Working a case is hard when you can’t trust your partner.
This week’s episode of FBI, Know Thyself, had the team put to the test as the hunt for a serial killer was marred by a conflict between Scola and Wallace, with the latter being too close to a suspect.
A unique killer strikes
The episode opened with a young man Rob (Darius Wright), getting into a van for a hookup with another man only to be brutally stabbed.
Scola picked up Wallace from a memorial service for her father at a local church, with Wallace brushing off how “talking about our personal lives isn’t our thing.”
That seemed to surprise Scola, who thought they were more friends than co-workers.
The two were called right to the woods, where Rob’s body was found buried in a shallow grave. That led to four more graves being uncovered in the same field.
Jubal briefed the team on how all the victims were young black males who were also homeless, and none were reported missing by family. With the first kill being two weeks earlier, the team knew they had to work before he struck again.
A van used to move the bodies was discovered with a lot of blood inside. A food vendor owner claimed a man had dropped off the van, then entered a warehouse. Wallace wanted to wait for backup, but Scola insisted they go in alone.
A man attacked them with a shovel and then took off running before they arrested him. It turned out he was just a homeless man looking for something inside to sell.
The team discussed how the killer was driven by rage and perhaps uncertain of his own sexuality. A shovel was found as a clue, along with a video of the victim at a club. Bouncer Greg Robinson (Chaundre Hall-Broomfield) claimed not to remember Rob or anyone else either.
Wallace reaches out to family
Wallace decided to talk to her cousin Terrence (James Roch), a local pastor. It was clear there was tension as Terrence thought he could have saved these young men from addiction and sin with Wallace replying, “you can’t save everyone.” Terrence related that a man named Isaac would extort homeless people and threaten them with a knife.
Maggie and OA found Isaac (Patrick Byas) by his home, and he immediately took off running. The pair chased him to a restroom where Isaac attacked OA with the knife, but Maggie raced in to help knock Isaac out. (Last week, OA suffered similar issues to Wallace when a case became personal.)
Isaac denied having anything to do with the murders as he was a “businessman.” However, he stated that a local named “Crabtree” had claimed to have been almost grabbed by someone. Jubal interrupted to confirm Isaac had an alibi, so they decided to call on Crabtree.
Wallace went to see Terrence with Scola, who was struck by all the photos of the locals that Terrence seemed nervous about him knowing. They tracked down Crabtree (Marcus Gladney Jr.) on a street corner as he said whoever came up to him was in a blue van but didn’t see more than him being black. However, he did say that the van was just like the one used by a local church.
Police cars raced by and Scola and Wallace followed to an alley where another black man had had his throat slit.
It gets personal for Wallace
Scola went to OA and Maggie to reveal video footage of Terrence at the gay club, which, combined with the blue van and all those surveillance photos, looked very suspicious. He was unsure of bringing this up with Wallace, and as expected, she refused to believe Terrence was involved.
Jubal relayed that Terrence’s phone was shut off every night, which just made him look worse. Wallace was upset at Isobel ordering Terrence brought in and that Wallace would have to recuse herself from the case. She threw a snappy remark at Scola for no heads-up.
Terrence refused to admit he’d been at the club, even when shown video footage of himself there. Isobel wondered if he was ashamed of admitting he was gay.
Wallace was confronted by her uncle Gary (Jerome Harmann-Hardeman), Terrence’s father, who was less upset at Terrence being suspected of murder than people thinking he was “a freak.” He also blamed Wallace and her job for “ruining” him.
Against orders, Wallace talked to Terrence with the cameras off. He finally confessed he was at the club with Tiffany, saying there was nothing to be ashamed of, yet Terrence was afraid of anyone at the church finding out.
Solving the case but confronting harsh truths
Going over surveillance video, Wallace realized a figure holding the shovel was Greg Robinson, the bouncer. Isobel told her to hold back, but Wallace instead headed out.
The team tracked Robinson’s cell phone to a nearby alley where they found another black youth stabbed but alive. Robinson got the drop on Scola, but Wallace showed up in time to shoot him dead. Tragically, the latest victim died before an ambulance could arrive.
Isobel was ticked at Wallace going against orders but cut her slack for saving Scola’s life. Sadly, she couldn’t help Terrence as the last victim might be alive if he’d been honest, and there had to be consequences. Wallace tearfully had to handcuff her cousin for lying to federal agents.
Scola attempted to apologize to Wallace, who blamed him for keeping this quiet before she could help Terrence. She stated that “the problem with this partnership is that we don’t talk” and was tired of him “projecting this idiotic image of toughness.” Scola had to agree that it was time the two talked more like friends than partners.
So ended a rough case that showed some sad cracks in the partnership of Wallace and Scola, with Tiffany also confronting some harsh family matters.
FBI Season 4 returns with new episodes Tuesday, November 2 at 8/7c on CBS.