FBI: International – The Kill List – Review

When we last left the Fly Team, they had just returned from a difficult case and Jamie and Scott had rekindled their romantic flame, both claiming it would be for one night only. We shall see if that is the case, as we see the team pursue a new case.

The episode opens in Budapest, with a man and a woman walking together on the Liberty Bridge. The man states he did not drink that much and starts to question if someone put something in his drink when they were at the bar talking. She tells him she will help him get back to his hotel and into bed but he says no, and that something is not right and he has to call his boss. She takes his phone and says she will take care of it, and in just a few more steps, they can stop and look at the view. He insists that he needs to tell his boss something is wrong, and says that he works for the Attorney General of the United States. The woman says, “I’ll give her the message” and tosses him over the bridge, into the water.

We then move to the office, and Vo is trying to make coffee and burns herself. Jamie comes in to help her, as Cameron tells her she hates the coffee machine. Jamie jokes with Cameron that she can see why she dated that barista a while back, and Cameron says it was that among other reasons. Kellett asks what happened with him and Vo tells her she has not seen him or anyone else in months, and that with the demands of their job, she felt like it was a good idea to avoid romantic entanglements all together. Vo tells her she admires how Kellett and Forrester called things off and are keeping clear boundaries and doing the job, but then calls Kellett out on her reaction and asks if they are still involved. Kellett tells her they are not exactly still seeing each other, but it is not as simple as they had planned. This was such a fun scene, and it is wonderful to see Jamie and Cameron bonding as female agents and lamenting the difficulty of relationships when working for the FBI.

Raines comes into the kitchen and tells them that a body has just turned up in the river and Forrester is waiting to brief the team. He also lets them know his little sister has come into town so he may need to duck out at some point.

Forrester tells them that the victim is Kenneth Gregory, an American and the senior administrative aide to the Attorney General (AG), Rebecca Blair. Katrin tells them that Blair has been travelling across Europe as part of a public relations tour, promoting co-operation with America’s allies. Gregory was part of a small team sent to scout ahead of each visit. Raines is concerned that if the FBI’s job is to protect the AG, why the security detail did not give them a heads up she was in their backyard, and Katrin says this stop was apparently a last minute addition to the itinerary. Scott says that while the death could be an accident or suicide, but until they can rule out foul play they have to assume the worst, and they will have extra eyes on them because he was the staff of a cabinet member.

Jamie asks what they know so far, and Katrin tells them a riverboat crew around 6:30am discovered his body, and there were no obvious wounds and the apparent cause of death is drowning. Vo asks about toxicology and Katrin says she will see what she can find out. Raines asks about witnesses, and Katrin says that so far they have not found any so they have their work cut out for them. Scott tells them that a special agent from the security detail is on his way and they will have to work with him to assess the threat and determine if it is safe for the AG to travel into Budapest. He tells them they have to review Blair’s protection protocols and HQ has asked him to do it from scratch, which means he will be at his desk for a few days and that means Kellett will be the lead in the investigation. Jamie comments on how now that they have a case where all their jobs could be on the line, now she is given the chance to be in charge, and Scott replies that she should look at it as an opportunity to impress the head of the justice department.

Special Agent Kyle Harmon arrives and introduces himself to the team. Kellett and Vo speak with him about the advanced team, and ask him about the team’s duties and when he last saw Mr. Gregory. He says it was 2 nights ago in Berlin. They had gone out drinking and Gregory told him he was leaving early for Budapest, and that he did not have to go with him. Harmon said he was okay with it because they had “tied one on” in Berlin and he was hungover. Vo asks if that is how they typically spent their evenings, and Harmon says he would not say typically but he has been known to have a few beers after hours. Vo asks if they were drunk and trying to meet women, and Kellett says they are just trying to figure out who Ken Gregory could have been with. Harmon says they both took their jobs very seriously and would never do anything to put the AG in harm’s way. Kellett asks about his mental state, and Harmon says he does not think he would have taken his own life. Harmon says he is trying to figure out what happened just like them and he does not appreciate being treated like a suspect, and Vo replies that his unprofessionalism put a man’s life at risk. Harmon replies he was not even there, but maybe if he was, Gregory would still be alive, so he wants her to drop the “holier than thou attitude”. Kellett tells them to stop and that they all need to work together. Harmon tells them that the AG office received a call last night from Kenny’s phone, but his phone was not recovered with the body. Kellett asks what was on the phone, and Harmon says he cannot rule out that a copy of the AG security plan was on it. Vo clarifies that the plan to keep the AG safe could be in the hands of someone who wants to do her harm, and Harmon states or the phone could just be at the bottom of the river.

Raines and Jaeger are on the bridge and Raines says the 3-second call from the phone pinged off a tower right there, and that that spot was on the way to Gregory’s hotel. He tells Katrin he would put money on Gregory having gone in the water off the bridge. Katrin asks if there are any cameras in the area but Raines tells her there is only one and it has been down for weeks, and the traffic camera’s view is blocked by the bridge supports. Raines says it is a long shot, but maybe a passing car caught them on a dash cam, but Katrin points out that the boat traffic underneath is a better bet. Raines is able to get footage from a barge that was passing under the bridge at 2:30am, which shows Gregory going into the water and someone else on the bridge. They are able to use the image to track the woman on traffic cameras, and Katrin says she can confirm now it is a homicide.

Kellett says they need to identify the woman before the AG arrives, and Harmon says that will be tough as she is already arriving. Jamie meets them at the airport and tells them that they need to get back on the plane, as they cannot guarantee her safety in Budapest at this time. AG Rebecca Blair replies that she got her message and considered the risks, but going home was not an option, and asks if Kellett’s team will be protecting her or should she find someone else, and Jamie says yes. She gets in the van with the AG and the rest of the security team, and they head to the US Embassy.

As Jamie rides with Blair and her team, her aide reviews her agenda and advise that the US Ambassador and the Hungarian prosecutor are at the Embassy and will wait for her to start the next session. Blair then says she understands Jamie has some questions, and Kellett asks her if she knows the woman they identified as being with Gregory. She says she does not recognize her but she comes across one hundred new faces a day and asks who she is and Jamie says the photo is all they have so far. Jamie asks if she can think of anyone who might wish her harm, and Blair says being a woman of color and America’s chief law enforcement officer that yes, the list is pretty long. Kellett asks about the nature of her trip and Blair tells her that her predecessor spent a lot of time rubbing people the wrong way and so she is trying to show the world they are back on the same page. Jamie says that she is sorry to seem presumptuous but she is having a hard time reconciling the possible danger with what seems to be a photo op, and Blair states that making sure their allies are dedicated is more important than her personal safety. She says what does keep her up at night though is the danger to her staff, and how difficult it was to contact Ken Gregory’s family and that she would love to contact them to tell them his killer has been brought to justice, and asks that the FBI focuses on that.

When they arrive at the embassy, Jamie goes to speak with Katrin, who tells her the Hungarian delegation has already been meeting with the US Ambassador for several hours, and they are not sure what it means because they are not letting anyone else in the room including security. Jamie says there is no media present to take pictures either and something is not adding up.

We then see Raines meeting up with his younger sister and her two friends, Ethan and Grace. Ethan appears to be her boyfriend much to Andre’s dismay. He apologizes for not being able to spend a lot of time with her and gives her some recommendations of places to go and restaurants where to eat. He says he is hoping to join up in a day or two, and tells her to call if she needs anything.

Unit Chief Grimes and the rest of the detail arrive at the office. He tells Forrester that his team will be followed by a full security detail and he needs a place to monitor the whole thing. Scott shows them where they can set up. Forrester asks him why the AG’s travel schedule was moved up given the threat in the environment, and he asks Scott when the security detail has ever been allowed to dictate policy decisions. He tells Scott that his job is to be the primary and Scott says that perhaps he could ask the AG what was so important that she would override the FBI’s security concerns. Grimes says he does not ask questions, but Forrester says that is not really an option during an investigation.

Vo and Harmon are trying to identify the mystery woman and they did not get any hits from the FBI database. Because Harmon said Gregory did not know anyone in the city, perhaps this was a wild chance encounter, and Harmon jokes that another option is a strange mugger who kills you but does not take your wallet. Vo says perhaps she was following him, waiting for her chance to make her move. Harmon suggests maybe someone at the hotel saw her hanging around and they go to check it out.

We then pan to Katrin who is at the Office of the Prosecutor General of Hungary. She asks her contact what is really on the agenda of the Prosecutor General at the American Embassy, and he tells her it is complicated. She remind him she has taken many risks for him on cases before and he says he knows that, but if he says too much, he could be fired. He tells her all he can say is that there is an American citizen in their custody that the US it trying to extradite. They believe he has stolen political secrets that were used by the Taliban, and the AG is there to ensure the extradition goes through. The man has applied for asylum and citizenship In Hungary, as he has extended family living there and he fears he may face capital punishment if returned to the US. Katrin says she needs to know who the prisoner is and needs to speak with him as it could be relevant to the homicide investigation, and her contact says that she needs to take that up with the Americans, as they are the ones who insisted everything be kept secret. He says unless she can show a definitive connection between the case and the prisoner, there is nothing more he can do.

Vo and Harmon speak to a waiter who says he works at the hotel every night. They identify themselves as FBI, ask about a woman that they think may be in trouble, and show him the picture of their suspect. He remembers her being there but was unsure if she was alone or with anyone, and says he can get them a list of transactions if that helps. While he is getting the information, Vo says to Harmon that she guesses this is where the magic happens for him, getting to travel from city to city with a new mistress in every town. He says whatever magic happened there, he missed it since he has not even checked in yet, and for the record, Kenny is the one who is married, not him. Vo is looking around and asks the waiter which door the woman used when she came and went and he tells them which one he remembers, and based on the door, Vo and Harmon surmise that she was not staying at the hotel or using a car. The waiter then remembers that she was renting a room nearby and that on the first night she joked about charging her drinks to her Air B&B. They thank him and go to search out how many Air B&B’s were rented out within walking distance of the hotel in the last 2 days.

Vo and Harmon find out who rented the room, and it was charged to a corporate credit card. The company says the card and one of their employees are missing, and they identify the woman who was with Gregory as Mia Sahar, a US citizen who was working logistics for the company in Afghanistan. They then did a search of her social media, which showed an entry discussing a report of a prisoner being unjustly held in Budapest. Katrin and Jamie say this is the link they could be looking for. If it looks like she is getting her instructions from the prisoner to intimidate the AG to prevent his extradition, and with Gregory dead, a threat on the AG could be the next step. Katrin and Jamie leave to go to speak to the prisoner.

Given the connection to their case, the Hungarian prosecutors have reason now to allow them to question the prisoner, but Katrin’s contact warns them that if they are expecting a criminal mastermind they will be disappointed. John Mallory was a civilian analyst for the Department of Defense and Hungary insists he be treated fairly. His only crime appears to be trying to release a report that would be embarrassing politically for the American government. He says this man is not a traitor he is a whistle-blower. Kellett and Jaeger meet with Mallory, who says the Department of Justice (DOJ) has done nothing but twist his words around. He says if his asylum is granted, he will be able to speak out as he pleases. Katrin says if it is not however, speaking to them may be his last chance. Kellett says if he is being silenced as he claims, maybe they can help each other. Mallory tells them that when they pulled troops out of Afghanistan, they collected a list of all the people who assisted them (translators, guides), everyone who needed to be evacuated due to fear of retribution from the Taliban. Mallory found a report he was asked to bury indicating that that list was accidentally sent directly to the Taliban, handing them a kill list of their allies, and that the Taliban went door to door killing them. Mallory said he felt someone in the administration should be held accountable, but they locked him up before he could speak to the press. He says because he would not bury their incompetence, the AG is now trying to bury him. He says he does not know anything about Gregory being killed as he is being kept in a black hole. He says Blair wants him silenced by any means necessary and for all he knows, she had Gregory killed.

Jamie returns to the office and asks Raines if there has been any sign of Sahar and he says no but they have her face out and there is no way she is getting close to the AG now. She tells Raines to keep her posted if he gets a hit and goes to talk to Scott. Grimes has him creating a new security plan, and then he is hoping to be back out with the team. Jamie updates him on what they have found and that she is trying to figure out why they are not charging him with what he did. She says they are painting him as working with the Taliban to cover their own backsides, and because of that, he is being treated like a political prisoner. Jamie asks Scott if they are sure they are on the right side of all of this, and Scott says it is not their job to take sides. Their job is to protect the AG because that is part of their mission. He tells her to leave the politics at the door and focus on what John Mallory gave them, which is a motive. He asks her to think about how the killer knew about Mallory and the secret and what are they planning to do next. Scott warns Jamie to be careful because he knows she has her principles and he respects that, but she should not make an enemy of the most powerful person in law enforcement. This scene was an excellent example of why Forrester is such a great leader for the team. He understands all the layers of their role, and it is wonderful to see him sharing that knowledge with Kellett to assist her to further develop her skills as a complete well-rounded agent and leader.

Vo and Harmon are collaborating on possible threats within Scott’s new security plan, and they start to bond over their work, Harmon stating that Vo has more of a devious side than he gave her credit for.

Jamie goes to meet with Blair and says they have reason to believe that the threat is connected to the negotiations she is conducting. She says she knows these are sensitive matters but she wants to find the underlying cause of things as quickly as possible. She says she is unsure if the killer knows John Mallory or is just sympathetic to his situation, but the fact that she knows about his situation is key to their investigation. Jamie asks that moving forward she would like to be fully looped in on whom Blair meets with and what they discuss. Blair says that is reasonable and she will have her aide compile a list. When she mentions the name Mia Sahar, Amy (Blair’s aide) recognizes her name and says they got a bunch of letters from her several months ago, first starting by asking for help and then they became threatening. She says they turned them over to the Unit Director but she remembers that Mia was upset that her fiancé had been killed. He was an Afghan national acting as a translator and helping the troops, and was unable to be evacuated. Jamie tells Blair that Mia wants revenge because his name was on the kill list they have been trying to bury.

Back at the office, Raines updates Grimes and the teams on Mia Sahar and states that she has the motive and capability of carrying out another attack and has been following the AG looking for vulnerabilities. Grimes wants the security doubled and Scott suggests having his team personally vet anyone placed close to Blair, and that his team be in key positions and only surrounded by people they have vetted and trusted, but Grimes says there is not time for that. He says it is bad enough he had Mia’s letters in his hand and did not take them seriously enough, and he is not going to underreact and wants more officers. Scott asks why he had him redo the security plan if he is not going to take his suggestions, and Grimes says because it is ultimately his decision.

Scott talks to Jamie and says he is done sitting behind a desk and Jamie says she has a job for him. She wants to implement the changes he suggested with the motorcade before they head out. Scott says he does not think the Unit Chief will sign off on it now, and Jamie says she thinks anything that does not directly defy his orders they should put in place now. She promised Blair she would protect her and she is going to do that whether she likes it or not. Scott agrees to get the team into their new positions.

The motorcade is proceeding with Raines driving the vehicle with Jamie and Blair inside, and the team and many police including officers on motorcycles are following them. Blair is chatting with Kellett about the trip, and tells her that in another 24 hours they can all put this behind them. Blair tells Kellett she can speak freely, and says she does not believe in what she is doing there, and Kellett responds by stating she believes in keeping her safe. She says she appreciates that but that Jamie has a perspective she does not, and asks for her opinion, and Jamie says she wonders if putting this behind them is the right goal, because democracy depends on people who speak out. Blair states that going public with classified information was not John Mallory’s decision to make, he followed none of the whistle-blowing guidelines that would have granted him that protection and he betrayed his duty to safeguard classified information. Kellett replies to ask that there is no political calculation with this decision and Blair says that she does not have the luxury of politics. She said the mistake was tragic but making the mistake public would not bring back any of the lives lost, and would make it harder for their allies to trust them in the future.

As they are driving Vo and Harmon notice that one of the motorcycle officers has broken the escort formation, and warn Raines to keep an eye on his right side. Vo sees the officer pull a gun and warns the team is it Sahar, and Kellett pulls Blair down and covers her with her body before she shoots. Sahar exits off the route and Vo and Harmon pursue her. They end up losing her in a group of officers but Scott sees her and pursues her on his motorcycle. The chase ensues into a parking garage and ends with both of them crashing their bikes. Scott gets up, finds Sahar and disarms her.

Raines pulls over and they check Blair and she is unharmed, and they let her know they caught Sahar. They find Gregory’s cell phone on her, and it not only had the security plan on it, but a whole bunch of texts between Gregory and Sahar. He had read her letters, felt bad for her and told her the truth as he thought the information would be coming out from John Mallory. When that did not happen, she became upset, killed Gregory and set up the attack on the AG. Kellett goes to speak to her and tells her that what she did was not justice. Mia says that what happened to her fiancé was unfair and that the US abandoned him after he risked everything to help them. Jamie says it was a tragic mistake and Mia says she guesses they will lock her away now with all the other mistakes. Jamie says to Scott “Let’s go” and they walk away.

Back at the office, Raines is discussing with Vo how he never realized how strange it must be for other law enforcement agencies when they come in and how relieved they must be to see them go, and Vo says it is probably best not to think about it. Katrin comes in to update them that Mallory’s extradition is happening quickly and quietly, and the team hypothesizes as to why that may be. They note that the media is describing Mia and the incident without mentioning the list or John Mallory, and Scott tries to refocus the team to tie up some loose ends and figure out how Sahar got a police uniform and motorcycle.

Grimes comes over and admits to Forrester that he was wrong and should have listened to him about the changes he suggested, and that the Fly team was critical in accomplishing the mission and he thanks him. Scott says it was a group effort and what was important is they got the job done. He lets them know he has asked Agent Harmon to stay on and assist in wrapping up the case. Raines asks Harmon and Vo to track down the police motorcycle as he has something to do and Vo says no problem and they have his back. Harmon tells Vo he has never done the paperwork for an assassination attempt and it will be intense and she may be stuck with him for a few more days. Vo says that is too bad because she was hoping if they wrapped it up early that they could grab a few drinks at his hotel. Harmon calls her devious again and they get into the car together and drive away. As they leave, we see that a man is watching them and follows them in his car.

Raines meets up with his sister as she is preparing to board the train. He asks her about Ethan, and she says everything is good. He apologizes for not being able to spend more time with her, and he says that if she wants to spend some more time in Budapest he will pay for her and her friends to come back at the end of her trip. She says she will think about it and leaves.

Rebecca Blair is boarding her plane and tells Jamie she is no longer her problem. Kellett says it was a pleasure and Blair says she is not sure she would go that far, but that she owes Jamie a great deal for saving her life and keeping her secret. Blair tells her she has tremendous respect for what she does and if she ever needs anything, to call her and she will be there to protect her in return. They shake hands and Blair leaves on her plane.

It is clear that some of the dynamics are changing within the Fly Team, and new relationships are blooming while old ones are perhaps rekindling. It will be interesting to see how things continue to develop for the remainder of the season for the team, and if the Wolf world writers continue with these intricate and suspenseful storylines, fans will surely remain glued to their screens on FBI night.

Let us know what you thought about this episode in the comments below.