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, Picture: 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 previous, witnessed the murder-suicide of his dad and mom. 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 obligation, he commits the horrific murders of his sister’s foster dad and mom, Lena (Amelia McClain) and Tom Logan (Shawn Allen McGlaughlin). Jake heated a meat tenderizer to model Tom Logan earlier than capturing 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. Picture: Mark Schafer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Whereas the plot held potential, the writers finally did not ship a multi-dimensional narrative, leaving this viewer dissatisfied and uneasy as a result of obtrusive racial overtones. The foster care children, 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 dad and mom within the Philly suburbs. This portrayal reinforces detrimental stereotypes and highlights an inconvenient fact: Black kids within the foster care system, particularly those that aren’t infants, are “hard-to-adopt” and straightforward to abuse.
The episode’s conclusion additional exacerbates these points. Brianne, a gifted skater, is approached by her former coach Carrie (Geena Quintos), who informed the FBI that Brianne’s dad and mom solely fostered her for the cash. Cynically, the coach’s motivation could possibly be perceived as a distinct sort of manipulation as she could wish to exploit Brianne’s athletic expertise. This lack of a secure and supportive setting for Black kids within the foster care system underscores their rage and desperation—feelings which can be comprehensible however by no means acceptable.
Total, this episode misses the mark in addressing the complexities of the foster care system and as a substitute 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 quick 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 in all probability 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. Picture: 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 just truly like them.” Remy additionally confided to Particular Agent Hana Gibson (Keisha Fortress-Hughes) that his girlfriend, Abby, was terra firma for him. She represents the stable attachment relationship that gives a way of safety, stability, and reliability in his life—one thing most foster children, like Jake, by no means have.
Chosen household, within the types of the Fugitive Activity Power 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 still be concerned. But it surely wasn’t made clear.
“Do You Notice?” makes an attempt to sort out a posh narrative concerning the issues with foster care however sadly falls quick in a number of areas. The dearth of racial sensitivity will not be 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 deliver 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. Picture: Mark Schafer/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The plot decision leaves the group feeling self-satisfied, neglecting to deal with the complexities and dynamics of private relationships surrounding them—reminiscent of Hana and Ethan and Particular Agent Ray Cannon (Edwin Hodge). Relationship questions stay unanswered, not in a tantalizing, anticipatory method, however moderately in a method 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.
Total Score:
5:10
Lynette Jones
