After what felt like the longest summer hiatus ever, FBI finally returned on October 13 with its season 8 premiere, which saw the team tackling their first new case of the season.
As season 7 ended, the team worked to bring down an anti-government terrorist group that infiltrated the bureau. During the events of the episode, FBI SAC Isobel Castille was injured in an explosion, but it looked like she made it out okay. That was until the closing moments of the finale when she collapsed with Jubal unable to find a pulse. The million-dollar question heading into the episode was whether Isobel lived or died, and interestingly this is a mystery not immediately solved in the opening moments.
As the episode opens, we see a man driving into a town where he’s met by an armed man who immediately questions why he’s arrived. The judge says he’s looking for a boy and tries to show them a photo. This is when the man takes the keys from the ignition and a group of armed individuals surround the judge.
We jump to the FBI office where Jubal is looking into Isobel’s office and remembering the events of the finale in which she passed out. The assistant director of the FBI arrives and tells Jubal that what happened to Isobel and 26 Fed was unthinkable. They dance around her exact fate, simply revealing that three days have passed since the events of the finale and that Jubal has been tasked with serving as the temporary SAC until a permanent replacement is found.
Maggie and OA catch the case of the missing judge after finding his car abandoned. They think it could be a carjacking or that the car was dumped. Back at headquarters, Jubal mentions that he wishes Isobel was here as he tells the team he’s filling in as acting SAC and they begin looking into the judge. They suspect that it could be connected to a gang called the BTG as the judge was currently presiding over a case involving the group.
Scola and Rhodes go to question some BTG members about whether they’ve seen the judge. That’s when they inform them that the judge came to see them and accused them of taking his son, Eli. As the team looks into the lead, they discover that the judge had his son’s records expunged and that his son had been missing for two days.
They track down Eli’s car, but when Maggie and OA arrive they find a man pouring gas on the car and igniting it. When he opens fire on them, OA takes down the suspect as Maggie puts out the fire. As they search the car, they find the judge’s body in the car.
Isobel didn’t die in the finale, but she’s not out of the woods
After keeping us in the dark for a good part of the episode, we find out that Isobel did not die after collapsing in the finale. However, she’s not out of the woods. It turns out that Isobel has been in a coma and things are not looking good.
Isobel’s doctors have found a brain bleed. Isobel’s husband, Phillip, tells Jubal that they’re prepping her for emergency surgery. It’s an eight-hour procedure and the doctors are not giving her good odds.
Following the update, Jubal throws himself back into the case. The man who opened fire on OA and Maggie was named Tom Clifford, but they’re unable to find a connection between him and the judge. While they look into Tom back at headquarters, Maggie and OA head out to the town where the judge first went missing.
When they arrive, they’re greeted by the same armed man who stopped the judge. He calls his boss over the radio, who instructs him to let them through. When Maggie and OA enter Port Turner, they’re greeted by the town’s mayor, Caleb. We learn that the town only has one bridge connecting it to the mainland and that its community has been lacking critical services, leading to the creation of a community watch group.
Caleb tells Maggie and OA that outsiders have been coming into the town and robbing businesses overnight so they took actions. When Maggie asks about Eli, Caleb says he hasn’t seen him and directs them to Tom’s house when they show him their warrant. When searching the house, they find Eli tied up in the basement.
Maggie calls Jubal and warns him that the town seems trigger-happy as she requests backup. As Maggie and OA prepare to leave to get Eli help, they’re surrounded by Caleb and his armed men. Caleb says Eli is a suspect in the robberies and arson. Maggie assures him they don’t want a showdown with SWAT as she encourages him to let them pass. Caleb orders his men to blow the bridge, which they do just as Scola and Rhodes arrive.
Caleb takes Maggie and OA hostage and locks them in Tom’s basement with Eli. He then uses their coms to connect with Jubal. He tells Jubal he’ll let Maggie and OA go in exchange for Tom. When Jubal tells him that’s impossible as Tom was killed after he opened fire on the agents, Caleb cuts the conversation short saying they always protect the wrong people.
We learn that Eli came out to the island before his mom got sick and passed and came to watch the sunset. He says there was no checkpoint when he arrived, he went to the beach and watched the sunset. As he was heading to his car, three men approached him and asked to search his bag, he was scared and fled, so they attacked him and held him. He asked about his dad, and Maggie tells him his dad didn’t make it.
Back at headquarters, Jubal and the team discover that the robberies and arson were an inside job by Dustin Hunt. He pulled the robberies and then created a frenzy on social media blaming outsiders to create fear.
With Maggie and OA trapped, Scola and Rhodes head out via boats with fellow agents. As they arrive on the island, they take heavy fire and Scola is nearly shot before Rhodes dives in front of him, and it seems to have been stopped by her vest, as they head out to find Maggie and OA.
Isobel does not die in the FBI premiere, but a major character is killed in the season 8 premiere
Maggie and OA manage to get free, but as they leave with Eli, they’re surrounded and take heavy fire. Just when it looks like they’re out of options with Caleb and his men closing in, Scola and Rhodes arrive with reinforcements.
When Maggie explains that it was Dustin who was behind the arsons and robberies, Caleb orders his men to drop their weapons. They listen but Dustin is not about to go down easily. As he raises his gun, Rhodes shoots him and it looks like the day has been saved. That’s when things take an unexpected turn.
It turns out that Rhodes wasn’t shot in the vest. After taking Dustin out, Rhodes collapses and we discover she’s been shot in the abdomen. Next thing we know, Jubal is getting a call and he heads to the ICU. Only it’s not to see Rhodes, it’s to see Isobel, who pulled through her surgery and is awake.
Sadly, while Isobel pulled through, Rhodes wasn’t as lucky and died at the scene from her injuries.. It was a shocking conclusion to the season premiere, one which is sure to have a ripple effect.