Change is difficult
to manage, particularly on a TV show in its eleventh season with the same core
cast as the very first episode. The cast
and crew have come together as a family, evident in the ease with which the
cast seamlessly bounce of each other, and how the writers and directors can get
the best out of the actors. Since the
middle of season eleven, change has become a recurring theme. The semi-permanent absence of Hetty over
recent seasons has finally been voiced with thought to the future. Callen gets promoted to her role, Sam finds a
new recruit with potential and brings them into the fold for training and
mentoring. Deeks has long since dithered
about whether a job for him and Kensi in law enforcement is wise when they are
looking to start a family. Eric has job
offers from tech start up companies in San
Francisco
‘Fortune
Favours the Brave’, written by showrunner Scott Gemmill is a challenging
episode which starts to bring these threats of change to fruition. It is never easy to introduce a new character
and even though Roundtree was first seen two episodes ago in ‘Watch Over Me’ he
is presented again not only to the audience but also to the rest of the
team. Unfortunately this makes a few
scenes a little frustrating. In real
life Roundtree would indeed be introduced to everyone at different times and
here, he is seen being introduced to
everyone. He is at NCIS to shadow the
agents and so is not currently a permanent addition. His arrival at the mission
was reminiscent of the very first episode of season one, when Sam brings Callen
to their new offices. His first day was extremely eventful, from his
uncertainty of being in the right place to some terrific stunts and explosions.
He quite rightly asks about a typical day for the agents. The episode does have
a different feel for several reasons; Roundtree’s arrival, Callen taking
vacation time and Kensi partnering with Fatima .
Despite the
partner shake-up there is much which is familiar, namely the camaraderie
between the characters. Callen is present at the start, causing Sam to almost
chase him out of the building to force him to take his leave. Callen does seem
to be delaying a touch, and continuing from the conclusion of last week’s
episode, Hetty advised she did not arrange for Anna Kolcheck’s exoneration and hopes it wasn’t done for the
wrong reasons. This sows the seeds of doubt in to Callen’s already paranoid
mind and as well as setting up for a future storyline, it also leads to the
episode’s funniest scene in the gun range with Sam commenting he loves Callen
like a brother - in a Rain Man kind of way.
The familial
theme is prevalent throughout, with Kensi, Deeks and Sam all taking on
mentoring / older sibling roles at various points. Kensi becomes the confidant for Nell and in
turn offers to listen and support Fatima (who sweetly offers the same back, her
youth and junior status makes this a sincere albeit token gesture). Deeks is paired with Roundtree, quickly
striking up a bond and allowing Roundtree to demonstrate his quick wits with
both words and numbers. This is a bit of
a surprise as Sam is wanting to assess him, but then how Roundtree fits with
the rest of the team is just as important as whether he can be moulded in to a
great agent. Sam as usual, takes on the
role of father figure, reassuring Deeks after Roundtree’s car bomb incident and
allowing the potential new agent to take the lead when interviewing their suspect.
Hetty too makes an appearance, confirming her larger than life legend status as
per Fatima ’s description of her to Roundtree.
After Fatima ’s description, Hetty is seen in
the gym observing an Eastern martial arts practice whilst dressed in similar
garb. Her motherly status manifests
itself in different ways depending with which character she is
interacting. After warning Callen she packs
him off on holiday, her words of advice to Roundtree is to not get himself or
anyone else killed (wise words) and her most heartfelt conversation had with
Nell.
There is
concern from Kensi and Hetty, that Nell’s desire to resign is because she has
burned out. The accumulation of events over recent seasons with the team in
jeopardy, Eric’s near-miss earlier this season, her emotionally draining sister
and her mother’s ongoing fight for life has taken its toll. She overtly blamed Hetty for Eric’s
predicament and has the key line in ‘Mother’ about Hetty, “this is what happens
when you play God in the lives of those you say you love”. She has since admitted to Callen that she no
longer has Hetty’s ear and yet still Hetty plays the mother figure. She is
measured and not emotional, offering Nell the lifeline of taking annual leave
and then either returning - or not, rather simply accepting her dramatic
decision to sever ties with NCIS. This was a suggestion made earlier by a more
emotional Kensi, who seemed shocked at Nell’s decision. All the field agents
(Deeks included) have been through much more than Nell and this harks back to
her reaction in S06E03 The 3rd Choir when she killed someone for the first
time. Deeks too is in turmoil for part
of the episode. Roundtree was in his charge when he sat in a stolen car where
the seat was a pressure trigger for a bomb.
The bomb made for some great stunts when Sam jumped off a bridge causing
Roundtree (also strapped in a harness) to fly out of the car but Deeks felt
guilty that the young agent was in that predicament in the first place. He also again reflects on his own mortality
and how close he came to death. Surely the more telling question was why a
trained federal agent sat down in a stolen car when forensics could have
provided a crucial lead or evidence? Kensi again becomes pivotal to the scene.
She is focused on the case and rather than being too sympathetic, encourages
Deeks to focus. Sam too plays his role, seeing how shaken Deeks
is he instead lets Roundtree ride with him.
Alongside the
stunts and explosions was a slo-mo gunfight, featuring Deeks as the lonesome
(partnerless) gunslinger. Eric too was mostly alone in Ops, frantically (but
not idiotically) doing his job and Nell’s, as she avoided him due to her
internal crisis. It is refreshing to see the capable Eric that featured so
frequently in earlier seasons.
Frustratingly though was Fatima on her
motorbike. Memorably, the team and Hetty chastised Deeks for owning / riding his
bike to work in season five due to the riskiness of such an activity. It was also rather curious why the bomb-maker
rigged his entire house (doors, windows) to
blow, except the one Sam has to bail
out of to save his own life!
Judging by
this week’s episode, Hetty may also be making her own plans to leave. Nell first encounters Hetty in the burn room,
and the scene finishes with a shot of a passport and documents igniting. Later when Eric talks to her, Hetty is
studying an old photo with many other old papers scattered on her desk. Change is most definitely afoot and not only
is the scene set for Nell to leave, but there are also question marks drawn
more subtly against Hetty and Deeks. Forgotten in all of this is Eric, who in a
recent episode was offered another job in San
Francisco
A Virtual Scrawl