"68 Seconds" is FBI Most Wanted’s most recent offering. The episode features a compelling narrative, where the Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott (Dylan McDermott) investigates his former lover’s, Judge April Brooks (Wendy Moniz) sexual assault case. But, despite this compelling start, the episode fell short in its execution. Let’s review.
"68 Seconds” – FBI: MOST WANTED, Photo: (L-R): Wendy Moniz as Judge April Brooks and Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott. Photo: CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Judge April, Remy’s ex, is sexually assaulted in the back of a van. Her rapist tells her, “If you fight, you die. Tell anyone you die.” The viewer next sees Remy rejecting a call from April, but she keeps calling. When he finally answers her call, she tells him she’s been raped. Viewers immediately know it's up to Remy to make sure the rapist doesn’t make good on his threat and that April doesn’t die.
When Judge April and Remy meet, she doesn’t want a rape kit, saying, “I’m a judge, not a victim.” What? Fortunately, she does the rape kit, but it is how that scene was framed and shot that was particularly arresting (pun intended). There is a close shot of the tray with all the kit’s tools – the swab, the speculum, etc. Then, there is a closeup of the actress’s pained face. This emotional high point happens early on. How this sensitive issue is handled throughout the episode is commendable but ultimately feels like a missed opportunity.
For example, Remy Scott, in typical fashion, beefs with the local police, Detective Tyler Jackson (Matthew Russell), by accusing him of not connecting April’s case to others that occurred in the area in the last year. He calls in his team. It’s noteworthy to this viewer that only the female special agents, Nina Chase (Shantel VanSanten), Sheryll Barnes (Roxy Sternberg), and Hana Gibson (Keisha Castle-Hughes), are available to help. This fact is not noteworthy to their boss, Remy. The other task force member, Special Agent Ray Cannon (Edwin Hodge), stayed in New York because of his father’s illness.
"68 Seconds” – FBI: Most Wanted. Photo: (L-R): Keisha Castle-Hughes as Special Agent Hana Gibson and Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott. Photo: Mark Schafer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Based on the DNA analysis, the women of the Fugitive Task Force figured out that the rapist had been victimizing women for over a decade. The perpetrator eludes capture largely because of systemic issues surrounding the handling of rape kits. The grim reality is that many kits remain untested for years, if at all. The all-female squad expresses impotent rage over this fact, then drives home the prevalence of sexual assault by sharing statistics and more.
"68 Seconds” – FBI: Most Wanted, Photo: Shantel VanSanten as Special Agent Nina Chase. Photo: Mark Schafer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Nina quotes, “Rape occurs every 68 seconds in America.” Sheryll contributes, “One out of every three women is a victim of assault.” As a viewer, I immediately think of three women in the car; which one will speak up? The car goes silent. All the women look tense and resigned. Finally, Hana confesses, “I was 15...” Nina declares, “It happened my sophomore year at a club.” Sheryll admits to being victimized while “celebrating getting accepted into the NYPD.” One out of three became three out of three, painting a harrowing picture of the ubiquity of this crime.
"68 Seconds” – FBI: Most Wanted. Photo: (L-R): Roxy Sternberg as Special Agent Sheryll Barnes and Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott. Photo: Mark Schafer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Something about this moment felt forced and, thus, a little false. Could the writers have felt this, too? They turned to Remy to shed a different light on this serious issue. Remy, the king of impotent rage, operates throughout this episode out of intense anger and frustration to keep at bay the feelings of his own powerlessness.
Viewers should pay attention to his conversation with the head of campus security, Lucia Torres (Maggie Bofill), who wants to recruit him. She tells him you still get to carry a gun, but you won’t have to deal with the ‘worst of the worst.’ Remy replies, “I do this job because of the worst of the worst.” He continues to experience overwhelming emotions of anger, helplessness, and sorrow because he cannot undo or prevent the harm that has been done.
This feeling of impotence is deeply distressing, as seen when he tells Hana about visiting an art installation in Philadelphia. The exhibit, consisting of 1,000 pairs of combat boots, symbolically represented souls lost to war. This experience was particularly affecting, leaving him feeling a certain way. What way? I guess the viewer can fill in the emotional blank. However, Remy compares how he felt at this exhibit to how he felt when he found “trophies”—items” taken from victims—in the rapist’s home.
"68 Seconds” – FBI: Most Wanted. Photo: (L-R): Roxy Sternberg as Special Agent Sheryll Barnes, Keisha Castle-Hughes as Special Agent Hana Gibson, Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott, and Shantel VanSanten as Special Agent Nina Chase. Photo: Mark Schafer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
“68 Seconds” is an average FBI Most Wanted episode with a well-intentioned script and direction. Unfortunately, the episode falls short in its execution as the show’s core actors delivered performances with minimal emotional range. While this approach works for most episodes, I found it detracting from the show’s potential impact, given the intensely personal connection the Fugitive Task Force members had to the crime. If you watched, I’m sure you found some affecting scenes, but if you didn’t watch and choose not to stream it, you won’t miss out on anything groundbreaking.
Am I wrong about this episode? How did you feel watching “68 Seconds”? Do you feel like Nina, Sheryll, and Hana’s relationship will change because of their revelations?
Overall Rating:
5:10
