'FBI Most Wanted' Season 2 Premiere: Will Byron's fiancée Marie escalate the tension between Jess and his dad?
Spoilers for 'FBI Most Wanted'
While the episode 'Rampage' brought the Covid-19 pandemic into their storyline with a deadly case, there was tension brewing at home when it comes to FBI Agent Jess LaCroix (Julian McMahon). The start of the episode saw Jess warn his daughter Tali LaCroix (YaYa Gosselin) about her grandfather Byron (Terry O’Quinn) not showing up just because he was late.
According to Jess, his father only sends his granddaughter thoughtful messages on her birthday every year, because he feels "guilty" for not being there. The tension between Jess and his father started right off the bat when his father shows up maskless during a pandemic along with a girlfriend named Marie (Rachel York) who's half his age.
We know that Byron has been a gambler, and clearly not someone that Jess trusts — Byron also plans on staying with the family for more than a weekend. Their conversations are blunt and short with Byron telling his son that he was sure he needed "forensic evidence" and handing him his Covid-19 test results that said negative to justify why he wasn't wearing a mask. He even told his son to tell his mother "hello" but "keep out the Marie" part.
While Jess was working on the Kyle Dennison case, he gets a picture that shows his daughter Tali riding her horse with Byron and Marie in the picture. He gets a call from his sister asking him who Marie was. He immediately shrugs off his family tensions, because the case at the time was way more important.
When they cracked the case, one of his colleagues tells Jess, "it always comes down to family" to which Jess' replies saying, "for better or for worse" — clearly hinting at his relationship with his father.
During a family dinner, Jess confronts his father on why he took Tali to the race track, asking him if he bet on anything when he was there. Byron said he did bet on one thing because it "was right there" and Jess reminded him that it's never just one time — he promptly brings up the time Byron spent his college fund on gambling. As Tali and Jess' in-laws clear the table, Marie and Byron stay behind.
Jess then asks Byron when the last time was since he'd been to GA (Gamblers' Anonymous) meeting, which welcomed a snark from Byron who asked Jess when was the last AA (Alcohol Anonymous) meeting was. While that wasn't enough tension, to begin with, Marie reveals that she and Byron are getting married — which, as expected, didn't yield an exciting response from Jess.
Will tensions escalate between father and son is the question? We're certain it will since Jess and Byron's relationship is already on the rocks. We also presume that we'll learn more about Jess' childhood with his father more as he unpacks his father's upcoming wedding. This season of 'FBI: Most Wanted' will unfold more on characters as promised by showrunner David Hudgins so only time will tell how Jess reacts to his father's antics.
'FBI Most Wanted' airs on Tuesdays at 10 pm EST on CBS.