FBI Season 7, Episode 15, “Acolyte” is meant to be an emotional journey for Maggie Bell, and it does put her through the wringer again. But the CBS show winds up making viewers question Maggie in a way that they usually don’t. Missy Peregrym’s character is normally easy to root for, yet by the time this story ends, fans will debate what she’s done — even if it’s done for the best possible reason.
“Acolyte,” as the title suggests, focuses on a suspect who is copying the handiwork of Maggie’s nemesis Ray Distefano. The huge difference is that this copycat is murdering his victims. Desperate to keep more than two women from dying, Maggie makes contact with Distefano to get any insight he can provide. The episode plays with a familiar plot and familiar themes, until the final few minutes.
FBI Season 7, Episode 15 Tells a Standard Serial Killer Story
There’s Nothing New in the Case of the Week
In terms of actual investigation, there’s nothing in FBI Season 7, Episode 15 that hasn’t been seen in serial killer episodes of other popular TV crime dramas. From the creepy opening showing the killer tormenting his first victim, to the Bureau having to decipher cryptic notes from the bad guy before he can strike again, to the villain personally taunting Maggie, it’s all standard stuff for this premise. There’s some shock value in the opening scene and in the glimpses of the victims’ mutilated bodies, but that doesn’t necessarily keep the audience on the hook. It’s just uncomfortable to watch.
Audiences have seen the “hero has to revisit their first case” and/or “hero has to work with their enemy” storylines before, too. There’s nothing wrong with using those ideas again, because they can be successful when done very well. Yet the FBI doesn’t dig enough into the emotional effect that all of this has on Maggie for it to really take hold of viewers. The connection between the current cases and DiStefano isn’t introduced right away, and it almost feels secondary to the script moving through the investigative process. If the writers are going to throw that personal angle in, it’s worth devoting space to let it breathe, similar to what the show did for Stuart Scola in Season 7, Episode 13, “Unearth.”
Maggie Bell: I’m going to make sure there’s nobody else to bury.
Maggie gets a few prison conversations with Distefano and a brawl with the titular acolyte, Daryl Lee Ricklan, but that isn’t even a growth moment for her. Ricklan is able to get the upper hand and Scola has to save Maggie’s life by shooting him. It would have made more sense, thematically, for Maggie to get that proverbial victory. The biggest development for Maggie is in her romantic life, and while that’s nice, it feels like a relatively low-stakes win compared to the high stakes of the rest of the episode.
FBI Makes Better Use of the Entire Investigative Team
The Analysts Get More Play Than Usual in Episode 15
“Acolyte” is not without its strengths, including one that any TV procedural could learn from. This episode makes particularly good use of the recurring characters who do all the research work back in the FBI office. Elise, Ian and Kelly all make significant contributions to the case, and the show cuts back often enough to remind viewers that they matter. So many times, these types of supporting characters are either used as walking sources of information for the “real heroes” out in the field, or as cannon fodder to be put in harm’s way when a show wants to raise its stakes a little bit. Not to say that the FBI has never done those things, but it’s nice that this episode deviates from the norm and makes this investigation feel like a team effort.
This is also another opportunity to see Maggie and Scola cooperate up. Maggie’s usual partner OA Zidan is missing in action from this episode, which is understood given the events of FBI Season 7, Episode 14, “Hitched.” After coming within a few feet of death and his girlfriend being shot, OA deserves a break. At the same time, it’s hard not to wonder how OA would have reacted to these events, and the scenes he could have had supporting Maggie. Scola is a more than capable partner for her, yet OA and Maggie have always been each other’s support system. Plus, would he have been on board with her plan to withhold vital information from Ray?
FBI Season 7, Episode 15 Has a Controversial Ending
Ray Distefano Has a Right to Be Furious With Maggie
The fourth act of FBI Season 7, Episode 15 is where the episode gets dicey, and fans might not have the reaction the show wants them to have. The one thing Ray Distefano wants is a furlough from prison to see his dying father, but during the course of the episode, his father passes away. Maggie, in desperate need of Distefano’s help to save a third victim, decides to lie by omission to secure his cooperation. She agrees to help him get his furlough, but doesn’t tell him that his father has died until after the case has closed. A heartbroken Distefano asks when his dad died, and Maggie’s silence makes it clear that she was stringing him along. One of the final moments is Ray repeatedly and loudly threatening Maggie’s life.
This is supposed to be a shocking scene, making viewers possibly worry about Maggie’s safety. But that’s not the reaction it provokes, because Distefano has every right to be angry with Maggie for letting him think he had a chance to see his dad. Viewers don’t have to like him as a character to understand how painful that is. It’s also a bit of a step back, because Distefano is actually more interesting in the second half of the episode, when he seems to be more human. Sending him into a flying rage just brings him back to being a stock bad guy.
It doesn’t help how flat Maggie is in the final few scenes. Her “sorry for your loss” to Distefano feels completely apathetic; she may hate him, but she can still have some ounces of compassion. This is followed by her calling her new love interest, 911 operator Joel Lowry, who was introduced in Season 7, Episode 12, “Manhunt.” It’s no surprise at all that the FBI has paired them up romantically — despite skipping over the whole beginning of their relationship — but it’s an odd note to end on. Maggie telling Joel to come over and smile is tonally disjointed with her just hearing repeated death threats and having gone through a case that dredged up old memories and almost got her killed.
It’s like she’s not bothered very much at all. But that closing scene strengthens how FBI Season 7, Episode 15 really isn’t about Maggie; it’s just about closing the case and moving on to the next. That lack of true character exploration or development is what makes the episode such a missed opportunity.
