Warning: This article contains spoilers for FBI season 7, episode 22, "A New Day."

While The FBI season 7 finale was dramatic even by the long-running procedural's standards. After guest star Kevin Sussman’s mole Kevin informed the team that the terrorist group Forefront had infiltrated their organization, he was assassinated before he could reveal the moles.

Then, FBI season 7’s promised Isobel exit seemingly paid off when she was killed in an explosion alongside Reynolds. It turned out that Forefront had worked with rogue agents to place tiny explosives in the cellphones of agents, and they exploded these devices, killing numerous agents in the process. However, Isobel’s death was soon revealed to be a fake-out as she survived the blast with only minor injuries. Learning that Keene was the mole, she offered to switch sides and work with him, even telling Keene where Maggie, Jubal, Elise, and the rest of the team were hiding. This, of course, turned out to be a setup.

Isobel's Fate Is Left In Limbo In the FBI Season 7 Finale

The Fate Of Alana de la Garza’s Isobel Is Left Pointedly Ambiguous

Although the resulting gunfight saw the FBI team emerge victorious, their celebrations were short-lived. The crew returned to the office and, as they did, Isobel began slurring her words and stumbling. She then fainted and a horrified, helpless Jubal announced that she had no discernible pulse. The FBI season 7 finale ended with Isobel seemingly dead, although the cause of Alana de la Garza’s character’s demise was unclear.

Isobel’s death may well really be the character’s permanent exit.

Since viewers don’t know what killed Isobel or why she had no pulse, it is hard to say for certain whether she is definitively dead. FBI season 7 teased Maggie’s potential exit earlier in the outing and the show has often toyed with the idea of dropping from the team. Although ADIC Reynolds’s attacks on Jubal’s reputation earlier in the episode made him comparatively unsympathetic, it was still a surprise to see him killed so abruptly in "A New Day." As such, Isobel’s death may well really be the character’s permanent exit.

What Isobel's Potential Exit Means For FBI Season 8 & Beyond

Jubal, Maggie, and the Rest of the FBI Team Relied Heavily On Isobel

That said, FBI season 8 could struggle without Isobel around. Isobel is a vital part of the team and, as evidenced by her successful gambit to take down Keene and Forefront, she is one of the FBI crew’s savviest operators. Jubal relies on her help and could be lost without her, especially as an unstable character who is already prone to outbursts and paranoia. Furthermore, the introduction of Isobel’s husband in FBI season 7 humanized the character, making her potential exit all the more regrettable.

That said, there is an argument to be made that the FBI team needs some new blood, and Isobel’s exit would make room for a new character to replace her. This could give Jubal a rookie to mentor or a new superior to butt heads with, and either of these dynamics could be an interesting addition to the show in season 8. As such, Isobel’s potential exit would not necessarily be a mistake for season 8, depending on how FBI handles the storyline.

What Has Been Said About de la Garza's Time On FBI

Isobel’s Actor Remained Tight-Lipped About Her Character’s Fate

Despite the explosive impact of the finale’s events, Isobel’s actor Alana de la Garza has not yet said anything definitive about her future in the franchise. After the finale aired, the actor said to TV Insider about Isobel’s fate: “Literally, you have to tune in to see. It is a legit cliffhanger. It was very exciting and very fun to play, unlike anything I’ve ever played before for sure. So that was fun."

Meanwhile, her co-star Jeremy Sisto was a little more forthcoming, noting that Isobel’s apparent death would be “A huge blow to the office and to Jubal and to obviously the show.” Season 7’s story saw Isobel utter the magic word when she mentioned the possibility of retirement, which has historically been the kiss of death for characters in various forms of law enforcement throughout countless movies and TV shows over the decades. Despite this classic cliché, though, it is not yet clear whether FBI season 7’s Isobel death was the real deal or not.

Source: TV Insider

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