Jeremy Sisto promises a powerful ending for FBI Season 4.
The actor previewed the season finale as Jubal Valentine is put in the middle when his own son gets involved in a shooting case that points to a bigger crime.
It may push Jubal, who’s already been through the wringer this year, to some rough spots to wrap up the season.
Jubal and his challenges on FBI Season 3
Jubal has been put through a lot on FBI Season 3. First, his son Tyler (Caleb Reese Paul), already suffering from leukemia, was nearly killed when a cyberattack hit the hospital he was in.
Thankfully, the team was able to stop the hacker with Tyler recovering.
Then, just as Jubal and his girlfriend, Rina Trenholm (Kathleen Munroe), were getting along, Rina was shot in an attack by the team’s old drug lord foe Antonio Vargas.
When Jubal came to see a comatose Rina, he was shocked to learn her parents had pulled the plug as she was already brain dead.
Now, in the Season 4 finale, titled Prodigal Son, a shooting at a school has one of the suspects being a friend of Tyler. That puts Jubal in the tough spot of interrogating his own son on the case.
Speaking to Give Me My Remote, Sisto shared how the case will put Jubal through a challenging issue as both a parent and an agent.
“It’s complicated, because of a couple things. First of all, it does touch on the truth of somebody who’s in a job where the stakes are this high, it does take something away from the amount of energy you have for your family. So there is the reality of that. And then there’s another reality where the guilt or self-doubt is just an ingredient in parenthood, kind of a healthy ingredient. And then there’s also another thing where kids have to go through a phase where they have complicated emotions towards the parents. And some of that is justifiable, some of it isn’t. Jubal is pretty great dad [with] his ability to see the end game and stay patient and stay loving. But it doesn’t make it any easier to go through this stuff.
And then, obviously, you throw in some huge stakes like a school shooting, just life or death stuff—when you’re trying to manage the more common complications of parenthood, preteen stuff, with a much more rare, high stakes of this plot…I’ve had dinner with FBI agents and friends that have to step away for a second to make some ridiculously high stakes call about whether or not to let somebody into the country who is probably okay, but maybe not, and then they’re able to do that and then come back and talk to me about a movie or something. [Laughs.] To do that in parental role takes a lot of skill to be able to pivot like that. So Jubal’s pretty impressive in this, but he’s also pretty human. He is pretty complicated. Rick (Eid) wrote an awesome episode.”
Sisto insists that Jubal will be okay, even though he still is in mourning over Rina.
“He is in a pretty good space. I think he’s pretty resilient, and he loves his job, and the importance of it and the stakes allow him to stay present in the moment.”
While Jubal will get support from the team, he’ll also be handling his ex-wife Samantha (Mara Davi).
“Obviously, his team is there for him at the end, and it’s great to have that, but parenthood is one of those things that even if you’re not with the person, they’re the only other person that can truly understand what it is to love this person as much as you do and have such a deep concern. And they still have a lot of dynamic together. I just rewatched [a scene from the] first season, and it was when she was telling me that she’s marrying her new boyfriend. And you could tell it really hurt Jubal. It’s one of those former relationship things where you’re like, “How did we let this go? We kind of had a great thing.” And it was Jubal’s fault, obviously; he knows that. He messed up. He was an alcoholic and he screwed it up.”
Those connections will be needed for the job as the series continues.
Sisto on Jubal’s future with FBI
Like the rest of the cast, Sisto was happy to hear FBI had gotten a two-season pick-up, meaning it will run through Season 6.
“It’s exciting, because it’s a vote of confidence. But, I mean, they could fire me at any time. But I’m just thrilled that they believe in it. And that’s pretty much what that is. It’s just saying, “You guys are home. Get comfortable, and let’s keep going. Let’s keep exploring and seeing where these seasons lead.” And it’s great. So I just feel really grateful to be a part of it.”
Already a veteran of Dick Wolf series, thanks to his time on Law & Order, Sisto does enjoy how FBI has a much different dynamic.
“I don’t get too involved in what the show should be, but from what I can tell, the audience really loves the procedural, and that’s what it is; it’s a procedural show. So that’s what I like about it is that it’s a show that’s about that, but also takes seriously the characters that are going through it, the agents that are going through it, and in their connection to how these cases are affecting their lives. This one, I feel like it really allowed for the character stuff to breathe and in a way that was super fun to do and I love. But I’m just on this really well-run train. So I’m always kind of just looking for what Dick [Wolf]’s eye is seeing, and [executive producer] Peter [Jankowski] and his whole team, and, obviously, Rick, and everyone involved up there to see where they want the show to go.”
Sisto also enjoys working with fellow Law & Order alumnus Alana de la Garza, who plays Isobel, and their dynamic charging up the series.
“I love working with Alana, and she just brings so much to everything she does. She’s just able to just jump in; I’m always so impressed with her. And I think it’s cool. I think their working relationship is great. Early on, they tried to make us kind of go at each other a little bit, and I really played those moments down, hoping they would create a really cool working relationship. [Laughs.] Which it is! Jubal values Isobel’s authority.”
While the Season 4 finale seems to put Jubal through a challenge, it will show the dynamic that makes FBI so popular with fans.
FBI Season 4 finale airs Tuesday, May 24, at 8/7c on CBS.