After trying to go for a promotion earlier in the season, FBI’s Jubal (Jeremy Sisto) was—bluntly—told it wasn’t going to happen.

But though the situation wasn’t handled well, Sisto acknowledges the roadblock wasn’t actually unexpected. “I think he knew his career had some kind of a ceiling,” he tells Give Me My Remote. “I think, ultimately, he really likes the job he has. He likes having that bit of a distance between those huge decisions that have the ultimate consequences. He’s really…he feels he’s good at what he does, and he enjoys it. So he does really feel it’s in the right place.”

“Yes, he did allow himself to get kind of excited about the possibility of, you know, what having that office would mean,” Sisto continues. “But it’s a very different energy; it’s a very different speed that he would have to operate in. And so I think he’s pretty relieved, to some degree. I mean, he’s maybe hurt a little, sure, but I think he’s more relieved than anything that he gets to continue [with the JOC].”

Isobel (Alana De La Garza) turning down her own promotion also helped ease the sting, too. “[He’s] ultimately really relieved that Isobel is staying on because he thinks they have a great thing going, with who’s on the team and how it works,” Sisto says. “So while it was not super fun to hear Ropac [dismiss him]… just to feel like this kind of disrespect or whatever, he’s a fairly humble guy…especially for a guy who talks as much as him, he knows he’s kind of a mess. He knew he was going to have some ceiling to his career. At least that’s how I played: I was not overly hurt or thrown off by it.”

The actor did enjoy getting to play the scenes with De La Garza, where it seemed like Isobel would be taking the ADIC job, though. “We’ve known each other since before we had kids—[but] we were different characters,” Sisto points out. (The duo previously starred on LAW & ORDER together at the end of the NBC drama’s original run.) “I’ve known her for a long time, and she’s such a sweet person. It’s almost like we’re related, to some degree. We never thought that she was going anywhere, even though we played it up for you guys, trying to make you wonder. But that definitely would be a huge downside, a huge deficit for the show.”

“She’s great at what she does, and she really holds that space of authority, while also having a real humanity there,” he continues. “And she’s a breeze to work with. So, it was more of a fun play that we got to do together in terms [of trying to] trick people into thinking maybe she’s going somewhere. But yeah, that’s not in the cards, hopefully.”

One thing that is a bit murky, still, is the state of Jubal’s relationship with his on-off wife, Sam (Mara Davi), despite the duo technically being back together.

“Well, he’s not sleeping on the couch anymore,” Sisto jokes. “I think the kids are really happy that they are playing family again. It’s not super clear. I imagine, you know, there is a good deal that is not being spoken about; relationships are complicated. And Sam has seen some pretty dark sides of Jubal. And, ultimately, they are partners in the most important job to them, which is parenting these kids. And so, for both of them, that’s gonna take precedence. This is the best for the kids, as long as it doesn’t go south again. So as far as I know, things are going well.”

The actor takes a long pause, though, when asked whether their reunion is more about familial and parental responsibility versus Jubal actually being in love with Sam.

“I mean, I think it’s probably pretty hard for him to tell the difference, to some degree,” Sisto acknowledges. “But, no, I think he does love her, and I think he does want that to be…he wants to have this relationship. And so right now, things are good. They’re in a better place than they’ve been. So I think he’s someone who is ready to settle down. He’s ready to not be back out there.”

“But he also is sensitive to what that means for the spouse of an agent—he’s not willing to not be an agent,” he continues. “He loves his job. And so there’s a lot to chew on there. But, ultimately, I think it’s probably going to be more in the hands of her, and whether or not she’s willing to be open to it for the long haul. I think it’s a challenging time for the kids, too: You’re hoping they go off and into the world and…with strength and confidence, everything else. So I think they’re probably both pretty focused on that, and then there’s a bonus of being able to be together.”

“It would be pretty disruptive if he, like, suddenly moved out again,” he points out. “So, whether or not it goes further after the kids are out of the house, I think that’s too far ahead in time to think, you know? But I think that’s probably where he is.”

Unfortunately for Jubal, he’ll have a much more pressing emergency to deal with in the two-part event, “Lone Wolf” and “Wolf Pack” (airing at 8/7c on Monday, December 15), as the FBI races to stop an attack on New York City.

“For all agents, there is an element that is ever present, which is when there is an active threat, you think about where your family is and hope they are not in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Sisto teases. “It just so happens that on this day where this pretty, pretty big, deep threat comes into fruition, that his son, Tyler, happens to be in the city with a girlfriend. And so there’s an added level of vulnerability for Jubal on this particular day that falls into the story in a pretty dramatic way.”