Tamal Kundu
Created by Dick Wolf and Craig Turk, ‘FBI’ is a CBS police procedural series. The plot revolves around the agents working out of the New York City field office criminal division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Arguably the best in the business, the team draws a variety of talented individuals — from intuitive profilers to tech wizards to fearless field operatives. Erin is an important supporting character in the series. She is the younger sister of Maggie Bell (Missy Peregrym), the team’s de facto leader when they are investigating a case out on the field. Erin makes her first seasonal appearance in season 5 episode 20, titled ‘Sisterhood.’ Here is everything you need to know about her. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Erin Bell: Complex History in FBI Series
Erin has a complicated history in ‘FBI.’ She made her debut in the show in the season 3 episode, ‘Brother’s Keeper.’ We learn that Erin has recently enrolled at Columbia University. Maggie is sure that she can smell smoke in her sister’s hair, prompting Erin to claim that it is because of the people she has been spending time with.
Erin has a long history with drugs. The last time Maggie saw her younger sister smoking, she was taking drugs. Although Erin repeatedly claims throughout the episode that she is clean, Maggie still locates pills in Erin’s room, indicating that Erin lied. Ultimately, Erin promises her sister that she will admit herself to rehab.
Erin reappears in the season 4 episode ‘Gone Baby Gone.’ It turns out that she has been thrown out of the rehab center for drinking. Initially, she claims that it was only a sip, but later turns out to be significantly more than that. Erin tries to excuse her behavior by saying that her issue is not alcohol, but the thing about rehab is that it is never about a single thing. When Maggie discovers an unknown man has stayed at her sister’s home, she uses her authority as an FBI agent to identify him.
Ultimately, Erin overdoses but survives. Jubal, who has dealt with alcohol addiction in the past, helps Maggie see that despite her best intentions, she can’t always help her sister. When she finally gets to speak to Erin, Maggie tells her they shouldn’t see each other for a while.
In season 5 episode 20, Erin returns to town and immediately finds herself in trouble. Maggie discovers that her sister is a person of interest in her murder investigation. Erin has been staying with her friend Nikki, who is abducted. This prompts Erin to go undercover to help the FBI retrieve Nikki, much to her sister’s dismay. Toward the end of the episode, Maggie admits she doesn’t want Erin in New York because the latter embarrasses her. Despite this, Erin declares that she will stay in New York.
Adrienne Rose Bengtsson Plays Erin Bell in FBI
Erin is portrayed by American actress Adrienne Rose Bengtsson. Born in August 1995 in Walnut Creek, California, Bengtsson is the daughter of Patrick Bengtsson and Erin Bydalek. She has two siblings: Jackson and Nathan. Bengtsson grew up in the Bay Area and finished her BFA in New York City.
Bengtsson made her screen debut in 2015 in the TV miniseries ‘Drunk Art Love,’ in which she plays Tara “Tank Girl.” Four years later, she appeared in an episode of ‘Ramy,’ portraying a character credited as the “Hipster Girl.” In the same year, Bengtsson made her cinematic debut with writer-director Patrick Lussier’s horror feature ‘Trick.’
In the following years, she appeared in the short films ‘Amend’ and ‘Block*,’ an episode of the miniseries ‘Inventing Anna,’ and the feature film ‘A Stage of Twilight.’ ‘FBI’ is her most prominent work to date. In an April 2023 interview with TV Insider, John Boyd revealed Bengtsson’s impending reappearance on ‘FBI.
Read More: Is John Boyd’s Stuart Scola Leaving FBI?
