FBI: Missy Peregrym Teases a Big Finale for Maggie

CBS’ FBI ends its freshman run on Tuesday, May 14 with an impressive season under its belt: not only did the show get an early season 2 renewal, but it has already spun off a second series in the franchise.

On-screen, the drama’s finale is a big one for the show. Maggie (Missy Peregrym), who has struggled with losing her husband, follows up on the new information she got in the penultimate episode about a woman who may have answers about Jason’s murder. But, naturally, there’s a twist—and the woman ends up being a part of a case.

Peregrym teases what’s ahead in “Closure,” and reflects on the show’s journey so far…

What are you allowed to tease about the finale?
Missy Peregrym: I love doing shows where we lead into the next thing. As a procedural, we hadn’t done that very often. I’m excited the fact this is connected [to the penultimate].

We’re getting into Maggie’s husband’s death and what happened. And there’s a surprise in the finale I don’t think anyone will see coming.

How much does what happens in the finale change her grief and the way she handles Jason’s death going forward?
MP: I think we will see that in season 2 more. I think that’s for the writers to decide how much they want to continue that. But it is a pretty emotional moment. I would say this is the most you’ll see her be dealing with this stuff out of the whole season.

When her husband’s murder becomes part of the case the team is working on, how does Maggie deal with her worlds colliding?
MP: It’s a really tricky thing. We’ve touched on it during the year: Can I be involved in something that is so personal. Do I have what it takes to put that to the side and do my job? And that’s something that is the grey area. “Can I show up and be the agent and not be sad Maggie?” That skews you when you’re emotional; when there’s something that personal, you behave differently and your reactions are different. It can be a total threat to whomever I’m dealing with and also the bureau. That’s definitely a conversation that’s coming up.

Dana puts herself on the line in the episode to help Maggie, too…
MP: She’s my boss. And to be able to do the things I need to do—that’s how the FBI works. Nobody works alone, no one does whatever they want to do. It’s a team effort and there’s a lot of paperwork that has to go through before you can react. I definitely need her on my side.

How much of Maggie’s arc did you actually know earlier in the season? Did they give you a bit of a heads up about how her season would end?
MP: A little bit when I was talking to Rick [Eid]. Episode 14 was the one where we found out [Maggie’s husband] was murdered. And I was like, “Are we going to talk about this again?” I’m used to working in dramas where [the personal] is the [main] thing. Even in ROOKIE BLUE, policing was the backdrop, but really it was a character[-focused] show. I asked if we were going to talk about it, but this is a different format. We have 45 minutes to tell such a fast-paced story and wrap this whole thing up. We genuinely do not have time to be doing that; if it’s going to be the focus, it’s going to be the A-story. Which is why we get it in the finale. Rick did let me know that we were building towards that.

I had to play I was thinking about this stuff, but there’s not a lot of choices for that [on-screen]: I’m not going to be doing that while I’m going to take down a guy. This is how I’m also surviving—by turning it off and doing my job. So it was easily justifiable, for me, for a while, because that’s how I’ve been coping. But things just have a breaking point.

Speaking of ROOKIE BLUE, how has diving into a different aspect of law enforcement been for you? Does it feel like a similar world?
MP: The cop stuff is just that you’re more surprised when things happen because you’re showing up and you only know it’s a call. FBI, it’s pretty major stuff. I enjoy this.

I think the reason I like working on these shows is because I really enjoy the reality of portraying what [real] people are doing. Same thing with police and the risk to do their job, and how difficult and emotionally straining it can be—it’s the same thing for FBI. When this whole thing went down with the government, they didn’t stop going to work. They know what we’re dealing with. They work tirelessly. They’re never off the hook. Their phones are always on. That level of service is really remarkable to me, which is another reason why I want to put that stuff in. I want people to not just be entertained by our show, but understand what [real FBI agents] are doing. If you can show that in an emotional outburst, that’s the stuff that’s relatable.

Obviously when you sign on for a pilot, there’s only so much you can know about the journey you will go on with the show. What surprised you the most about this first year?
MP: It is always a risk to work on a show. You have no idea what’s going to happen. Nobody makes this by themselves. You never know the character you’re fully going to play; it’s a development.

That’s why it’s amazing we get the opportunity to dig into these characters and find our voice for a second season. Having CBS believe in us that soon is a big deal. I think we’re still growing together and getting to know each other. That’s the part I really love about this.

But it’s a lot to do this job. We had to move to New York, starting over. Finding personal time to take care of myself as well as working was a lot. The schedule was the most I’ve ever been involved in before. It’s really just being a person and trying to sort out how I can live well when things are extremely intense and there’s a lot on the table. This is a business. I know it’s entertaining, but there’s a lot on the line every time you’re doing this. There’s a lot of investment in this, and I care very much about that. I want it to be very good, I want it to be the best show it can be. With all of the high stakes that are happening, what do I take on and what do I let go? It’s human work, but it’s the circumstances that brought it out in me.

With that upcoming second season, what are you hoping to get to do?
MP: I like all the little details and dynamics between characters. Who am I going to be joking around with more? For me, I think [Jeremy Sisto‘s] Jubal has the worst jokes and I laugh at them every time. Maggie loves that; he’s such a dork sometimes, but it’s really endearing. Ebonée [Noel], I hope I can be more involved with her character [Kristen] as friends. That’s how things were going to start, and it’s so hard to find the time to be able to do this. For me, it’s how do we find the time to create these character dynamics as we’re doing our job and what does it bring up as we’re doing this job?

FBI, Tuesdays, 9/8c, CBS

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