‘FBI: International’: Vinessa Vidotto Teases ‘Epic’ Winter Premiere Following Vo’s Shocking Life-or-Death Cliffhanger (Exclusive)

FBI: International’s winter premiere on Tuesday is picking up the pieces after the shocking cliffhanger in the fall finale that left Fly Team member Cameron Vo in critical condition, and Vinessa Vidotto spoke to PopCulture.com about her character’s status. The Fly Team has been tracking down Greg Csonka, who was responsible for the death of Wes’ former partner and it came to a head in the fall finale during a shootout that resulted in Vo getting shot and Csonka getting away.

The FBI agent’s condition worsened in the final seconds, leaving the Fly Team and fans wondering what her fate will be. Vidotto told PopCulture she was “shocked” when she found out what was happening with her character. “I was like, ‘I guess it’s my turn.’ In the past, we’ve had two of our castmates get shot,” she said. “We had Kellett (Heida Reed). She got shot Season 1, and then we had Smitty (Eva-Jane Willis) in Season 2. So, I guess Season 4 was me. But, yeah, it was shocking. I was intrigued because it doesn’t come out of nowhere, and it’s not unwarranted. That’s for a lack of a better word, but it was worth it. These really cool exchange scenes that I had with Csonka. So good. The tension, him, his lawyer, Raines, it was just so delicious to perform. And if that’s the way I go down, you know, I was like, ‘Okay. That’s worth it.’”

The story, which is “basically a three-parter,” will continue in the winter premiere, titled “The Kill Floor,” meaning fans will finally be seeing the aftermath of that terrible cliffhanger and whether or not Csonka will finally be taken down. “The story started from Episode 1, top of this season,” Vidotto explained. “Then you’ve got Episode 8, and then it goes into Episode 9 because Csonka flees to Paris. And, obviously, I’m in the hospital, and my life is on the line. They try to hunt him down. He obviously killed Mike, got me. So there’s a lot at stake and a lot of devotion to get wherever he goes. It’s gonna be epic. And the Fly Team’s in Paris, that’s pretty awesome.”

With Csonka in the wind, the Fly Team’s new leader, Wes (Jesse Lee Soffer), is going to do whatever it takes to bring him in. At the end of the fall finale, he basically told the team that they are going to take their badges off if need be to take down Csonka, meaning going off book. As for how she thinks Wes is handling it since it is very personal for him, Vidotto said, “I think you gotta have a special brain to be on the Fly Team.”

“I think your psychoanalysis has to be pretty perfect because that’s a lot. Right? Super personal,” she continued. “You’re gonna have to take off your badge and see what you can get away with to get justice. So it’s a lot to think about. And then you don’t wanna put more people at risk. Because Csonka, he is a heavy hitter. Obviously, he’s pined for two of us. So, I think he’s handling it as best he can. Obviously, he’s a leader for a reason. I think he’s got it.”

Meanwhile, as Vo fights for her life and the Fly Team is on high alert, a member of the team goes missing, a per the logline. All that Vinessa Vidotto had to say about that particular storyline is, “You’ll have to watch it.” And it’s not because she doesn’t want to spoil anything. She says she really doesn’t know.

“I knew that I’d be in the hospital, I decided not to read it because I wanted to experience the same emotions that the viewers are going through because I already watch movies and shows as an actor,” Vidotto said. “And I really wish I could just turn that off and just enjoy it as just a human being watching art. And, yes, we’re all critics, but you’re just a little more in your head and critical as the artist yourself, performing it alongside with your castmates and stuff. And I was like, ‘Oh. I wanna see what it’s like to not read the script and then see that episode come out.’”

“Because I got a similar taste in Episode 8 when I was on the gurney, and I was put being from the ambulance into the hospital,” she continued. “And my castmates were in this circle, asking what is going on and spoke okay. I had no clue what their reaction was. I didn’t get up and watch behind the monitors. I was on that gurney in the hospital, laying there during all those takes that they did. So when the episode came out and I saw it, Wes’ reaction got me. Everybody is teary-eyed, but I was stunned. I was genuinely, I was like, ‘Oh, I like this.’”

It’s hard to tell how the episode will go because FBI: International is unpredictable. Vidotto has been on the series since the beginning, and Vo has become quite the fan-favorite, but you never know what will go down. Fans will just have to tune in this Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS to see what happens and what Vo’s status will be.