Can no one in that New York FBI field office catch a break at long-term romance?
It was OA’s turn to be disappointed by love on FBI Season 6 Episode 3.
It shouldn’t be said that no one has had a lasting relationship. Scola and Nina are still a couple and have a child together.
However, they aren’t working together as she’s headed off to the greener pastures at FBI: Most Wanted. (A starring role trumps recurring every time.)
But Maggie, OA, Jubal, and Isobel have all had lengthy relationships fall apart. Might working for the Bureau have something to do with that?
After we’re introduced to Gemma first thing, it was obvious that something terrible would happen to wipe that goofy grin off OA’s face.
On paper, the plucky kid from Queens and the wealthy socialite from Manhattan hardly seemed like an ideal match.
But, OK, it’s been a while for OA since his relationship with Mona, a match made in courtroom hell, ended on FBI Season 4 Episode 5.
This new coupling appears will wash out a whole lot sooner if this first episode together is any indication.
OA’s initial Gemma gush to Maggie thankfully got cut short when they caught a case, another of those odd “it-happened-on-federal-land-so-it’s-yours” types.
This has got to be one of the few series where the local cops are happy to turn cases over to the feds. On most cop shows, they complain about the feds stealing their investigations.
Thankfully, the good Samaritan didn’t get shot this week like one did on FBI Season 6 Episode 2. The newsstand operator was pretty spry for an old guy and avoided getting hit.
It was an interesting twist that it was Ukrainians and not Russians running the extortion ring this time.
What didn’t make financial sense was Luka having both partners in the two bars killed. Isn’t the running logic that a dead man can’t pay?
It did take remarkably little time for Jubal and Isobel to find the right agent at the Bureau with the necessary contact to locate Luka, based on a pretty vague description from the snitch.
All of which led to everyone being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
First off, while Tiffany, OA, and even Maggie fit in well at the hip club, Scola, in his Members Only jacket, comes off as that creepy older guy that no one wants to run into while clubbing. Back to the truck, Stuart.
But where his hot younger partner goes, Scola must follow as backup, I suppose. (Hey, when does Tiff get her romance?)
It was clear there was a problem when OA saw the vacuous Cate without exactly remembering who she was. It must have been the scent of inherited wealth.
Then Gemma and some of her fancy-free and frivolous friends also showed up at the club. Rather than letting Gemma know he was working there, he and Maggie fled to the truck instead.
Fortunately, Tiffany didn’t need them, putting Cate on the hook all by herself. Cate wasn’t going to last long as a drug dealer, not being able to tell danger when it was looking her in the face.
With Cate in interrogation, it quickly became evident that she hadn’t done much thinking or listening when she was with Luka.
She believed that Luka was just a businessman, even after Maggie and OA showed her the murder victims and explained to her how extortion worked.
It wasn’t surprising that Cate, whose only skill seemed to consist of doing whatever she had to maintain the lifestyle to which she was accustomed, struggled to plant a stick-on bug.
Fortunately, she knew how to distract Luka when caught, with babbling and sex. She got the bug planted for a few hours anyway until everything fell apart.
OA was correct in being concerned about Cate, as she showed occasional savvy before slipping completely into panic. She knew how to lie convincingly but couldn’t when it counted.
Maggie did a disservice to OA, lecturing him about doing anything that would compromise himself as an FBI agent. OA was still assessing the pitfalls of being with Gemma.
Luckily, Tiff could spin a good yarn, even building on the weak tales that Cate was offering to Luka. Also, she knew enough to get out when they had the evidence they needed, and Luka started to get suspicious.
Cate’s death was on Cate and nobody else. Cate would have lived if she’d kept going as Tiffany ordered her to. Instead, she came running back to Luka, right into the firing line.
Sure, everyone, especially OA and Tiffany, will blame themselves. But they did the best they could for a shaky informant.
Cate’s death was preordained, a lesson to decide for yourself if your partner is bringing in enough capital through his legitimate businesses to pay for his and your lavish lifestyles.
If you’re suspicious, get off the ride before it goes off the tracks.
As for Gemma and OA, it was surprising that they were still together at the episode’s conclusion. Especially after he was about to lecture her about her lifestyle. And wait until she discovers he’s a workaholic.
What did you think of Gemma?
How many episodes do you give that relationship?
Were you at all surprised Cate didn’t survive?
Comment below.
Edit Delete
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
