Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for the latest episode of FBI: Most Wanted.
FBI: Most Wanted’s new leader has an intriguing backstory.
Right after the debut of Remy Scott on the series, star Dylan McDermott and showrunner David Hudgins are breaking down the intriguing history of this new character and how Scott’s personal tragedy will affect the show going forward.
It promises to place a new dynamic on the procedural for the last episodes of Season 3.
Remy Scott and his tragedy
The opening moments of the latest episode showed Remy Scott as a quirky man driving a fancy car and enjoying being “back home” in New York.
Scott knew the team was checking on his background, having spent years in the Las Vegas FBI office and is known as a good agent. He was intense on a case where a pair of lovers fleeing after a murder led to a dangerous cult/scam operation.
Scott showed his intensity in the case but also cared about the welfare of a witness and rescuing a woman in danger. A key moment was telling someone he understood what it was like to want to believe in something, as he felt the same after his brother died.
After the case was wrapped up, the team went for drinks, where Scott opened up on his past. His younger brother, Mikey, had been a top student and had a great future ahead of him. He vanished on a college trip in Fort Lauderdale with the police finding a likely suspect.
However, there wasn’t enough evidence to hold the man, and he was released. A few hours later, Mikey’s body was found in the man’s tent. While it was possible he’d been dead for some time, Remy believed the suspect murdered him after he was released.
Scott held that if the local FBI had done their jobs right, his brother would still be alive. He thus joined the FBI to try and ensure others didn’t feel that pain.
Speaking to Give My My Remote, McDermott talked of welcoming that intriguing backstory to establish Remy and why he does this.
“I thought it was important when we were talking about the character that there was a personal reason that he was doing what he was doing. It fuels me as an actor when I have that. And it’s proven to be true so far in doing these three episodes that I just completed…
What’s different about Remy, I think, than other procedurals is a lot of these shows, they’re just people doing things because that’s their job, and they do a good job. But with Remy, it’s very personal what he’s doing. He’s on a mission. He’s on a quest, and there’s a dynamic inside of him that he’s trying to figure out; his own psychology. So he’s on a journey, and I love playing that, to have that in my toolbox every time I go out and do a case.”
While Remy still has kept of his background quiet for now, the openness of the character is winning the team over.
Remy and being so open about his past
Showrunner David Hudgins stated the writing team wanted to avoid the cliche of giving Scott a mysterious background that’s slowly revealed over time.
“I love the way at the end of this episode he says, ‘Look. I’ll tell you about it. I don’t mind talking about it. Here’s what happened. Here’s what happened to my brother. The fact that he’s an open book about it, I thought, was also fresh.”
McDermott enjoyed the final scene of Remy opening up to the team during a night out to connect to them better.
“I love that scene. I loved working on it, and it’s great that I had time to let it marinate over a couple weeks I had worked on it. I do some of my best acting in my bathtub, and so I had done some incredible performances that nobody ever gets to see, but I really was working on it.”
McDermott added he’s enjoying playing the complexities of Scott, who can go from light wisecracks to intense interrogations at a moment’s notice.
“I think that Remy is such a great character to play because he’s complex. He’s not just one thing, you know? And that’s what’s cool about him. David and I were talking about this the other day: You think he’s one thing, and all of a sudden, he’ll do something completely different or say something, and he has a great sense of humor. In that particular scene, I think what’s wonderful about it is that at the end of it, he says, ‘Okay. That’s enough of the sad stories.’ So…even though he is an open book in many ways, he likes to keep it light and fresh. He will go deep but at the same time, you know, he can only take so much.”
McDermott finished by promising that this is only the beginning of Scott’s journey and more of the character’s unique personality will be revealed to viewers over time.
“You never want to start a character when he knows everything. I want this guy to evolve over time and to find out the secrets inside of himself that maybe he doesn’t even know. So that’s a wonderful thing to play, because if I’m playing this character for years, I want to unveil who he is. I want you to, in real-time, find out who Remy is and discover things.”
As FBI: Most Wanted continues, fans will get to know Scott more and perhaps soon accept him as an outstanding new leader.
FBI: Most Wanted Season 3 airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on CBS.