Jesse Lee Soffer Brings a New Energy to the FBI: International Season 4 Premiere

Critic’s Rating: 3.75 / 5.0

3.75

It’s never easy when you lose a lead character, especially one as involved in all aspects of the storytelling as Luke Kleintank’s Supervisory Special Agent Scott Forrester.

However, the FBI franchise has lost leads before and succeeded with recasting.

While I had initially hoped that Colin Donnell might be chosen to replace Kleintank, seeing Jesse Lee Soffer in action on FBI: International Season 4 Episode 1 proves he was the right choice.

Soffer and Donnell both have experience in the Dick Wolf universe of shows, even airing on the same night within the same One Chicago franchise.

However, Soffer’s Supervisory Special Agent Wesley “Wes” Mitchell offers a liveliness that was missing under Scott’s leadership.

And while Donnell’s Brian Lange also offered something different than Scott Forrester, it wasn’t different enough to carve out a new space on the team.

Before Scott’s departure, we also lost Europol Agent Kristin Jaeger for fellow agent (and excellent replacement) Smitty. She’s not as hard-nosed as Kristin was, which was a relief.

Similarly, Amanda offers something softer than we got for two seasons with Jamie. Overall, the series is smoothing itself out a bit and, dare I say it, having more fun with the characters, even if what they’re actually doing isn’t.

So, did we love Scott and see promise in Brian? Absolutely. But Wes is just what the show needs.

His introduction was rocking out to a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band, spitting sunflower seeds into a cup before he got home to find his girlfriend Ella tossing his clothes into the yard. That’s not a segment where I could imagine Scott.

Wes didn’t come to Budapest to lead the Fly Team. He came to avenge the shooting of his partner Mike in Los Angeles in one of those shootout scenes so crazy they can only be on TV.

If there’s one thing we can count on across the Wolf universe of shows, it’s that if someone is wronged, those closest to him will want to take down the perpetrator.

We just witnessed the lengths the Fly Team will go for one of their own on the FBI: International Season 3 two-part finale. Scott wasn’t even harmed; he took off on his own, but the team still worked hard to find him.

And since Wes admitted that he sucks on his own and needs to be around other people to thrive, he’ll be in the right place with the Fly Team.

And Wes is a firecracker. He didn’t think twice about launching at his superior about the lack of backup that led to the highway fracas.

It was easy to bring Wes onto the canvas since he has ties with Cameron as her past training officer. Apparently, he’s a dick as a trainer, but he shaped her into the agent she is today, and she can live with that.

Well, at least she could when she thought it was only a one-off case and he’d be on his way back to the States.

Cameron had high praise for him, even noting his ten years as an LAPD officer (or Chicago, whatever) have given him skills others in their positions don’t always have.

Whenever an outsider comes to Budapest, they always fit in and even take over a bit, which always surprises me.

Can you imagine someone from an outside department coming into your place of business and taking a lead when they don’t know the lay of the land? I mean, they’re temps.

The case, like so many in the FBI series, doesn’t really matter. Baddies come and go so frequently that they don’t often make a mark. Well, not on the audience. They make a big mark on the people the FBI aims to protect.

But, I was tickled to see Beau Knapp, hot off the SEAL Team series finale, as one of the bad guys, Zonka (that’s how it sounded, anyway). It seemed as if Drew has walked right out of Afghanistan to Budapest, and his back-and-forth with Soffer was enjoyable.

Wes got under the skin of the Fly Team really fast, and every time he said something like “I’ll be out of your hair soon,” I could imagine where the season might go from here.

Where is that? Somewhere far less dark and dire than where we’ve been so far.

I think he’ll bring out different facets of every character. Smitty is already defending her turf while Wes makes English jokes. Cameron is really comfortable with him and rather open, which isn’t always the case with her.

Andre and Amanda were pretty much business as usual, but it did seem like they would thrive with the new blood. Or maybe I’m just imagining it all.

I certainly couldn’t be the only one who really liked Scott but was also ready for a change.

Soffer comes with a certain panache he used really well on Chicago PD, and while he’s obviously not Jay Halstead, Wes flirted with the rules enough to remind me of how Halstead worked under Voight.

But what about his girlfriend? The writers painted the “love” between Wes and Ella far too thick for a couple who seemed wholly unlikely to have made it.

When your partner is asking why you’re sticking around, you know you’re not giving the outside world the best impression about your relationship.

Breaking those ties pushed Wes toward change. What better place to find it than half a world away in Budapest with the Fly Team?

The FBI: International Season 4 premiere also set up a potential long-term arc for Wes when he netted Zonka, who declared revenge on him. Knapp is free since SEAL Team concluded. He’d be a decent recurring adversary.

I loved that it was Cameron who essentially determined Wes was the man to lead the Fly Team. She wants to learn from someone, and Wes has the goods.

They already make a good duo and have a mutual respect for one another.

But it wasn’t just Cameron who thought Wes was a good match. The whole team was up for the challenge. All they need is for Wes to step up to the plate.

They need a leader, not a tourist, and with his slate wiped clean at home — his partner dead and getting dumped by his girlfriend — he’s in a perfect position to shake things up in his life and for the Fly Team.

They left the premiere without an answer, but Wes and Jesse Lee Soffer is just what the doctor ordered. And the trailer gave it all away. Prescription delivered!