FBI brought back the recently introduced character, Ella, in Season 7, Episode 6, and it looks as though she may be in the series for the long haul.
The last few seasons of CBS' smash-hit crime drama, following the members of New York City's FBI field office, have been dramatic. One of the key plot points lately has been surrounding enterprising FBI agent Jessica Blake.
Blake was introduced in Season 6 before tragically dying at the hands of a mild aneurysm she suffered while investigating a dangerous cabal of international eco-terrorists.
Who Is Ella in FBI Season 7?
FBI Season 7, Episode 6 brought Rose Decker's young Ella back to the forefront of the long-running series' ever-evolving story.
Ella was first introduced in Season 6 as the daughter of the late FBI agent Jessica Blake.
After Blake tragically died in one of Season 6's most emotional moments, Ella was entrusted with series mainstay Maggie Bell (played by Missy Peregrym).
This move was such a significant change for Maggie that it scared fans into thinking the character would be exiting the series as she potentially pursued motherhood full-time. However, her departure from the show did not come to pass.
Since Agent Blake's death, Maggie has been seen on-screen caring for the young girl as her new legal guardian while trying to balance her demanding career as a federal agent.
This came to a head in Season 7's sixth episode, as Maggie now questions whether she wants/is capable of caring for Ella to the standard her mother would have wanted.
Maggie's uncertainty stems from a key conflict that came to a head in the show's latest episode. Thus far, Maggie has been able to keep her home and work lives separate, but that is no longer the case after Season 7, Episode 6.
Maggie's worlds collide in this chapter of the FBI story as it is revealed she has been followed by the serial killer they are tracking, Hope Adkins, and she has photos of Maggie and Ella together.
This puts Ella directly in the line of fire of one of Maggie's cases at work, something she promised Agent Blake she would not let happen on her deathbed last season.
While they take down the Adkins without harming Ella, Maggie's reaction shakes her to her core, making her wonder if she is the right person to be put in charge of a small child like Ella.
What Will Happen Next to Ella in FBI?
The new FBI episode ends before fully exploring what Maggie's complicated feelings about being Ella's guardian mean. So, surely, that will be a focus of the next few chapters in the FBI story — if not the rest of Season 7.
While some are worried the events of Episode 6 could potentially lead to Maggie abandoning Ella for the foster care system or putting her in the care of someone else she trusts, that does not seem likely.
Maggie promised Ella's mother that she would take care of the young girl as she died. Despite some complicated feelings on the matter now, she does not seem ready to break that promise.
The long-time FBI agent has focused on her career since the beginning of the series and has not had much to anchor her outside of the New York field office. She feels she is not the best choice to care for Ella, but she will almost come around.
After doubting herself for a bit, Maggie will likely realize that she may need Ella in her life more than Ella needs her, fully accepting her role as legal guardian and vowing to protect the young girl at all costs.
New episodes of FBI air on CBS on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Paramount+.
