Spoilers ahead for FBI season 7 episode 6
The inevitable happened on FBI in the episode, "Perfect," which saw Maggie Bell dealing with Ray DiStefano, a stalker and slasher who'd been watching her and her adoptive daughter, Ella, with Maggie none the wiser. When we began the episode, she'd been discussing Ella's recent violent behavior--she'd punched a kid--with the child's uncle, Kevin.
The therapist Ella has been seeing suggested that the issue may stem from instability in her routine. While the girl is dealing with grief from having lost her mother, Jessica, she's also managing her emotions around being raised by Maggie, her mom's friend, and the dangers of the agent's job which unsettle her and cause her to be shuffled about whenever Maggie has to attend to a case.
Kevin has been an invaluable help, which Maggie appreciates, but she was adamant at the start of "Perfect" that he didn't need to take on more responsibility by having Ella spend Mondays at his home with his family. This week's case, however, shook Maggie up enough for her to not only walk back her opinion that she didn't need Kevin to step up but also insist that he take full custody of Ella.
Her complete 180 stemmed from how close Ray had gotten to them both without her being aware. The only reason she clued into his stalking was the case she was on because he fit the serial killer profile they had at the time which centered on a murderer who preferred to use a knife on their victim. However, Ray (who had been one of Maggie's first arrests as an agent) wasn't their killer.
His M.O. involves flaunting how he disfigured the women he attacked. He'd even slashed Maggie in the past but the scar he thought he left behind was gone. This revelation made him irate, he spit on her and began to throw a fit. While he's being sent right back to prison, after having recently been released, Maggie was concerned that it wouldn't be for long enough. Ray has an obsession with her, and he's likely to resume stalking her and Ella once again after he serves his time.
If that wasn't enough, the case in "Perfect" centered around women who were targeted because they'd elected to undergo procedures that would make them infertile. As such, the episode centered on fulfillment for a woman lying outside of assuming the traditional role of motherhood and the toxicity of insisting that a woman's value lies within her ability to have children.
The serial killer turned out to be Hope, the receptionist at a doctor's firm whose relationship had ended with said doctor because he knew she couldn't carry a child. Her victims were all women that she'd tried to transform into the doctor's late spouse who'd been a trad wife and the "perfect woman," something Hope believed she could never be because she'd placed all her value and self-worth in being able to have children.
By the end of the episode, Maggie decided that Ella would do better with Kevin's family. She'd taken into account the words of a firefighter she'd met during the case who decided he wouldn't have children because of the dangers of his job and how he'd lost his dad at a young age due to his work as a fireman. And she took stock of her own stance that women do not have to be mothers in order to have value and a place in the world.
However, to me, her decision also felt rash and based on the heightened emotion she was still dealing with because she and Ella had been stalked. Maggie's chief concern is Ella's safety, and she believes Kevin can provide that for her and stability in ways that she can't. But, even factoring that in, Ella has made a home with Maggie and that's important to acknowledge. She may not want to live with Kevin's family full-time and she could struggle because she feels she's being passed off to them.
Maggie has an interest in parenthood. It's a topic that's been coming up for seasons, but I don't think FBI should just write-off her ability to balance her work and home life. What she needs is help and, judging from Kevin's reaction when she presented the idea of him having full custody, she could get it through Ella's uncle. He didn't immediately say yes to what she was insisting. Instead, he tried to check-in on Maggie and get her to take a more reasonable approach that allowed both of them to be in Ella's life.
How the scene played out makes me think we're not done with the topic of Ella's custody and does give me hope that the little girl will be sticking around in some capacity. Stuart Scola and Nina Chase are making it work with their son, Dougie, because they have each other. In contrast, Maggie is a single parent with a demanding job. Perhaps shared custody is the way to go, not her giving up on motherhood, which she does want, all together.
No, Maggie! You can have a daughter and be an agent. You can. #FBICBS
— Americans Undercover (@AmUndercover2) December 4, 2024
Stay tuned to Americans Undercover for FBI franchise coverage. New episodes of the flagship air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Next day streaming is available on Paramount+. Follow us on X for livetweet threads and more content!