loves this child.
Ray didn't hesitate to bond with Caleb after connecting with Cora in Season 4 (which is streaming via Paramount+ subscription), and "Footsteps" ended with their future as a family looking brighter than ever. Ray Sr. made the effort with them as well, and the bowling scene was a heartwarming way to end a pretty dark and deadly episode. Hodge continued:
What does that mean for him? What are the tools that were instilled in him from his father that he could pass down to this little kid? What are the things that he's still learning from his father? What are the things that his father could still learn from Ray? And how do we nurture one another, you know? It's not all the time about measuring the younger generations.
While Caleb isn't Ray's biological son, he has definitely stepped up as his father figure, and Cora made it clear by the end of the episode that she saw a future for all of them together. Sure, she was too stressed to have that conversation with Ray earlier, but given what he was dealing with, he was too busy to spend much time dwelling on it! Edwin Hodge went on to speculate about what Caleb could bring to Ray's life:
I think Caleb would have a lot to teach me in his journey, his life, and how he's seeing the world. I obviously will see the world very different than he does and likewise with my father, but there are some strong commonalities at the same time, just being a Black man in this world. Being a federal agent. When I started this show, that was one of the biggest conversations that we had. What is my relationship with law and law enforcement, and my history? There's a lot of complexities that come with wanting to jump into this field, I believe, with the history that our justice system has had. So there's a lot of protecting.
This wasn't the first episode that acknowledged the complications of Ray's status as a Black man working in law enforcement, as a Season 4 installment dropped some details about his time in New Orleans. The actor went on to address the specific challenges facing the Black community when it comes to the justice system through the lens of the show, saying:
[A lot of] protection and making sure that when we step out, that we don't give any cause for any negative reactions. It's sad that we have to walk around like that most times, but it's part of our makeup here. I think, as long as that's the strong point, the strong notes that we hit – which [are] nurturing, nature, and protection – I think we'll be good.
The happy ending of "Footsteps" came as a relief, particularly after Caleb's life was in jeopardy earlier in the episode, and Most Wanted can get very dark. I'm also hoping it's not the last we see of Ray and his dad with Cora and Caleb. The questions that Edwin Hodge was asking after this episode certainly leave me more excited for whatever happens next for his character's story.
New episodes of FBI: Most Wanted air on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, following FBI: International at 9 p.m. and FBI at 8 p.m. Most Wanted hasn't skipped a beat since adding Nina Chase as the newest member of the team, and it remains to be seen how many more episodes will shine the spotlight on Ray Cannon in the shortened fifth season.
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