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Warning: spoilers ahead for the fall finale of FBI: Most Wanted Season 4 called “Appeal”.
FBI: Most Wanted ended in 2022 with the fall finale taking the team to Arkansas after three prosecutors were murdered. What initially appeared to be a case of an affair leading to a murderous rampage turned out to be politically motivated by the ambitions of a racist and sexist judge. Although much blood was spilled before the team could close the case, Ray Cannon did another injustice in his mind throughout the episode. Following Ray’s decision and revelations about his past, actor Edwin Hodge opened up to CinemaBlend.
The episode began for Ray on his walk to work with Hannah, when they ran into a screaming fit over a landlord raising his longtime tenant’s rent by a whopping $2,000, which she couldn’t afford and was facing eviction for herself and her son you are Ray tried to intervene, but was called away by a case before he could help. The woman’s situation stuck in his mind and Hannah dug up public dirt on the landlord for him.
After some hesitation about using it, he ended up taking what she had found to try and help the woman and her son. Ray visited the landlord and accused him of tax evasion. He gave the landlord two options: call his friends at the IRS about $75,000 in unpaid taxes, or the woman and her son would get another lease instead of raising the rent. The homeowner chose the option that didn’t involve jail time and tens of thousands of dollars.
Ray giving the landlord a choice and then not actually reporting it ensures that two innocent people will be able to stay in their home instead of being evicted, but that might not be something he would do if he were on work. The former Chicago Fire actor Edwin Hodge addressed why to him Most wanted the character handled the situation the way he did:
You fight injustice in any way you can. Even if it means using someone’s dirty indiscretion to corner them. Morally, was it right? I’ll leave that up to the audience to decide, but it was a way to help someone he identified with because of his own past.
Ray fought injustice in this way while off the clock because he could identify with the woman and her son because of what he experienced with gentrification in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. It was a happy ending for two innocent people who were able to keep their home thanks to Ray, but Edwin Hodge leaves it up to viewers to decide whether not telling the landlord is a moral choice.
The agent also opened up on “Appeal” about his background in New Orleans and how he continued to face prejudice due to the color of his skin throughout his career. He revealed that he had to overcome a lot of hate, assumptions and doubts about his abilities, and it shed more light than ever on Rey as a character in FBI: Most Wanted.
Edwin Hodge shared how he approached the scene as an actor opposite his co-star Keisha Castle-Hughes (who recently had her own intense episode with Hannah’s kidnapping), and the message he wanted to convey:
It was an interesting scene to perform. I wanted to find a good balance between being upset about everything he’s been through, but not angry at the world. There is a battle that the African-American population continues to endure, and we are exhausted by it all. We are tired of fighting, but we will keep fighting and it doesn’t have to be this way. Especially in the times we live in now. That’s more of the message I wanted to convey. We as a people have contributed so much to the growth of this nation and we just want the same recognition and respect for what we have done. Stop trying to remove us from our homes where we are trying to live happy progressive lives like everyone else.
Ray was calm but clear as he told Hannah about how he had to work twice as hard to get halfway there, and it was obvious that watching two people go through what he had to endure all those years ago in New Orleans, weighs on him. He found a way to fight the injustice and keep the mother and son in their home and won this week. The situation showed a different side of the character, and the actor weighed in on his thoughts on this side of Rey being explored further in the second half of Season 4:
I feel like every time we get a chance to delve into the personal lives of these agents, it gives the show more body and depth. I’m sure we’ll see more about how Ray’s personal life affects his work and vice versa.
FBI: Most Wanted rarely follows cases for more than one episode, as the team usually catches their fugitive and moves on to the next one. However, the fallout from the cases can continue to affect the characters, as with the death of Jess in Season 3. Hanna teased Ray about wanting to see more of the woman he was trying to help; whether she will reappear in the new year remains to be seen.
The show has officially wrapped up with new episodes for 2022, but fans won’t have to wait too long in 2023 TV Premiere Schedule for the return. FBI: Most Wanted (opens in new tab) returns with its winter premiere on Tuesday, January 3 in its usual time slot of 10:00 PM ET on CBS, after FBI: International (which is presented less so than Luke Kleintank for good reason) at 9 p.m. and FBI (which just got nina back) at 8:00 p.m. You can also stream past episodes with a Paramount+ subscription.
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