The following contains major spoilers from FBI: International Season 4, Episode 8, "You'll Never See It Coming," which debuted Tuesday, Dec. 17 on CBS. It also contains discussion of suicide.
FBI: International Season 4, Episode 8, "You'll Never See It Coming" is a continuation of the story from the Season 4 premiere. It's also a big step down from that episode. In picking up the rivalry between Wes Mitchell and Greg Csonka, the CBS spinoff throws several different genre staples into a blender, and the end result is something that has entertainment value but little else.
"You'll Never See It Coming" sees Csonka, the robbery crew leader Wes and the Fly Team arrested seven episodes ago, brutally beat the young man who was scheduled to testify against him. In trying to salvage their case, the characters are pulled in a bunch of different directions, some of which work and others which don't. And by making fans think that Cameron Vo is leaving FBI: International, the show just stirs up some old feelings.
FBI: International Season 4, Episode 8 Revisits the Past
But the Show's Attempt to Give Wes a Nemesis Goes Too Far
The Season 4 premiere saw Jesse Lee Soffer's character Wes basically pick a fight with Csonka when the Fly Team investigated Csonka's robbery crew, and the "previously on" here reminds viewers that Csonka threatened Wes while being arrested. That worked fine in the moment as the usual "bad guy blustering at hero" scene. As a setup for a new story, well, not so much. Audiences are retroactively supposed to believe that the reason Wes was so aggressive with Csonka was not only the death of Wes' partner Mike Brooks, but that Csonka just happened to be in the same juvenile hall that Wes spent time in as a young man, and that after Wes was released, Csonka beat up his best friend. It all feels like something made up after the fact to add extra emotional stakes to a plot that already had them.
Furthermore, there are so many plot points that seem contrived to push this revenge story along. It starts with the knowledge that the star witness is housed in the same prison as the guy he's testifying against; even if the latter is in confinement, that's just a bad idea. But then there's Csonka's defense attorney insulting Wes's mother in open court, which is schoolyard-level behavior, as fun as it is to see The Good Wife and The Good Fight alum Zach Grenier playing smarmy to perfection. Both the courtroom sequences take a little too much dramatic license. And then there's Wes just having to stop and threaten Csonka as the other man is being escorted to a police car, which to TV crime drama fans is a giant red flag that something's going to make him eat those words.
It's easy to see the story FBI: International wants to tell: the story where Wes goes off the rails in order to ensure the man who killed Mike stays behind bars. Those kinds of episodes can work, as other series have done variations on that theme before. But the plot feels like it's stringing the most dramatic moments together, instead of being one coherent narrative. And in so doing, it goes past viewers having sympathy for Wes and reduces this really interesting character to someone who can do a lot better. The most frustrating plot point, though, is what happens to Cameron.
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Is Cameron Vo Leaving FBI: International or Not?
The Cliffhanger Feels More Like a Cliche

The cliffhanger is whether or not Vinessa Vidotto is leaving FBI: International, as her character Cameron Vo's life is hanging in the balance -- but it feels less shocking and more like a bad case of deja vu. It's certainly surprising to see Cameron shot by a sniper, but that's another one of those plot moments that comes out of the blue. Furthermore, the repeated mentions of Wes having a partner that died plus the insults Csonka hurls at Cameron make fairly clear that something is going to happen to her -- it's only the how and when that are left up in the air.
And unless Vidotto is planning on exiting the series, this is honestly not as exciting a twist as the show wants it to be. In fact, it actually feels more like re-opening an old wound. The show has already explored Wes' grief at losing a partner and friend, so what's the point of playing with those same themes a second time? What is the audience going to learn about him now that they didn't before? Beyond that, this is a fan base that's just now getting over the poorly handled exit of Luke Kleintank and before that, the departure of Heida Reed. They do not want to even think of losing one of FBI: International's few remaining original cast members. Certainly there's a cliffhanger that could've been thought up that didn't go that direction. Wes doesn't even need more motivation to chase after Csonka; he clearly has years of it.
In fairness, it is indeed possible that Vinessa Vidotto wants to move on, and this is the show's way of writing her out. Vidotto and Carter Redwood are the only two actors who have been on the show since Season 1 (unless one counts Tank the dog), and FBI: International has changed somewhat with the cast turnover. If that's true, then this story point gets a little more understandable -- but even then, it would be better to have an exit story centered on Cameron, and not have her death come as part of Wes's character arc.
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FBI: International Goes Down a Familiar Road
Jay Hayden's Return as Tyler Booth Adds a Little Excitement
One plus of "You'll Never See It Coming" is the return of Station 19 alum Jay Hayden as Tyler Booth. FBI: International has an interesting double act going, in which Cameron and Booth are serving as the angel and the devil on Wes's shoulders. Without Cameron, Wes has no reason not to follow Tyler's "whatever it takes" approach. Hayden is solid in the role, being just cocky enough that the audience doesn't like him, but keeping the friendship between Tyler and Wes believable. In fact, all of the main cast members turn in good performances in the fall finale; some of them are just given a lot more than others.
Redwood still doesn't have a whole lot to do; his best scene comes at the end, when an emotional Raines has to tell the Fly Team that Cameron's condition has worsened. Similarly, most of Eva-Jane Willis' material involves Smitty expressing her skepticism about Wes and being roundly ignored. Perhaps once the Csonka storyline is resolved (because it has to be in the spring premiere), these two characters will get some episodes of their own. And that's why FBI: International Season 4, Episode 8 is underwhelming. It may be packed with action and have a big cliffhanger, but it doesn't feel like a true fall finale. It's a series of parts pushed together to tell a story that doesn't offer anything fans of the genre haven't seen before.
FBI: International airs Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. on CBS.
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FBI: International Season 4, Episode 8
TV-14
- Release Date
- September 21, 2021
- Network
- CBS
- Writers
- Dick Wolf, Derek Haas
Cast
-
Carter Redwood
Andre Raines
-
Vinessa Vidotto
Cameron Vo
-
Luke Kleintank
Scott Forrester
-
When the star witness in the case against Greg Csonka, the man responsible for the death of Wes' former partner, is beaten to death in a Budapest prison before he can testify, the Fly Team attempts to salvage the case to secure Csonka's conviction. As they dive back into the investigation, Mitchell is forced to confront the pain of losing his partner. Meanwhile, Wes assists Booth with preparing for his promotion interviews.
- Creator(s)
- Dick Wolf, Derek Haas
- Main Genre
- Crime
- Where To Watch
- Paramount Plus
Pros & Cons
- There's more than enough action to keep the plot moving.
- The actors are solid throughout the episode.
- The plot feels contrived and, in some places, repetitive.
- The cliffhanger isn't really necessary for the episode to work.