Spoilers ahead for the November 6 episode of FBI Season 5, called “Double Bind.”
FBI went through a lot of changes from the second half of Season 4 to the first several episodes of Season 5 with Missy Peregrym absent as Maggie Bell and Shantel VanSanten joining the team as Nina Chase. Maggie was exposed to sarin gas and has been recovering off-screen since back in April while the actress was on maternity leave, with Nina as a great addition to the team. Now, however, FBI said goodbye to Nina and is just days away from welcoming back Maggie, and there’s a lot to be excited about.
How FBI Said Goodbye To Nina
In the sixth episode of FBI Season 5 (which aired on a special night following an NFL game), the time came for Shantel VanSanten to depart. Fans knew that she was only on board for a limited number of episodes, but “Double Bind” (available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription) managed to write Nina out without killing her off. She discovered that she was pregnant as a result of her relationship with Scola and decided to move to the white-collar division of the Bureau.
According to executive producer Rick Eid when speaking to TV Insider, the FBI team didn’t want to kill off Nina because she’s “been an incredible addition to the show” and keeping her alive “gives Scola’s character another dimension” as he’s currently “facing fatherhood” on top of everything else. He then promised that she’s not gone for good:
Though Nina is leaving the team, she’s still an FBI agent, and her relationship with Scola will continue in some capacity. We’ll see her again soon.
So, the CBS drama said its inevitable goodbye to Nina just in time for Maggie to return after recovering from the sarin gas exposure. A silver lining to losing Shantel VanSanten’s character is that she’ll be back, and fans will hopefully get to see how she and Maggie interact. Zeeko Zaki previously opened up about how OA handled a case with Nina vs. how he would have with Maggie, and it would be interesting to see the contrast between the characters.
For now, though, let’s look ahead to arguably the most long-awaited FBI development since the show finally aired the postponed Season 4 finale: Maggie’s return!
How FBI Welcomes Back Maggie
FBI revealed Maggie’s return with a fun video back in October, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Maggie will be having a lot of fun in her first case back with the team. Called “Ready or Not,” CBS’ episode description reveals that the case will involve the murders of a man possibly tied to gangs and a law student set to attend the FBI Academy. OA (who has had a stressful season himself) will have some concerns about whether or not his partner is truly ready to be back, but the promo shows that Maggie wants to get back into action after her long recovery. Take a look:
While the quick promo is split between footage of FBI, FBI: International, and FBI: Most Wanted, the sneak peeks at “Ready or Not” prove that Maggie believes she’s ready to get back to work. The episode itself will prove if she’s still dealing with any lingering effects – physical or mental – of her health crisis, so fans will want to be sure to tune in.
Missy Peregrym’s first episode of FBI Season 5 airs on Tuesday, November 14 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, ahead of International at 9 p.m. and Most Wanted at 10 p.m. Believe it or not, the fall TV season will soon give way to the midseason debuts, so check out our 2023 winter TV schedule to start planning ahead.
