Shantel VanSanten is opening up about Nina Chase's journey on FBI: Most Wanted and why a wedding may not be in the future!
Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for FBI: Most Wanted season 6 episode 3
FBI fans got to know Nina Chase when she first appeared in FBI season 4, when she ran into Scola (John Boyd) on a case. It was revealed the pair had a one-night stand and Scola never called Nina back.
The pair did work together when Nina briefly replaced an injured Maggie. She and Scola restarted their relationship with Nina becoming pregnant. She transferred to white-collar crimes before giving birth in the season 5 finale. A big turn was Nina joining FBI: Most Wanted in its fifth season while still balancing parenthood with Scola.
Season 6 episode 3, "White Buffalo," had Nina's father, Jackson (John Finn), and her sister Tina (Hannah Adrian), coming to town. Nina had already hinted she had a hard childhood growing up in Texas, and her father was acting like being in New York was a serious pain. He also kept insisting on paying for everything with Scola happy a case distracted him from being around.
Nina herself was distracted by a case where a pair of environmental activists were going too far in planning a terrorist act. She managed to stop it and then met Jackson and Tina for dinner. It did not go well, to say the least, as Jackson ran down Scola and New York in general, thinking Nina should come home. He really hit the roof when Nina revealed she and Scola had no plans on getting married and are happy where they are in their relationship. That led to Jackson storming out with a reluctant Tina going with him.
So among the issues for Jackson is how Nina is happy being unmarried which is unique for the character.
Why Nina Chase is happier being unmarried
Speaking to TV Insider, Shantel VanSanten discussed the scene and how it played into her own feelings about Nina's past.
"Yeah, I talked with David Hudgins a lot about what was in Nina's past. I've always had a bit of her story written before I ever had one second of screen time. Even when I first started on FBI, I had a history for Nina, the foundation of who she is and why she operates the way she does. And our childhoods are a huge part of that, all of the unresolved issues that we act out as adults in real life. And I think Nina's obviously wrestling with accepting who her father is and the fact he's never going to change and things that happened in her childhood, the absence of her mother, her mother died when she was very young."
This plays into how Nina handles being a mom herself as she didn't get to know her own mother, so she is trying to be there for her son. She's made peace with her dad's issues and feelings and is also trying to be there for her sister. At the end of the day, Nina feels more inclined to her new family with Scola than with her dad.
As for her and Scola not being married, the actress is fine with that dynamic.
"I think that that's always been the case with them. Nothing has ever been conventional in their life. She's not the one who dreams of some big white wedding dress and wedding. It works. It's solid and it wasn't even something she was looking for. And so when it happens, she just doesn't live in a fantasy fairytale life and they have such a beautiful partnership and commitment to one another that getting married just isn't on the agenda. It's maybe unconventional in some ways, but I love that that's their story because there's plenty of people that [have] a wedding and saying that you're married doesn't mean you are more or less committed than people who wake up every day and choose to love one another and to face the world with the same commitment you would if you had signed a piece of paper and were wearing a ring."
VanSanten shared that Nina and Scola haven't talked about marriage, but Nina has been pretty clear about how she feels, and Scola is smart enough to catch that. She promised we will see more of Jackson and Tina as the season progresses and, thus, we'll have more time to examine these complex family issues. Still, it doesn't sound like wedding bells are ringing on FBI: Most Wanted soon as Nina and Scola are happy with how they are.
FBI: Most Wanted season 6 airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on CBS. Next day streaming is available on Paramount+. A new episode won't air on Nov. 5 due to Election Night coverage. The procedural will return on Nov. 12. Stay tuned to Americans Undercover and follow us on X for more content!