That was a philosophical debate that was long in coming.
Stuart and Nina wrestled with a question that plagues many professional couples in dangerous jobs on FBI Season 6 Episode 9.
In their case, the problem is on steroids, as there’s an infant son involved as well.
And, just to ratchet things up a bit more, they had to pose undercover as a couple as the team attempted to solve the murder of a well-respected and now retired FBI agent.
No pressure whatsoever.
It was good to see that even highly skilled professionals who are parents to an infant still have to deal with sleep loss. There’s just no getting around it.
Scola was overreacting with his talk of taking separate transportation on a trip just to improve their chances of at least one of them arriving alive and being there for their son.
Nina did well in minimizing the eye-rolling and the sarcasm he deserved, although he did mean well.
All parents face the same risk of traveling together. But they’re called family vacations for a reason. “No, we can’t go to Disney World yet because Dad’s plane is late.” That’s not going to fly (so to speak).
Stuart and Nina have done their best to stay safe in a dangerous profession. He remained at the Joint Operations Center while she transferred to the Fugitive Task Force on FBI: Most Wanted.
At least this way, they aren’t as hyper-worried about each other during the work day because each doesn’t know what the other is up to.
Scola can’t be blamed for being overly cautious when Nina is concerned. At the back of his mind will always be the pregnant Nina getting shot while she was supposed to be serving in a support role during the FBI crossover.
Nina has repeatedly proven that she has no interest in any office position. She has to be in the field. That’s why she transferred to where she is now.
Fortunately, she was around when a retired agent was killed, and it was an “all-hands-on-deck” sort of situation.
It was sad to see how Mike Rosen’s life ended. After all that he survived as a Special Agent, he was killed by three thugs with a half-assed plan.
That’s got to hit hard people such as Isobel and Jubal, who are in the latter half of their careers. Life can be cruel.
This episode proved that Stuart and Nina are one of those couples that shouldn’t be together 24/7, especially now that they are parents.
Solving the case should have come together quicker than it did. As soon as they determined that Rosen’s job had been scheduling pickups for armored cars, an alarm should have gone off.
Instead, a bullet casing at the murder scene led to a suspect, and tracking his vehicle allowed the team to stumble onto a diamond robbery. What a shock! It involved an armored car from Rosen’s company.
Then, after an extended, superfluous firefight and a lengthy chase scene, OA gunned down the only suspect that they knew about, and they were back to square one.
Fortunately, Maggie and OA found a rare, talkative bartender at the pool hall who quickly gave up Chavez’s cousin to this unlikely couple she’d never seen.
Another lucky break followed as he led them to a fence that just happened to be Nina’s informant, setting up the perfect excuse for her to join the investigation.
Self-interest was that fence’s currency, so he set up the meet for Stuart, the only team member who would be believable as a jeweler. Since bullshit was the language of Wall Street, he was right at home driving a hard bargain with Beto.
But Beto threw him a curve ball by insisting that the transaction occur at Scola’s home.
Luckily, Nina knew the perfect townhouse and the right person to portray Stuart’s wife. Of course, that sparked more debate between them at the wrong time.
It’s good that Nina was there because she could roll with the changes better than Scola, whether that was the stunts Beto was throwing at them or the unexpected police presence amid her dealing with Carlos. Ultimately, they made things work, although they operated better separately than together.
One thing that’s never been made clear: Does Stuart still have a sizable nest egg from his previous career as a stock broker? Or has that disappeared since he’s been earning government wages?
If he’s still got a stash, Nina’s night-nurse idea certainly has merit. If not, join the self-parenting club.
Here’s another idea: Scola can become the security chief for some firm in the city, which would give him an excellent salary and much more regular working hours.
It was snuck in that Tiffany was dealing with her issues that got in the way on FBI Season 6 Episode 8.
Suddenly, she decided to talk with a psychologist. That indeed came out of the blue.
Do we believe she’s doing so?
Or did she throw that out there to get Scola, Isobel, and Jubal off her back? Time will tell.
How did you enjoy having Stuart and Nina back together on the job?
Whose position was right on parenting: his or hers?
Do you believe Tiffany is actually getting help?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.