The Season 5 finale of CBS’ FBI revolved around the hunt for a serial killer with a God complex, targeting those who one way or another control people’s fates.
Concurrent with that Case of the Week, Special Agent Stuart Scola (played by John Boyd) similarly was asked — challenged, truly — to “play God” by making an impossible decision.
Scola and pregnant partner Agent Nina Chase’s unexpected odyssey began when at the top of the hour, Nina (Shantel VanSanten) got really dizzy whilst considering paint swatches for the nursery. She tried to brush it off as nothing, but one doctor check-up later, she and Scola got the news: Nina was suffering from a listeria (bacterial) infection that is at risk of spreading to her placenta, and the baby’s heart rate was already beginning to drop. As such, treatment needed to be started, pushing antibiotics into Nina while monitoring the li’l one’s heart rate. Worst case, they will need to induce labor, even though Nina isn’t due for another 12 weeks month.
Soon enough, Scola dipped on the Case of the Week after getting an urgent call from the hospital. Nina’s condition is “more complicated that we thought,” the doc told the would-be dad, and a specialist is en route to induce labor. The infection “caused a lot of damage to both Nina and the baby,” the doc explained, and as a result, “there’s a chance we might only be able to save one of them.”
And since Scola has Nina’s medical proxy… he must decide, ASAP, which of the two should be the medical team’s priority — mother, or child.
A beat later, Scola tenders his decision, saying, “Obviously I’m praying to God that they will both be OK. But if there’s a problem and you have to choose… your priority should be Nina.” And the doctors went to work.
Toward episode’s end, we saw Scola enter Nina’s hospital room, to curl up beside her in bed and comfort her. Meanwhile, with the Case of the Week solved, the team gathered at the hospital to await news. The doctor showed up to lead them down the hall, where they found Scola leaned against the nursery window.
“Scola, are you OK?” asked Isobel.
“I am now,” he answered, smiling to his team and nodding at a newborn in the nursery. “Guys, this is Douglas,” he said, having named his and Nina’s son after his late brother.
How relieved were you that Nina and Douglas both weathered this frightful storm? Plus, grade the entire finale below.
This story originally appeared on TVLine
