As a standalone episode, FBI: International Season 3, Episode 12, “Gift” is a very solid hour of television. It features an intriguing if slightly convoluted case of the week, and is elevated to impressive status by its top-tier guest cast. Entering into his second Dick Wolf franchise, actor Colin Donnell steals the show as hard-nosed NSA liaison Brian Lange, doing things that he normally hasn’t been able to elsewhere. But this isn’t a standalone episode — it’s dealing with the elephant in the room
As a standalone episode, FBI: International Season 3, Episode 12, “Gift” is a very solid hour of television. It features an intriguing if slightly convoluted case of the week, and is elevated to impressive status by its top-tier guest cast. Entering into his second Dick Wolf franchise, actor Colin Donnell steals the show as hard-nosed NSA liaison Brian Lange, doing things that he normally hasn’t been able to elsewhere. But this isn’t a standalone episode — it’s dealing with the elephant in the room.
FBI: International Introduces Colin Donnell in Style
Chicago Med Alum Is the Episode’s Standout Performer
Almost immediately after Fly Team second-in-command Cameron Vo asks where Forrester is, FBI: International introduces a frantic NSA agent named Grayson, who mentions “the biggest data breach the NSA has ever seen” and that the FBI’s liaison to the NSA is already being read in. This is how audiences meet Agent Brian Lange, portrayed by Colin Donnell — the former Dr. Connor Rhodes on Chicago Med. Lange is having nightmarish flashbacks to a previous assignment gone horribly wrong, but is rousted out of bed to handle the case. At first glance, Lange seems similar to Scott Forrester. Both characters have a mysteriously tragic element in their past, but both are very good at their jobs, as viewers learn when Smitty mentions she’s heard of Lange’s work.
But Donnell does an excellent job of quickly differentiating Lange from the character he’s filling in for. Audiences see quickly that Lange has nerves of steel and likes to run against the grain, as evident in his interactions with magically appearing CIA representative Martin Russo. In a perfect bit of casting, Russo is portrayed by Steven Culp, who’s going back to his roots — the actor’s breakout role was as CIA agent Clayton Webb on the long-running military drama JAG, before that show spawned the NCIS franchise. Russo feels like Webb if he’d gotten swallowed up in bureaucracy, and it’s clear that he and Lange do not like each other, enabling Culp and Donnell to play with an entertaining tension every time they’re in a scene together. They have their own small chess match going.
Brian Lange: There’s a living, breathing human being chained up in one of those compartments.
Past that, though, Lange generally avoids the trope of a TV show making a new character look super-successful so that the audience gets on their side. He’s solid at his job and is willing to help others, such as telling Vo how to handle the news that Scott has gone rogue looking for his missing mother. He doesn’t steamroll through the episode always in the front with all the answers. Donnell has the presence to portray Lange’s harder side, and even gets into one action sequence, but he’s more interesting in his interactions with other characters where he can show off the character’s strategic intelligence, vulnerability and even a little bit of wit. It’s unknown yet if Lange will actually become part of the Fly Team, but Donnell is a complete team player, and the episode is better for it.
How Does FBI: International Explain Scott Forrester’s Absence?
Luke Kleintank’s Character Is Still Part of the Story
While Luke Kleintank is completely missing from FBI: International Season 3, Episode 12, his character Scott Forrester is still very much in every room. Part of the data breach connects back to the ongoing story about Forrester’s mom Angela Cassidy; one of the files leaked reveals that Angela is being held in a foreign prison, and the Army of Shadows sends this to both the Fly Team and Scott. It’s further revealed that Martin Russo was Angela’s handler, and Lange presses him about knowing where she is. When the bad guy of the episode gets captured, he tries to bargain for his freedom by saying that he can lead the team to both Angela and Scott. This is an interesting way to weave the cast change into the case of the week, but it begs the question of why Kleintank didn’t just finish out Season 3.
Cameron Vo: If any of us went MIA, he would do everything to find us.
It makes sense that the one thing that would prompt Forrester to go MIA from the Fly Team would be his mother, so at least “Gift” is keeping him somewhat in character. However, the constant talk about Forrester and his absence makes not seeing Kleintank unintentionally glaring. The FBI franchise isn’t great with cast exits, but “Gift” constantly draws viewers’ attention back to who’s not present, and it feels like everyone speaking for Forrester instead of giving him a chance to speak for himself. A better approach to Kleintank’s exit would have been to have Scott lead this case, find out about his mother only to get stonewalled by Russo, and then decide to go off on his own with no other choice. Both paths lead to a finale of the Fly Team searching for their leader, but at least Forrester would be present and audiences would be part of his final journey.
It’s still theoretically possible that Luke Kleintank makes a guest or cameo appearance in the FBI: International Season 3 finale, but based on “Gift,” that seems very unlikely. And that’s unfortunate given that Kleintank isn’t only an original cast member, but he had been the leader of the team and the show. Even Donnell’s remarkable performance, bursting onto the scene, is somewhat shortchanged because the fans’ attention is divided between meeting Lange and wondering about Scott. This is a prolonged climax when it should have been a clear conclusion.
FBI: International Season 3 Sets up a Two-Part Finale
Season 3, Episode 12 Has an Open Ending, But How Open?
FBI: International Season 3, Episode 12 ends with the audience learning that the data breach has been contained, and Grayson sneaking the Fly Team a clue about Angela Cassidy’s location: the name of a Norwegian minister trying to free prisoners being held by Russia. The Fly Team can guess what’s happening, and turns to Lange for help getting to the truth. While “Gift” ends before Lange can give his answer, it’s obvious that he’ll be continuing with the squad in the finale. It’s a cliffhanger that really isn’t one; all that remains to be seen is what gets done with Scott Forrester.
In one way or another, the Fly Team has to get some closure on Forrester. Either they find him — which hopefully involves a cameo by Kleintank to get a proper on-screen goodbye — or he’s completely disappeared, or in a worst case scenario, the character is murdered off-screen. This is where FBI: International has to be very careful not to alienate its fan base. “Gift” on its own has a lot of neat things happening, from Lange as a character to a truck putting an unexpected end to a foot chase, and a bit of decoy work on Smitty’s behalf. Even though some of the plot can be figured out, it has lots of momentum. But it sets up a lose-lose situation for Scott Forrester and Luke Kleintank fans. Thanks to the news reports of Kleintank’s exit, they already know Scott isn’t coming back.
Donnell will bolster the show considerably, but this story isn’t about Lange. It needs to be about Forrester, and by extension, what he means to the Fly Team. Either he gets a full-on sendoff with some closure about his mom — the one thing that’s always seemed to elude him — or Scott becomes a ghost in his own plotline. “Gift” is well worth checking out for what Donnell and Culp are able to do, but true success won’t happen again until FBI: International handles Scott Forrester’s unfinished business.
