FBI season 9 premiere: Zeeko Zaki discusses OA's undercover strike team arc
After the CBS drama's season 9 premiere, Zeeko Zaki told TVLine and Collider that OA's undercover stint with Anna Vorpe's strike team will get darker before it ends, and that OA and Maggie are reunited but will not be a couple.
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The story, neutrally told
Centre · 2In the season 9 premiere of the CBS procedural FBI, Special Agent Omar Adom "OA" Zidan (Zeeko Zaki) is still working undercover in Anna Vorpe's strike team, after being fired in the season 8 finale. TVLineN “Since OA's firing in last season's finale, he's been under deep cover in Anna Vorpe's strike team” Read at TVLine ↗ ColliderN “Special Agent Omar Adom “OA” Zidan (Zeeko Zaki) was fired from the bureau after refusing to participate in a cover-up related to a case involving a stolen bioweapon” Read at Collider ↗ Centre · 1Collider describes Vorpe (Claire Coffee) as a shadowy government player who is protected, and says OA is gathering intel to stop her team, while Maggie (Missy Peregrym) works with a new partner, Isaiah Green (Roland Buck III). ColliderN “Maggie (Missy Peregrym) has to navigate things with her new partner, Isaiah Green (Roland Buck III)”“a strike team being run by Anna Vorpe (Claire Coffee), a shadowy government player who isn’t afraid to cross the line thanks to the protection she’s receiving” Read at Collider ↗ Centre · 1TVLine reports the premiere's case involves a young woman found dead after witnessing the execution of someone tied to Project Jehovah, a Department of Defense black-budget nuclear forensics and attribution program. TVLineN “Jubal learns about Project Jehovah, a special program financed by the Department of Defense's black budget.” Read at TVLine ↗
Centre · 1The FBI and the strike team clash at project director Cameron Koleo's research facility; the strike team, which TVLine says did not commit the murders, abducts Koleo and tortures him over suspected leaks to North Korea, which OA visibly opposes. TVLineN “Although the strike team isn't the group responsible for the murders, Anna thinks the director is responsible for leaking information to North Korea.”“they torture him to make him talk — a move that OA is visibly against” Read at TVLine ↗ Centre · 1Koleo's girlfriend turns out to be the leak, and OA sees Koleo die; Isobel then asks OA to stay on and find out who is shielding Anna, since the FBI lacks enough to stop her. TVLineN “After Koleo's girlfriend is revealed to be the leak and the threat is dismantled, OA is frustrated to learn that his time in the strike team is far from over.”“So Isobel gives OA one last task: Find out who the shield is.” Read at TVLine ↗ Centre · 2Maggie and OA reunite in the premiere; TVLine says she has him punch her so she can sell the strike team's escape, and Collider notes she puts a gun to his head and that the two share a heartfelt hug on a roof. TVLineN “Maggie forces OA to punch her in the face (so she can sell the fact that the mystery team got away)” Read at TVLine ↗ ColliderN “How was it to have Maggie put a gun to OA’s head?”“the hug on the roof between OA and Maggie is so heartfelt” Read at Collider ↗
Centre · 1Zaki told TVLine the strike team has no oversight, saying "You can push the limits. But at the end of the day, what's wrong is wrong," and that OA just wants to return to his old job and partner. TVLineN “"There's nobody watching over you on the strike team, and we get to show that," Zeeko Zaki tells TVLine.”“Zaki assures us that OA "just wants to get back to business as usual."” Read at TVLine ↗ Centre · 1Zaki said OA is close to succeeding and close to being caught, using the line "The longer you stay in the fire, the easier it is to burn." TVLineN “"The longer you stay in the fire, the easier it is to burn," Zaki says” Read at TVLine ↗ Centre · 1Zaki told Collider the arc is not resolved quickly: "the worst is yet to come," and OA will go "a little deeper and a little darker before we get to see him in the light." ColliderN “So, the worst is yet to come. OA is going to go a little deeper and a little darker before we get to see him in the light.” Read at Collider ↗
Centre · 1Zaki said the storyline plays out over the first three episodes, and that the season only felt like it started for them when Maggie and OA were back together in episode 4. ColliderN “It plays out in the first three episodes, which is really fun.”“Episode 4 felt like the first day of work.” Read at Collider ↗ Centre · 2Asked whether OA and Maggie could become romantic, Zaki gave "a definite pass," calling their bond brother-sister, while TVLine reports Zaki hints at conflict between them this season and a further look at OA's relationship with Zara in episode 4. ColliderN “That is a definite pass. We have just morphed into such a brother-sister relationship.” Read at Collider ↗ TVLineN “It puts a wedge in between [them] this season.”“further exploration of the OA/Zara relationship coming in Episode 4” Read at TVLine ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre2 outlets
- Framing
- Both are cast-interview pieces written after the premiere and carry spoiler warnings. They lead with Zaki's comments on OA's undercover arc and his partnership with Maggie. TVLine recaps the episode's plot alongside quotes; Collider uses a long Q&A format.
- Emphasis
- TVLine stresses the moral cost of undercover work and the hunt for Anna's protector. Collider stresses the grey areas of law enforcement, the OA/Maggie bond and whether they could be romantic.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither carries criticism or reviews of the episode. TVLine says little about the Maggie/Isaiah storyline; Collider gives less plot detail on the Project Jehovah case.
- Charged language
- “Shady Strike Team Gig”“ruffians”“shocking”
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- OA was fired in the season 8 finale and is working undercover in Anna Vorpe's strike team.
- Zeeko Zaki says the storyline will not be wrapped up in one episode.
- Zaki describes OA and Maggie's bond as very strong.
Zeeko Zaki person
Zaki presents OA as eager to return to the FBI but pulled deeper into the strike team, says the arc gets darker before it resolves, and rules out a romance with Maggie.
“He just wants to get back to what he knows and get back to the FBI.” — TVLine
“So, the worst is yet to come.” — Collider
FBI (TV series) other
The series sets up the FBI as trying to bring down a strike team that answers to nobody, with OA's undercover role as the means.
“to bring down this team that seems to answer to nobody” — TVLine
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre2 articles
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TVLineN ·
Neutral Episode recap woven with Zaki quotes, focusing on OA's discomfort and the stakes of staying undercover.
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'FBI' Star Officially Confirms "The Worst Is Yet To Come" in Season 9
Neutral Long Q&A in which Zaki discusses the arc's tone, castmates and the OA/Maggie relationship, with a teaser that things get worse.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 6 Oct 02:00 First TVLineN FBI's Zeeko Zaki On OA's Shady Strike Team Gig In Season 9 Premiere: 'The Longer You Stay In The Fire, The Easier It Is To Burn'
- 6 Oct 02:00 First ColliderN 'FBI' Star Officially Confirms "The Worst Is Yet To Come" in Season 9
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.