FBI International Season 4, Episode 18 Lets Tyler Booth Steal the Entire Show

FBI: International Season 4, Episode 18, “Lone Wolf” is the Tyler Booth show. Jay Hayden’s character makes a pretty convincing argument for a permanent spot on the CBS drama, if it hadn’t already been cancelled. But Tyler is unquestionably the main protagonist in this story and Hayden gives his best performance in the role — which has the side effect of making almost all of the series regulars feel like they’re the guest stars.

“Lone Wolf” is a misnomer, because the Georgian trainee who shoots an American soldier in the back is not operating alone. Instead, he’s part of an anti-American group who storm their way into the local U.S. embassy, and Tyler is at ground zero when this happens. The spinoff gives him room to spread his wings, while also dropping hints toward a fifth season that isn’t going to happen. It’s a surprisingly strong episode with a few missed opportunities.

FBI: International Season 4, Episode 18 Is Tyler Booth’s Showcase

Jay Hayden Feels Like a Series Regular in the Making

FBI: International Season 4, Episode 18 feels like it’s either setting Tyler Booth up to join the Fly Team permanently, or campaigning for Jay Hayden to lead another spinoff. That’s the simplest explanation for why Tyler gets to be the center of the narrative after making his surprise return in Episode 17. Any of the main characters could also have filled his role in the story; the plot isn’t specific to Tyler. That suggests that the writers are giving Tyler extra screen time and depth for a reason — and it works, because Hayden gets to do more with the character than he ever has before, despite spending part of the episode stuck in a safe room.

“Lone Wolf” sees Tyler trying to help his friend and colleague Wes Mitchell both professionally and personally. The latter part doesn’t go well, as Tyler’s advice to Wes falls on deaf ears. But the former means that he gets to be with Wes when an American community center is blown up by the bad guys, in the episode’s biggest setpiece. He’s also then involved in a firefight within the halls of the embassy before corralling everyone into the safe room and having to keep them under control. Hayden gets action moments, dramatic moments and even a much-appreciated beat of vulnerability within 42 minutes.

The emotional component in “Lone Wolf” comes from a genuinely unexpected place: during the shootout, Tyler is unable to get Natia Gloveli into the safe room. Despite his best efforts, Natia is paralyzed by fear and doesn’t move fast enough — so to protect everyone else, Tyler is forced to close the door with her still outside, potentially giving her a death sentence. It’s a plot twist that is not in the genre’s typical bag of tricks and is also painfully relatable. Luckily, Smitty Garretson is able to save Natia later on. But FBI: International includes a very poignant and mature scene in which Tyler apologizes to Natia for leaving her behind, and she understands his choice. Any other TV crime drama would not have bothered to include this, or had Natia get angry with Tyler just for dramatic effect. Yet this episode recognizes what that choice means for both characters emotionally, and that allows fans to see Tyler as more than Wes’s cocky friend.

FBI: International Drops a Big Tease About the Fly Team’s Future

Was This Foreshadowing for Season 5?

Putting so much emphasis on Tyler isn’t the only reason that “Lone Wolf” feels like it was written with an eye toward next season. Making him a full-fledged team member would be even more reasonable if someone else were to leave. That becomes a possibility right off the bat, when the episode mentions that a promotion is available in another unit, and Wes wants both Cameron Vo and Andre Raines to apply. This is the kind of storyline that makes sense if the creative team thinks they’re getting another season. Unfortunately, because of the cancellation news, viewers are aware that it doesn’t matter if either Raines or Cameron get promoted — since audiences won’t see it anyway.

Of course, the promotion isn’t a done deal; it could go to either one or neither of them. The same thing is true with Booth; the writers might or might not keep using him in the remaining few episodes. But getting viewers to invest further in a recurring character is normally a sign that the character is sticking around. And having another character move up in their career works on multiple levels. It gets the audience anxious and excited for that person’s future and it potentially creates space for that recurring character to step into.

Compare that to Smitty’s spontaneous idea of quitting in FBI: International Season 4, Episode 10. That didn’t make sense because it came out of left field. This promotion debate opens up storylines for the future, and it also offers a shot at further character development. As Cameron and Raines mention while discussing the topic at a bar, feeling like they belong in the Fly Team can also mean feeling too comfortable. When the idea of “found family” is so common and beloved on other procedurals, it’s nice to see this one acknowledge that it also has its drawbacks. Yet with the series rapidly coming to an end, this creative gamble can’t possibly pay off.