Will ‘FBI’ Tragedy Lead to Life-Changing Development for Maggie?

Missy Peregrym as Special Agent Maggie Bell and Rose Decker as Ella Blake — 'FBI' Season 6 Episode 6 — Bennett Raglin/CBS

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for FBI Season 6 Episode 6 “Unforeseen.”]

FBI doesn’t explore the personal lives of its agents too often, but it’s doing so with the current arc for Maggie (Missy Peregrym)—motherhood—in all the right ways: by taking time with it. But then tragedy strikes.

Maggie has been talking to her friend and former colleague, Jessica (Charlotte Sullivan), about being a mother, and now, she tells her boss, Isobel (Alana De La Garza), during her annual review, “I was thinking about IVF. I’m not sure that I’m going to do it. I want to. A big part of me wants to, but it’s a lot. I mean, just even getting pregnant, let alone the motherhood part.” Whatever she decides, Maggie has Isobel’s support.

The case then takes priority: A man is killing people with ricin, modified with cyanide. (It reminds Maggie of the sarin gas.) After the second victim is attacked, Maggie chases after the offender and fights him (nearly gets sprayed herself), but loses him. Then, Maggie and OA (Zeeko Zaki) can only stand by and wait for the ambulance, but it’s too late. When it becomes clear they’re looking for an eco-terrorist, they bring in counter-terrorism: Jessica.

Maggie takes a moment to admit to her friend, “I’m just not sure that I’m ready for the stress of it all—and the uncertainty,” meaning both IVF and motherhood. “I get it. You want control, but that’s just not how this works,” Jessica tells her.

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The case leads to Hudson University (a Dick Wolf staple) and a TA there, and when Maggie, OA, and Jessica track him down, that’s when they run into trouble. Maggie and OA chase down the TA, while Jessica checks his apartment, and the other agents find her on the ground. They can’t touch her since she may have been exposed, so they cover her before carrying her out.

The good news? She wasn’t exposed. The bad news? It sounds like Jessica’s not just tired because her daughter’s been waking her and keeping her up at night. Rather, she felt dizzy, her head was throbbing, and her blood pressure dropped, so the doctors run tests—and discover a mild aneurysm. Since she has to have exploratory surgery, she needs to name an emergency contact and temporary guardian for her daughter, Ella. “Whatever you need,” Maggie tells her. She’s young and healthy, so she’ll be fine, she assures her friend.

Maggie tells her she’ll be there as soon as she can, but first, she has to keep working the case: The TA is in custody and his partner gives Maggie no choice but to shoot him when she and OA chase him before he can kill his next victim, but then there’s another ricin attack. It’s not until after the case is wrapped and another person in the eco-terrorism cell (a university professor) is stopped that Maggie makes it to the hospital. Jessica is still in surgery, and Maggie sits with her daughter while they wait. Ella’s asleep when the doctor joins Maggie and delivers the devastating news: Jessica didn’t make it. Maggie steadies herself before kneeling in front of her friend’s daughter.

Remember, she’s Ella’s (temporary) guardian. That doesn’t necessarily mean that will become permanent, but with Maggie exploring motherhood…

What do you think of that FBI tragedy? What do you think will happen next? Let us know in the comments section, below.

FBI, Tuesdays, 8/7c, CBS