[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for FBI Season 7 Episode 9 “Descent.”]
It simply took a case that hit very near house for Scola (John Boyd) to open a letter that had been sitting on his desk for months on FBI.
Within the midseason premiere, the staff raced the clock to persuade terrorists to both let planes they’d taken management of land or discover a technique to cease them — earlier than fighter jets can be pressured to shoot them down as they neared high-value targets (together with a nuclear station). They had been in a position to regain management simply in time. Then, Scola went house to Nina (FBI: Most Needed‘s Shantel VanSanten) and had her open and browse the letter that had been on his desk, which confirmed that the stays of his brother, a 9/11 sufferer, had been recognized.
Beneath, Boyd takes us inside filming that heartbreaking scene and teases what’s forward for him — on his present and Most Needed.
Discuss filming that Scola and Nina scene on the finish.
John Boyd: We acquired to shoot that scene with Carlos Bernard, who directed, and Carlos is an actor, and naturally, we’re like, “We gotta speak concerning the scene. Let’s speak concerning the scene earlier than anything. We gotta speak about…” He’s calling, we’re having conferences on the cellphone, and we don’t wish to speak about it an excessive amount of as a result of it’s that sort of scene the place you’re serious about all of it week. You’re serious about all of it week, all night time, and right here it comes and we’re right here. And oh goodness. It’s a fantastic scene that they wrote. After I heard about this letter and the story and Scola discovering out about his brother’s stays, I instantly thought, oh, I hope that they resolve to have Nina learn the letter, which they did. And that actually made the scene a lot extra highly effective as a result of I’ve to ask her to open it and ask her to learn it.
However I beloved filming it as a result of at this level within the present, we belief sufficient to know that we’re going to search out it. There’s going to be issues that seem, that present up once we go to shoot the scene. Shantel and I’ve a shorthand of working collectively. We all know and we present up and it’s there. And what it was was this cathartic grief and pleasure on the similar time. It’s like that factor the place whenever you’ve misplaced somebody and there’s one thing you carry, after which one thing occurs in your day the place you’re feeling their presence so clearly. Some individuals can be like, oh, it’s a go to from my grandmother, or it was this, that letter, this factor exhibits up. And it’s like his brother going, “I’ve been in right here the entire time. You’ve waited this lengthy and also you had been scared to know, however I’m proper right here.” And may you think about — I imply, what an honor to get to inform a narrative about that sort of grief, about People ready for a bit of clothes, a scrap of one thing for the people who they beloved, and what it will imply to search out that out 20 years later or that there’s been a match. What a fantastic factor to get to play. So we actually had been attempting to honor that and actually really feel the presence of a beloved one.
Bennett Raglin / CBS
Would he nonetheless have made the choice to open that envelope when he did if not for the case that introduced all this again? It was sitting on his desk for months.
I like that they wrote a case the place I’m not able to do it till I’ve completed the case. Scola is a unique man by the tip than he’s firstly. The case makes him prepared, and he is able to do it and discover out. And yeah, I imply, if he’s not opening it after this, he’s not opening it ever. So yeah, it was cool. I preferred it.
So that you do assume that it introduced him the closure that’s talked about within the letter? Are we going to see just a little little bit of a unique Scola going ahead now?
Yeah, I imply, I feel that possibly there’s part of him that’s just a little lighter. I feel how he pertains to that tragedy, we don’t know, is there a unique sort of grief? Are there tougher choices to make? Is there a brand new sort of grieving that he has to do? However in the long run, is he in a position to carry the reminiscence of his brother with just a little bit lighter coronary heart?
What else is arising for Scola after this?
We’re doing a very attention-grabbing episode proper now a few case that takes place at Scola’s outdated highschool. We discover out that his dad and mom despatched him to a navy faculty upstate as a result of they needed to punish him, however there’s some actually darkish issues uncovered concerning the faculty and Scola navigating it. It’s an OA [Zeeko Zaki] and Scola partnership episode, and it’s actually about friendship and it’s cool. I’m excited for individuals to see it.
Will we study something about Scola’s previous?
Completely. Yeah, we do. We discover out some attention-grabbing particulars about his journey into maturity.
Are we going to see you on Most Needed quickly?
Yeah, I feel rumor has it, I’m popping over there for just a little Nina storytelling. I feel there’s some household dynamics taking place for her, and I feel the storyline together with her sister, Scola might be current for a few of that and serving to her alongside the best way.
That episode together with her father and her sister — how was that for you?
It was cool. I simply wished I acquired to be on the restaurant, too. I used to be like, “That was such an excellent scene. Possibly I may simply sit there and never say something? I’ll simply hear.” It was a very highly effective scene.
Is there something you’re hoping to discover with Scola this season or sooner or later? Since you did get that main renewal. You’re going via Season 9 at the very least.
Effectively, the present goes via Season 9. Yeah, fingers crossed, if I get to maintain doing this, I’d like to. The sky’s the restrict. I feel it’s actually attention-grabbing to just do what’s in entrance of you one by one and see how the viewers responds to it and the way individuals react and go from there.
FBI, Tuesdays, 8/7c, CBS