What I’ve noticed about the various NCIS series is that each
one has a personality of its own. Each one not only has a difference in the
characters on screen but in the topics that they tackle as well. For the
original it was the basics, murders and crimes committed against military
personnel. NCIS NEW ORLEANS does the same but with a focus on the city at the
same time. And NCIS LOS ANGELES offers a surrogate family situation with a lead
who’s known no real family while growing up. At the same time this series tends
to focus less on individual crimes, even when they begin that way, and more on
terrorism.
For those who’ve never seen the show (or read me write about
it in the past) the team is led by G. Callen (Chris O’Donnell) whose past is
unknown as the series started with more coming out over time. His partner is
Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) a senior field agent, former Navy SEAL and family man.
Working alongside them is Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah) the daughter of a Marine,
former Marine herself and expert marksman. Her partner is Marty Deeks (Eric
Christian Olsen) a veteran LAPD detective and liaison to NCIS. On the tech side
are Eric Beale (Barrett Foa) and Nell Jones (Renee Felice Smith), two computer
savvy characters used mainly for their technical skills but who in subsequent
seasons began getting out in the field. Rounding out the main cast of
characters is Henrietta “Hetty” Lange (Linda Hunt), an old school spy in the
game for longer than most know and who knows the ins and outs not just of the
criminal mind but the minds of those in Washington as well. That puts our
players on the board.
Past seasons have seen some truly serious shake ups in the
team. Last season Sam watched as his wife was killed by terrorists. Kensi and
Deeks finally came out in the open and admitted their affection for one
another. And Hetty disappeared without leaving a trace to the team while
viewers saw her captured by an old foe in Vietnam as she tried to rescue
someone she unknowingly left behind. That introduced us to new head of the LA
branch Assistant Director Shay Mosley (Nia Long). Her ways were quite different
from Hetty, more by the book, and she rustles the feathers of the entire team.
Their thought is she is there to dismantle them. For her it’s about making
things run as she sees fit.
The season opens with a threat from North Korea and Callen doing
his best to bring Sam back into the fold. Claiming he’s now retired and having
bought a boat in need of major repair, he insist Callen find a new partner.
When the threat becomes more intense he comes back on board, insisting just
this case. We know that won’t be what happens. Sam has too instill a sense of
duty.
As the season goes on the team investigates the usual crimes
that they’re prone to do. Counterfeiters, gun runners, murder victims, border
patrol issues, potential nuclear missile launches and of course threats from
terrorists. Characters from the past return including Joelle the woman G was in
love with only to learn she was an agent planted to watch him. Russian freelancer
Arkady returns to add some comedic relief and assistance. Bar Paly as Anastasia
"Anna" Kolcheck, Arkady’s daughter and an agent in her own right,
remains on hand as potential love interest for Callen. And the team members
still alive from Hetty’s time in Vietnam are on hand as well.
That comes to the forefront when several episodes revolve
around the rescue of Hetty. While the government can offer no help for her
Callen and the team discover clues leading them to her location. They go off
book on their own to rescue her, risking dismissal from NCIS. But this team
cares about one another and to even consider leaving her alone to suffer is
beyond them. It is here that Mosley begins to understand the team better and to
mold her way and theirs together.
From the way things run this season it makes you wonder if
Hunt hasn’t decided to step down from the show. Her roles in this season was
sparse and less involved on the episodes she was in. It appears that her
character is grooming that of Mosely to take her place. Different in styles
they have the same goals in mind, protecting the country. And a situation where
Mosely purposely makes wrong calls in order to retrieve her son shows that she
can bend the rules as well. Rather than toss her under the bus, the team shows
her what a family they are and can be.
The show continues to offer more action that the original
and focus more on the global threats than the other two shows. That makes it
different while the same. It also shows why it’s important that we have a
military as strong as we do and gives credit for the service that those who
choose to wear the uniform deserve our respect.
NCIS LOS ANGLES remains an action fueled show that offers
great entertainment. It offers a surrogate family of characters that truly care
about one another and will go to any lengths to protect one another. One hopes
that there are teams like that out there, protecting the country and protecting
each other. And when the threats get personal, like kidnapping a member of the
team or holding the child of another hostage, the good Lord help you if they
come looking for you.
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