Warning: spoilers ahead for the Season 5 finale of FBI on CBS, called “God Complex.”
CBS’ FBI finished the fifth season with a finale that also happened to be the 100th episode, so it was only fitting that the show went a little more extreme than usual with the case of the week as well as the personal stakes. With a religiously-motivated serial killer targeting victims to murder and then flay, it was a grisly and suspenseful hour of television… all while Scola had to worry about Nina and their baby. I found it to be a stellar episode of the show, to the point that I’d wished it was longer, and that makes me realize that I’m ready for FBI to try something new and exciting in Season 6.
What Happened For The Team In The Season 5 Finale
“God Complex” was a jam-packed 100th episode for the characters. Although they were able to identify the killer pretty quickly as Frank Silver and rescued the woman he’d abducted, assaulted, and kept captive, catching him proved to be more complicated. The team was able to at least stop him from claiming a judge as his next victim, but he led Maggie, OA, and Tiff on a dangerous chase through a dark and rainy graveyard, and had Maggie at his mercy until the agents managed to take him down.
And it was only Maggie, OA, and Tiff in the graveyard because Scola had to be with Nina, whose moment of dizziness early in the hour turned out to be the symptom of an infection nasty enough that she needed to be induced into labor and then delivered via c-section at just eight months along. Scola had to make to choice of whether the doctors would save Nina or the baby if the time came when only one could survive, and he chose Nina.
At first, it seemed that the baby had indeed died, as Scola shared an emotional yet inconclusive moment with Nina in her hospital bed. Later, the twist ending reveal came: the baby had survived and was looking perfectly healthy after just eight months in the womb! Scola told Maggie, OA, Tiff, Jubal, and Isobel – the latter two of whom seem forgiven for their betrayal in the crossover, available streaming via Paramount+ subscription – that the baby boy was named Douglas after his late brother. There was an unexpectedly happy ending to a gruesome episode, and I would say that this was one of FBI’s best episodes… to the point that the show could do more.
What FBI Should Try In Season 6
My biggest takeaway after watching “God Complex” after the initial relief about Douglas was that I wished it had been longer. Frank Silver was an incredible villain who felt like he might have more backstory to be mined, and I was interested in learning more about Mary, although that might have been my Law & Order: SVU love bleeding over into the FBI side of the nine-show Wolf Entertainment TV universe. Seeing more of Scola grappling with his choice could have been great as well. All in all, the episode made me realize that it could have been fantastic if FBI tried something new and fleshed it out into a two-parter.
Now, FBI is of course a procedural, so two-parters aren’t exactly the norm. The drama does revisit plot points from time to time (notably including Maggie’s ongoing struggles with her sister and the battle against Vargas in earlier seasons), but it’s just not a serialized show. There’s nothing wrong with that, but after “God Complex” was packed with great plot points that could have been even better if fleshed out more, I’d love to see storylines spanning multiple consecutive episodes in Season 6.
Admittedly, I also found myself thinking that the case could be great for a crossover between FBI and FBI: Most Wanted, but I think that was just because crossovers are how cases have spanned multiple consecutive episodes in the past. “God Complex” felt cinematic, and it easily could have worked over two episodes. That’s an achievement for any show as it hits 100 episodes, and makes me hopeful for the future.
Unfortunately, there’s no saying how long the hiatus between Season 5 and Season 6 will be at this point in light of the current WGA writers strike. If the strike lasts long into the summer, it’s possible that the fall TV lineup won’t start as early as usual. Another CBS show managed to film its fall premiere before starting summer hiatus, according to its stars, but The Equalizer is presumably going to be a rare example of dramas that were able to do so.
For now, you can always revisit earlier episodes of FBI streaming with Paramount+, and find some upcoming viewing options for the summer with our 2023 TV premiere schedule.
