FBI: INTERNATIONAL: Eva-Jane Willis Previews the Messy Introduction of Smitty’s Parents

May 6, 2024 by Marisa Roffman

“Touts” – When a former member of the Irish Republican Army turned U.S. citizen is shot while in London with his son touring youth football academies, Smitty and the Fly Team work to hunt down the people responsible as the group becomes increasingly violent. While in London, Smitty pays a visit to her mother who she believes can help the team locate an old family friend who may have a connection to the case, on FBI: INTERNATIONAL, Tuesday, May 7 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Pippa Haywood as Scarlett Garretson, Colin Mace as Terry Garretson, and Eva-Jane Willis as Europol Agent Megan “Smitty” Garretson. Photo: CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Highest quality screengrab available.

After a former member of the Irish Republican Army (AKA IRA)-turned-US citizen is killed on the Tuesday, May 7 episode of FBI: INTERNATIONAL, the Fly Team has to find his killers. Fortunately—or unfortunately—for Smitty (Eva-Jane Willis), she thinks she may have a way to help the team.

“It’s a bit of a shocker to Smitty’s workmates, and I presume to the audience, as well, when Smitty reveals that her mother might be the key to getting some insider information about the IRA,” Willis tells Give Me My Remote of “Touts.” “We obviously didn’t know that Smitty’s mum would have any affiliation with what was a terrorist group in Ireland. And so that in itself is a bit of a shock. And then once we get deeper into that, Smitty finds out revelation after revelation about this particular connection—[it] actually could have had devastating effects on her life as a child and on the safety of her family.”

Even outside of work-related reasons, Smitty and her mother, Scarlett (Pippa Haywood) “have quite a complex relationship.”

“I think they know how to push each other’s buttons, and Smitty avoids going home at all costs, because whenever she sees her mother, there’s always some comment about how she never brings a man home,” Willis says. “Always some comments about how she never visits. And I think one of the main reasons Smitty doesn’t like to go home—aside from the passive-aggressive jives that they often share—is that she can’t help it feel like a helpless teenager again whenever her mother is around.”

“Smitty has worked very hard over the years to build up walls to protect herself against any vulnerabilities,” she continues. “She’s always appearing to be strong and she can keep up with the boys. She’s tough in the face of danger and unbreakable—it takes a lot to shake her usually. But when she goes home, all of that kind of comes crashing down and she can’t help but feel like a strappy teenager again. And I think she hates that; that’s why she avoids it at all costs.”

“Touts” – When a former member of the Irish Republican Army turned U.S. citizen is shot while in London with his son touring youth football academies, Smitty and the Fly Team work to hunt down the people responsible as the group becomes increasingly violent. While in London, Smitty pays a visit to her mother who she believes can help the team locate an old family friend who may have a connection to the case, on FBI: INTERNATIONAL, Tuesday, May 7 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Eva-Jane Willis as Europol Agent Megan “Smitty” Garretson and Carter Redwood as Special Agent Andre Raines. Photo: Nelly Kiss/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

But Smitty won’t be alone when she goes home—she’ll be joined by Raines (Carter Redwood), as she visits her mother and father, Terry (Colin Mace).

When Raines sees this different side of Smitty, “I think that brings her and Raines even closer,” Willis previews. “She gives him an out right before they go in. And he says, ‘Oh no, I wouldn’t miss this for the world.’ At that point, she has to kind of give in and let Raines into her life in a way that he never has been before. And he’s witnessed that. He sees the vulnerability and he’s right there for her when she needs him. I think her and Raines come out of this episode much stronger as a unit and as a partnership.”

Their bonding comes just as the Fly Team is set to undergo another shakeup: “Touts” also serves as Luke Kleintank’s final episode with the series. (Kleintank has played Fly Team leader Scott Forrester since the show’s first episode.) This comes after Heida Reed (who was also with the series since season 1) exited in the season 3 premiere and Christina Wolfe joined the cast as a regular this year.

“I think that when you get TV shows like this, that are about people who put their lives on the line for a living, that sometimes we can all sort of rest safely assured that everyone will be safe at the end of the episode, and no one will get hurt and everyone will still be there for however many seasons. And this show isn’t like that,” Willis says with a laugh. “This show has taught us very quickly that everyone’s in danger. Everyone’s lives are at stake, and nobody is safe, really.”

“I think that should be reason enough to come back and watch and see what’s going to happen,” she continues. “This is a show about FBI agents. And if we were all actually working in these positions, we would have to roll with these sometimes devastating punches when they come along. And each time we lose someone or we gain a new member, as a team, we[‘d] have to negotiate, ‘Okay, how are we going to continue to crack the case, do what’s best for those victims that are involved, and stay professional, even though we are being affected personally by these changes?’ And I think that hopefully makes it interesting watching.”

FBI: INTERNATIONAL, Tuesdays, 9/8c, CBS

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