It’s Tuesday night, and that means another case for the FBI’s Most Wanted Unit. This week’s episode, “Pig Butchering,” seems poised to deliver the usual blend of procedural action and interpersonal drama, though let’s hope for a bit less of the latter. Agent Barnes (Roxy Sternberg) is having a tough time juggling her demanding career with the realities of single parenthood – a situation many can relate to, but one that’s been explored ad nauseam on TV.
The case itself involves a scam call center – always a thrilling subject, right? But when Barnes receives a disturbing call from a young girl caught in the scam, she takes matters into her own hands, directly disobeying Remy’s (Dylan McDermott ) orders. This sets up a predictable but potentially compelling conflict between the two agents. Will their clash of wills jeopardize the case? Or will they find a way to begrudgingly collaborate and bring down the bad guys while learning a valuable lesson about teamwork and communication? My money’s on the latter.
The episode’s title, “Pig Butchering,” refers to a particularly nasty type of financial fraud that combines romance scams with cryptocurrency investment schemes. The term, a chillingly dehumanizing translation of the Chinese slang term “Shāzhūpán,” refers to the way scammers “fatten up” their victims with displays of affection and promises of love before ultimately taking everything they have.
It’s debatable whether the writers will actually dig into the intricacies of the scam or simply use it as a backdrop for the inevitable Barnes-Remy showdown. Either way, expect some tense exchanges, some questionable decisions, and a resolution that likely involves everyone shaking hands and reaffirming their commitment to justice… or something like that.
“Pig Butchering” airs Tuesday, November 12, from 10:00-11:00 PM ET/PT on CBS and streams on Paramount+.
