Spoilers ahead for the Season 2 finale of FBI: International Season 2, called "Fencing the Mona Lisa."
The second season of FBI: International came to an end with an episode so explosive that fans everywhere should be very happy that CBS gave the show an exciting early renewal for Season 3. The Fly Team went all-out to prevent a stolen Russian nuclear missile from being sold on the black market, based off of information from the broker who they leveraged into cooperating. They did manage to recover the missile, but there was still an explosive ending to the episode after a bomb was planted in a prime spot to take out their headquarters. So, looking ahead to summer hiatus and/or revisiting old episodes via Paramount+ subscription, let's look at who's safe and who's not.
The attack on their office came after it seemed that the imminent danger had passed, and it was just a matter of getting the broker – an American by the name of Olivia Thornton – to confess on the record. Forrester was still concerned that the man she'd betrayed had the resources to target her despite being captured by the FBI, and they were in the process of leaving for safer quarters... when Raines got a bad vibe from a delivery to the floor below the Fly Team's HQ, followed almost immediately after by an explosion that blew out the windows of the building.
There's good news, bad news, and big questions left after this episode, so let's start with the good.
Who Is Probably Safe After The Explosion
Fortunately, there are two members of the Fly Team who we can at least say for sure were not in the building when the explosion happened. Forrester sent Raines out with Tank for some street-level recon, where Raines clocked that something was off with a delivery. There wasn't enough time for the rest of the team to escape despite getting a little bit of a warning, and Raines started racing back once he got confirmation that the deliveryman was Sydin's bodyguard with every reason to want Thornton dead.
Because Tank is of course a good boy, he stayed when Raines told him to, and was out of range of the explosion when it happened, so at least the furriest member of the Fly Team is safe! Raines hadn't yet made it back into the building when it blew, but he was caught in the force of the explosion on the outside and thrown back. Although "Fencing the Mona Lisa" ended without showing his status, a shot of actor Carter Redwood at the end of the promo for the finale leads me to suspect that he's a little banged up, but alive and alert.
So, if I'm right, then Tank is just fine and Raines is a bit worse for the wear, but both are alive and as well as could be hoped for a cliffhanger like this! Other characters aren't in quite as good of shape.
Who's Definitely Not Safe After The Explosion
Unfortunately, the list of important characters who were in the building when it blew is much longer than the list of those who weren't. In the final fateful (and possibly fatal) moments in Fly Team headquarters, Forrester, Kellett, Vo, Smitty, Powell, and Thornton were all still inside. In service of speculation, I checked a recording of the episode and found that there were eleven seconds between when Forrester realized that a bomb had been planted and when the building exploded.
Eleven seconds wouldn't be a lot of time for most people to make any death-defying acts of near superhuman heroism... but most people are not members of FBI: International's Fly Team. I'm certainly not going to argue that any of those who were in HQ when it exploded are safe, but I'm also happy to suspend my disbelief and hypothesize that those eleven seconds were enough for at least some of the characters to find some kind of protection.
If I had to guess who might not make it out of this explosion, Powell would be on the top of my list. Him dying right after being welcomed onto the team would add an extra layer of tragedy while also not killing off a character fans had come to know and love for longer than a few episodes, and would have a strong effect on Vo after they started a romantic relationship. Thornton's death would certainly cause problems for the Bureau given that her testimony is needed to put Sydin away and Forrester didn't get her confession on tape before the explosion, but fans probably won't be wailing and gnashing their teeth in the fall if she dies.
Of course, there's no guarantee that anybody is going to die after the explosive cliffhanger, but there will be plenty of time to speculate for better or worse. While FBI: International was renewed for Season 3 last spring, the current WGA writers strike means that fall TV premiere season could be delayed if it continues for long into the summer. For now, you can always check out our 2023 TV premiere schedule for some upcoming viewing options!
