After FBI: Most Wanted's Nina Reached Her Breaking Point With Her Dad, Shantel VanSanten Talks 'Digging Her Heels In' And Moving Forward

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Spoilers ahead for Episode 3 of FBI: Most Wanted Season 6, called "White Buffalo."

The task force of FBI: Most Wanted had a tall order in "White Buffalo" when it came to chasing down a pair of fugitives before they caused a massive loss of life, but the climate activists-turned-killers weren't what left Nina (Shantel VanSanten) in tears by the end of the episode in the fall 2024 TV schedule. Her father and sister were in NYC from Texas to meet baby Dougie, test Scola's resolve, and push all of her buttons until she snapped. VanSanten has since opened up to CinemaBlend about Nina's decision about her dad and what's "important" moving forward.

It was clear enough from the first-look images of Nina, her father and sister, and Scola (with FBI's John Boyd as a returning guest star) that the Chase family isn't the most tight-knit in the nine-show Dick Wolf TV universe. Nina did her best to power through her dad's disregard of her feelings, the shots at Scola, and even his insistence on calling her "Marina," despite the lukewarm efforts of her sister... until the very end of the episode, when Walker (John Finn) pushed her to her breaking point by criticizing how she and Scola are raising Dougie.

It was an emotional exchange with Nina finally having enough, with Tink (Hannah Adrian) not doing much to help and in fact trying to excuse their dad's behavior in public. The agent ultimately said that she was okay if the fight didn't blow over, and she ended the episode in tears at a restaurant. (You can rewatch the scene streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.) I had the opportunity to ask Shantel VanSanten how honest Nina was with herself when she said she didn't need anything to blow over, and the actress shared:

I think Nina was quite honest in that emotional moment with her Dad. The fact that she’s standing up for her beliefs and her family and is tired of her Dad’s projection and judgement is important. Of course there’s always a hope that your parent will express their pride in the life you’ve constructed for yourself as an adult, but that relationship is so complicated because there is so much from her childhood that has not been healed yet. So now Nina is digging her heels in more.

Considering that Nina was also dealing with trying to prevent death and destruction from a pair of fugitives on top of her dad coming into town to poke at her most sensitive issues and take shots at how she and Scola were raising Dougie, it's impressive that she didn't snap sooner than she did! It's a shame that her dad wasn't the one who had an emotional breakthrough, but probably for the best that she's ready to draw and line and dig her heels in more.

But does setting that boundary with her father mean that there could still be a future with Nina and her sister moving forward? VanSanten weighed in:

I think the relationship with her dad and sister is very complicated, and I’ve been excited to peel back the layers and expose more of it. It would allow us a window into Nina’s life that we haven’t seen before. I think her sister is important to her, but there’s an allegiance she has to her dad. If Nina needs to move forward with Scola and Dougie being her only family I think it is heartbreaking but it’s a step she’s willing to make to find peace.

It's hard to ignore that at the end of the day, Tink – despite showing some support for her sister – tried to blame their dad's behavior on drinking saké and left the restaurant with him with he yelled for her rather than staying with Nina. According to VanSanten, building a life with Scola and Dougie is the step toward Nina finding peace as she moves forward, even if her sister is important to her.

So, with "White Buffalo" dropping new details about Nina's past that hadn't come up on Most Wanted or FBI before, how much has her past with her dad informed her decisions as an adult? The actress opened up with her thoughts:

As human beings our childhood informs so much of how we react and it’s the lens in which we view life through. Unhealed past trauma sneaks into our adult life constantly. This is the interesting thing about any character I get to play, being able to make informed choices for a childhood and a past they are carrying around and then choosing which parts are unhealed and allowing it to seep through the cracks.

When I spoke with showrunner David Hudgins ahead of the Season 6 premiere this fall, he previewed that Nina's "story this year is about her own family" when sharing some FBI: Most Wanted relationship updates. It's now a matter of waiting to see if "White Buffalo" will be the only episode this season to really delve into her relationship with her father and sister or future episodes will instead examine how she's building her life with Scola and their son.

Fans have an extra week to wait before seeing what's next for the task force, however, as all three FBI shows won't air new episodes on November 5 due to U.S. election coverage. The action will be back on CBS on November 12, with FBI at 8 p.m. ET, FBI: International at 9 p.m. ET, and FBI: Most Wanted closing out the night at 10 p.m. ET. You can also find the most recent episodes of the three series streaming via Paramount+.