Season nine picks up a number of months after the
traumatic death of Sam’s wife with a case that is extremely topical in the
current political climate. The team investigate after the body of a DEA
agent lands on a limousine, and his last text is warning of a North Korean
missile attack on Los Angeles
Granger made a flamboyant entrance in S3 and was
instantly disliked. He was almost a caricature with his overt arrogance,
dry humour and hidden agenda. The introduction of EAD Shay Mosley was
rather flat in comparison as she is very much her own person. Her
interactions with the team are minimal with the exception of Callen, who for
once, refrains from open hostility. Remember his behaviour when
Hunter replaced Hetty the last time she ‘retired’? Change is natural
in the workplace and life, and Mosley brings with her a world of
change. She believes she is protecting national security by sending Deeks
back to LAPD, effectively terminating his liaison position. She wants the
team to be the best of the best, to follow the rules and minimise casualties.
With Deeks missing, that argument holds no water with Callen who
challenges her after a suspect is shot dead. This result is
the temporarily reinstatement of Deeks.
The NCISLA team do leave behind a high body count
and to a certain extent are a bunch of cowboys - which keeps the viewers tuning
in each week. They frequently circumvent the rules and fly by the seat of their
pants, which is evident when Sam attempts to disarm a bomb in the back of
an ambulance being driven by Callen like a maniac. The communication
links are live in ops and Mosley is listening to their frantic banter and
Callen’s lack of substantial information on a plan B. The team thrives on
the adrenaline rush their job entails; look at how animated Callen becomes when
he may have to sacrifice himself to save others.
Deeks’ return to LAPD was punctuated by two set
pieces with Lieutenant Bates and both underline how he doesn’t have a home
there. He’s given a desk by the kennels and is not needed by Bates or any
other officers and so visits his mother. This is a cue for humorous
scenarios which break up the seriousness of Callen versus Mosley. Deeks
has not told his mum he’s engaged whereas Kensi has told hers...meaning Roberta
Deeks has heard the news second hand. Personality wise, Roberta is every
bit as flamboyant as her son, with a healthy appetite for the opposite sex and
always has to have the last word in a conversation or argument.
Deeks’ encounter with his mother also lightens the
episode from Sam continuing state of grief. Sam has adopted a number of traits
usually associated with Callen, having isolated himself from the team and
living in a trailer at the beach. He appears to have lost his drive,
advising it would take a miracle for him to return and encouraging Callen
to find a new partner.
The impending missile attack on LA was the catalyst for
Sam’s return and his presence prompted Callen to understand the real threat; if
the US declared war on North Korea , all the troops would be withdrawal
from the middle east, allowing terrorist groups and countries like Iran to act without the scrutiny of the US
Hetty takes the closing scene and is in Vietnam
The new characters and the absence from the field
of old ones, allows for new dynamics among such a well established
team. In a now rare move, Kensi partnered with Callen and the two
worked well together before returning to the status quo. Mosley and Hidoko's
introductions has not set the show alight with larger than life personalities,
but they are so far acting as the serious buffer to the exhilaration of
the team's adventures in the field. But will Mosley learn to appreciate
the NCIS LA cowboys work perfectly well without following the rule book too
closely?
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