There are several reasons that FBI: International season 4 cast because Kleintank chose not to renew his contract. Unfortunately, that left the Fly Team without a leader toward the end of season 3, as Forrester was MIA and was later said to be helping his fugitive mother escape.

This disappointing FBI franchise exit was followed up by the introduction of Chicago PD alum Jesse Lee Soffer as Wes Mitchell, the new team leader. Mitchell comes to Budapest in search of the men who had killed his partner in Los Angeles and is soon revealed to have trained Vo (Vinessa Vidotto) when she ed the FBI. Thus, Vo suggests Mitchell apply to become the new team leader. However, Mitchell is more hotheaded than Forrester and his impulsive decisions cause problems for the team, such as Vo getting shot in the FBI: International season 4, episode 8 cliffhanger.

8 The Fly Team Needs A Level-Headed Leader

Mitchell Is Too Prone To Flying Off The Handle

In order to do their jobs, the Fly Team needs a leader who can handle the delicate situations the team often gets into. They are an American-based agency working in Budapest and other foreign countries; thus, local police and political leaders often see the team as an intrusion and are reluctant to work with them — and in some cases attempt to use local laws to block or arrest team . Forrester understood these conflicts well and didn't allow local leaders to push his buttons, instead using diplomacy rather than force to get what he needed.

Conversely, Mitchell's hotheadedness leads him to pick fights with the leaders whose cooperation he needs. This causes local police to shut down or fight back; additionally, it harms relationships long-term so that Mitchell can't call in favors when needed to get information out of a reluctant new . Furthermore, Mitchell's tendency to be angry and aggressive leads to unnecessary violence when he angers suspects. For example, his gloating when Greg Csonka (Beau Knapp) was sent to prison might have played a role in Csonka's revenge plot, which led to Vo getting shot.

7 Forrester Would Know How To Rally The Team After Vo's Shooting

Forrester Was Closer To Them & Had A Better Handle on The Importance of Team Morale

Vo's shooting is a tragic event, especially because she's hovering between life and death, and the team needs a leader who can be ive and encourage them to keep moving forward. However, Mitchell is decidedly not that leader. While he comes to the hospital when Raines (Carter Redwood) calls him, he isn't fully present for the team. Instead, he is off in a corner whispering to Booth (Station 19's Jay Hayden) about going rogue together to rid the world of Csonka. As a result, the team is left to handle Vo's shooting mostly on their own.

Forrester would have checked in with vulnerable team to make sure they were all right.

Forrester would have made the team a priority despite the need to recapture Csonka. He would have made sure they were focused on the mission and that everyone had their emotions under control so that nobody disobeyed protocol or engaged in unnecessary violence while pursuing the man who orchestrated Vo's shooting. Most importantly, Forrester would have checked in with vulnerable team to make sure they were all right. So far, Mitchell has done none of these things, instead focusing on his own revenge plot rather than concerning himself with his team ' well-being.

6 The Team Was More Of A Close-Knit Family Under Forrester

Mitchell Is New & Doesn't Really Know Most Of The Team Yet

The Fly Team was also so close-knit under Forrester that it was surprising that they so readily accepted a new leader at all. When Forrester first disappears, the team wastes time trying to find out what happened to him instead of focusing fully on their mission, and before his disappearance, team had his back and vice versa. They also felt comfortable coming to him with personal problems. Thus, Forrester's disappearance left a hole in all of their lives, and the team should have reacted bitterly to someone taking his place.

While there was little to no resistance to Mitchell's taking the reins at the Fly Team, he has not been able to recreate the family dynamics in the team. He is new to the elite group, and it will take time to build trust. However, the Fly Team is a small, exclusive group that needs to have each other's backs, so it doesn't bode well that Mitchell has so far been unable to replicate the closeness that Forrester had built. Furthermore, Mitchell often goes off on his own rather than discussing his plans with the team, which further harms their cohesiveness.

5 Tank Would Be Thrilled To See Forrester

He Was Forrester's Dog More Than Anyone Else

Tank, the retired police dog that works for the Fly Team, is more Forrester's dog than anyone else's. Forrester took him in and insisted he be used as an FBI dog when needed. He also cared for him when Tank was in poor health and cried over him when Tank's prognosis was not good. After Forrester's departure, Tank makes one cameo appearance, but it isn't the same as when he was with the man he considered family. Tank should be a part of the team more regularly, but without Forrester, it doesn't work.

Animals often act strangely when grieving, especially when the human they trusted and loved disappears, either through death or abandonment. Therefore, it is almost as odd that Tank seems more or less normal during his cameo appearance as it is that the human of the team quickly accepted Forrester's replacement, as he should have been the biggest challenge for Mitchell in FBI: International. However, Tank did not have the same reaction to Mitchell as he would to Forrester and would likely become more animated and excited if he and Forrester crossed paths again.

4 Vo Probably Wouldn't Have Been In Danger Under Forrester

Forrester Would Have Handled The Entire Situation Differently

Mitchell mishandled the entire situation with Csonka's trial, sentencing, and escape. Vo tried to tell him during his original mission that his aggressive style would not work well in Budapest, but he never learned that lesson. Before the trial begins, the prosecutor warns him: "This isn't Cleveland. Hungarian trials are more like inquisitions." This, unfortunately, had no effect on Mitchell. He attempts to intimidate a prisoner into cooperating as well as insisting on testifying himself despite the risks, and as a result Csonka nearly went free.

Forrester likely wouldn't have been in this situation in the first place, but if he were, he would have had the sense to recuse himself from testifying in a trial that would put him at risk of losing control of himself. Additionally, he would have coordinated Csonka's post-sentencing transfer with local authorities to ensure that the Fly Team stayed safe if Csonka tried to escape or retaliate. Conversely, Mitchell got in Csonka's face before the transfer and took Vo with him to chase the fugitive himself after Csonka escaped, leading Vo right into Csonka's sniper trap.

3 Forrester Knew How To Handle Local Police

Forrester Built Relationships While Picking His Battles

Forrester not only knew how to handle resistance from the local police but didn't tolerate aggressive behavior from team that would interfere with the FBI's ability to work with local law enforcement and close the case. He understood that it was vital to establish positive relationships with people in these positions to advance their mutual goals, and did his best not to allow anyone on the Fly Team to sabotage those relationships. Of course, he got frustrated when local police got in the way of investigations, but he tried not to let that show when dealing with them.

Conversely, Mitchell's style when it comes to local police is to get extremely aggressive despite repeated warnings that his approach won't work in Budapest. He regularly offends law enforcement and others in positions of power, suggesting they are corrupt or obstructing justice when he doesn't get his way. This makes it harder for the Fly Team to do their job, and Mitchell doesn't seem to learn from his mistakes in this area. Ultimately, this tendency makes him far less suited to a leadership role than Forrester.

2 Forrester Was Completely Trustworthy and Trusted

Mitchell's Association With Booth Raises Alarms For His Team

Forrester's decision to disappear seemed strange to his team because it was so out of character. Forrester ran the Fly Team more or less by the book, resisting efforts to ignore protocol or bend rules for the sake of closing cases, so it didn't make sense to anyone that he would have disappeared without telling them where he was going, and they were worried about him.

The only member of the team who knows and trusts Mitchell is Vo, and before her shooting, she was consistently trying to get him to stop acting so impulsively.

Until that point, he never did anything to make the team distrust him. Many team were disappointed in FBI: International season 2, episode 11 that Forrester wouldn't cross any ethical or legal lines to get rid of Dandridge (Michael Torpey), who was trying to take over his job, or the agent Dandridge imported who they believed was spying on Forrester to give Dandridge leverage. Conversely, the only member of the team who knows and trusts Mitchell is Vo, and before her shooting, she was consistently trying to get him to stop acting so impulsively.

While team usually listen to Mitchell's instructions, several of them have been concerned about his association with Booth and wonder if he is up to something shady — something which will make them trust him less once they learn he and Booth went rogue together after Vo was shot. It is especially concerning that Smitty (Eva Jane Willis), who is the liaison between the Fly Team and Interpol, is wary of Mitchell and critical of his tendency to break rules, as that could affect the partnership between the FBI and Interpol that is needed to solve international crimes.

1 Forrester Knew Each Team Member Very Well And How To Best Use Them

Forrester's Close Relationships Led To A More Efficient Team

Mitchell's newness and his inability to recreate the tight-knit team dynamics put him at a disadvantage when it comes to working cases. He has to rely on Vo to help him decide who will do what, as he is first learning each team member's strengths and weaknesses, and in his earliest episodes is still putting names and faces together. That said, Mitchell has done a remarkable job of getting up to speed after having been the Fly Team Leader for only a short period of time.

Still, Forrester knew each team member intimately and exactly how to use them. He was also extremely aware of when something was not working, which is why he quickly jumped on it when former team member Damian Powell (Greg Hovanessian) acted overly aggressively with a suspect, benching him and eventually arranging for him to be transferred to for a deep undercover assignment. Forrester is a large part of the reason that Powell (Greg Hovanessian) and other characters who didn't fit were quickly excised from the Fly Team, which is another reason yet his presence in FBI: International is sorely missed.