FBI is returning to CBS after a brief break from new episodes, and the next case will raise the stakes for Jubal in particular. Between the threat of a bioweapon attack in New York City and a scare in his personal life, the character will face pressure on all sides, which is bad news for the “old demons” that he’s been battling for years. Actor Jeremy Sisto spoke with CinemaBlend about the January 24 episode, called “Breakdown,” and why it feels like a season finale.
Jubal has had a rough couple of seasons, including (but definitely not limited to) the shooting and then death of Rina, his son’s health problems, and his personal life being tied up in a deadly case when the delayed Season 4 finale finally aired as part of Season 5. Viewers have seen him power through even the worst kinds of pressure, and the episode description for “Breakdown” hints that some of his past demons will resurface.
Jeremy Sisto opened up about how Jubal is handling the combination of work stress and family stress this time around, saying:
Things were pretty solid, and what happens in his son's journey of health in this episode is the possibility of something bad occurring... It's just the possibility, but for whatever reason, perhaps because he's been thrown off by it, perhaps because he woke up feeling vulnerable, for whatever reason, some old demons become active in his brain and he starts to become pretty paranoid about what the future holds… He tries to continue doing the best job he can… but it's very high stakes. It's a chemical bomb, and the possibility of human damage is very high. It's a scary moment for him for a lot of different reasons.
The pressure for the agents on FBI is high enough on a regular basis, but it sounds like the stakes will be particularly high on a particularly bad day for Jubal. The character has managed to compartmentalize in the past, even when actively mourning and/or terrified about the danger that his son is in. Will the timing just be awful for him in “Breakdown,” or is there more to what brings those “old demons” of his back to the surface?
Only time will tell, but his struggles with everything from alcohol to grief have meant that his path as an FBI agent hasn’t been easy. The relationship with Rina seemed to be good for him, despite perhaps moving faster than would be advisable for him as a recovering alcoholic, as Sisto himself pointed out during Season 4. So, between everything he has had to power through over the years, how good is he at hiding his various demons? The actor weighed in:
He's very good. It's been a while since he's done this, but he made a career for at least some time. We've talked about it in the past, and it seems like that period was not super brief, and nobody suspected. He was able to do it. So he's obviously fairly good at being functional… but it's a difficult battle.
Jubal was functional when he was trying to cover up his problems in the past, but he’s a different man by this point. Will he handle his demons differently in Season 5, no matter how they present themselves? Or will he regress due to the pressures of the case combined with the potential bad news about Tyler’s health? In past instances of Jubal compartmentalizing, Isobel has shown concern for him, but the promo indicates that this case will require all hands on deck.
With a mysterious bioweapon on the way, is there any surprise that the stakes are even higher than usual? After all, the team’s encounter with sarin gas back in Season 4 resulted in Maggie being exposed long enough that she nearly died and was out of commission until several episodes into Season 5. (The crisis for Maggie allowed actress Missy Peregrym to take her maternity leave.) Jeremy Sisto previewed how filming on location for “Breakdown” made the episode feel worthy of a season finale:
We have a great set piece in this and the director is our director-producer, Alex Chapple, who's very talented, and the writers, and our showrunner Rick Eid, who is also extremely talented. So it was a great team, and I'm excited to see it. It felt very big when we were doing it. It felt more like a season finale. There was just a lot going on, and every episode can't be like this, but this one felt like it just came together. I'm glad it came together on this particular issue, because it was a big issue. It was something that I was always uncertain if they were going to approach and I'm glad they did in such a nuanced way.
Fortunately, “Breakdown” and how it covers the "particular issue" that Sisto alluded to won’t be the season finale, and fans can count on many more episodes before the final credits roll on Season 5. FBI (along with spinoffs FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted) scored a renewal for another two seasons back in May, so a sixth season is already guaranteed no matter what happens in the next episode for Jubal and the rest.
See how Jubal handles his demons in the next new episode of FBI on Tuesday, January 24 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. The fifth season so far has delivered everything from a trauma for OA while Maggie was gone to Maggie temporarily keeping a secret upon her return to hints that Scola has a big decision to make about his future with the Bureau. Keep tuning in on Tuesday nights for what comes next! You can also revisit episodes streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
