Highway to Hell, the most recent episode of FBI Most Wanted, is a masterfully crafted hour that skillfully ties together two tales of moral challenges and personal growth. This is how it went.
In this episode, Remy Scott (Dylan McDermott), whose character this season seems to be on a path of self-discovery, puts his friendship with Blake (Michael B. Silver) front and center. The story opens with Remy and his girlfriend, Abby, entertaining Remy's old buddy Blake. Ever the reprobate, Blake brought his young, Bumble date to Remy's house to regale everyone with stories about their colorful past as Wall Street traders. Later, Remy sees Abby draw a mature boundary by declining to join Blake and Remy for a second night of carousing. Remy realizes that his long-time friend is nothing but a shadow of what a true friend should be—someone who he's now completely outgrown. The episode ends with Remy realizing this at Blake’s bar, where Blake reveals how awful his life is. Blake cast aspersions on Abby’s motivations for being in a relationship with Remy. Remy tells him, “My relationship with Abby is none of your business.” Blake apologizes, "I offended you," and pleads with Remy to indulge in "one drink for the sake of old times." Remy agrees, then undertakes the liberating process of shedding this toxic relationship by ditching Blake.
"Highway to Hell” – FBI: Most Wanted, Pictured (L-R): Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott and Susan Misner as Abby Deaver. Photo: Mark Schäfer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Parallel to Remy's personal story is a crazy biker gang, Wall Street, and cryptocurrency money laundering crime. It’s morning. Two guys are staking out a location. One is snorting coke, indicating, in an FBI Most Wanted fashion, that things will get out of hand rather quickly. It did. The gun-toting, coke-snorting guy, Clark Pasternak (Jorge Cordova), executes three people. The victims include, a Queens District Attorney and her hedge fund husband, prompt the summoning of the Fugitive Task Force. Hana (Keisha Castle-Hughes) identifies the vehicle and suspects through the traffic cameras. They issue a BOLO (Be On the Lookout) and dispatch Ray and Nina to track down the vehicle. After conversing with the victim's child, Remy and Sheryll discover that his father received a request for a trade on a Sunday night. After investigating who made the trade, Remy's team search for Jeff Scholes (Wayne Pere), the person who facilitated the sale at a $3 million loss. Upon arriving at Scholes's house, the team discovers his wife dead and Scholes missing. Luckily, the team runs into a nosy neighbor who photographed the suspects.
"Highway to Hell” – FBI: Most Wanted, Pictured (L-R): Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott, Edwin Hodge as Special Agent Ray Cannon, and Roxy Sternberg as Special Agent Sheryll Barnes. Photo: Mark Schäfer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The suspects know the FBI is on their tail, so they agree to part ways. The driver goes to discard the car and pick up his motorcycle. The team tracks the vehicle only to learn that the driver is a fellow law enforcement officer. The guy is a DEA agent, Ash/Charlie (Adam Aalderks) who’s been working undercover for the last two years with the criminal biker gang called the Exiles. Remy opposes the continuation of the undercover operation due to Ash's proximity to the four murders his team is investigating. Unfortunately, Ash’s supervisor in the DEA is unwilling to sacrifice two years of work to arrest two middling criminals. The DEA overrides Remy, and Ash is permitted to try to secure Scholes’s safety.
Remy makes a noticeable effort to convey his discomfort with this decision. So, as a viewer, you know something is up. To the showrunner’s credit, I didn’t foresee the DEA agent's dark turn. Ash enters the room where Jeff Schoales is being beaten to reveal the identity of the 'rat' within their organization. Almost immediately, the torturer accuses Ash of being the rat. Ash pulls his gun on the man, what’s surprising is DEA Agent Ash doesn’t arrest the dude. He stabs him to death. Wow! Jeff gives Ash a removable drive that he had hidden in his shoe, which contains the stolen money. Clark discovers Ash and Jeff. An FBI-esque chase ensues, but what sets this chase apart is the initial confusion as the team struggles to determine if Ash is a friend or foe.
"Highway to Hell” – FBI: Most Wanted, Pictured (L-R): Keisha Castle-Hughes as Special Agent Hana Gibson and Isaiah Johnson as Agent Shawn Odunze. Photo: Mark Schäfer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Eventually Ash runs out of time and options. Nina catches him trying to escape by boat. She empathizes with his identity confusion and keeps calling him Charlie, which is Ash’s real name because she has been deep undercover herself. Ash screams that Charlie is gone, which, in his head, justifies his moral collapse. He had had enough of dealing with criminals and cops, and all he wanted was the money to begin anew. Boo hoo! Nina persuades him that his two-year sacrifice would mean nothing if he didn’t surrender. She says, “Ash is done. Charlie is not.” Do you agree with Nina? I don’t. Since agent Charlie stabbed a guy, illegally detained an FBI agent, and attempted to escape with evidence, both Ash and Charlie are gone.
"Highway to Hell” – FBI: Most Wanted, Pictured: Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott. Photo: Mark Schäfer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What made this episode truly remarkable is how Remy and Ash’s narratives intersect and reflect on each other. Remy's internal struggle with friendship mirrors the undercover agent's battle with loyalty and ethics. The masterful handling of both stories culminates in a satisfying and surprising resolution, prompting the audience to contemplate the essence of ethical boundaries and personal integrity.
This episode not only kept me captivated, but it also prompted me to reflect on the decisions we make and the individuals we choose to surround ourselves with during this holiday season. It’s a must-watch episode for anyone who appreciates a thoughtful, well-crafted story about the complexities of human relationships and moral dilemmas.
What’s your assessment of this episode? Did you see any connection between Ash's and Remy's respective dilemmas, or am I totally off base? Let me know in the comments.
Overall Rating:
9/10
Lynette Jones
