Spoilers ahead for Episode 13 of FBI Season 7, called "Unearth" and available streaming next day with a Paramount+ subscription.
FBI has put Scola through the wringer throughout the seventh season, starting with him reluctantly having to say goodbye to Tiff as his longtime partner. He hasn't been able to click with a new partner ever since. While John Boyd's first heavy episode of the 2025 TV schedule came to a happy ending when he got closure about his late brother (complete with FBI: Most Wanted's Shantel VanSanten crossing over), that wasn't quite the case with "Unearth." Still, it was a strong episode, and I'm already hoping that the cast stays the same for Season 8.
Maggie was out of the office during "Unearth" after possibly making a connection at the end of the previous episode, which meant Scola and OA partnering up. The case of the week initially didn't seem tied to John Boyd's character, with the opening crime involving the murders of two jurors slated for a mafia trial. The investigation ultimately led to his alma mater, and while Scola had fond memories of his time at the school, he was also reflecting on the death of one of his old friends.
And by the end, Scola and Co. had determined that a man he had trusted at Cornwall was a sexual predator who had been using his position at the school to assault students for many, many years. Scola was understandably shaken up by the reveal, and he was still in the thick of the action. Confronting the colonel who had caused so much harm, Scola said:
A dear friend of mine that graduated from Cornwall with [me], I'm sure you remember him. David Murray... 'Cause you always called him one of your favorites. He met a great gal, Julia, summer after graduation. And they got married. Had a beautiful daughter. And then one day, just out of nowhere, he shot himself. And I couldn't understand why. Is that what happens to your favorites, Colonel? I know you abused David Murray... You took everything from him and he never recovered. You hear this. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you pay for what you did to every single one of them.
To add insult to injury, Scola had to go through all of these realizations while also risking his own life to protect the colonel, who was being hunted by one of the victims. Fortunately, OA was able to talk the shooter into lowering his weapon rather than take him down by force, and the list of alleged victims was growing as more people came forward.
Scola opened up to OA about feeling grateful for his time at Cornwall as well as feeling lucky that he hadn't been a victim, and finally admitted that he just missed his friend. OA put a comforting arm on Scola's shoulder, which for stoic characters within the crime dramas of the nine-show Dick Wolf TV universe should really count as a big bear hug.
So, why does John Boyd taking on another heavy episode for Scola make me think beyond Season 7 when there's still nearly half a season left before summer hiatus? Well, CBS recently renewed nine shows, including hit dramas like Justin Hartley's Tracker (which is so grueling to make that Hartley told us it "shouldn't be possible") and Elsbeth. Not among those nine shows? FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International.
The futures of the two FBI spinoffs haven't yet been confirmed one way or the other, which makes me all the happier that CBS renewed FBI for a whopping three more seasons last spring. This guarantees the show will remain on the air through Season 9 in the 2026-2027 TV season. While that doesn't mean that the cast will remain exactly the same, I can't help but be optimistic at this point.
The three FBIs are going on a mini break until March 11, at which point they'll return to their usual Tuesday night time slots on CBS. In the meantime, you can always revisit episodes from earlier this season streaming on Paramount+.
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