Smokescreen part
one was an example of NCIS: Los
Angeles
Part two had
the trickier task. The seeds had already been sown and the intense excitement
of setting up the case has passed. Then there was the major problem of the
three week break between the airing of parts one and two. CBS scheduling
between January and March is always frustrating and always will be, when a
twenty four episode procedural has the season finales around the first/second
week of May and about half the episodes have already aired by Christmas.
Regardless,
part two was a valiant attempt to equal the expectations set by part one. Featuring
different writers (Matt Klafter & Kyle Harimoto) and director (Sherwin
Shilati) there was of course a different feel as their job was now to guide the
viewer through the terrorist fear and chaos created by part one writer Andrew
Bartels, and to reach a conclusion. The heart of the episode remained the same,
focusing on the human element. Two children are trapped in a bomb blast set off
by an opportunist thief. Callen finds
them and uses his training to keep them talking, calling them by name and
freeing them. Concern for their wellbeing remains a constant, as Sam asks after
them, Callen states how special they were, holding it together in such a
situation and at the end, they say they’ve visited the boys in hospital. Likewise Sam remains attentive to the first
aid needs of the other bomb victims, namely the man injured in part one. In an unusual close up, Sam cuts either side
of the collar bone and inserts a tool to pull the broken bone back in to place,
allowing Dan to breathe freely again. Even visiting NCIS Special Agent Fatema
Namazi says to Nell that she’s arranged to have lunch with the widow of
murdered Oscar Azim.
The
investigations are fast paced, following the twists and turns set up in part
one. To assist, there are several places
where the team stop and talk about the case, refreshing themselves and the
viewer about what has happened so far and talking through possible scenarios. This invariably allows them to realise the next
step and follow leads. Kensi and Deeks
seem to have a slightly lesser role in part two but are key in discovering
clues in this fashion, both in the mission and later in the boatshed. It is Deeks in both instances who displays
his detective skills and realises the play. There is fluid camera movement,
gradually zooming in on characters across consecutive scenes. One such example
is when Callen and Sam discover the passports and talk with Fatema and Nell in
Ops. This culminates in a beautifully
framed shot of Kensi and Deeks pacing and thinking aloud as the camera moves
closer to them.
There
is also a much grittier feel about the final gunfight scene, reminiscent of
Frank Military’s handling of the opening to part 1 of the season nine finale
and the season ten premier with Callen skirting round to slash the bad guys
throat. This is through use of handheld
cameras , slow motion and accentuated sound of the guns firing, switching
between Sam and Callen and then Kensi and Deeks. Surprisingly there are not too
many edits, the director favouring fast camera movements instead. Again there is a single panning shot between all
four field agents at end of gunfight. Juxtaposed is the next scene where Fatema
takes a quiet moment away from stress and pressure of the op, talking to Nell
about handling such situations. Such changes to directorial style allows NCISLA
to remain fresh and exciting, although there are still clichés, such as Sam
appearing from the flames after the airport explosion. There is comfort in the familiar and expected
(and sometimes raised eyebrows and the shaking of heads). In keeping with part one, Sam is still
diffusing bombs at the last minute, Kensi is still taking out the bad guys in
typical physical style and in a slight change, Callen is seen crashing down on
the bad guy at the airport and stabbing him with a knife.
Twists
and turns should be expected in episodes titled ‘Smokescreen’. Effectively
nothing is as it seems, including the terrorist group the Mashriq
Army. Repeatedly in parts one and two, Fatema states their actions do not fit
the group’s pattern and she is right. It is a very elaborate distraction to
force a South African arms dealer, arriving in LA for extradition, to be held whilst
flights are grounded, thus masking and enabling his escape. FBI Agent Ross also
turns out to be a rogue agent - how else did the baddies know in part one the
FBI were transporting Jellal and on which route? His role is explained but not
his motivations (which was presumably money), and it almost seems glossed
over. There is so much packed in to this
episode it would have been difficult to explore Ross any further.
Unlike
part one, there is little time to focus on character development and humour,
although there are moments. Callen fails in his pop culture reference to
Aquaman as expected. It is amusing how throughout all ten seasons the writers
always skirt around Callen and comic book references, never once allowing a
direct reference to, or for Chris O’Donnell to utter any lines about Batman and
Robin. There is an out of character Callen
moment when Sam comments he does not know tools. Sure he is not as good as Sam, but Callen takes
apart toasters and other electrical appliances when he can’t sleep (although
that doesn’t mean he can actually puts them back together in working order!). Suspect
Wassim is interrogated in his hospital bed and literally begs Deeks to stop
talking, prompting the episode’s best line from Kensi:
“It’s
amazing to me how in every culture on this planet, people have the same
reaction to you.”
A
surprise visit from the Under Secretary of the Navy Felice Waterstone, prompts
another recap of the case before addressing the threat of splitting the team.
Apart from a few earlier episodes, the threat has been diluted with the absence
of Special Prosecutor Rogers and the lack of any other mentions. It comes as no
great shock that Ochoa recommends they are not
broken up (cue season eleven?). It is
surprising that Waterstone knows Hetty practically raised Callen from childhood
and Ochoa didn’t react. Previously this has seemed like privileged information,
unknown by anyone except Hetty and Callen (and then Sam). Ochoa’s role with the team is now in doubt as
it seems he needs to get home to tend to his addict daughter, which could once
more leave the team leaderless. Yet
again the human element comes in to play, giving Ochoa more of a back story
which may or may not be relevant later. The closing scene continues with the
empathetic focus of parts one and two, with the team attending a candlelight
vigil outside the theatre, commemorating the victims. A poignant and
heartbreaking scene, evoking memories of such tributes after real-life
terrorist bombings of public targets across the world.