‘FBI’: Juliana Aidén Martinez Talks Eva’s ‘Feelings of Dread and Curiosity’ About Her Past (Exclusive)

Monday’s episode of FBI brought more of Eva’s backstory to the surface, and Juliana Aidén Martinez told PopCulture.com all about it.

In “Crusader,” after a dangerous drug kingpin from Eva’s past resurfaces, she has to waver between her mission as an agent and her personal vendetta.

The episode, which served as the CBS procedural’s 150^th episode, brought some trouble for Eva. It brought up memories of her past as a prosecutor, so much so that she went against the team at one point. The end result wasn’t what she was hoping for, but it might have been what she needed. Take a look at what Martinez had to say about what happened in the latest episode of FBI. (Interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

PopCulture: In the episode, during an interrogation, the name Hector Vega is brought up, and it was clear that it meant something to Eva. What do you think was going through her mind when she heard his name?

Juliana Aidén Martinez: Oh, I think it was more like a sensation. I think a part of it is when you hear… this is an example of what probably felt similar for me. But it’s like if you heard that your ex moved across the street from you in a neighborhood, and you’re like, ‘“Wait. What? My ex moved across the street from me.” And there’s a sense of dread, but curiosity and uncertainty and, “Oh, s—ness.” I’m sorry. I don’t know if I can curse.

I just think that there was a lot of, like, “Wait. Did I hear that right? Am I hearing things? Oh, no. But wait. I’m curious. How does it look now? What has become of this person?” And so I think there was that mixture of feelings of dread and curiosity. And, I don’t know, maybe a little anger too. A year of someone who did you wrong in the past.

PC: Speaking of curiosity, Eva ends up meeting with Vega on her own. Why do you think she felt the need to do this on her own without telling anyone, especially knowing that the team would more than likely find out about it later?

Martinez: That’s a great question. And that was something that I went back and forth on, too. I think it was either the ability of, maybe I can turn this situation into an opportunity in which if I get Vega to say, “I’m gonna come in, and I’m gonna help you guys out,” it becomes more of a winning moment for Eva, that it’s like, “Hey. Look at what I was able to get done. He’s gonna come in, and he’s gonna cooperate with us.”

Or I also think it was the possibility of, this is a personal matter, and I wanna deal with this personally. And I need this for me. I need to figure out how I can fix this because this is a personal failing on my part. So I think it was either or for me.

PC: We do find out just how personal things are for her after Scola confronts her about knowing about Vega. And she reveals that when she was a lawyer, she had a case against him, and there was a witness she believes was killed by Vega. It was really one of the first times that we hear of her lawyer past, and it really sounds like it did a number on her. How do you think what she went through as a lawyer prepared her for the FBI?

Martinez: Good question. Definitely critical thinking. The ability to think quickly on your feet. The looking for a solution and also, I think on both sides of the field, even like from being behind a desk to being out in the field, there’s still the pursuit of can we get the bad guy? Can we protect our community more?

And what helps, I also think, is that Eva knows what you can do in terms of being outside in the field. As a prosecutor, you know when you can arrest someone. You know what warrant you do need in order for something to happen. And I think this ability to be somewhat analytical but also learning how to be more practical, functional, and physical is a journey for her, or something maybe that she really enjoys and thinks is an adventure, because she can never do that as a lawyer with a stack of files. But I do think her knowledge of the law is able to transmute into something actionable, and that’s what she gets to do as an FBI agent.

PC: Vega does end up having to work with the team. With their complicated history, how did Eva feel about working with him, even if it was for a little bit?

Martinez: I think it probably sucked. I imagine she didn’t like it, and she wants to be a team player. She wants to be a part of the team. She wants to make sure that she is a beneficial and positive part of the team. But, personally, I’m sure it was like nails on a chalkboard.

PC: Eva goes undercover, but her cover is blown, and Vega, unfortunately, is in the wind. How will this affect her moving forward, and will we see any continuation for the storyline?

Martinez: I think that the inability or what have you, the circumstance of not being able to get him a second time, I do think there’s a sense of maturity and growth in that. No matter how bad we want something, how bad we try to get something to happen, sometimes life happens. And life can be a little unfair. And, unfortunately, as much as you’re a law student and you pursue what’s right and wrong and black and white and what’s clear, life is full of gray. And I do think that that’s gonna be growth maturity for her.

In terms of him coming back, I’m not sure. I know that a lot of people love the story, and it would be really cool for him to come back and see what happens the third time. I do think third time’s a charm. I’m not sure, but I do think the story of who Eva is will continue to grow, and she’ll continue to grow in front of us and mature into the woman that she wants to be, and she hopes to be.

New episodes of FBI air on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, streaming the next day on Paramount+.