How ‘FBI: International’ Writes Out Luke Kleintank’s Scott Forrester

SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from CBS‘ FBI: International‘s Season 3 finale “Tuxhorn”

It’s the end of an era for FBI: International fans who will discover tonight how the series wrote off Luke Kleintank‘s character Scott Forrester.

Deadline exclusively announced late last month that the actor was leaving after 3 seasons to spend more time with his family. Kleintank was an original FBI: International cast member since the drama premiered in 2021. The final episode he appeared in titled “Touts” aired on May 7.

The good news is, Forrester does not die. His destiny is tied to that of his off-the-radar mother, Angela Cassidy (Elizabeth Mitchell).

In “Tuxhorn,” the episode opens chaotically as Brian Lange (Colin Donnell) discovers that Forrester went to Norway to rescue his mom who is believed to have been captured. Wanting to help, Lange and the Fly Team risk their lives and reputations and head out without the approval or support of the Norwegian government. If they get caught, however, the U.S. government has told them they will deny their knowledge of the mission and will label them rogue agents.

Back in Norway, a woman (Teri Polo) has been taken into custody who authorities believe is Angela Cassidy. They are in search of a secret dossier they believe is in her custody, but do they even have the right person? Without answering any questions while under duress, she opts instead to stab a guard in the neck with a fork before they drag her away as she screams maniacly.

Lange agrees to a dangerous and somewhat mysterious exchange requested by Nicolai, a coyote the Norweigan government is using to free the two journalists who were also imprisoned. The trade-off is, Lange locates a woman of interest to the Russians, in exchange for Angela.

When the Fly Team finds the Russian target, they realize she went off the radar to hide from her abuser. The same abuser who requested Lange find her and exchange her. Realizing he can’t go through with it, he tussles with Nicolai. It’s at this moment that the coyote shows the Fly Team this woman pretending to be Angela, whom they have desperately been trying to free, is an imposter. She is not Angela, she is Tess Chaplain, a former military medic with family roots in Ukraine. Tess disappeared and had been missing for 18 months.

Nicolai and his henchmen battle it out with the Fly Team with the former showing Tess firmly in his grip. The Fly Team manages to rescue her just seconds before the Foreign Minister orders the Americans to be arrested immediately. Lange pulls a wild card which is their last hope to avoid arrest: he asks Tess if she has the password to Angela’s dossier. She doesn’t realize that a tattoo Angela gave her in prison (before tonight’s events), is the password. Bingo!

Tess reveals to the Fly Team, that Forrester and his mom have long since disappeared. Everyone returns to the U.S. and in the final beats of the episode, they discover Forrester and Angela are somewhere in Alaska. Knowing they should reveal the location to Deputy Director Adell, Lange orders them to wipe the file showing where the mother and son are and even that they uncovered it.

But, the episode can’t end without showing some love to Tank. Now that his dad is gone, he will now be with the Fly Team, who love him as if he were their own. And now, he is—at least until Forrester reappears.