Why Maggie Left FBI (& What It Means For Her Relationship With OA In The Series)

August 28, 2024

Dick Wolf's FBI series centers on OA and Maggie Bell, two special agents with a tight relationship that only became closer when Maggie left FBI.

Summary

Maggie left FBI after being exposed to sarin gas, leading to a period of absence due to actress Missy Peregrym's maternity leave.
OA is overprotective of Maggie when she returns to work, showing a potential romantic attraction between them.
FBI is part of Dick Wolf's TV universe and has already spawned two spinoffs: FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted.

Maggie Bell (Missy Peregrym) left the crime procedural FBI series somewhat suddenly and the relationship between OA and Maggie becomes more committed when she returns. FBI is part of Dick Wolf's TV universe and follows the criminal division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New York City field office. This elite unit is filled with a handful of different personality types who all bring their unique and specific skills to the table to solve major cases in the city. The series premiered in September 2018 and has already led to two spinoffs: FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted.

Like many crime procedurals, the best part of FBI is the likable cast. Peregrym stars as Maggie, Special Agent in Charge, who leads the team when out in the field. Highly intelligent and with an emotional IQ to match, Maggie suffers the loss of her husband before the start of the series, a wound that is only slowly revealed throughout the first season. Maggie's partner, Omar Adom "OA" Zidan (Zeeko Zaki), is a driven agent who's endured bullying his whole life for his Muslim religion and Egyptian heritage. OA and Maggie have a close partnership, and when Maggie returns to FBI, more layers of their friendship are revealed.

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Maggie Left FBI After Being Exposed To Sarin Gas (But Actor Missy Peregrym Was On Maternity Leave)

In FBI season 4, episode 18, "Fear Nothing", OA and Maggie are tracking a suspect in an abandoned laboratory. The suspect has threatened to release sarin gas on the NYC population. OA has had experience with the gas in the past and so is particularly bent on stopping its release to the public. Maggie and OA separate once inside the laboratory and while Maggie does end up shooting the suspect, the gas is released and Maggie is trapped in a containment unit as OA helplessly looks on. He eventually manages to rescue her, but not before lasting damage is done, forcing Maggie to recover in a hospital.

Maggie was absent from the show for nine episodes until her return in FBI season 5, episode 7, "Ready or Not". However, this absence was not solely a storytelling device, as Missy Peregrym was actually pregnant during this period and was taking maternity leave (via TV Insider). This was the second time Peregrym had a child during the show and the second time Maggie left FBI. Peregrym announced this pregnancy in February 2022 but she and showrunner Rick Eid had been preparing for her temporary departure long before (via CBR).

What Peregrym Says About OA & Maggie's Relationship After Her Return

When Maggie returns to FBI, OA has not forgotten about her poisoning. Peregrym tells TV Insider:

"Maggie returning to work is really difficult for OA. He’s overprotective because he doesn’t want anything to happen to her again."

Maggie and OA have always had an undercurrent of something deeper running through their relationship. Both are consummate professionals when interacting with each other, but OA's increasing protectiveness and worry about Maggie's well-being signals a potential romantic attraction in their relationship. FBI has not had OA or Maggie act on any desires for each other yet, but the way they care and worry about one another hints at something intimate in their relationship.

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Sources:TV Insider, CBR