WARNING! SPOILERS ahead for FBI Season 7, Episode 16, "Covered."FBI has become an annoying trope. He had two placeholder partners who lasted for one episode each before Syd (Lisette Olivera) was introduced as a behavioral analyst who was ing the team as a field operative. Unfortunately, Dick Wolf Entertainment decided on a different direction, so Syd's exit was announced before her first episode aired, and after a few episodes she disappeared.
Special Agent Dani Rhodes (Emily Alabi) is introduced early in "Covered" as an undercover operative who is annoyed at being pulled from her assignment and sent to the New York Field Office. She is sent there partially for her safety, as several undercover agents' covers have been blown, and she may be targeted by the people she is investigating. While this could have easily been another one-off appearance, Rhodes is slated to appear on a recurring basis throughout the rest of FBI season 7 and is expected to be Scola's permanent partner.
Dani and Scola Have A Rough Start In FBI, But It Is The Perfect Way To Set Up Their Partnership
Dani's Lone Wolf Habit Makes Scola Wonder If She Plans To Stay For More Than One Case
While assisting the New York Field Office with catching the person responsible for compromising undercover agents' safety, Dani singlehandedly chases and detains a suspect, trapping him in the middle of a busy street. Scola is annoyed when he catches up to help cuff the suspect, saying, "You know, if you'd waited about ten seconds, we could have closed in on him together." Interestingly, his reaction to Dani explaining she's not used to working with a team is to tell her that if she doesn't want to work with the New York Field Office, it's better that he knows now.
FBI's Attempt To Find Scola's Permanent Partner Has Repeatedly Failed, But I'm Optimistic About This One
FBI season 7 has had a hard time finding a permanent partner for Scola after Tiffany's exit, but I am cautiously optimistic about the latest attempt.
Scola's remarks show that he's been burned more deeply than it seems by the new partners who have left after one or two cases. However, Dani acknowledging her mistake and stating that she wants to stay sets her apart from those other partners. It also sets up a dynamic in which Scola and Dani gradually learn to trust each other. For Dani, that means working with Scola instead of doing busts on her own, while Scola needs to lose the expectation that any partner he is given will leave as quickly as they arrive.
Why Scola Needs A Partner Like Dani In FBI Season 7
She's New To The Field Office Without Being A Rookie
Dani offers Scola the perfect blend of experience and ignorance of New York Field Office protocol. Most of Scola's other partners were too unseasoned to work well with him. It's especially unsurprising that the procedural decided to move on from Syd. Her expertise was in profiling rather than tactical work, so Scola would have had to continually train her in how to do her new job. Scola isn't supposed to be a training officer; his partner needs to come to the job already trained.
Dani offers the right mixture of experience and newness, exhibiting just enough ignorance of the New York Field Office to do things in a way that annoys or impedes Scola's investigation.
That said, it would be less interesting for Scola's new partner to be 100% familiar with the New York Field Office. Even seasoned agents have to make adjustments when they enter a new office — each one has its own culture and way of doing things, and there's already an established group dynamic in FBI. Thus, Dani offers the right mixture of experience and newness, exhibiting just enough ignorance of the New York Field Office to do things in a way that annoys or impedes Scola's investigation.
I'm Optimistic About Dani's Future In FBI After Scola's Failed Attempts To Retain A Partner
Dani Has The Right Personality For The Job
Ironically, Dani's relationship with Scola begins in the same way that his first failed partnership did. Sofia Ortega also sneaked up on a suspect on her own while Scola was otherwise occupied, and he had the same talk with her about letting him know so that he can back her up. However, Sofia argued with him, while Dani itted that she wasn't used to teamwork and made a mistake. This bodes better for Dani, who isn't averse to correction the way Sofia was. Additionally, Sofia was the only one of the placeholder partners that could have possibly worked longer-term, so this similarity in Dani's introduction is a good sign.
This procedural has had several disappointing cast updates since Tiffany left. Syd's exit from FBI was the worst of these because it left Scola without a partner for several months while the creative team regrouped. However, Dani is far more suited to working with Scola than Syd was. Hopefully, she will last beyond season 7 and become a full member of the cast for season 8. Her decision to stay after Scola gave her an off-ramp is a good sign, though the remaining episodes of FBI season 7 will provide a fuller picture.
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FBI is a procedural drama that explores the workings of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New York office as dedicated agents tackle high-stakes cases involving terrorism, organized crime, and various formidable threats.
- Writers
- Dick Wolf
- Creator(s)
- Dick Wolf, Craig Turk
- Main Genre
- Crime
- Seasons
- 7
- Story By
- dick wolf
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