Are Maggie & OA Okay? I’m Starting To Get Worried About FBI’s Best Partnership

The latest developments for Maggie (Missy Peregrym) and OA (Zeeko Zaki) in FBI have me concerned about this fan-favorite couple. These two have been the central partnership since the procedural began, though it has not yet crossed over to romance. During the first half of FBI season 7, Maggie and OA lean on each other for emotional support. Maggie decides not to continue to raise her late friend’s daughter and needs OA’s comfort, and later OA confides in her about his experience as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, OA and Maggie’s relationship in FBI has become more rocky. When a perp with a gun opens fire at an immigrant shelter that houses many refugees from majority-Muslim countries, OA takes it personally. He knew one of the victims — and more importantly, he views this as an attack on his community. However, Maggie is uncomfortable with OA’s behavior after he loses his temper with a suspect. Maggie chooses to work with Scola (John Boyd) rather than OA for the remainder of the episode. This decision demonstrates that there is now a serious rift between Maggie and OA.

Maggie’s Absence In FBI Season 7, Episode 13 Explained

I’m frustrated that the cast rotation policy in FBI seems to be interfering the development of OA and Maggie’s relationship. Maggie is missing during FBI season 7, episode 13, explained so quickly that it is easy to miss. While shooting hoops with Scola, OA casually mentions that Maggie “is getting some R&R.” This is a shorthand way of explaining she’s on vacation. However, this quick explanation for Maggie’s absence comes during an FBI scene that doesn’t command full attention and is vague enough to be unmemorable.

Maggie’s absence is likely for the same reason that OA was absent in FBI season 7, episode 12. Many long-running procedurals re using cast rotation to help keep costs down. This is a policy in which key characters are rotated out of certain episodes while other characters temporarily take their place. This also explains why Jubal (Jeremy Sisto) was suspended for a couple of episodes yet faced no further consequences when he returned. While there was widespread speculation that Sisto was leaving FBI, his quick return suggests that his absence was due to the new practice.

Why I’m Worried That Maggie & OA Are Not On Good Terms

There Has Been No Opportunity For Them To Reconcile Since Their Rift

These cast rotations would be less concerning if OA and Maggie had resolved their conflict before each of them took an episode off. Instead, the last time the two shared scenes, Maggie was critical of the way OA had handled the suspect that he roughed up. Afterward, Maggie decides to work with Scola and OA gets a lecture from Isobel (Alana de la Graza) about not allowing his personal feelings to dictate his professional choices.

This rift has been exacerbated by the fact that OA is missing in the next episode, followed by Maggie apparently taking vacation time in “Unearth.” OA’s sharing the news that Maggie is on vacation means the two are at least on speaking terms. However, there is no guarantee that they’ve repaired their relationship beyond that first step. I’m especially concerned that the time apart could mean that they’re holding in anger toward one another, which might result in an intense and ugly argument the next time they see each other.

Maggie & OA’s Separation In FBI Is About To Get Longer

Frustratingly, FBI is now taking a hiatus before episode 14 airs. CBS is airing an episode of The Price Is Right At Night in its spot on March 4 because of coverage of a planned address to Congress by Donald Trump that will pre-empt the other shows in the franchise. Thus, no new episode airs until March 11. This new episode will be the first one to feature both Maggie and OA since the rift, but the scheduling issue makes it so that this won’t happen until almost a month after the conflict began.

Hopefully, FBI season 7, episode 14 will address OA and Maggie’s issues head-on so that their story can move forward. Maggie was last seen going out for coffee with a 911 dispatcher while OA has a girlfriend, so there are several obstacles for the pair to overcome before they can be together. It will be even worse if the procedural ignores the previous conflict and has OA and Maggie working together as if nothing happened. The pair needs to address this to have a realistic shot at a relationship in the future.

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