I've waxed poetic about this scene on Twitter, but I figured I'd do it here, too!
(Screenshots are my own, gifs are from here, by the lovely Dana)
I'm gonna quickly preface this by saying that I have zero idea if Zillace will be more than friends this season or beyond. They're my #1 ship right now, but either way, I just can't articulate enough how much I love this moment.
Katherine talked here about how when she and Zeeko play these kinds of scenes, their own experiences as the two POC leads on the show informs it. And I love that, because it's so apparent in the way that Tiff and OA interact.
This isn't an anti-Maggie or anti-Scola post, but their dismissal of OA taking offense to the suspect being assumed Middle-Eastern ticked me off. But, even with that, I noticed this:
First, OA is just...incredibly annoyed, which is super valid.
But even while that's happening, you know who's focused on him? Tiff. It's like they're having a silent conversation, with the real one to come minutes later once they get in the house.
Even as Maggie walks ahead, they're maintaining that eye contact. If you watch the scene in real time, it reminds me a lot of 5x04, when OA snapped at the agent who made a (distasteful) "joke" about the case. Then and here, Tiff was essentially laser-focused on OA the entire time, non-verbally seeing if he's good (and in the case of 5x04, both verbally and physically).
Which makes the 6x01 scene all the more special.
It's so short—honestly, if you blink or were looking at your phone, you might miss it. But Tiff opens up the door once she and OA are near each other and out of earshot from their partners—"So much for the guy being Middle-Eastern."
Look at OA's expression here. It's almost like he's bracing himself, the way his sentence trails off. Not that Tiff would say anything remotely like the SWAT leader, Maggie, or Scola did—but to me, it just looks like he's a guy who's tired of the assumptions and treads lightly sometimes when things like this happen.
Alright, so let's break this down. Tiff's response is immediate—yeah, I know. Because she does. Yes, she and OA look different, but they've each had to see up close and personal what having skin color like theirs means in situations like this. You're always a target. A suspect. Even if you didn't do anything.
The little shake of her head as she looks back down—sort of like, "it's a shame" type of thing.
But, then the "trust me" is what gets me. Because (first of all, Tiff, he does, with his life) she's seeing the opposite side of it: how Black people are often accused without warning just because of what we look like. And it's there—the innate understanding that she's communicating with him in that moment. She knows that after what happened outside, he's seeking reassurance that he's not overreacting, that he has a right to be annoyed, and with five words, Tiffany told him, you weren't wrong.
And OA freaking sighs after she says it. You can see it in his face, the relief at the fact that she gets it. Gets him. In five words, Tiffany understands. Perhaps more than anyone ever has.
Y'all see his eyes? The way they flit over her face for a second or two—relishing the fact that, okay, this is someone I don't have to tiptoe around. I can say exactly how I feel and know they won't judge me or have some preconceived notion. They listen, they hear me, and they don't try to understand. They simply do.
This has already gotten way too long, but I'm so serious when I say that OA and Tiffany have the most unique dynamic on FBI. There's so much depth and realness, a shared life perspective, and if you see them like I do, tons of chemistry as well. I really hope S6 furthers their bond, because it's so near and dear to my heart.
Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk! :)
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