Warning: spoilers are ahead for FBI's Season 7 winter premiere on CBS, called "Descent" and set to stream with a Paramount+ subscription.
FBI returned to CBS in the 2025 TV schedule with a case that involved a terror threat to New York City with hijacked planes, and that really would have been enough for a full episode of the hit drama. Instead, "Descent" also included an emotional storyline for Scola as he thought back on his brother's death on 9/11. John Boyd, whose character is still between partners on the job, spoke with CinemaBlend about how Scola evolved as well as what could have been really, really, really bad.
The episode's first scene between the agents at 26 Fed (including Nina with Shantel VanSanten crossing over from FBI: Most Wanted before a juicy story in that winter premiere) was pretty lighthearted, with Maggie and OA teasing Scola about an envelope that he's had on his desk for months without opening and trying to get Nina to open it. Scola was spared that happening when the agents had to get on the case of the week, which started with the death of an assistant U.S. attorney and escalated to the point of terrorists taking remote control of dozens of domestic flights.
Scola was key to cracking the case despite being flooded with memories of his brother, and John Boyd explained that he wanted to play Scola in a way that wasn't triggered by loss:
That was really something that I wanted to honor, honor people who carry that type of loss. It's so deep within us. When you carry that type of grief for that long, it's not necessarily something that you're going to show on your face at work. It's there. We all know it's there. And there also just isn't a lot of time. It's about the case, until it's not. The case comes first right now. That's the hand he's dealt, and he's got to deal with it.
Scola did an excellent job in focusing on the case even while the grief of losing his brother was on his mind, and Maggie and OA really guaranteed that Douglas was already in his thoughts when they teased him about the letter. I noted to Boyd that it was a good thing they didn't successfully open the envelope in front of the entire office, and he responded:
I know! Can you imagine? That would have been so bad. He would have to go home. He wouldn't have worked that day.
Fortunately, the letter turned out to be good news when Scola finally asked Nina to read it to him. The New York Genetic Identification Project, which was dedicated to identifying victims of 9/11, was able to positively identify the remains of his brother thanks to advanced DNA technology. The letter ended with "May this knowledge bring you and your family closure and peace of mind."
It was a very sweet way to end the episode, and Scola simply said "They found him" as he held Nina close. It's hard to imagine "Descent" hitting quite as hard emotionally if Shantel VanSanten hadn't been able to cross over from FBI: Most Wanted, and John Boyd addressed what it meant to Scola to have a partner at home to hold him through it:
I think anyone that's followed this character for this long, anyone that loves Scola or understands Scola knows that there's that part of him that was closed off, that he doesn't show himself to everyone, that he remains guarded, and what it means to open up to someone, to have someone that's safe. And to get to a place in your life where you're ready to be vulnerable enough to a partner and ask them for help to do something that you're absolutely terrified of doing [is growth].
FBI isn't a show that always deals in a lot of peace of mind, so Scola getting that good news about his brother was a powerful way to end the winter premiere. Even though he'll never get Douglas back, he at least has something left of him. Boyd elaborated:
I really saw it as a visit from his brother. When there's someone that you've lost, he had nothing. He didn't get to have one piece of him forever. He just never knew where he was. And then one day, this letter comes in, and it's like his brother just walks in the room and he's able to laugh and cry and enjoy him. It was cool to get to do.
Hopefully Scola is able to rest a little easier moving forward, although the promo for the next episode suggests that all hands are going to be on deck for another terror threat. Interestingly, there's also a mention of the CIA in the preview that leads me to wonder if FBI is setting up the potential FBI: CIA spinoff a lot earlier than expected. Take a look:
Keep tuning in to CBS on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET for new episodes of FBI, ahead of FBI: International at 9 p.m. ET and FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. ET. John Boyd already appeared on Most Wanted once this season, with Scola and Nina clashing a lot less than last season. You can find that episode as well as every other episode of the 2024-2025 TV season so far streaming on Paramount+ now.
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