Sometimes, proving yourself isn’t as great as it sounds.
Just as Vo had to learn a harsh lesson on being in the Fly Team, Raines likewise had a huge challenge adapting to a tough assignment on FBI: International.
That nearly led to disaster in last night’s episode, which was called One Kind of Madman, and that’s without one team member facing their own health challenge.
Tank in trouble?
The episode opened with Forrester talking to Kellett in a hospital about how he’d been close to quitting the FBI after a bad assignment. But while meeting his Fly Team boss, he had first found Tank in a cage, about to be retired, but Forrester took both him and the job.
Later, a doctor broke it to Forrester that a lump on Tank’s neck was a possible tumor, with Forrester clearly worried as he sadly told the dog to stay with the doctor.
As Tank is perhaps one of the most-loved cast members, this is an extremely worrying development for the show’s fans.
Vo found Raines working in the office wondering how he could offer more than just being “the numbers guy.” Vo pressed him never to be afraid of asking for more to do.
An international youth concert was underway in Bulgaria with Helen McCree (Michole Briana White) stepping out to call her son in America. Just as she left, a man entered to chain up the doors from the inside while others stepped out of a van with guns and masks. They burst into the concert hall, firing bullets in the air as the crowd and musicians reacted in terror.
The team was quickly called in with the terrorists claiming the building was lined with explosives to keep the cops out. Jaeger was on site with agent Aleks Yanev (Nicholas Kolev), and Kellett suggested the Albanian National Army might be behind this.
The terrorists used Helen’s phone to communicate with Raines talking to the traumatized woman. Forrester contacted the group’s leader, who turned on the cameras to show the hostages. He then made his demands known: $10 million in American cryptocurrency, delivered in one hour. To prove he meant business, he shot a random hostage through the head.
Raines steps up
A cop warned Forrester that his superior officer was coming and he would want a more violent outcome. The terrorist leader called Forrester again, and the agent offered to enter alone as a way to build trust.
With one hostage injured and a pregnant woman inside as well, the terrorist leader agreed to let some paramedics enter along with Raines.
Of course, Kellett had an old contact to turn to in Gjorg (Tamas Podlovics), who ran a black market operation out of a former Cold War bunker. He claimed to have no idea who the group was. Vo managed to plant a bug to overhear Gjorg telling his men that the man inside the theater was “unhinged.”
Raines accompanied the paramedics into the theater to check on the hostages while also scoping the place out. As one gunman came closer, he opened his palm so Raines could see written on his hand, “I want out.”
Raines led that man along with the paramedics toward the door, whispering that as soon as they hit the street, he could run for cover. The man did as he was told, but one of his compatriots tried to shoot him only to be cut down by a sniper while the defecting terrorist was handcuffed.
The terrorist leader was naturally quite upset and only having money dropped into his account kept him from shooting a hostage. However, he did move the timeline up as if more money wasn’t sent in 20 minutes, another hostage died. Raines related he didn’t see any wiring and suspected the bombs were a bluff.
Kellett and Vo figured out the leader was Ivo Kostov (Roberto Davide), a known extremist for Albanian unification. The defector, Petar (Louie Threlfall), confessed he thought this was a simple kidnapping of an Albanian businessman and had no idea it would turn into this mess. That businessman just happened to be the “random” guy Kostov shot, which made Petar realize he needed to get out of this.
As Petar spilled all he knew, Raines suggested a guy who lied to his own crew couldn’t be trusted to keep any word. Jaeger revealed that Kostov had learned he was dying, and this entire thing was to make a statement and get money for his cause.
With Kostov making more demands, Kellett decided now was not the time to relay the message from the vet that Tank needed emergency surgery on his cysts.
The day is saved but another concern remains
Just as things were getting tense, up came Commissar Illiev (Nick Gracer) who promptly told the FBI to get out as he was taking over. Forrester was shocked Illiev was ready to gas the place, pointing out how many innocents could be killed. “We’ve got one kind of madman in the building and another one out here,” Raines summed up.
Forrester was able to talk Illiev into giving them one chance before he used the gas. Petar’s intel shared the terrorists were a mix of “freelancers” like him and true believers in Kostov’s cause.
The Fly Team raided the area from downstairs, Vo and Raines disarming a pair of terrorists and taking out another. Forrester and Kellett took out a pair which alerted Kostov.
Kostov grabbed a hostage to demand the money immediately. Forrester tried to talk him down, pointing out there was no escape. Iliev decided time was up and ordered the gas turned on over Jaeger’s objections.
Forrester bluffed that the money had gone through, distracting Kostov enough for Raines to take him out with a single shot just before the gas was activated.
The hostages were freed, with Forrester and Illiev having a tense last meeting. Forrester talked of how proud he was of the team, but Raines seemed haunted by his killing Kostov with Vo riding home with him.
The episode ended with Forrester and Kellett at Tank’s side, Forrester refusing to leave his loyal friend.
While the hostage standoff was tense, the real emotion lay with the scary possibility that the team’s most loveable member may be facing a battle he can’t win.
FBI: International airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on CBS.