In ‘Code of Conduct’, the NCIS
Office of Special Projects is ordered to investigate when two SEALs accuse
their Chief Petty Officer (Argento) of murdering an injured and unconscious
prisoner. Unsurprisingly, this is written
and directed by Executive Producer and master of darkness Frank Military and as
expected from both the synopsis and the episode creator, this was a serious forty-two
minutes. It also served as the season
finale after filming was curtailed due to COVID-19 restrictions, and was
originally scheduled to air on 19th April but was swapped with Murder of Crows
(which aired last week instead). The
drama, intensity and high standard of writing, combined with the lack of
caricatures and general silliness, was a stark contrast to the episodes of the
previous two weeks and demonstrated how episodes should be. Eric is thankfully all business and makes it
clear very early on that no, he has not heard from Nell. Her presence is not even
missed as Fatima takes a back seat from field
work this week and instead slots seamlessly in ops, assisting Eric and
supporting the team. Also returning is Sam’s
SEAL contact in the middle east is Senior Chief Wallace who meets them in Afghanistan
The plot is something that has
been seen before in NCISLA in various guises and interestingly, these have
mostly been written by Frank Military who actually writes many of the episodes
that involve the military and ones that take place overseas. Notably he wrote Vengeance
(S3) in which the SEALs killed an Ensign after discovering he was a traitor,
and also SEAL Hunter (S6), both of which are Sam centric episodes. There is very
much a team feel to Code of Conduct and the investigation in LA is just as
important as the action overseas, neatly running in parallel with one informing
the other. There is a welcome return to
normality with the opening bull pen scene, albeit without the full team. The banter between Sam and Callen has been
rather off recently; in fact Sam has been dismissive and uninterested in
Callen’s blossoming romance with Anna, a stark contrast to his firm
encouragement of it and his ongoing challenge to get Callen to talk about his
emotions. This week the banter is back to being relaxed and jovial, with lines about
the domestication of Callen and a running joke about paperwork which includes
FBI Agent Devin Rountree, who returned for some more ‘on-the-job’ experience.
Rountree is a curiosity. From his
first appearance it was clear he had the ‘potential’ Sam (and Callen) were
looking for but his subsequent appearances question what that potential
actually is. There was a lack of basic
common sense when he sat in the stolen car and triggered a pressure sensor bomb
(S11E19 Fortune Favours The Brave), which continues here where he gives chase
to their witness in an Afghan market town, leading his colleagues in to an
ambush. This is despite Sam warning him that for this mission they look before
they leap and Callen calling him out at the end, that his running into the
building wasn’t the smartest thing he’d ever seen. It’s reassuring he’s not particularly
polished or there would be no sense in training him. Callen goes on to say that they “run into a
lot of buildings like that, we worry about what’s right before we worry about
what’s safe”. On a basic level, Rountree is behaving in a similar way to the
rest of the team, and Callen offers him a job with the Office of Special
Projects. Earlier in the boatshed and later with Chief Wallace, Rountree
demonstrated he is not afraid to speak up, even if his ideas are not always
suitable. One of the SEALs refuses to give a statement against Argento if
he’s the only one to make a stand, which means there is no case to pursue.
Callen surprisingly allows Sam the choice of making the case go away by walking
away and when his thoughts are interrupted by Rountree asking if the truth
matters Sam instinctively reacts positively and they continue their
investigations. When things turn
personal, Callen has been known to turn the other way and cross the line; he
let Sam alone with Tahir in Revenge Deferred (S07E17), offered Hetty his gun to
kill Dang in Goodbye Vietnam (S09E14) and ordered Deeks and Kensi to remove evidence in
Unleashed (S08E24). But Callen and the team never fail to pursue a case just
because it is difficult and they often continue even when they’ve been
specifically ordered not to, so his comment to Sam is questionable.
The lack of Hetty or anyone else
in command in recent episodes shows how the team easily operates without anyone,
but with a high profile investigation in Argento and the awareness he has
connections in very high places requires a senior figure to guide the team.
This allows for the return of Mac, Marine Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie (JAG)
who urges caution and underlines how serious the repercussions could be. Her
authority is not challenged or questioned by the team and she looks very much
at home when she appears in Mosley’s old office, sitting behind the desk. Kensi
and Deeks run the investigation from LA, searching for the missing SEAL which
allows Deeks has his own piece of action as when found SEAL Cole ‘captures’ him
in neat move in his motel room. Mac makes the partners work hard to get the
story out of the SEALs off the record before they can be offered immunity. At
the same time in Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan
Although not the planned season
finale, Code of Conduct was a great last minute fall back episode. The episode is darker, more dramatic and
intense than recent offerings and has a story arc that will potentially see the
team’s careers and the Office of Special Projects in jeopardy. Once again,
Frank Military confirms his position as one of NCIS: Los Angeles