The internet has many negative consequences, and tragically, they sometimes bleed into the real world. In FBISeason 7, Episode 7, “Monumental,” the team learns of the murder of a park ranger. Upon further investigation, they discover a huge online conspiracy group who take their fight from the keyboard to the streets. The logline below for the December 10 episode previews a challenging case for the team. CBS also released sneak peeks of the Alpha Team’s efforts to catch a murderer before uncovering a broader crisis.
“After a park ranger is shot dead by a masked assailant on Governors Island, the team discovers a string of connected crimes that leads them to their toughest roadblock yet: an online conspiracy theory community.”
The video above begins with a scene in a park where Maggie (Missy Peregrym) and OA (Zeeko Zaki) first learn the particulars of a murder that happened there. The victim was shot and covered up, and everything about the style of this murder points to a premeditated crime, since the shooter seems to have waited for the victim and did not steal anything from her.
Back at the office, the bullpen dives into the life of the victim, where they learn that she was involved in an online skirmish with another commenter. The commenter is notorious for frequenting comment sections of material that attacks minorities online, akin to the anti-woke and anti-DEI phenomenon found in certain corners of the internet. The murdered park ranger got into it with him, and at one point, he threatened her with violence. Her murder was executed like his threat, where he said she should be shot. This comment makes him their prime suspect, and soon, the tech team pulls up whatever information they can about him, including his location. His car’s GPS puts him at another location where they believe he is planning on killing someone else. The team heads there, where they find an ongoing hostage situation.
The episode’s promo video offered a sneak peek into this arc involving an online pundit who radicalizes his viewers to attack the FBI. If the suspect is a frequent viewer of the pundit, it makes sense why he attacks people who he thinks are his “enemies.” The episode seeks to explore the effects of online radicalization and the effects of the “us vs. them” narratives that dominate many cultural and political shows.
Catch “Monumental” on CBS when the episode airs on Tuesday, December 10, at 8 p.m. ET. You can stream past episodes on Paramount+.
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FBI
Release Date September 25, 2018
Seasons 7
Network CBS
English (US) ·