NBC is welcoming back a veteran of the network this week on Found. Hisham Tawfiq, who spent ten seasons as Dembe Zuma, the trusted bodyguard of James Spader’s Red, turned FBI special agent on The Blacklist, has returned to his old stomping grounds as a father desperately seeking his missing daughter with help from Gabi Mosely (Shanola Hampton) in the upcoming Season 2 episode “Missing While Matched.” Ahead of the premiere tonight, Collider can share an exclusive sneak peek of his character being interviewed by Gabi and Margaret (Kelli Williams) about the case and their suspicions regarding his history of violence. Frustrated that he’s seen as just another suspect, he pleads with the pair to show that they need to look elsewhere to find their perpetrator.
Initially, the footage makes Tawfiq’s character seem overprotective as he insists he knows best when it comes to what the “young people” do with their lives. He’s come to the offices of Mosely & Associates after his daughter, Zuri, went missing on a date, and he’s curious whether they believe the person she was with was responsible for taking her. Instead, Gabi and Margaret quickly turn the tables on him and question him about his overbearing tendencies and violent record. However, during his passionate reaction in which he explains his one incident involved punching an officer who wouldn’t stop harassing a young waitress, he proves to them that he really is just a concerned father who has been the judge on far too many stomach-turning sexual assault cases to count and would rather be demoted than watch another occur.
The father will be key for Gabi and Margaret in solving their latest case, as he also had information about the burner phone Zuri used the night she was taken. It was meant for her to use in emergency cases after she moved out, though it surprised him that she even kept it. Highlighting the pain their strained relationship causes him, the sneak peek places Tawfiq at the emotional center of Episode 14, putting the pressure on M&A to bring Zuri home so the two still have a chance to work things out. While Gabi and Margaret investigate, Lacey (Gabrielle Walsh) is considering entering a new relationship, and Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), who’s still behind bars and reeling from last week’s stunning death, resorts to drastic measures to turn Gabi’s eyes back toward him.
‘Found’ Season 2 Is Closer Than Ever to Solving Jamie’s Disappearance
Adding to what already sounds like a packed episode, Gabi and Margaret will also be honing in on suspects in the kidnapping of the latter’s long-lost son, Jamie. The cold case that has been present since the series began has been reignited in recent weeks following the sudden appearance of a young man claiming to be Jamie (Parker Queenan). Dhan (Karan Oberoi) is still searching for definitive proof confirming his identity, but the revelations since then have forced Margaret to reckon with how much she knows about her family and those around her. During an interview with Collider’s Christina Radish in January, series showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll emphasized how the remaining episodes of Season 2 will be heavily dedicated to exploring the mystery, the mother and son’s complicated history, and what happens next now that they’re potentially reunited:
“You’re supposed to have questions. Jamie has been such a focal point for not just Margaret, but for all of M&A. It’s the ultimate cold case for them because, even though they didn’t know Jamie personally because they weren’t around, they love Margaret and it has been a permanent hole in her heart. I’m so excited for this chapter of the show to begin and for the audience to actually really start to dig into Margaret’s past and her relationship with Jamie, and for us to finally get into his case of what really happened that day and the fallout of his return. And I cannot say enough good things about Parker, the actor who plays Jamie. He is so talented and truly has been a joy. We’re so lucky with our guest cast this season. Our recurring guest cast has been incredible. This is my dream come true.”
