Of Dick Wolf’s TV franchises, the trilogy of FBI shows has flown relatively under the radar. The CBS dramas aren’t household names like the Law & Order and One Chicago series have become. But FBI has delivered some of the most consistently impressive acting, carrying its
plots across any bumps in the road. That’s the case with FBI Season 6, Episode 4, “Creating a Monster,” which fairly telegraphs its story — yet by doing so, it provides an effective showcase for the character of OA Zidan.
“Creating a Monster” borrows a classic Law & Order conundrum and gives it to OA. The veteran agent finds himself investigating the Muslim community when a federal judge is murdered, and this naturally causes conflict between his professional identity and his personal
one. What happens along the way does include a handful of TV crime drama tropes. But the episode rises above those because of the strength of Zeeko Zaki’s performance, and the different way FBI handles the message than Law & Order did in 1990.
From the first post-title scene, everything about FBI Season 6, Episode 4 is designed to put the screws to OA. It begins when the sole witness to federal judge Charles Pollan’s murder tells OA and Maggie Bell that the killer had an accent “like a terrorist would have” — the first of a few one-dimensional guest characters. OA naturally points out how ridiculous that statement is, and when the line of questioning quickly confirms that the perpetrator is connected to the Muslim community, the audience knows where the story is headed. It’s an episode that’s going to mix OA’s law enforcement career with his own background and see what comes out. This isn’t the first time FBI has broached the subject of OA’s faith, but it’s the most on the nose.
The writing of the episode has several flaws, particularly in its characterization. But Zeeko Zaki continues to show why he’s one of the best actors in the Wolf Entertainment stable and how he’s made OA into one of TV’s best law enforcement characters. Even when OA is in the most obvious of situations, Zaki never over-dramatizes a moment; he carries himself with restraint and provides just enough internal tension. He gets OA where the script wants the character to go, but is able to do so in a way that feels authentic and earned. And throughout “Creating a Monster,” OA remains a character whom the audience can not just root for, but look up to. He might be having a very difficult couple of days, but he never crosses any lines or does anything purely for dramatic tension. His biggest mistake is cutting the agent who does make several huge errors a little too much slack. That clear through-line for OA is what makes him so interesting to watch. The viewer always knows who he is; he doesn’t change just to serve a particular story, even when it’s his own.
One surprising disappointment, however, is the episode doesn’t give much room to OA’s friendship with Maggie. Perhaps this is intentional in order to up the pressure on OA, but the partners only have two real beats together; in one moment, Maggie tells OA to get his head in the case — which contrasts how everyone gave Tiffany Wallace leeway in FBI Season 6, Episode 8. That’s somewhat understandable since Tiffany was dealing with the death of another agent, but it’s still surprising that there’s not more of a check-in between Maggie and OA, who are so close. Even the final scene, in which Maggie tries to lift OA’s spirits, is not the full-fledged supportive moment between partners that would have been a perfect button to the episode. It’s charming and it tries, but it barely scratches the surface of their friendship.
