NCIS: Los Angeles S13E05 Review

 

Divided We Fall tells the rare story of the team failing catastrophically in their mission. Failure is not an outcome associated with the NCIS Office of Special Projects which makes this episode all the more interesting. There are plenty of occasions where missions go sideways - it's that unpredictability and intensity which often keeps the interest, however the outcome is usually positive. After all they rescued Mosley's son, even though all bar Kensi nearly lost their lives in the process. The team is not perfect and not infallible so to actually see them fail and the after effects of that failure, is a novelty. 

The episode begins with Callen and Sam approaching a woman (Laura Song) and urgently requesting she accompanies them to a safe house as she may be compromised. Meanwhile Kensi and Deeks pick up Laura's teenager daughter Lily and bring her to the boatshed, while Fatima and Rountree set up in the safe house to undertake surveillance. When Callen states that Kilbride will arrive in an hour, Laura's replies that until then, her life is in their hands.

"One hour later" and Kilbride walks in to a disaster zone. Laura is dead and Callen and Sam are sitting against the wall looking battered.  

The remainder of the episode takes place after another time jump. The team have been separated for 36 hours and are interviewed by the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) Inspector General Akhil Ali. This allows the team to fill in the events of that crucial hour from their own perspective, with each member overlapping with the former to provide a full narrative.  These interviews/flashbacks allow Laura to be developed as a rounded character and for empathy to be built as she engages with Sam and Callen on a personal level. She’s a mother who believes her daughter is better off without her, she was drawn into the world of espionage by Kilbride at the age of 17 and knows Hetty. She is strong, confident and defiant, adamant that even though she acknowledges every spy has their expiry date, she repeatedly ask for a gun, refuses to die while locked away in the panic room and selflessly sacrifices herself to save Fatima.  Her actions and words indicate that she'd rather fight for her freedom that be locked in and trapped, even if a few of her actions are odd with this - until Kilbride tells his tale... He concocted the story that Laura's cover was blown so he could (via the team)  secure her for interview to see if she had been turned by the Chinese and was now a double agent.  He found his answer when he saw her walking into the lobby with the ‘bad guys’, chastising them for failing to take out four agents. Kilbride confronts and kills her. 

This knowledge allows the episode to be seen in a different light upon a second viewing. Deeks states that Kilbride has many layers like an onion (and each one will make you cry), which is an apt reflection of Divided We Fall (although maybe not the crying element). This is an intricately constructed and multilayered case.  The one on one conversations Laura had with Callen and Sam now take on a different meaning. She knows Hetty and it can be implied she knows of her orphans and by extension, about Callen. By asking how long he’s known Hetty and relating that to her own story of being dragged into the game so young, she has aligned herself with him.  With Sam she speaks about her teenage daughter and the pair talk about parenting. She struggles with the mother/daughter relationship, believing Lily is better off without her and asks about Sam's daughter’s relationship with her mother. Did she know in advance that Sam’s wife was killed? 

Kilbride admitted to ONI Ali that Laura is the best operative he’s ever known and he kept the real reason away from the team for fear she would see through their charade. Laura Song now becomes a highly manipulative double agent, playing two experienced agents who had little chance of seeing through her facade, thanks to Kilbride.  The other takeaway here is Kilbride’s lack of trust - he clearly has no faith in the team. He acknowledges they are good but not the best (although he tells Lily they are the best, with Deeks naively believing him until Kensi bursts his bubble).  It almost picking up where Hetty left off in terms of manipulation and secret keeping, even picking Laura for a life of spy craft during her teenage years. Perhaps this explains his comments to Callen in the season opener (Subject 17), and in last season’s finale. 

The interviews reveal how events unfolded but also show how the agents perform their jobs. Sam and Callen are the epitome of professional, dedicated to protecting Laura. They repeatedly refuse her request for a gun, providing the ONI Inspector Ali with legitimate reasons for their decisions. When Ali challenges the only discrepancy in Sam and Callen’s story (whether Laura was drinking scotch or bourbon), Sam quite rightly questions if it really matters? It’s the newer and younger agents who’s behaviour during their surveillance is surprising. These scenes typically make personal conversations easy whilst maintaining observations, yet Rountree and Fatima spent most of their time NOT looking at the monitors. Instead they were on their cells and playing a magnet game. Thankfully these actions had no impact on events and they acted as expected when they temporarily rescued Laura.  With Fatima shot in the leg, Laura insists the agent reaches safety first, then closes the elevator hatch. This seemingly selfless act kept the agents safe and gives the appearance of her capture and death (a gunshot is heard shortly after). If  Sam or Callen had been injured and in the elevator, they would have insisted Laura was hauled through the hatch. Certainly Callen left Sam to fight off the attack while he moved Laura to safety,  although Sam did question why Callen abandoned him...(which was out of character).

Kensi and Deeks’ situation was much less intense, taking Lily to the boatshed to keep her safe, thus allowing for a touch of lightness and humour at times.  Again there is a personal element which builds empathy between Lily and the agents. She reveals her dad died when she was 11, something to which Kensi can relate. It is Deeks and his knack of understanding deep human emotions who suspects something is hinky. He tried to call Sam to say that Laura continued to be an operative after her dad died in a car crash.  Laura lost it when husband died but when she returned to work (to her cover job as an art dealer, in actuality as a spy),she became better. The scene cuts to Deeks’ interview and his heartfelt speech where he opened up on his thoughts of dying in line of duty and how people deal with trauma differently. If Kensi died, he didn’t think he could remain operational and raise an 11 year old. It made him question why Laura chose to do just that, enough to make him try and call Sam. 

Kilbride is indirectly responsible. It was his idea to withhold information from the agents and to lie about securing her in a safe house as her cover may be blown.  His plot inadvertently put the agents in danger, although he had no foresight that Laura’s allies would breach and rescue her. The Chinese extraction team were tipped off as they found sustained breach of the ONI safe house security systems and knew as soon as Laura walked through the door. Kilbride may not trust the team or have faith in their abilities but at least he tells ONI Inspector Ali that the report he writes will exonerate the team. The agents accept and admit responsibility for their failure and Laura’s death, and Kilbride witnesses their utter dejection when he calls them to ops for another case and they trudge up the stairs. When he pauses by the door to his office, observing them, he contemplates but still does not take the opportunity to reveal the truth.  The closing scene shows the final piece of the puzzle, which Kilbride withheld from Ali.  In Laura’s dying moments, she reveals that she’s the one who actually manipulated him since she was 17. She chose him as the perfect mark, a broken family man looking for a second chance. His killing her has some parallels to Hetty killing Akhos, as to a certain extent, both were parent figures, and Kilbride clearly thought of her with affection, having her photo in his portfolio case. This image of Kilbride as broken contrasts with the jovial comments Deeks and Kensi make at the start, about Kilbride having a son and what he would be like as a father, and recalls earlier episodes where he share with Sam that he has an estranged son.

The in-depth characterisation of the episode’s guests serve to engage the viewer and to build empathy, mostly though the connections and parallels made between Laura and the agents. The ONI inspector flirts with Fatima and clearly has a crush on her from her acting days, and deeply respecting her religious devotion.  He is given a trait of touching his tie when he’s nervous, an action he repeats numerous times throughout the various interviews. The familiarity between Fatima and Rountree now sees Fatima calling him ‘Tree’ and it is details such as these which help make this episode special.  It is dramatic and intense through the interweaving of the interrogation and action, mixing past and present. The understated acting and direction lends a seriousness and severity to the operation which only emphasises the feeling of helplessness and dejection the team feel afterwards.  Overall, the different style of storytelling adopted by writer Andrew Bartels and visualised by director Terence Nightingall, elevates this to not only the best so far in season 13, but one of the best episodes in the series to date.

A Virtual Scrawl

NCIS: Los Angeles S13E03 Review [Indentured]

 

There is always something more engaging about an episode which opens in the middle of a case, particularly if the team are involved. "Indentured" sees a group of ATF agents embroiled in a heavy gunfight they are losing, their lead agent calling over the airwaves for help from any law enforcement officers who may be nearby. Sam and Callen hear and their response is all the more serious as they clearly know each other. Unfortunately, the bad guys overwhelm the ATF, and without mercy, the lead agent is shot dead. Sam and Callen arrive at the warehouse too late. Their involvement in the case was to support ATF in taking down a white supremacist arms dealer, but the inside man was made before this could occur, and so the case is taken over by NCIS. The killer, Lukas Meyer is known and the investigation is to find Meyer and stop the weapons sale.  This opening is reminiscent of S09E23, “A Line in the Sand” where the NCIS team were under heavy fire and coincidentally, both episodes are written by Frank Military.

 

As is mostly the case with episodes penned by Military, there is intense drama, a focus on character and a darkness which creeps around the edges.  Military was also responsible creating and playing last season’s villain Kessler (S12E05, “Raising the Dead” and so this episode is the perfect place for the threat of Kessler to resurface.  Kessler’s girlfriend’s decomposed body has been identified after washing up on the Florida shoreline back in July, The exchange between Kensi and Deeks in the bullpen clearly shows the latter moving into attack mode. He will not allow Kessler to get near to Kensi and that is by any method necessary. Kensi realises this and her facial expression is full of concern. She knows Deeks killed his former partner at LAPD for abusing a teenage prostitute, Tiffany. Deeks also tortured a cleric in S05E19 “Spoils of War” after Kensi disappears and is held captive in Afghanistan (also written by Military). Deeks has a dark side when it comes to women being threatened and abused by men...

 

There is much going on in this episode which takes the team in several directions simultaneously, maintaining interest and creating layers within the narrative. Kilbride takes Sam as a partner, dropping Callen out of the picture as he’s not former military, as Kilbride wants the trust of Ret. US Army General Collins, who was due to buy hundreds of AK47s from Meyer and has connections with a right wing militia group. He also wants to ensure that if Collins is innocent, that he can continue to run for senator without a blemish to his character, thus protecting the integrity of the election process. Callen teams up with Rountree whilst Kensi and Fatima go undercover at a rehab centre, to gain the trust of Meyer’s girlfriend Mia. Deeks tails Collins although how he can remain inconspicuous when driving a bright red truck is a mystery.  Maybe the bad guys are colour blind? There is also the revelation that Kilbride has a personal connection with Collins, leading to the team mistrusting Kilbride, and causing confrontations between Sam and Kilbride.  The theme of trust is part of the overarching framework of the show (usually with Callen), and it makes a pleasant change that Sam is at the forefront this time, and for someone other than Callen to butt heads with someone in a position of higher authority.  

 

The issue of trust runs both ways and in a twist it turns out that Kilbride is another one who does not trust easily. When the team arrive to storm the warehouse, ATF are already in position, and Kilbride walks out with Collins in handcuffs.  Trust has to be earned and it is in short supply between Kilbride and the agents. In a scene more familiar between Callen, Sam and Hetty, Kilbride engages with the partners by offering them a single malt to discuss that very topic. In answer to Callen’s questions, he hasn’t heard from Hetty and doesn’t know if she’s safe. He also reveals that he is now running the Office of Special Projects. It is unknown if this is temporary or permanent, or what role Hetty will have if she ever returns.

 

It has been a very long time since the Office of Special Projects, a team which (used) to specialise in undercover operations, actually went undercover. It’s an element which has been sorely missed and makes an impressive comeback. Deeks has fun with Kensi, creating a shared back story although there is a missing (cut) scene as Fatima’s involvement comes out of the blue. Fatima’s role undercover is to set up Kensi to gain Mia’s trust and the two women enjoy a fight scene, after Kensi finds Fatima bullying Mia.  It is also a reminder of how the team can fake such scenes, with the blood pouring from Fatima’s head coming from a red sponge squeezed against her forehead. It can also be implied that she surreptitiously spat back the liquor she swigged from the bottle swiped from Mia. The visual manipulation of Mia is matched by the psychological. Mia opens up to Kensi about how abusive and controlling Lukas Meyer is and Kensi offers to solve her problems by killing Meyer. A little later Kensi’s alias tears up, explaining how she killed the boyfriend who raped her. Unfortunately, Mia develops a strong liking for Kensi’s alias and feeds her a false address for Meyer, who later turns up dead from an oxycodone overdose, Mia’s drug of choice.

The story then moves on to one of moral ambiguity, covered by Deeks and Kensi at work and later at home in bed. Deeks is the voice of conscience, asking Kensi if she thinks she gave Mia the idea and the courage to kill Meyer. At this point he sounds a little accusatory which is ironic given his past actions. Mia later sends a video message to Kensi’s undercover cell phone which the couple watch in bed. Again Deeks offers Kensi the chance to pursue Mia, however she decides to wait until morning before calling in the lead.  Kensi is at peace with her decision which means Deeks is too, and the episode closes with saying ‘sweet dreams, my little velociraptor’. The screen turns black and there is a gentle baby dinosaur growl.

 

Daniela Ruah (Kensi) absolutely owns this episode with her undercover performance.  She was extremely convincing and manipulating - for the greater good. Undercover operations have been in short supply for the last three or four seasons, with characters maybe assuming a role for a minute or so. Hopefully this is the start of a return to how the team used to work missions. The use of slow motion captures the horror of the gunfight, and is utilised towards the end when Kilbride walks with Collins in cuffs, emphasising which side Kilbride is on. It has sometimes been used ineffectively, for too long a gun battle sequence, but the direction here is spot on. Overall this was a thoroughly enjoyable episode and season 13 is definitely off to a solid start.

NCIS: Los Angeles S10E22 Review

‘No More Secrets’ continues from last week’s search for Anna and her subsequent flight out of America. This week they have a lead not only on Anna but also Callen’s father, courtesy of the woman running the operation. Part one was an excellent episode and the writers (Andrew Bartels and Erin Broadhurst) remain the same. The value in this continuity is evident, particularly when Bartels has consistently demonstrated such an insight in to the writing of Callen’s character.  This week was a rollercoaster of emotions, branching off on previously unimaginable paths. The early part set the scene, quickly establishing the limit of Hetty’s involvement, the extent of Joelle’s and getting the team to Havana, Cuba to find and rescue both Anna and Nikita. Then, everything turned south when Joelle’s contact Lionel, sells her and Callen out to Nikita’s enemy, Pavel Volkoff.

The episode centres around Callen and his father, with family and trust being central and recurring themes for both.  Callen has a strong desire to bond with his father yet Nikita repeatedly lets him down. Each time this occurs the effect becomes worse and re-enforces Callen’s abandonment issues and the reasons why he doesn’t trust easily. There is a never ending cycle between them, perfectly exemplified when they are sharing a cell and Callen challenges his father about the identity of the Romani prisoner they saw tortured.  As they verbally dance with each other, the camera physically circles the pair.  Trust is in short shrift throughout the episode: Callen’s shows little trust or faith in Hetty which is reciprocated during a revealing conversation between Nikita and Hetty at the end. Callen and Sam believe Special Prosecutor Rogers will shut down their black op if he found out and the team generally do not trust Joelle.  Cuba contact Lionel betrays Joelle, then turns tail to assist the team. And as the bad guy, obviously no one trusts Volkoff!

Volkoff was introduced as Arkady’s former KGB protégé in the season 6 finale, Chernoff, K. The following season he facilitated the prison break of Arkady and CIA Officer Balinski. Since then Callen’s father revealed Volkoff is his enemy, and last season he masterminded a plot whereby the US government traded Nikita to the Russians. Such a heart-wrenching separation and Callen’s subsequent estrangement from his sister and nephew meant it was inevitable Callen would cross paths with Volkoff again, their recent history making for a dramatic confrontation. In an episode so dark and twisted it could have been written by Frank Military, Volkoff executes Joelle and Anna in front of Callen who, with no time to grieve, is then tortured in front of his father via Volkoff’s preferred ‘Little Elephant’ (a Russian torture method where a gas mask is strapped to a restrained prisoner’s face, then the air supply is shut off). Callen is repeatedly punched in the chest to hasten the imminent suffocation. During a break, the FSB officer deals the final blow to Callen. The man with the Romani tattoo they saw tortured earlier is Darius Reznikov, nee Comescu who Nikita orphaned and then raised as his own. 

Nikita:       What makes you think Darius will even listen to me?

Volkoff:   You're the closest thing he has to a father. That's right [To Callen]. He never told you. Perhaps your father was too ashamed. Darius. That's his name. Darius Reznikov. But before he went by Reznikov, he went by another: Comescu. The family that killed your mother. Nikita hunted them for years. Did you know that? And then one day, he killed a husband and wife only to realise too late that there was a child sleeping upstairs. A boy, not even ten. How terrible it must feel, knowing that your father sent you away, but then chose to raise your enemy's son.

This turn of events was unpredictable yet believable, adding to the dramatic tension and most importantly to Callen’s already emotional mindset. The devastated look Callen gave his father was heartbreaking for Nikita to see. As Volkoff moves to torture Callen again, Nikita realises the pain his son has enduring because of him and agrees to talk to Darius. Callen’s torture was reminiscent of what Nate forced him to endure in season 7 when he was tormented about his name and identity prior to being water boarded. Volkoff however, knew Callen’s background as well as Nikita’s and Darius’, and used that as psychological torture.  

This moves on to the intriguing relationship between Nikita and Darius. The two are genuinely close; Darius calls him father (“otets”) and thinks he has disappointed Nikita. They communicate covertly by discretely tapping their fingers whilst verbally Darius tells Nikita that he was told his father was alive and held by Volkoff. He was going to use evidence he acquired to blackmail him into releasing his father. Nikita then takes a bullet for Darius when Volkoff’s men storm the room, sending his adoptive son to find his real son, as he lies wounded. There is something about being a Reznikov, whether by name or by blood, that means remaining captured is just not an option. It has been established on numerous occasions that Callen will escape captivity, and that he’ll deliberately goad his captors and this is no exception. He’s sassy, fakes a recurrence of his season premier punctured lung and attacks his guards. This leads to a tantalisingly brief encounter between Callen and Darius. The two warily assess each other and as Callen is ‘safe’, Darius no longer needs to find Callen and instead pursues Volkoff while Callen goes to Nikita. 

The Nikita / Darius story is interesting as both thought the other dead, their separation occurring when the KGB raided their home and Nikita escaped thinking Darius died in the attack. Instead he was taken by the KGB, trained and later brought to Cuba to continue his training. This is a fascinating glimpse into the Nikita that existed after the Comescu’s murdered his wife Clara. He sent his two children away to America, was captured as a KGB traitor and escaped during transport to the gulag. He spent years hunting the Comescu’s, then raised one of their own children as his, training him to be ruthless and to accept death rather than capture.  For those inclined to investigate further, there are many inconsistencies around the timeline. In Chernoff, K (S6), Hetty told Callen that Nikita Reznikov became Konstantin Chernoff in 1974 (year he escaped the gulag). Chernoff ‘died’ in 2008 and (presumably) Garrison was born.  Nikita Reznikov was a fugitive so why tell his enemy’s son his real name, and provide the boy with the Reznikov surname? The KGB ceased to exist in 1991 so when did these events occur? Even if Darius was captured as young man, how come he is still undergoing training?

Regardless, this adds a new dimension to Callen’s backstory as he has killed a large number of the Comescu family himself.  His relationship with Nikia may be over as his father is now dead, but Darius is a loose end and an opportunity to explore new ground. It’s the same with Hetty. Callen did not appreciate her withholding information about Joelle’s operation.  At the end, Hetty confirms to Nikita that she gave Darius the mission. Her decision not to pass that information to Callen was explained at the start. Nikita made her promise not to allow Callen to go after him, again to keep him safe. Their scene at the hospital suggests there has been little damage to their relationship but only time will tell, particularly if he finds out Hetty knowledge of Darius and her role in his involvement.

The revelation Anna and Joelle were not actually killed was a touch disappointing.  The lack of blood from their bullet wounds was a giveaway and they seemed to work well together, presumably for the shared cause as Anna had previously been left to deal with Callen’s ‘walls’ after Joelle’s betrayal. There was so much packed into the episode there was no opportunity to explore Callen’s relationship with Anna. The fact they hadn’t communicated for months after Anna started at ATF and later said goodbye to Callen before his internal affairs interview with ATF, and again after Anna’s incarceration, she told him to stay away, all indicates they had separated. However their Christmas scene at the hospital confirms they both still have strong feelings for each other, even if they are not together.  Both women remain loose ends as Anna feels she can’t return to the US due to the extensive publicity over her escape and Joelle stays with her.

In some ways it is a shame the characters remain very much ‘in character’.  When Callen had his weapon pointed at Volkoff it was obvious he would not pull the trigger. It would have been an interesting turn of events if he had shot Volkoff in revenge. Instead he kicked him in the head and left him to die. Darius undertook a similar action, using the ‘little elephant’ to his advantage, to safely breath oxygen instead of the chlorine gas and waiting until Volkoff was dead before leaving the bunker.  

Although the episode is extremely Callen-centric, the usual cast are of course present, albeit in a much reduced capacity.  Sam, Kensi and Deeks are in Cuba, finding and rescuing Callen and crew. Nell and Eric support from Ops, again referring to the question of their future at NCIS and are at the forefront when Rogers discovers the team’s off the books mission. He now has seen firsthand the grey area in which they frequently operate (the original reason for his presence in their office).  The remaining episodes set up the finale and it is unlikely there will be any repercussions from the team’s actions - and once again Callen will go unpunished and thus the team are free to go dark again.

The episode was superbly written and such a joy (despite the sadness) after some of the recent offerings. This is matched by the director Yangzom Brauen’s vision. Whilst remaining very much in the conventions of the show’s visual style, there is an excellent use of lighting and framing which is very theatrical.  Shots are framed within frames with characters reflected in windows. The use of shadows enhances the tension and the character’s emotional states whilst illustrating the obsessiveness of Volkoff, particularly in the corridor prior to Joelle and Anna’s ‘murder’.

No More Secrets did feel a touch rushed and there was a lot of background information about Nikita disseminated in a short space of time.  There were scenes missing, such as how Joelle and Anna escaped as well as how did Darius escaped his locked cell?  Kensi dressed to the nines in Ops during the mission briefing and apparently there was a deleted scene showing her and Deeks out to dinner. The ending segued from Callen and his father over Amy’s grave, to Callen in a suit over his father’s grave.  It was poignant and sad and no words or other characters were necessary.  Callen is alone again. A three parter could still have maintained the same tension and drama yet fleshed out more with Callen and his father, and how his sister dealt with their father’s death.  More screen time could have been given to the team and direct interactions between Rogers and Hetty could have been seen.  These are nice to have’s and there is certainly nothing wrong at all with the two parter fans were treated to.  NCIS: Los Angeles has created some fantastically dramatic episodes and No More Secrets is up there with the best.

A Virtual Scrawl

NCIS: Los Angeles Review S10E03

It has been a while since an episode centred around Callen.  There were several last season, one of which was fundamental to his very essence - his father - who was suddenly delivered by the American government in to the hands of his enemy, via Iran. The other involved Joelle, furthering both her and the mole’s story, yet all the while examining Callen’s emotional reactions to her betrayal of him. However neither storyline, both of which had such an impact on his character, had been mentioned since.  It could be argued this is very much in line with who Callen is. He doesn’t talk about himself or his feelings and deflects such questions and conversations usually by ignoring them. Such frustrations from last season are addressed in ‘The Prince’, which sees the team placed on protection detail after a failed assassination attempt on a visiting Saudi prince. 

The case itself is run-of-the-mill, the rich prince reluctantly accepts further protection, he refuses to cancel his meetings or move hotels, which culminate in an almost successful attempt which is thwarted by the team at the very last minute. Standard stuff. It is the unexpected appearance of two unconnected characters who have caused pain and heartache, which hit Callen with a double whammy of emotional turmoil. Firstly, DSS Agent Brian Bush is their main contact for the prince's protection and from the moment his picture first appeared in ops, Callen’s demeanour changed.  If it wasn’t enough that he had to control his emotions in the field, he witnesses his ex-girlfriend and rogue CIA operative Joelle Taylor, escaping from the hotel as the potential assassin.  And this unfortunately leads Callen to reveal to Kensi and Deeks that he (and Sam and Nell) faked Joelle’s death and deliberately withheld this information.  The betrayal of trust is not appreciated by the pair and both are rightly indignant and frustrated.  Callen’s reasoning was sound and his apology accepted, which prompts one of the best lines from the entire show to date, when Deeks says:

“It’s all good.  Can’t really blame you, anyway.  You were raised like this, thanks to the Hetty Lang School of Mischief.”

Callen is not only a product of his childhood experiences, also of his later life which is very much influenced by his mentor.

Surprisingly, there is not really a confrontation between either Callen and Bush or Callen and Joelle.  Callen reverted to his serious agent persona to just get the job done with Bush around, only struggling to contain himself when Bush stated he knew Callen was withholding information from him.  Callen’s emotions are more to do with his reaction to seeing Joelle, rather than the man who handed his father to the enemy, although there is an undercurrent of anger and frustration when Callen is in his presence.  The tension between them is lessened with an touching scene at the end, when Bush apologies to Callen and says that he hopes he finds his father. 

The light-hearted aspects of the episode are left to Kensi and Deeks, and Nell and Eric, with both pairs excelling in their roles.  The ongoing joke of the episode is the questioning of Kensi and Deeks’ wedding being back on and if a date has been set. This threads through the episode from the opening bullpen scene, to the ops centre right to just before the final assassination attempt.  The pair have literally picked up where they left off before their major row in the finale.  They talk endlessly about planning their wedding but are not actively doing anything about it.  The digs are coming from all angles, initially from Deeks’ mother and then from Sam.  Nell puts her foot in it with Kensi, who later threatens to start shooting when Callen makes a comment in the field.  It is finally Sam who as usual, offers the pair some words of wisdom.  The opening bullpen scenes have been sorely missed over the last season, and it was a joy to see the team together and teasing each other.  In a throwback to Callen’s long recovery from his collapsed lung, internal bleeding and broken back, he is catching up on missed cases by reading Agent Deschamp’s detailed reports, causing Sam to gently snipe that at least she writes them...It is the team banter and interaction which is not case related that brings as much satisfaction as the cases and character development themselves.  When Deeks’ bar comes to life, there will be another location away from the workplace, to see such playfulness.

The lack of leadership due to the absence of Hetty, Mosley and Admiral Kilbride meant the lunatics were running the asylum this week.  It was quite a surprise to see Callen allowing Joelle in to ops and Nell literally asked Callen if he was insane!  It was an action that Hetty would definitely not approve, considering some of her comments about Joelle in season 8.  Eric of course, also had his moment of hilarity which although rather silly, was not as overtly ridiculous as in other episodes. He disturbs Deeks with his fantasy talk and when he sees Joelle in ops, he threatens her with a pair of scissors attached by a chain to the sewing table.  However it is the sweetness between him and Nell that really shines through.  Nell tells Eric how she helped fake Joelle’s death, much to his annoyance about keeping secrets, and she obtains his forgiveness with a kiss.  It is also Nell that puts Joelle in her place, pulling a gun out from under her desk and later stating she’ll be watching her from ops.  Joelle understood the threat and Nell looked convincing.

On the face of it, the case itself had the potential to invite a number of actions scenes and gunfights, as is the norm. Instead it is the activities associated with the case, the recurring characters, their impact on Callen and the underlying humour with the rest of the cast which contrasts sharply with the ever present sadness that permeates from him. His feelings do not need to be verbalised when it is visible in his eyes, particularly during his conversations with Bush and Joelle. There are barbed comments, mainly from Callen to Joelle but on the whole, despite his initial reaction they are surprisingly civil to each other, which even catches her out. It seems they have reached an understanding and the closing scene featuring the two of them in Callen’s car suggests their relationship could possibly be rekindled. Joelle is much more suited to Callen as her real self, rather than the ‘safe’ kindergarten teacher.  She has previously admitted she finished their relationship as she had developed real feelings for him and Callen’s behaviour during their last confrontation could be interpreted that he still has feelings for her. Having opened up about his family predicament, Callen drove away rather than watching her reconnect with her family, an action that allowed her to do just the opposite and walk away from them. Their conversation about finding Callen’s father suggests maybe a search and rescue mission will take place later in the season.  And with scope now for Joelle to return, maybe she will be instrumental in this.

The prince may have been a secondary character but he bonded with Sam and there was a touching moment when the two men considered where they would prefer to die. It was also interesting the attitude the prince had towards death when pressed by Callen. His brother and grandfather were assassinated but he will continue with his job until his time comes. The same could be said for Callen, with his mother and grandfather effectively assassinated by the Comescus, and attempts on his own life.  It is a reminder that life goes on in spite of the tragedy it brings. Trust, identity and family are three of the biggest themes that under pin NCIS: Los Angeles and two of the three take centre stage in ‘The Prince’.  The questioning of trust and the keeping of secrets is common to all characters, some of whom have bigger secrets or more trust issues than others.  But it is family which ties it all together, the team as a family who quickly forgive each other as well as their blood-family ties, which remain as big a challenge for Callen as ever. 

‘The Prince’ was an absolute gem of an episode and the missing hierarchy meant more screen time for the main cast, allowing character driven stories to be explored rather than rushed, with secondary characters having a real purpose. Writer Andrew Bartels is proving a master at delivering Callen-centric episodes and balancing drama with humour in the style of earlier seasons. This was also very much a team event and that is another reason why this episode was so enjoyable and already marked down as a favourite.

A Virtual Scrawl

NCIS: Los Angeles S09E09 Review

Callen is a complex character with deeply ingrained trust issues and until Joelle Taylor entered his life courtesy of a blind date, he was happily single.  He let down his defences, was later forced to reveal his true identity and opened up further, letting her meet his family, which then consisted of only his team.  His split with Joelle was amicable yet what better way to cause Callen emotional turmoil than with a personal betrayal - and they don’t come more personal that discovering your former lover is a CIA officer sent to keep tabs on you and your team.  The latter part of last season saw Callen struggle with Joelle’s betrayal.  He took a chainsaw to her dining table, later using it as firewood.  He left the bed they once shared on the kerb and blew hot and cold in his burgeoning relationship with Anna Kolcheck.  Hetty even had to intervene to help Callen cauterize his wounds, forcing him to see Joelle for who she really is; Beth, married with a young son.  This week Joelle has returned again, this time breaking in to his home and turning to him for help, claiming she was kidnapped, pumped for information on naval security and subsequently escaped.

Can Callen and the team trust Joelle?  The obvious answer is no and yet Callen feels obliged to undertake at least cursory investigations and to keep overwatch on her family.  The opening pre-credit scene may show a hooded woman escaping her captors but there are plenty of clues along the way to both support and challenge her claims, for example gouging out a bad guys eye with a shirt collar stay.  She removes them from the shirt she’s borrowed from Callen and yes, they are a viable weapon.  Eric easily finds footage of her abduction on traffic cameras, immediately raising suspicions about the amateur nature of this and causing Callen to consider it was staged.

The two play mind games against each other and their verbal sparring really light up the first half of the episode as each one takes turns in 'one upping’ the other.  Joelle refers to Anna Kolcheck on two separate occasions; the first time Callen ignores her, the second, after she admits from what she’s read, that Anna ‘is quite the woman’, he shuts her down.  Is she just baiting Callen on his new relationship or gauging his reaction to see if she can turn on the charm and flirt to win Callen over?  More concerning though is that she’s continued to keep tabs on Callen even after they split.  Their scenes do allow for some home truths to be delivered even if they are in the guise of cheap shots.  Joelle forces the point that her marriage is built on trust, implying quite rightly that trust is something Callen struggles with (evidenced in his earlier dalliance with Anna in S7 Exchange Rate - before they were together and before he found out about Joelle’s betrayal).  This is quickly followed by her observation that Callen is angry at himself for not seeing through her deception.  Joelle certainly seems to have won this round in the interrogation room.

In comparison, Callen’s own mind games with Joelle seem subpar and he comes across as a scorned lover, displaying his usual attitude when matters get personal, even giving Sam ‘the stare’ when he suggests Callen should accompany Hidoko in the field.  He takes some of Joelle’s sucker punches, perfecting the wounded puppy look. The pivotal moment comes on Sam’s boat and after an almost civil conversation, Joelle is caught out on another lie.  Callen loses his temper, pulls his gun and really tells her how he feels.  Their heated words showcase Callen’s own ability to play mind games and adopt alternative methods of interrogating a suspect, having made Joelle equally angry, he instantly calms down and says he believes Joelle’s story.  His admittance that it wasn’t all an act was probably a much needed outlet for his pent up anger and frustration.

Joelle believes it was the rogue CIA cell (from mole arc) who were responsible for her kidnapping.  It was never fully clear if that story was over - certainly Sabatino and Joelle were left in play, even if it seems Sabatino is (probably) on the NCIS agents side.  In this respect, Executive Assistant Director Mosley played her part well, initially supporting Callen and the team and later preparing to get the CIA to sort out their own mess in Joelle.  She doesn’t believe in the underhand methods Hetty liked to use but did give them a timeframe before withdrawing them from the case, (something Hetty has also done in S7 Matryoshka part 1).  Finally Mosley has her office which is actually a very tasteful area above Hetty’s office, with wall to ceiling windows.  Once again she drew attention to how Hetty may have had an open door policy but how open was Hetty really with her information and her manipulative ways. 

Callen has broken Joelle down to find the consistency in her story, to protect her family and Kensi’s conversation with husband Nick reveals the chinks in their relationship.  Not even he trusts Joelle.  He reluctantly tolerated her sleeping with other men as part of her job - and although not verbalised, knew Callen was one of those men when he saw him again. He witnessed her become detached from her emotions over the years, failing to react when he admitted his own infidelities. Callen even uses this information in his fight with her, asking if she’s even capable of love, as her husband also has his doubts. Disassociation leads to identity issues, again a prevalent theme with Callen's character which has run through the seasons.  Even though he has a first name (of which Joelle is thankfully unaware), Callen is still discovering who he really is.  Joelle is a complete fake.  Her birth name was neither Beth or Joelle and in a rare move the CIA scrubbed her true identity when she was recruited twenty years ago.  It is only near the end when Joelle is shot that she tells Callen her real name is Jane.  [Was her surname Doe?]

It is almost a foregone conclusion that Joelle has to die.  To a certain extent her character and the exploration of her and Callen's relationship has reached a natural end.  Her inability to feel has caused her family life to deteriorate and her career placed them in danger. Death would also be a fitting end after her betrayal of Callen. Instead of actually dying, she and Callen fake her death (it is unclear if Sam or Mosley are in on this) and the final scene with Joelle and Callen observing her family for one last time is poignant and symbolic.  It is the reason why Callen's father abandoned him and his sister and one of the reasons Callen kept his distance from his newly discovered half sister and nephew.  He refuses Joelle's request for assistance in her recovery and hunting down the 'syndicate'.  The reason?  He has his own family to take care of. 

Some context has at last been provided for the mole storyline.  The rogue CIA agents were not just pissed that NCIS was interrupting their clandestine operations in the Middle East, they were in fact working for a syndicate, helping them secure their business interests in the region.  When the CIA failed at that venture, Colton Leach was tasked with recruiting Joelle for their alternative plan.  As the episode concludes this provides another new loose end.  Will Joelle succeed in hunting and killing the syndicate?  Or when she finds them will she be persuaded to turn traitor and work with them?  The door is certainly open for her and the syndicate to return. 

With such focus on Callen, the rest of the characters are a little sidelined.  Callen and Sam continue to banter despite the circumstances and Deeks and Kensi are back to their best with a highly amusing scene discussing dream interpretation which culminates in Kensi squishing the spider that represents Deeks' mother. Deeks also provided a little fun for Joelle’s son, playing basketball with him in the boatshed while Kensi interview his father. Nell’s presence was practically non-existent and Hidoko took on the role of partnering Sam in the field and bantering with him about saving each others lives.  As expected from the procedural nature, there are explosions, close calls and gun battles, heightening the excitement and tension of the episode's climax and contrasting against the intense dialogue that has passed between Callen and Joelle.  

Episode writer Andrew Bartels is earning himself a niche role by writing great character driven episodes.  He has also taking the crown from former showrunner Shane Brennan, in writing important Callen centred episodes.  He also wrote Glasnost covering Callen’s reunion with his father, co-wrote Humbug which dealt with Joelle’s discovery of Callen's lies and his real job as an NCIS agent, and The Grey Man which not only dealt with Callen's daddy issues but also tackled Kensi and Deeks' relationship.  The next issue for Callen to tackle, is how he moves on from his emotional attachment to his house.  It has now been compromised countless times - maybe he just likes the excitement, never knowing when someone will break in or attack him..?

What did you think of Fool Me Twice?  Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.

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