FBI: Most Wished – Do You Notice? – Assessment: Terra Firma
This week’s episode of FBI: Most Wished, “Do You Notice,” is deeply unsettling. It typically fails to ship the considerate and pulse-pounding content material the collection is thought for, leaving viewers wanting extra in each substance and sensitivity. Let’s get into it.
“Do You Notice?” – FBI: Most Wished, Photograph: Mark Schafer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Viewers are launched to a younger man, Jake Williams (Keyon Bowman), who, at simply 5 years outdated, witnessed the murder-suicide of his mother and father. His traumatic upbringing within the foster care system leads him to function from a dangerously disturbed sense of household and safety. Pushed by a distorted sense of responsibility, he commits the horrific murders of his sister’s foster mother and father, Lena (Amelia McClain) and Tom Logan (Shawn Allen McGlaughlin). Jake heated a meat tenderizer to model Tom Logan earlier than taking pictures him and his spouse as a result of they damage his ‘sister,’ Brianne Moten (Lauren Chanel). Brianne, clearly the brains of the operation, goes together with Jake’s plan to reunite his foster household out of misguided loyalty.
“Do You Notice?” – FBI: MOST WANTED, Pictured: Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Particular Agent Remy Scott. Photograph: Mark Schafer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Whereas the plot held potential, the writers finally didn’t ship a multi-dimensional narrative, leaving this viewer upset and uneasy because of the obtrusive racial overtones. The foster care youngsters, Jake and Brianne, are Black and are portrayed as emotional and murderous. Jake kills the Logans and Ken the Safety Guard (Nick Kohn). Conversely, their white ‘sibling,’ Sydney Logan (Lily Jane), is depicted as securely connected to loving adoptive mother and father within the Philly suburbs. This portrayal reinforces unfavourable stereotypes and highlights an inconvenient fact: Black youngsters within the foster care system, particularly those that aren’t infants, are “hard-to-adopt” and simple to abuse.
The episode’s conclusion additional exacerbates these points. Brianne, a proficient skater, is approached by her former coach Carrie (Geena Quintos), who advised the FBI that Brianne’s mother and father solely fostered her for the cash. Cynically, the coach’s motivation may very well be perceived as a distinct kind of manipulation as she could wish to exploit Brianne’s athletic expertise. This lack of a steady and supportive setting for Black youngsters within the foster care system underscores their rage and desperation—feelings which can be comprehensible however by no means acceptable.
General, this episode misses the mark in addressing the complexities of the foster care system and as an alternative falls into dangerous tropes, leaving viewers uncomfortable and craving for a extra nuanced and compassionate portrayal. Even Supervisory Particular Agent Remy Scott’s (Dylan McDermott) humorous and snarky quips fell embarrassingly brief when he waved money in entrance of Jake and Brianne’s good friend Seymour (Alexis Frias) for data, saying, “What about now, Jayden Smith?” Seymour’s a child who most likely ought to have been handled with extra care.
“Do You Notice?” – FBI: Most Wished, Pictured (L-R): Shantel VanSanten as Particular Agent Nina Chase, Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Particular Agent Remy Scott and Roxy Sternberg as Particular Agent Sheryll Barnes. Photograph: Mark Schafer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Remy’s ways with Seymour appeared much more disrespectful when, after Jake had been arrested, he says, “The good factor about chosen household is that you simply really like them.” Remy additionally confided to Particular Agent Hana Gibson (Keisha Citadel-Hughes) that his girlfriend, Abby, was terra firma for him. She represents the strong attachment relationship that gives a way of safety, stability, and reliability in his life—one thing most foster youngsters, like Jake, by no means have.
Chosen household, within the types of the Fugitive Job Drive and his romantic curiosity, is what offers Remy his swagger. It is what makes him grounded and resilient. So, it was a bit unusual that Hana admitted to Remy that her ex-partner, Ethan, represented terra firma for her, suggesting that she should be concerned. But it surely wasn’t made clear.
“Do You Notice?” makes an attempt to sort out a fancy narrative in regards to the issues with foster care however sadly falls brief in a couple of areas. The dearth of racial sensitivity isn’t solely disappointing but in addition contributes to a portrayal of characters that really feel one-dimensional and stereotypical, decreasing them to seem cartoonish and completely predictable. The FTF’s plodding by way of their hunt for Jake and Brianne lacks the emotional depth that they often carry to the circumstances.
“Do You Notice?” – FBI: Most Wished, Pictured (L-R): Edwin Hodge as Particular Agent Ray Cannon, Steven Williams as Ray Cannon Sr., and Caroline Harris as Cora Love. Photograph: Mark Schafer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The plot decision leaves the workforce feeling self-satisfied, neglecting to deal with the complexities and dynamics of non-public relationships surrounding them—corresponding to Hana and Ethan and Particular Agent Ray Cannon (Edwin Hodge). Relationship questions stay unanswered, not in a tantalizing, anticipatory approach, however fairly in a approach that feels incomplete and unfulfilling.
What did you consider this week’s fugitives? Are Hana and Ethan actually over? Share your ideas within the feedback.
General Score:
5:10
Lynette Jones
