Spoilers ahead for Episode 4 of FBI Season 6, called "Creating a Monster."
FBI returned from a brief break in the 2024 TV schedule with a case that kicked off with the murder of a federal judge, and the investigation quickly led to the agents encountering another agent by the name of Hassan Bilal who had been undercover at an Islamic center for months. OA and Maggie joined forces with Hassan and Maggie's former colleague Jessica Blake to try and stop any further loss of life, and OA went through the wringer before the episode ended on a reminder of why he and Maggie are such a great pair. It just came at the cost of OA having a really rotten time for the majority of the episode.
As happens all too frequently for OA, he faced some prejudices and assumptions due to his status as a Muslim FBI agent, and didn't appreciate Hassan trying to lean on that commonality to bond. After all, Hassan was more than bending the rules in "Creating a Monster," and – deliberately or not – the undercover agent's actions contributed to loss of life when his attempt to groom a source was a bit too successful.
Plus, OA came clean to his girlfriend Gemma about being there when her friend died in the previous episode (available streaming via Paramount+ subscription) and then asked about her drug use, which didn't exactly go over well with Gemma. Basically, Zeeko Zaki's character was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. So, in a quiet moment at the end of the episode, Maggie read his mood and checked in with him, leading to one of my favorite scenes between the partners in some time:
- Maggie: "Is this about Hassan or Gemma?"
- OA: "This is about me. When people ask you about me, what do you say? How do you describe me?
- Maggie: "I say you're a great partner. That you're kind and smart and loyal and courageous. And I mean, depending on who's asking, I also say tall and reasonably handsome."
OA really needed a friendly pep talk by the end of "Creating a Monster," and Maggie stepped up to make him smile before they went their separate ways for the night. As always, their friendship is a bright spot in a show that can get pretty dark... even if not quite as dark as FBI: Most Wanted, which dropped a line about "human foie gras" about a gruesome organ-eating serial killer just a couple hours after "Creating a Monster" on March 12.
Admittedly, it's not always smooth sailing between the partners. He struggled in Season 4 when Maggie was exposed to sarin gas and there wasn't enough time for him to save her from some damage, which enabled Missy Peregrym to go on her real-life maternity leave. OA also attempted to be a bit too protective of Maggie in Season 5 when she returned. Still, they were in fine form by the end of "Creating a Monster," and I loved it.
And based on the promo for the next episode, Maggie may be the one needing some support sooner rather than later. Take a look:
See more of Maggie and OA with new episodes of FBI on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, ahead of FBI: International at 9 p.m. ET and FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. ET. All three shows are available streaming on Paramount+ as well, if you prefer streaming to watching live or just want to revisit earlier episodes. FBI hit the 100-episode milestone back in 2023, and is clearly still going strong.
