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Jay Hayden’s Tyler Booth made a splash during his FBI: International debut — and according to the actor, the performance is just the tip of the iceberg.
Warning: Spoilers below from FBI: International season 4, episode 7.
“I don’t think there’s a member of the Fly Team that isn’t weary of Booth,” Hayden, 37, exclusively told Us Weekly prior to his first episode of the CBS series airing on Tuesday, December 10.
During Tuesday’s episode, Charleston FBI agent Tyler Booth (Hayden) enlisted the help of his former partner Wes Mitchell (Jesse Lee Soffer) — who is now the Fly Team in Budapest’s Special Agent in Charge — as he attempted to track down a fugitive on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.
Despite Tyler and Wes butting heads over the case, they caught their man and, as a result, Tyler was allowed to stay with the Fly Team overseas until he decided his next steps.
“I think Wes would really love for his ex-partner to toe the line and do this the right way. There’ll never be a better opportunity [to get back on track],” Hayden told Us of Wes’ hopes for Tyler and his career moving forward.
The actor teased he’s “not sure Tyler’s capable” of drawing in the lines.
“Then to make things a lot harder as the cases become much more intense, extreme and personal for Wes, that opens the door for him to maybe not be tracking his buddy so much,” Hayden explained, noting that pressure on Wes could lead to Tyler “giving him advice that he doesn’t necessarily need or maybe doesn’t benefit the benefit the good side of Wes. The angel Wes.”
When Wes took over the Fly Team at the start of season 4, he made it clear that he’s results-oriented. Since then, he has blurred the lines when it comes following established protocols on several occasions. Now that Tyler — who Wes says he owes — is in town, those lines are going to get even less clear.
“You saw the way Tyler reacted when it got personal for him. If it were to get just as personal for Wes, how is he going to react?” Hayden asked, referring to Tyler’s daughter being pulled into his last case. “How is he going to react with an old friend in his ear chirping, ‘You know, how we get this done.’”
Tyler and Wes previously hinted at a controversial past between the pair, which resulted in Tyler taking a professional hit and Wes continuing to climb the FBI ladder. Their bond, however deep, may not serve them well moving forward, per Hayden.
“I think as it gets extremely personal for the Fly Team— I’m just not quite sure [Tyler’s presence] is going to be always helpful,” he confessed. “I think it’s gonna make it harder.”
Hayden revealed that a “bad guy from a previous story comes back” to haunt the team, which leads to “difficult decisions” for Wes.
Those choices are exacerbated by having Tyler under his command. “I think you’re gonna see him struggle even more with the presence of Tyler,” Hayden teased.
Despite all the upcoming tension (fans can expect to see Hayden in at least four episodes this season) Tyler will remain grounded in some capacity due to his college-aged daughter being back in the U.S.
“I think that’s one of the great anchors of Tyler’s character,” he told Us. “His relationship with his daughter, his love for his daughter, that’s his No. 1 [most] important thing in his life, being close to her [and] keeping her safe.”
The bad guy from Tuesday’s episode threatened to expose risqué photos of Tyler’s daughter in order to get to him. Wes, however, had Tyler’s back and helped him avoid that traumatic scandal.
“You see how reactive he gets when this guy goes after his daughter. Then any semblance of following the rule of law goes out the window and you don’t really totally blame him,” Hayden said, calling it “a redeeming factor in all of his bad behavior.”
While Tyler has now agreed to live overseas, Hayden said that the pull of his daughter and her safety won’t go away. “Tyler’s gonna join the Fly Team, but his relationship with his daughter and his proximity to her is still gonna continue to be a factor,” he concluded.
FBI: International airs on CBS Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
