It’s back to the drawing board for Stuart Scola (John Boyd) when it comes to finding someone to replace Tiffany Wallace (Katherine Renee Kane) on FBI.
Lisette Olivera is set to debut in the November 12 episode as Syd Ortiz, from the Behavioral Analysis Unit—her name was actually mentioned in the latest episode—and was supposed to be Scola’s new permanent partner, following what Boyd has called “speed dating” for someone after Tiffany left. However, according to Deadline, she’s exiting as a series regular after “a handful of episodes.” The outlet reports that the exit comes due to “how the character fits in the show.”
Syd is coming in as an agent who is a bit different from the others on the team. “She’s newer and fresher and younger,” showrunner Mike Weiss told TV Insider around the premiere. With her BAU background, “she’s going to offer a kind of psychological insight to the team and to the casework that I think is going to be great. And then for Scola, because he is such an intense seen it all, New York City special agent, I think he’s the perfect person to pair with someone who can ask tough questions because you kind of know that Scola, he’s right there anyway thinking about things I think in the same really detail-oriented way and he’s got a partner who is going to be voicing some of those psychological aspects of the cases. I think it’s going to be really fun. And then also he’s just more experienced in the field.”
Weiss also teased that Scola would have to help Syd “get her head around fieldwork a little bit,” and perhaps that will ultimately play into how she is now going to be written out.
So far, Scola has not had luck with finding a new partner. Tiffany left in the Season 7 premiere, saying goodbye to the team and moving to Georgia near her sister.
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“I really love that Mike had such a great idea coming in to have this struggle to find [someone, to have] the rest of the team joking and making fun of me for speed dating and who works and doesn’t work. And it’s the struggle. And part of it is his own journey of finding out that he’s not necessarily ready for someone or [there are] people that are just not the right type, totally wrong for him. It’s been really fun to play. There’s a little bit of humor in there and yeah, I had a great time doing it,” Boyd told us.
Added Weiss, “Scola’s a really fun character to write because he’s very sure of himself, not in a cocky way, maybe a little bit of edge. He is so sure of himself, but all of a sudden, he’s got this kind of big question mark that’s on display for everyone to make fun of and comment on, but also for him to deal with. And I think deeper into the season we’re going to be able to address—I mean, a very, very underground subterranean theme of the character is also the fact that he is raising a baby with another FBI agent [Most Wanted‘s Nina, played by Shantel VanSanten], but they’re not married and maybe Scola’s got a little bit of a commitment-something issue that’s worth exploring. And so bizarrely this opportunity to explore that on a professional level without ever stating it, but just to have it kind of be there bubbling under the surface is interesting for us to play with.”
Well, it sounds like that may last a bit longer than previously thought, with another new partner not working out either.
What are you hoping to see from whoever becomes Scola’s permanent partner? Let us know in the comments section below.
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