FBI Season 8: The Major Death Revealed — And the Exit That Changes Everything
FBI returns with a gut punch as Season 8 opens on a major loss: Dani Rhodes is confirmed dead, sealing Emily Alabi’s exit and propelling the team into a volatile new chapter.
FBI is back, and Season 8 shows up swinging. The premiere wastes zero time, drops a major twist, and sends the show into a new chapter with a gut punch: one of the team doesn't make it out alive.
So, yes: Dani Rhodes dies
Emily Alabi is out as Dani Rhodes, and the show makes it official on-screen in the Season 8 opener, "Takeover." No off-screen transfer, no quietly moving to another office. It's a clean, brutal exit that sets the tone for where this season is headed.
- The episode picks up only days after the Season 7 finale: Maggie and OA are stuck on Port Turner Island, where a violent civilian militia has taken control.
- Their mission: rescue a kidnapped judge's son before things get even uglier.
- Scola and Dani race in to back them up, but as their boat pulls in near the island, they walk straight into an ambush.
- Dani is hit during the attack. She thinks her vest took the bullet, and the team pushes through to stabilize the situation.
- Once the dust settles, Dani suddenly collapses. A hidden abdominal wound did the damage, and Scola realizes it a moment too late.
- The scene ends with her body being covered on a stretcher. It's stark.
- Meanwhile, Isobel Castille, who had been in critical condition, wakes up in the hospital.
- Jubal confirms Isobel is going to be OK, even as the rest of the team processes Dani's death.
Why this one stings
Alabi only joined late in Season 7, but Dani clicked fast with Scola and felt like his best partner fit since Tiffany left. The writers clearly wanted the audience to feel the risk these characters live with, and they chose a decisive, heroic end over quietly shuffling her off-screen. It's not subtle, and it puts a somber stamp on the start of Season 8.
Who's stepping in next
Juliana Aiden Martinez is joining the show as a new character who will team up with Scola going forward. CBS hasn't revealed details about her role yet, but functionally she'll be the next partner in the slot Tiffany and Dani previously filled.
The franchise shuffle
On the scheduling front, the flagship series is now anchoring CBS' Monday lineup. The network has also cleared space for a new spinoff, "CIA," planned for midseason, with FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted canceled to make room. Big swing.
Bottom line: it's a rough, memorable premiere that locks in higher stakes and signals a new phase for the show. If the goal was to jolt the audience and reset the board, mission accomplished.