A few thoughts about “The Bear”

Welcome back show!  I’m sort of marking at least the first part of the season on a curve.  Over the summer, I heard the executive producer of “Grey’s Anatomy” talk about how they were going back to work during COVID.  She was going to shoot the show in production pods – the same actors, techs, everything would work together as a self-contained team.  If there was a positive test with that group, she could shut down their storylines but continue working with the other actors/storylines.  I got the same feeling here – even though this was the third episode filmed.   There were a handful of group scenes but a lot of everyone working in their own universes.

That said – it was a solid if not spectacular hour.  I do wonder if the young Russian woman, Zasha Gagarin, is being set up for something going forward since her loyalties are much like Arkady’s – easily bought.

Loved seeing Arkady.  He and Deeks are great together. 

Fatima and Roundtree fell right into the field agent feel.  While I am not pushing any romance between the two characters, I do like the friendly chemistry the characters have.  

If keeping Linda Hunt safe means shooting her away from the office but popping up from time to time, I’m totally on board.  I do like Nell in the running the office position – it really was what she was trained for before her issues with the job made her take a second look.

Like the new opening credits.  That Roundtree explosion and Deeks door surfing through flames were certainly opening credits worthy.  Nice to see Fatima and Roundtree there too.  I’ll have to start following their fashion choices (Fatima’s scarves may get their own category).

Welcome back show!

Tiptoeing through the “War Crimes” guest cast

Tracie Thoms as Marine Lieutenant Colonel Lucilla Catro Was Sasha in As If, Mahandra in Wonderfalls, Kat Miller in Cold Case, Katherine in Harry’s Law, Naomi in He’s with Me, Maya Kennedy in Gone, Susan Cheryl in Love, Fiona in UnREAL, Nancy in The First, Desiree Scoville in Truth Be Told, Karen Wilson in 9-1-1 and Arla Grigoryan in Blindspot.

Guest roles include The Shield, Law & Order, This Can’t Be My Life, Private Practice, Human Target, Suits, The Good Wife, Veep, The Mindy Project, BrainDead, Criminal Minds, Wisdom of Crowds, Grey’s Anatomy, Abby’s, The Good Doctor, The Affair, Mad About You (2019), Curb Your Enthusiasm, Lincoln Rhyme and Station 19.

Juan Riedinger as Navy Chief Petty Officer Thomas Argento Myk Watford as Navy Petty Officer William Moffet Kendall Johnson as Special Warfare Operator First Class Malcolm Kendricks Chris Lamica as Navy Petty Officer Second Class Michael Cole All back from “Code of Conduct” the unofficial official season 11 finale. Watford in his trailer. Johnson in his trailer. Lamica in his trailer with nice words about how safe the set is.

Heather Mazur as Margaux West Played Amy Battaglia in Crash, Isabel Randall in Pretty Little Liars, Darlene Saxton in Awkward, Brenda Brecheen in The Young and the Restless, Angela Miller of Good Trouble, Hannah Richards-Foster in Insecure and Vicky Penisi McConky in Tacoma FD.  Was Laura Strike-DePalma in the season 13 “Double Trouble” NCIS episode.

Guest roles include appearances on Hack, Numb3rs, Related, Joey, Big Shots, Journeyman, CSI: NY, Medium, Three Rivers, Law & Order: LA, CSI: Miami, Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, Bones, Switched at Birth, Matador, Modern Family, Glee, House of Lies, Castle, Wicked City, Doubt, Chance, 9-1-1, Grey’s Anatomy, Magnum P.I. (2019) and How to Get Away with Murder.

Tim Lounibos as Navy Captain Anthony Sorrentino Had two different roles in JAG.  Was Lt. Commander Gino Campisano in “Ares” in season one and Lt. Peter Yuen for “True Calling” in season five and “Capital Crime” in season seven.  Played Det. Paul Atwood in the “She” season 16 episode of NCIS.  Was Col. Leahy on The West Wing, Dr. Ron Bryant on Passions and Ed Sung on Bosch.

Had guest appearances in The Bold and The Beautiful, Santa Barbara, Star Trek: The Next Generation, All-American Girl, Beverly Hills 90210, The Nanny, City Guys, Touched by an Angel, The Pretender, Oh Grow Up, Saved by the Bell:  New Class, Snoops, Profiler, Becker, Wheels of Justice, Titus, The Practice, MDs, General Hospital, Girl’s Club, Dragnet (2003), Line of Fire, Shark, Crossing Jordan, The Young and the Restless, The Real O’Neals, Doubt, Criminal Minds, AP Bio and Hawaii Five-0.

Hina Khan as Monica Kendricks Along with model work, had roles in Indian movies and television series.  

Bill O'Neill as Martin Was Zach in NCIS’s “A Thousand Words” season 16 episode.

Krystal White as Bailiff Appeared in a number of short films.

Mike Tarnofsky as Navy Corrections Petty Officer Had guest roles in Vengeance, Decker, Shooter, SWAT (2018), American Crime Story, Shameless and SEAL Team.

Tom Noga as Retired Navy SEAL Parker Cole Was in episodes of Bring ‘Em Back Alive, Hardcastle and McCormick, Knight Rider (1985), Knots Landing, The A-Team, Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1986), It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Matlock, The Young Riders, Santa Barbara and Days of Our Lives.

Written by:  Jordana Lewis Jaffe wrote or co-wrote wrote or co-wrote “Honor”, “Patriot Acts”, “Dead Body Politic”, “Paper Soldiers”, “Unwritten Rule”, “Big Brother”, “Iron Curtain Rising”, “Exposure”, “Savior Faire”, “Beacon”, “Defectors”, “Exchange Rate”, “Black Market”, “Payback”, “Battle Scars”, “Mountebank”, “Vendetta”, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”, “Pro Se” “Heist”, “Born to Run”, “Provenance”, “Commitment Issues” and “Knock Out”.

With this having a court drama feel, before becoming a television writer, Jordana Lewis Jaffe was an attorney.

Directed by:  Yangzom Brauen directed “Venganza”, “Heist” (written by Jordana Lewis Jaffe), “No More Secret”, “Concours D'Elegance” and “Missing Time”.

Set photo 1. Set photo 2.

“War Crimes” promo

NCIS: Los Angeles - War Crimes (Sneak Peek 2)

NCIS: Los Angeles - War Crimes (Sneak Peek 1)

NCIS: Los Angeles - War Crimes (Sneak Peek 3)

Sneak Peak #4

Review: NCISLA “The Bear” (S12E1)

NCISLA Review: NCISLA “The Bear” (S12E1)

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NCIS: Los Angeles Season Eleven Rewatch: “Code of Conduct”

The basics:  Reports of the murder of an unarmed prisoner by a SEAL has Callen, Sam and Roundtree in Afghanistan to investigate at the request of Col. Sarah MacKenzie.

Written and directed by: Frank Military wrote/co-wrote “Little Angels”, “Deliverance”, “Lockup”, “The Job”, “Greed”, “Betrayal”, “Crimeleon”, “Vengeance”, “Out of the Past” Part One, “Rude Awakenings” Part Two, season four’s finale “Descent”, season five’s premiere “Ascension”, “Allegiance”, “Spoils of War”, “Black Budget”, SEAL Hunter", “Rage”, “Unspoken”, “Unlocked Mind”, “Revenge Deferred”, “The Seventh Child”, “Crazy Train”, “Uncaged”, “The Silo”, “Monster”, “Line in the Sand”, season ten opener “To Live and Die in Mexico”, “The Patton Project”, “Better Angels” and “False Flag” (the season 11 finale) and “A Bloody Brilliant Plan”.

Frank Military directed “Spoils of War”, “Rage”, “The Seventh Child”, “Uncaged”, “A Line in the Sand” and “To Live and Die in Mexico” – all episodes he wrote – and “Answers” which he did not.

Guest stars of note:  Catherine Bell opens and closes season 11 as Marine Lieutenant Colonel Sarah “Mac” MacKenzie, Caleb Castille returns as FBI Special Agent Devin Rountree from “Fortune Favors the Brave”, Don Wallace is back from “Alsiyadun” as Senior Chief Frank Wallace.  Myk Watford appears as Petty Officer William Moffat though he played Mike Hoffman, Astrid’s dad in “The Fifth Man” in season five.  Juan Riedinger as Navy Chief Petty Officer Thomas Argento, T.J. Linnard as Special Officer First Class Adam Barr, Kendall Johnson as Special Warfare Operator First Class Malcolm Kendricks, Myk Watford as Navy Petty Officer William Moffat, Ali Saam as Khalil, Arshia Mandavi as Jawan Yusufi, Chris Lamica as Navy Petty Officer Second Class Michael Cole, Marshall Manesh as Older Afghan Man and Sumeet Dang as Yusufzai.

Our heroes:  Team up with Mac to end the season.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen:  Let the paperwork pile up while he was away. Sam:  A federal police officer looking for justice for Samer and his dad. Kensi:  Horrified. Deeks:  Outraged. Eric:  Found Argento’s team. Nell:  Not around. Hetty:  Ibid.

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen:  Wants to know if he has to endure constant teasing because he has a girlfriend. Sam:  Plans to tease Callen constantly because Callen has a girlfriend. Kensi:  Not today. Deeks:  Not today. Eric:  Has not seen or spoken to Nell. Nell:  See Hetty. Hetty:  Absent.

Who’s down with OTP:  Not that type of episode.

Who’s down with BrOTP:  See above.

Any pressing need for a young FBI Agent:  Well, there is one and he’s really green to quote Sam from “Knock Down” two episodes before.

Who is running the team this week?  The team is running itself but Deeks is more assertive here than usual, especially since this is a 100% military story.

Fashion review:  Blue plaid shirt for Callen to start the episode.   Sam begins the episode in a red long-sleeve tee.  In Afghanistan, Callen is in a blue long-sleeve sweatshirt, Sam has a military desert green long-sleeve tee.  Dark, dark red button down top for Kensi.  Blue long-sleeve tee for Deeks with white stitching on the shoulders.  Eric is wearing a blue and gold stripped tee-shirt under a blue opened jacket.

Music:  No.

Any notable cut scene:  There was an end of season mini-doc on the DVD.   Season 11 was about the team growing as a family according to Frank Military and questioning their futures.  Kensi and Deeks want a family, Eric and Nell have out of office opportunities.  “How long do we sacrifice our personal life for the greater good.”  The family is growing with Fatima, Roundtree and Katherine.

Hetty groomed Nell to replace her, a storyline they had going on for a long time.  Nell was a confidant who knew what Hetty was up to before “the boys” often did according to R. Scott Gemmill.  Nell liked the job but found the manipulation of others to be a soul killer.  Her mother’s illness gave name a different perspective.  Does Nell really want to be Hetty and the loneliness that comes with that?

For Callen, he’s Hetty’s second choice for her job.  Is Callen ready to control things from the office and not be in the field?  His “lone wolf” style has changed working with Callen, Kensi and Deeks but that doesn’t mean he can run the team according to Gemmill.

Military sees issues with Callen and Anna since this is “TV and drama,” things don’t always last.  Callen’s two-week vacation was part of his journey.  Finding some comfort in his life away from work is big for Callen.  Gemmill said the idea was to give Callen a family, a life outside of work – make him whole for once, according to Gemmill.

Sam is growing too.  In mouring, Sam is a thoughtful, serious man, according to Frank Military who needs someone who is strong as he is.  Gemmill wanted Katherine to be outside of law enforcement to show Sam the Beverly Hills part of LA and not life on the boat.  The program was intentionally slow to find a woman for Sam out of respect for Michelle.  It didn’t feel right before season 11.

The concern writing Kensi and Deeks as parents is why are they working when one of them should be home with the kid, according to Military.  Why would someone throw themselves on a bomb when they have a child?  The journey to have a child will be part of season 12.  Going and getting pregnant may not be as easy as they hope.  

With Barrett Foa doing a play, they were able to build a storyline they couldn’t do in another season.  They would never intentionally give a main character six episodes off if they were available to work.  The case adds some authenticity to the reason Eric isn’t around.  There was some thought about having Eric just show up was discussed but they knew what Foa could do.  Eric Beale on the run was a funny idea for the writers.  The program never planned a full Eric episode but they got one out of Foa’s absence.

Adding Fatima and Roundtree “breathes new life” to show for the writers and for the actors.  They can mix up the partnerships.  After 11-seasons, they are shocked they still have most of the original cast.  Everyone gets along on and off camera.  The reason the cast hasn’t changed because everything works.  Adding to what works has advantage.  They also can make things easier for the actors by featuring a different character if a certain actor needs time away.  The show is physically demanding.  The additional characters offer the actors a break.

Military is also positive on the mentoring aspect of Fatima and Roundtree.  Fatima’s dual roles in Ops and in the field makes her fun to write.  

The writing team didn’t have a plan for the season – no game plan for a change.  In past seasons, they had these plans and things have always gone to hell.  There have been so many things that impact the filming with pregnancies, births, deaths.  The crew has handled whatever has come along.

Quote:  Sam:  “You know you’re going down, right? Off the record, nothing you’ve done here has anything to do with being a warrior, a SEAL or an American. You’ve betrayed everything that the military and the teams stand for.” Argento:  “You’re never going to convict me.” Sam:  “We’ll talk after the trial.”

Anything else:   In Kandahar, Afghanistan, a US military vehicle pulls up outside of a building.  While there is damage to the building, the leader of the US team says the missile strike missed the target – taking the roof off but not much else.  Concerned about “live ones” inside, the leader splits his team in half – taking some into the building while others stand guard outside.  

Several dead bodies are taken from the building, which did not have any intel the military could use.  The leader wants to take a “deer photo” over one of the dead bodies.  Two try to skip out but the “Chief” orders them to join.  A photo is taken.

With his vacation and “other things taking up” his time, Callen is drowning in case reports and expense forms.  Sam is entertained when he learns Callen bought a salad spinner.  Roundtree arrives, still excited.  He thinks he should be meeting Q from James Bond.  Callen thinks that particular day is going to be as exciting as eating rice cakes or as Sam says, as painful as a root canal.  It is paperwork day.  Callen wants Roundtree set up at a work station to see how good he is at paperwork – test his mettle.  Roundtree does not think his mettle needs testing.

Eric arrives with two pieces of news – they have a case and he hasn’t been in contact with Nell.  As Callen, Sam and Roundtree make their way to the stairs to Ops, Eric has to turn Roundtree away – this is for Callen and Sam only.  On the big screen in Ops is Mac.  When Mac orders the room secured, Eric and Fatima lead all of the regulars out of Ops with Eric closing the shutters.  Callen and Sam are alone with Mac.

Mac is running point on a delicate case.  There are two SEALs making claims against Special Warfare Chief Petty Officer Thomas Argento.  Those SEALs are in Los Angeles to speak to Sam specifically - his reputation makes him a legend in the teams.  The two SEALs – Operators First Class Kendricks and Barr – claim Argento murdered an injured Taliban prisoner.  This is not just against the US Military code, it is an international war crime.  Mac signs off, forwarding where Kendricks and Barr are staying. Sam is disturbed – he knows the integrity of those who are SEALs.  Callen asks if Sam is ready to go after one of his own.  Sam doesn’t answer.

Sam tasks Kensi and Deeks with picking up Kendricks and Barr.  They are to be brought to the boat shed.  Deeks asks what they should know.  Sam tells them that Kendricks and Barr are witnesses in a sensitive case.  While they leave, Sam wants to learn about Argento.  

Back in Ops, Roundtree is reading Argento’s personnel and service file – married with multiple tours in hots spots – “This guy’s a war hero.”  Callen notes Argento’s wife is related to a senator from Virginia.  Argento has political connections – not common for a SEAL.  Most of Argento’s kills are from his work as a sniper even without official sniper training.  Working alone, both Callen and Sam point out that there was no spotter or witnesses for Argento’s kills. This is also rare.  Sam says Argento is a warrior willing to give his life for his country.  “So are his accusers,” Callen notes.

In the boat shed, Callen, Sam and Roundtree join Kensi and Deeks who found Barr but Kendricks left their hotel.  Barr will only speak to “Senior Chief Petty Officer Sam Hanna.”  Sam goes into interrogation.  When Barr calls Sam “Chief” Sam corrects him – “Agent Hanna.”  The two men shake hands and take their proper sides of the interrogation table.  

Barr says Sam knows “what happens in the teams stays in the teams” so Barr is breaking a code to come forward.  What he is doing goes against everything Barr was taught and believes.  When Sam mentions accusing a fellow SEAL of murder, Kensi and Deeks in the main room react – “wow.”  Back with Barr, Sam tells him that Kendricks backed out – is Barr still going through with the accusation.  An accusation that will destroy the character and career of Argento, that could put him in the brig for life.  

Barr isn’t going forward without Kendricks – it is career suicide.  Even with Kendricks, Barr knows Argento will never be convicted.  It was his hope that other members of their team would follow their lead.  Now Barr is alone.  Except he’s not talking.

Sam goes back to the others in the main room.  Callen is leaving the case up to Sam – “This is your call.”  The entire case can go away.  Roundtree knows it isn’t his place but if the truth matters.  Sam stops Roundtree – “the truth is all that matters Kensi and Deeks are sent to find Kendricks.  Sam knows Barr is right – testimony from Barr and Kendricks is not enough for Sam or a court-martial.  Callen, Sam and Roundtree are going to Afghanistan.  “Afghanistan, Afghanistan?” Roundtree asks.  There’s only one, Sam tells him, as he works on getting an insider to help them.

After Kensi gets a room key for Kendricks’s hotel room, Deeks finds the door already opened.  He then finds the door slammed in his face and a gun pointed at the back of his head.  Kensi defuses the situation to the point where Kendricks invited them in.  Argento learned what Barr and Kendricks were doing so he started sending threatening texts including a threat that someone was coming to kill Kendricks.  Kensi wants to see the texts.  Kendricks has more than threats on a text chain.  He also accuses Argento of killing civilians.  “The prisoner is just the tip of the iceberg.”

In the main section of the boat shed, Kensi and Deeks are speaking to Barr and Kendricks.  Both men will be protected.  Neither man cares – they want to speak to Sam.  Telling them that Sam is on his way to Afghanistan to talk to Argento’s team, Kensi hopes the two SEALs have faith in Sam’s commitment to the truth.  Deeks wants Barr and Kendricks to put the same faith in NCIS – start talking.  

The two SEALs agree if they can have immunity.  Argento has been murdering civilians for a while.  They aren’t talking unless they can protect themselves and their team from being prosecuted.  Deeks wants to know how long has this been going on.  Kendricks thinks that the point – the team needs immunity.

At Kandahar Airfield, Callen, Sam and Roundtree meet up with Chief Frank Wallace, who was in Kabul when Sam contacted him.  Callen asks what Wallace knows.  Wallace isn’t speaking in public.  In a secure room, Wallace tells Callen, Sam and Roundtree that Argento knows NCIS is investigating him.  With connections to “DIA, JAG, everywhere,” as well as the other branches of the military, Argento has a loyal group looking out for him.

Command does not know where Argento’s team is right now, just that they are out in the field.  Callen is surprised – what did Argento think, that they would leave.  Wallace is a maybe on that.  He learned Argento is sure his men are loyal to him.  “Which makes them complicit,” Callen says.  Roundtree thinks the team is afraid – Argento threatened Barr and Kendricks.  Roundtree wants Argento pulled from the field and taken into custody.  Sam and Wallace are against that – the SEALs are family.  With no sworn statement and the reputation of the SEALs having the highest character, they need to look before they leap.

Intelligence contacts in the area gave Wallace the name of Jawan Yusufi, a young man who saw Argento kill the Taliban prisoner.  The four men will look for Yusufi, who works as a merchant in the Kandahar markets and then Argento.  Wallace warns NCIS that Argento knows the streets in Kandahar – they need to watch their backs.  With his connections in Washington, Argento already knows NCIS is there and looking for him – “probably tracked your flight here.”  Callen suggests they turn their trackers off.  Sam notifies Ops that they are going off the grid.

Kensi and Deeks are back in Ops, talking to Mac.  The immunity request worries Mac – Barr and Kendricks could be part of the killing and now are trying to save themselves.  Kensi updates Mac on the threatening texts, leading both her and Deeks to believe they are “on the right side of this.”  Deeks tells Mac about the accusations of killing civilians.  Mac is going to have to go up the chain of command before immunity can be considered.

In the Kandahar market, Wallace spots Yusufi right around the time Yusufi spots them.  When Yusufi runs, Roundtree is right behind him with Callen, Sam and Wallace pulling up the rear.  Yusufi runs them into a basement – which is trap.  Callen, Sam, Roundtree and Wallace are quickly disarmed.  Sam reminds Roundtree he was supposed to look before he leaped.

On the big screen in Ops, Mac tells Kensi and Deeks about the pressure coming to squash the investigation from people “way above” the SecNav’s paygrade.  Murder charges against a SEAL would be a big headline and that media attention could change the outcome of an election.  Mac is keeping NCIS away from the politics.  She can’t, however, grant immunity to Barr or Kendricks.  Deeks makes a plea – no immunity, no testimony.  Mac is on her way to LA – she isn’t giving Barr and Kendricks a “get out of jail free card” without knowing they’re telling the truth.  Deeks thinks if they can talk to Barr and Kendricks off the record, check what they’re saying is true, that will provide Mac all she needs for immunity.  Fatima pops up on the big screen – she needs to talk to Kensi and Deeks now.

Working on a computer in Hetty’s second floor office, Fatima tells Kensi and Deeks that Callen and Sam are off the grid.  They feared Argento tracking them but promised a call-in every three hours.  They’ve missed their last two.  Fatima knows they are supposed to be in the Kandahar market.  Deeks asks Argento’s location, which is unknown.  Callen and Sam would be a lot easier for Argento to find than the Taliban insurgents his SEAL team usually hunts.  Fatima asks if Argento would go after “our guys?”  Deeks has no idea.

Shackled in the basement, Callen, Sam, Roundtree and Wallace are yelled at by an older, local man speaking Farsi.  He is pulled into another room by one of the team’s jailers.  Wallace translates – the older man is the father of the prisoner Argento killed.  Yusufi tells the older man that an American killed his son.  As he leaves, the older man tells NCIS that they’re being turned over to the Taliban and before the Taliban kills them, the older man hopes the team is tortured.  Roundtree would be happy for paperwork day.

Sam tells the man running the make-shift prison that they are in Kandahar to hear Yusufi’s story.  They want the truth.  The jailer says an American killed the man’s son, what does it matter what American did it.  “All the difference in the world.”   Callen asks to speak to Yusufi.  “Tell it to the Taliban,” their captor replies.  Sam says their deaths mean there will be no justice for the man or his dead son.  It gets no reaction.

In the boat shed, Kensi and Deeks go with an off-the record conversation with Barr and Kendricks which they agree to until they hear they will be separated.  Kensi tells them it has to be that way – make sure the stories match with no discrepancies.  

The team’s captor brings Yusufi to speak to the team.  After the missile attack, he went to the building.  Samer, the dead man, was injured but told Yusufi he was OK.  That’s when they heard the Americans coming.

In interrogation, Barr tells Kensi about the air strike on a building that was a suspected Taliban location.  In the second-floor interrogation room, Kendricks tells Deeks right after the strike, Argento led the SEAL Team into the building.  It was Kendricks, Barr, Argento, Moffett, Owens, Cole and Peters according to Barr.  

Two of the SEALs - Barr and Kendricks - were giving aid to Samer, according to Yusufi.

Telling Kensi they found a man who said he was cleric and a member of the Taliban, Barr said the man needed help.  Kendricks tells Deeks the cleric’s name was Samer.  Barr was looking to place a tourniquet on the man’s leg while he packed a wound to his left thigh.  Kendricks confirms that Barr asked him to sedate Samer while Barr tended to his leg wound.  Deeks wants to clarify – Samer was sedated.  Kendricks said Samer was given a big dose of morphine, makes it feel like twilight sleep.

After Barr was able to pack the wound, Kensi confirms Samer was going to be alright.  Kendricks did the same to Argento.  The plan was to put the man in the Humvee when Argento ordered Kendricks out of the room.

Yusufi says “the American leader” knelt down next to Samer.

Barr tells Kensi Argento ordered him to turn off his vest camera.  He told everyone to turn off their cameras.  When the cameras were turned off, Argento took out his hunting knife.

Samer was stabbed “over and over” by Argento according to Yusufi.

Comparing Argento’s  movements to a sewing machine, Barr thinks Samer was stabbed “maybe eight times.”  Deeks asks Kendricks for an estimate – how many times did Argento stab Samer.  “Six or eight” was Kendricks’s answer.  He calls it crazy.  Yusufi calls it terrible.

Kendricks asked “What the hell are you doing?” to Argento.  His answer to Kendricks, and the answer Barr confirmed was “doing what we do.”  Barr is stunned – they saved Samer.  Samer could have provided intel.  Argento just wanted the kill – another body for his tally.

Yusufi was stunned.  The Americans he dealt with in the past were always good to him.  When his father’s truck broke down, two American soldiers repaired it.   Samer was just lying down and was killed.  Samer’s father is weeping as Sam offers his condolences.

Barr talks about the “deer photo” from the teaser.  Kendricks says a SEAL that wasn’t with the team that day heard from Argento about the “good kill” he got with his hunting knife.  Back to Barr, Argento was selling the story as if it was a fight when Samer was a sedated prisoner.  

This wasn’t the first time, Kendricks tells Deeks.  Cole, one of the other SEALs, spoke about seeing Argento shoot a random civilian from a sniper’s perch.  Barr has the same story of an “old man” Argento killed.  Kendricks said the man was running away as other members of the team saw Argento do it.  Barr brings up a teen girl walking with some friends – he saw this with his own eyes.  Argento just murdered the girl as she walked through a market.  “Shot her for no reason.  Why would somebody do that?  Why do any of it?”  Kensi does not have an answer for Barr.

Back in the office, Mac is set up in Hetty’s upstairs office.  Kensi and Deeks tell her about the off-the-record conversations with Barr and Kendricks.  Everything about their stories matches.  The murder of the old man and the young girl had “no strategic or tactical motivation.”  Asked by Mac if they believed the men, Deeks answers “every word of it.”  

Kensi doesn’t see Argento as a SEAL – his action caused him to lose his trident.  Deeks calls Argento a serial killer.  Mac understands.  Add in the threats, that’s are obstruction.  The political pressure on this case is immense.  Argento’s wife is the cousin of a US Senator.  Kensi doesn’t fear reprisal.  Mac doesn’t either but everyone needs to know what bringing charges will mean.  

With Barr and Kendricks standing up to Argento – “as should we,” Kensi tells Mac – Deeks wants them on the record with immunity.  If this is done wrong, it is Kensi’s career, Mac’s career and likely the future of the OSP.  

Callen asks Yusufi if there was a reason to stab Samer.  No, he was unconscious.  Even the other American were upset and asked why Samer was stabbed.  Callen realizes the other SEALs were not a party to the murder.  Samer’s father disagrees – they were a party to the murder because they didn’t stop it.  Samer’s father thinks all Americans are guilty.  By having Sam and company killed, justice will be served for his son.  An eye for an eye.

Callen talks about convicting the killer putting him in jail for life.  In Farsi, Sam says he is part of the federal police.  He is there to find Samer’s killer.  Samer’s father spits on the ground by Sam’s feet.  The man running the capture is calling a meeting to decide the team’s fate.

Argento and his men pull up outside of the building where Callen, Sam, Roundtree and Wallace are being held.  Argento goes alone to the back of the building.  He has an informant waiting for some money info about who is in the basement.  Once paid, the informant talks about the three black men and one white man in the basement.  

Returning to his men, Argento talks about the eight to twelve heavily armed Taliban insurgents in the basement.  He claims the insurgents have AKs and rocket-propelled grenades.  “Let’s hit ‘em hard, smoke ‘em out.”  If the insurgents don’t surrender, Argento will call in for a missile strike.  His final recommendation is to shoot first, ask questions later because nobody is getting out alive.  

Fatima tells Kensi, Deeks and Mac that the team missed their third check-in, should there be a search for them.  Deeks thinks Argent will use to the search to find them.   He found the different Special Forces teams patrolling this part of Afghanistan and there’s only one that’s “gone black.”  On the big screen is a satellite look at Argento’s men outside the building where the team is being held.  Fatima says the building is just two blocks from where Callen, Sam, Roundtree and Wallace were working.   Deeks thinks Mac should and Mac finishes his sentence – she’s ordering a Marine quick response team to the location.  He wants Argento’s team pulled from the field.

While the men holding the team are speaking, Sam is trying to listen but can’t really hear.  Callen asks how Roundtree is enjoying his time with OSP.  Roundtree talks about his first day nearly being blown up – that gets a “you’re welcome” from Sam – and now he’s about to be beheaded.  “Beats paperwork,” is Callen’s reply.  Wallace agrees – their situation “kicks the FBI’s ass.”  

The conversation comes to a quick end when Argento and his men open fire on the building.  The man in charge yells that they have American prisoners inside but the gunfire’s noise is overwhelming.   One of Argento’s men – Cole - finally hears, telling the others to hold fire.  All except Argento stop shooting.  When he notices he’s the only one shooting, Argento finally stops.

When the man running the team’s capture tells Argento and his team they will kill the “Americans” if the shooting doesn’t stop, another one of Argento’s men – Moffett – waits for instructions.  Argento tells his men that there are no Americans in the area.  Most of the team agrees but Cole is looking for instructions.  The plan is to “blow them to hell.”

Wallace asks his captor to talk to the SEALs so they understand there are Americans inside.  Wallace is freed.  As soon as he goes to the window, the SEALs open fire again.  Wallace ID’s Argento.  “That’s not good,” Roundtree adds.  Especially since Argento can call in an air strike and take out the building, Sam says.  They will become a friendly fire statistic and the investigation is closed.  

Sam wants to be freed so he can negotiate their exit.  His captors can have a gun on him for the whole time but Sam knows he can stop the attack.  He trusts the true character of the SEALs.  Yelling “ceasefire,” Sam carries a white flag out of house.  Again, everyone stops shooting except for Argento, who finally stops when Cole really calls for the ceasefire on the radio.  When Sam identifies himself, Cole is familiar with “Chief Hanna.”  

Argento is livid.  He tries to set Sam up as someone wearing a bomb or a fake.  Argento has one of the Afghan men in his crosshairs.  Cole pushes back – Sam is a legend.  Argento agrees and is going to do what he needs to “save Sam” by taking out the insurgents.  Cole is put in charge of saving Sam as Argento takes his men into the building.  Cole fights back – it will be a bloodbath.  Argento orders Cole but Cole wants to see what Sam is doing.  The rest of the team targets the men with guns on Sam.

Mac tells Kensi and Deeks the SecNav has deployed the quick reaction force.  They’re 20-minutes out.  That’s too long.

As Sam keeps talking, Argento’s men are beginning to believe him.  Cole and now Moffat have questions.  As Argento is about to kill Sam, Moffatt puts his foot on Argento’s rifle – “You are not going to kill any Americans.”  Argento orders the other men to open fire but Moffatt countermands his order every time.   The men behind Sam drop their guns.  Moffatt makes it clear, Sam is not in danger, do not fire.  Argento promises Moffatt his career is over and “stay out of the streets at night”  because he plans to “put him in the ground.”  Moffatt’s answer is “bring it.”

As the men who were holding the team leave the basement, Callen, Roundtree and Wallace join them.  Wallace assures the SEALs that the men were locals and not Taliban insurgents.  They are freed.  The man who was holding them is grateful.

Argento is looking for a thank you from Sam. Instead Argento is put in handcuffs and read his Article 31 rights.  Argento wants his men to get Sam away from him.  The men just watch.

Barr and Kendricks sign a sworn statement that their testimony is true and accurate to Kensi (Barr) and Mac (Kendricks).  Callen gets the same from Cole, Sam from Moffatt.  Moffatt thinks it is the right thing to do.  

As they’re about to leave Kandahar Air Base, Wallace finds Callen and Sam.  Five members of Argento’s team signed sworn statements against him.  Callen invites Wallace to the bar; the drinks are on them.  Roundtree arrives as Wallace leaves.  Callen and Sam pull him aside.  They weren’t thrilled about how Roundtree ran into the building.  Things could have ended badly for all of them that day.  Roundtree knows.  Callen knows too that they run into a lot of buildings, putting what’s right ahead of what’s safe.  Sam thinks Roundtree may fit in with the team.  Callen makes the official offer.  Roundtree is honored that Callen and Sam think he could measure up to both of them.  He can’t, Sam assures Roundtree “get that out of your head.”  

Roundtree wants to think about the offer.  The team is a family and has an all-in vibe.  He doesn’t take family lightly.  Neither does the team.  They joke about just what part of the family Roundtree would be as Argento walks off a nearby elevator.  Sam takes custody of Argento, who Sam doesn’t consider representative of a SEAL, a warrior or an American.  Argento betrayed the SEALs.  Argento is sure he won’t be convicted.  Sam says they can talk after the trial.

What head canon can be formed from here:   Always like Sam SEAL stories.  Military wrote “Vengeance” in season three where members of SEAL team was accused of murder.  Always thought it was just a little off.  This one hit on all cylinders.  It was a great Sam episode but equally strong for the rest of the team.  Kensi and Deeks were really solid working at in LA.

One thing I did appreciate is Roundtree running in the market.  When he was running from Callen and Fatima in “Watch Over Me”, it was a bit much to think 50ish Callen could run down a man about half his age.  Not saying Callen and Sam can’t chase down the bad guys but let the 20-something do the running.  

Episode number:  The unexpected season finale was episode 22 of season 11.  There were 24 planned episodes but 2020 doesn’t do plans.  It is episode 262.  If they can complete 18-episodes as planned this season, that gets them to 280.

 Nobodies perfect. But the pursuit of perfection is all about problems and solutions. Not good at something,  you practice more. You’re broke, you work harder, spend less, save more. You have a relationship that drives you crazy. Seek first to understand, then be understood.

She was her father’s daughter, for good or for bad.  The same was true about being her mother’s daughter.    

Don and Julia’s perfect marriage failed for a number of reasons but a big part was both of them were demanded perfection from themselves and wanted it from the others in their lives.  Their assorted homes in and around Marine bases were Julia’s domain.  The different homes were tastefully decorated, appropriately warm and lived-in and absolutely immaculate.  Don’s responsibilities - the garage and the great outdoors - were the same.  A person could eat off the floor of Don Blye’s garage while the lawn and the back-patio area looked like ads from a garden store.  Kensi’s messy room was her sole form of childhood rebellion though she made her bed every day because her father would be disappointed if she did not.

As she got older, her father taught her about personal appearance.  While he would never judge another person by their look, he always wore clean and pressed clothes, even when he was fixing a car or helping a neighbor clear up fallen branches after a storm.  After Julia left she remembered him ironing his uniform shirts and slacks every night so he’d look sharp in the morning.

Kensi never remembered a single instance where her mother wasn’t the best dressed woman in the room.  Even a parents volunteer days in grade school, Julia was cleaning up the baseball field or running a fundraising bake sale looking like one of the fancy moms on a sitcom and not a Marine’s wife in rural North Carolina.

It extended to her.  When she played little league baseball at age seven, all the kids got trophies.  That was fine for her mother – who hated girls playing little league but liked the five-inch trophy.  It wasn’t fine for Don Blye.  Awards are given for excellence – trophies were for winning performances, not for showing up.  Better than the trophy was her father’s praise for her footwork at third base and that she threw the ball better than all the boys on the team.  Excellence in one’s work mattered, prizes did not.

She took that work ethic into her life after her Dad.  Missing 18-months of school had her taking an extra two classes for three semesters to catch up.  She aced the SATs, carried a 4.¾.3 at Cornell and was top at her class in FLETC.  She was a top ranked agent at her pay-grade in Washington, Tokyo and Norfolk before being recruited by Hetty and Macy.  

Where she failed was in her personal life.  Training and practice made her the best at everything she chose to master.  Emotions, relationships, love were all things she could not chose to master.  Jack was proof of that.  They were the perfect couple – an up-and-coming Marine with a fast track career engaged to the Ivy League educated Marine’s daughter.  She knew the life that would be ahead of her as a Marine’s wife and she was prepared.  Kensi did everything she could to be supportive of him before he left for Afghanistan and thought she got that right.  And maybe she did.  

When he returned, though, Jack wasn’t Jack and she wasn’t prepared.  Learning all she could about how to help him, she was patient, strong and still loved him.  She read books, talked to Jack’s doctors, found her own doctors and nothing worked.  Nothing.  She did everything right and lost it all.

Kensi wasn’t losing again.  Deeks wasn’t Jack and maybe that was the best thing.  Jack was regimented and highly prepared - everything she strived to be.  Deeks goes with the flow.  He is the essence of more being, less doing.  She was trying some of it but it was so hard for her.  It wasn’t how she processed issues.  When they were working, she had a full legend for all her undercovers prepared while Deeks decided he was Steve for the case and made sure he knew where the exit was in case it all went to hell.

Kensi Blye, daughter of Don and Julia, didn’t fail.  And she sure as hell wasn’t going to fail today.   Even if it meant going with the flow, more being less doing and letting go of everything to keep Deeks and Talia safe.

NCIS: Los Angeles Season Eleven Rewatch:  “Murder of Crows”

The basics:  When an NCIS Agent with top secret clearance goes missing, the team and his former technical operator have to find him.

Written by:  Chad Mazero co-wrote “Internal Affairs”, “Revenge Deferred” and “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” and wrote “Tidings We Bring”, “Can I Get a Witness”, “All Is Bright”, “Diamond in the Rough” and “High Society”.

Directed by:  Suzanne Saltz directed “Outside the Lines” in season nine.

Guest stars of note:  Duncan Campbell returns from season 10’s “Sound of Silence” as NCIS Special Agent Castor, Adam George Key is back from “Missing Time” as LAPD Officer Harrison, Royce Binion is back from “The Circle’ as Eddie.  Anna Akana as Rhea Moretti, Patricia De Leon as Ellie Martinez, Angela E. Gibbs as Ellen, Travis Hammer as Perry Bellamy and Connor Marx as Disheveled Man.

Our heroes:  Search for a missing NCIS agent in a very rainy episode.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen:  Looking at real estate Anna sends him. Sam:  Has a guy in real estate (just like having a tailor or cobbler). Kensi:  Working to find an out of the office activity for Fatima. Deeks:  Processes, doesn’t spiral. Eric:  Working on being more present. Nell:  Absent. Hetty:  See Nell.

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen:  Announces Anna likes to look. Sam:  Not interested in Callen or Anna’s off work activities – like looking. Kensi:  Fan of the Eagles – band not football team. Deeks:  Late for the Hanson reunion tour. Eric:  Wore a Mandalorian costume to a bris. Nell:  See Hetty. Hetty:  Absent.

Who’s down with OTP:  Not much today.  

Who’s down with BrOTP:  All is well with the DVD cover fellas bantering way.  A nice few Deeks and Eric moments in the hour.  Kensi is trying a little too hard with Fatima.  

Any pressing need for a young FBI Agent:  Not today.  Oddly, although there is no Hetty or Nell, the team seems properly staffed.

Who is running the team this week?  Callen.

Fashion review:  Blue button-down shirt for Callen over a black tee.  Long-sleeve black tee for Sam.  Kensi starts the episode in an olive green long-sleeve work out top and black running tights before changing into a burgundy henley and tan cargo pants.  We will never discuss the pants again.  Ever.  Off-white long-sleeve tee for Deeks.  Dark blue pull-over sweater and a blue dress shirt for Eric.  

Music:  No.

Any notable cut scene: No.

Quote: Callen:  “Anna likes to look.” Sam:  “You know, I’ve made it clear, I don’t need to know all the details of your life. All right?  Please.” Callen:  “Houses. At houses. It’s fun for her. She sends me links.” Sam:  “Well, she’s lived an unpredictable life. It makes sense she’d want stability.” Callen:  “Uh, she wants more than stability. She’s looking for the whole American dream. I mean, all of it. The milk mustaches, apple pie.” Sam:  “What do you think?” Callen:  “Frankly prefer blueberry myself.”

Anything else:   At a comedy club, stand-up comic Rhea is bombing.  The audience is bailing, heckling too.  A gentleman walks in, causing Rhea to cut her set short.  As she walks off the stage, the man shadows her.  Taking a beer bottle from a waitress’ tray, Rhea attacks the man.  The two get into a fight until she is finally able to flee.

The following morning, Eric is at the bar preparing for a presentation at a cyber conference.  His speech includes wondering why does he does what he does for a living.  He is not good at the answers.  Deeks has a bad reaction.  Not to Eric’s answer but a bad review for the bar – “a minimalist ghost town out of touch with all that is edgy and provocative.”  Yelling libel and slander, Deeks is worry about the bad publicity.  

Eric tells Deeks not to work, the review will be forgotten before anyone sees it.  Deeks thinks Eric is going to make the article disappear.  That wasn’t what Eric meant – besides hacking a website is wrong.  “So is wearing a Mandalorian costume to a bris but that didn’t stop you now, did it?” Deeks asks.  Eric is going to work and suggests Deeks does as well or Hetty will find an edgy and provocative reason to fire him.

After getting their morning coffee from a cart in a park, Sam wants to know if Callen wants to take the lead.  Sam noticed Callen was looking at real estate.  Callen sees it more as looking to invest.  Callen is impressed by the turnkey condos out there.  Sam thinks Callen is looking for more.

Kensi and Fatima are tossing a medicine ball and talking about dating, which Fatima thinks of as a war zone.  She reminds Kensi that Kensi hasn’t been dating for a while.  Kensi wants to hear how bad it can be.  Fatima’s last boyfriend was obsessed with the Eagles – band not football team.  Kensi thought that was great.  Fatima is surprised Kensi was a fan.  

Fatima wanders off and Kensi follows.  Everything is hard right now for Fatima, who is tired.  Kensi brings up Fatima’s tough few months and how she’s been fighting through it.  The job can take things out of a person – having a life away from the office is good.  All Fatima has right now is Ruffles and The Great British Bakeoff.  A call comes in – not Fatima’s Eagles fan – but a case.  They’re on their way to Ops.

Folding his hands and taking a deep breath, Eric invites Kensi and Fatima into Ops.  They of course are already there.  Eric is trying to be present.  On the big screen in the employment background of NCIS Agent Robert Forbes.  Forbes works out of the Key West office but is on assignment in LA.  He missed his 5AM check-in and did not show up to work.  Kensi notes the quick turn around on the missing person report – Forbes must have worked on top secret projects.  Fatima confirms that all of Forbes’s work was top secret.

When Forbes has a project, he goes to that location – his work records has him working in Rota, New York, Norfolk, Philly, a joint task force called “Never More” and now Key West.  He has no family.  His current assignment includes counterintelligence for a new type of network architecture for the Air Force.  That makes him of great interest to America’s enemies or makes him a traitor for selling that info to the same enemies.  They need to find him.

Callen and Sam are off to the house Forbes is renting in Hollywood.  Kensi and Fatima are off to where Forbes was last seen, a church.  Fatima asks about Deeks.  Fearing he’d burst in to flames if he entered a church, Kensi is happy to be working with Fatima.  Besides, Deeks is a little distracted.  

The rental is a nice, two-bedroom that Callen finds too quiet.  Sam thinks there would be noise complaints in this area if Callen was to saw his furniture in half late at night.  By the way, in this nice neighborhood of small bungalows, someone is building a big, new-age techy looking house which looks so out of place (as a New Yorker, I’m all about the real estate porn).  Back to the quiet area, Callen thinks grabbing Forbes and dragging him from his home would also be too loud for the sleepy neighborhood.  Sam tells Callen he knows a realtor – “of course you do,” is Callen’s reply since Sam also knows a tailor and a cobbler.  A window breaks in the back of the house and an alarm goes off.  Callen and Sam find Rhea the comic, who when Callen and Sam yell “federal agents” she announces she’s one too.  Former but still.  She asks if they are with NCIS.

In Forbes’s rental, Callen and Sam tell Rhea she has five minutes to tell them everything because LAPD is likely on their way with the alarm being tripped.  She starts with some comedy – nothing funny to Callen and Sam.  All she wants to do is find Forbes.   Rhea and Forbes worked together in Key West – she was his tech operator and now she’s trying to save his life.  She recalls the fight from the night before but is worried about Forbes.  While she can find, Forbes can’t – tiny wrists.  

Filling in Callen and Sam, Andre Vargas, an arms dealer out of Mexico was the target of a joint task force operation where Forbes and Rhea were key players.  Their covers blown, Forbes and Rhea were pulled out of the investigation.  Everything was fine until Vargas showed up at her show the night before and tried to kill her.  Thinking Vargas is unhappy with the cost of going underground, Callen and Sam see revenge as the reason Forbes could be missing.  Rhea needs protection too – she’s on her way to the boat shed with LAPD.  “What’s that like, a Crab Shack?”  

Looking for a way to get Fatima out and about, Kensi suggests a kick-ball league.  LA has adult leagues all over the city.  It is a way for Fatima to get out of the house without dating.  NCIS is enough of a team sport for Fatima.  Kensi suggests maybe a cooking class – Kensi could use to the help, they could go together.  Fatima’s mother is treating every night like a cooking class since she moved home.  Fatima has a great idea for something they can do together – solve the case.

Kensi gets to the church door only to find it locked – most churches are not locked.  A church volunteer, Ellen, is leaving through another door.  She’s willing to help but doesn’t know much – she doesn’t like to meddle.  She has a list of people who do – Rosemary.  Fatima is not all that interested in Rosemary but the Ellen is surprised two “CSI Agents” would not be interested in an embezzler.  Kensi corrects Ellen about their agency but is interested in Rosemary the embezzler.  “You didn’t it hear it from me,” Ellen tells Kensi and Fatima about Rosemary skimming from the collection plate.  Ellen admits her eyesight isn’t all that good.  Ellen thinks the FBI is lucky to have Fatima.

Kensi shows Ellen a photo of Forbes on her phone.  While Forbes isn’t a member of the church, he attends the weekly AA meetings on Saturdays.  Asked if she knows anything about Forbes, Ellen says they call the meeting anonymous for a reason.  Ellen is yet another winning supporting character.

Arriving at the boat shed with the officer who arrested Anna in “Missing Time”, Rhea is dispensing advice on the guy’s personal life.  She then thinks Deeks is late for the Hanson reunion tour.  Rhea “apologizes” – she left her manners on the floor of the comedy club, Cahoots, while she was fighting for her life.  Deeks wants to know if Cahoots is a “uh, uh” club or a “boom-boom” club.  More of a “ha-ha” club.  Deeks is surprised she’s a stand-up comedian.  Calling it therapy for someone without insurance, comedy is the reason she moved to LA.

Recapping her evening for Deeks, Rhea remembers a grey car outside of the club, idling.  “Something your mom would definitely drive.”  Deeks understands the description but Bertie drives a PT Cruiser “and she drives it hard.”

Again rehearsing his speech, this time in Ops, Eric has an accidental audience – Kensi and Fatima.  After the applause dies down, Eric has photos of Andre Vargas in LA.  He explains Forbes was targeting Vargas on a case a six months ago.   He also tells them about Rhea, who quit NCIS.  Fatima wonders if Rhea left because she didn’t have the energy.  Eric projects more about not being sure why you do your job in the first place.  Kensi would like them to get it together.

Forbes’s finances are fine though he likes expensive wines.  This is a surprise to Kensi and Fatima because of the AA meetings.   Credit card statements have him making regular, high-end purchases at Highland Park Wine.  He’s either a collector of he’s fallen off the wagon.  Kensi and Fatima are on their way to Highland Park Wine to see.

At Forbes’s rental, the bathroom is moldy for house hunting Callen while Sam is amazed at the parking tickets Forbes has amassed in LA and one in San Diego.  The San Diego ticket has a different license plate number – maybe  rental.  The location where the ticket was written was right on the US/Mexico border – the same day Vargas arrived in the US.  Maybe Forbes got him across the border.

Angry that she is wasting away at “this poor man’s Long John Silver’s” while her friend is in trouble, Rhea gets pushed by Deeks on her relationship with Forbes.  Forbes was a “big brother” to Rhea.  They had lunch about two-months ago.  Rhea invited him to her shows but he was always too busy.  Asked about how their covers were blown, Rhea isn’t one for office gossip but the joint task force had NCIS, FBI and CIA – anyone could have talked.  

Deeks pushes the idea that Forbes was the leak.  Rhea isn’t having any of it.  “Forbes took care of me down there,” she tells Deeks.  She was in over her head in the assignment.  Going through a divorce, Forbes still made her laugh.  Deeks is surprised by the divorce statement but Rhea tells him that Forbes’s ex called regularly and he’d have to spend hours calming her down.  Deeks tells Rhea Forbes was lying to her.  When Rhea doesn’t believe him, he asks about Forbes’s trip to the border.  She doesn’t have an answer.

Outside the wine shop, Kensi suggests trivia night.  She dated who loved trivia night but was so bad at it that he thought Borat was an element on the periodic table.  Fatima thinks that’s worse than the Eagles.  “Bite your tongue,” Eric chides Fatima on comms.  He sends a photo of Ellie Martinez, the owner of Highland Park Wine.  Martinez has a record including attempted kidnapping, domestic battery and wire fraud.  Charges were always dropped.  Kensi and Fatima watch Martinez take a delivery of several cases of wine.

As he finishes with Kensi and Fatima, Eric is startled by Callen and Sam.  Sam wants Eric to work on his situational awareness.  Nell use to work with him on that skill.  Eric isn’t able to trace the rental car – seems to be an off-the-books trip to Mexico.  Just before Callen and Sam leave, Eric’s tablet chirps.  The car Rhea saw idling outside of the comedy club belongs to a Perry Bellamy.  Bellamy doesn’t have a record but owns a lot of guns.  Callen thinks he’s a strawman -buys the guns and sends them to Vargas.  Bellamy’s real work is as a plumber.  Callen and Sam are off to see him.

Martinez is helping Kensi and Fatima find some wine for a fondue party neither wants to attend.  They say the party is for Forbes – who Martinez immediately does not recognize.  When she tries to leave, Kensi and Fatima take Martinez into custody.

During a downpour, Callen and Sam are staking out the plumbing company.  Chatting in the car, Callen admits Anna is the real estate fan.  Sam understands that living Anna’s unpredictable life, stability would be important.  Callen thinks Anna wants more – the whole American dream.  Callen and Sam see Bellamy, who think will run.  He does.  Sam corners Bellamy outside his truck.  A few swings of a big wrench by Bellamy does nothing to stop Sam from putting him in handcuffs.

Pretending not to know Vargas, Bellamy tries to sell himself as a plumber who comes from a long line of plumbers.  Callen warns Bellamy if he doesn’t start cooperating, he’s not going to be a plumber, he’s going to jail.  Claiming to know Vargas, Bellamy accuses him of stealing his car.  Bellamy was in business with Vargas until Vargas disappeared a few months ago.  

Showing up the day before, Vargas wanted guns but not the way he did in the past.  Nothing was being sent to Mexico, he was looking for enough for him and for his men.  Vargas told Bellamy he was in LA to get something back.  None of this makes sense to Sam.  If Vargas and Forbes were working together, why go to an old gun-running friend.  Callen looks at it differently – maybe Forbes took something from Vargas.  And Forbes won’t survive the minute he hands over whatever Vargas thought was taken.  The team has to find Forbes now.

While Rhea is not impressed by Kensi and Fatima’s interrogation techniques, Deeks is “still spiraling” according to Kensi by the restaurant review.  Rhea has some questions but Kensi, Deeks and Fatima discussing the case.  After paying her no mind, Rhea thinks Forbes took an informant.  While they were in Mexico, Forbes was responsible for securing an informant from Vargas’s camp.  Deeks is annoyed this is the first they’re hearing of it.  Rhea didn’t know the informant’s name and Forbes was still vetting the person.  When they left, Forbes felt badly they were leaving this person behind.  Deeks realizes that may have been the “ex-wife” on the calls.  Fatima knows that Martinez is holding out on them.  Wanting the team to “put on their best Judge Judy”, Rhea would like to see a tougher interrogation.

Using Kaleidoscope, Eric is able to trace Forbes trip to the border.  A security camera photo in a parking lot picks up Forbes with a woman in the front seat of his rental car.  Eric is running facial rec.  Highland Park Wine is two blocks from the parking lot.  Eric also has info on Bellamy’s car – it really was stolen.  Callen and Sam are on their way.

Martinez says she was a different woman when she was charged with kidnapping, domestic battery and wire fraud.  Kensi notes Martinez’s marriage ended when her troubles did – her former husband shows up in every one of her arrests but he was never officially charged.  Calling he ex a “son of a bitch”, Martinez’s ex was the city controller.  She was abused during their marriage.  When she tried to leave, she arrested on trumped up charges.  Women like her can’t get help.  

In today’s boat shed animal lesson (last done several years ago with racoons), Martinez tells Kensi and Fatima that crows remember the faces of those who hurt them.  They are smart enough to teach other crows about the abuser so the other crows won’t be hurt.  Martinez running an underground railroad to save women like her.  That’s why Forbes found her.  The woman Forbes rescued was Lorena Vargas.  She’s hiding in Angelino Heights.

Lorena Vargas is Andre Vargas’s wife.  Rhea is unhappy – Lorena risked her life to help the task force and they just left her behind.  Kensi and Fatima are on their way to the house.

Finding Bellamy’s car parked outside car repair shop, Callen and Sam look in.  Forbes is tied to a chair in the workshop.  Oh, time in a garage strapped to a chair did not go well for Sam or Deeks.  Callen knocks on the door.  One of Vargas’s men peers outside but sees no one.  When he walks around to look, Callen whistles, distracting the henchman.  Sam grabs the man from behind and puts him in a sleeper hold.

Callen enters the workshop to find Forbes and only Forbes, who is barely alive.  Without Vargas’s men around, Kensi and Fatima could be walking into an ambush.  Eric tracked Vargas and his men – they are five minutes from Kensi and Fatima’s location.  

Banging on the door, Kensi identifies herself and wants to be let in.  Callen and Sam are on their way in.  Lorena opens the door just as Vargas and three of his men arrive.  As Kensi tries to get Lorena way from the door, Vargas kicks it in.  Several shots are fired.   While Kensi and Lorena run, Fatima shoots one of Vargas’s men before being tossed around by another.  Just as the man knocks Fatima to the ground, he pulls out his weapon.  Before he can kill Fatima, Sam shoots him.  

In the back yard, Kensi and Lorena are about to run when one of Vargas’s men moves in.  While Kensi quickly takes him to the ground, Vargas grabs Lorena.  Sam and Fatima join Kensi as they try to get Vargas to release Lorena.  When he does, Callen tackles Vargas.  Kensi and Fatima calm Lorena.

Vargas and his men ransacked Ellie Martinez’s house and were able to figure out where the safe house was.  Forbes did not give up Lorena’s location.  Sam understands – when you love someone, you’d die before putting them in harm’s way.  Lorena Vargas will be protected by the government – everyone is calling it a day.

As Kensi and Fatima are hanging up the bulletproof vests and storing the big guns, Fatima tells Kensi she has plans.  She does – Fatima has plans with Kensi – Eagles tickets with backstage passes.  A thrilled Kensi is going to the Forum with Fatima.

Eric walks into a very busy Squid and Dagger worried that Deeks hired an experienced hacker to change the review.  Deeks is happy to report that “provocative and edgy” are not what everyone is looking for in a bar experience.  He and Eddie the bartender are working hard but Deeks wants to hear Eric’s speech.  

Eric admits he doesn’t have a feel for what he’s going to say.  With all the job offers he has coming in, he can’t remember why anyone would be interested in him.  When Eric tells Deeks he is going to stop overthinking it, Deeks tells him not too.  Eric’s secret power is overthinking things.  In the best way possible, Deeks finds Eric exhausting.  Eric cares too much about everything to ever let anything slide.  “It’s why I do what I do” – Eric finally has a reason for his speech.

Agent Castor is watching Rhea as Callen and Sam enter the boat shed.  Rhea is sorry she didn’t figure out what Forbes was doing.  While her job is still open in Key West, Rhea wants to return to stand-up.  Castor is even offered up as a lift for Rhea to the club.  He is not thrilled.  

While Sam is proud Callen is planning for his future, he’s skipping out on Callen’s offer for drinks.  He has dinner plans with Katherine at Blank.  Callen thinks Blank is like “fill in the blank”.

What head canon can be formed from here:  Anyone else think Eric is not going to be in the office when the show returns for season 12?  This seems to be a ton of foreshadowing that has to have a pay off at some point.

Kensi seems to be overcorrecting for what she feels she missed with Nell being unhappy by trying to make everything great for Fatima.  

Carla the bookstore lady, LAFD Chief Johnson and Ellen from the church are three of the four new Golden Girls – who says no?

Episode number:  Episode 21 – the penultimate episode of season 11.  Episode 261 overall.

NCIS: Los Angeles Season Eleven Rewatch:  “Missing Time”

The basics:  When a DIA Agent mysterious disappears, there are theories that aliens could be involved.  Call Mulder, show.  Anna grows weary of hiding in Callen’s apartment.

Written by:  Andrew Bartels wrote or co-wrote “Allegiance”, “Zero Days”, “The Grey Man”, “Humbug”, “Fighting Shadows”, “Driving Miss Diaz”, “Angels & Daemons”, “Where There’s Smoke…”, “Glasnost”, “Old Tricks” “Battle Scars”, “Fool Me Twice”, “Warrior of Peace”, “Reentry”, “The Prince”, “Smokescreen”, “The One That Got Away”/“No More Secrets” two-parter and “Yellow Jacket”.

Directed by:  Yangzom Brauen directed “Venganza”, “Heist”, “No More Secrets" (written by Bartels) and “Concours D'Elegance”.

Guest stars of note:  Bar Paly returns as Anastasia “Anna” Kolcheck from “The Circle”, Vyto Ruginis is back from season 10’s “The One that Got Away” as Arkady Kolcheck, Scottie Thompson as DIA Agent Sarah Raines, Alimi Ballard as AUSA Allan Williams, Terry Maratos as Jason Ward, Jason Ko as Lau Qiang.  Adam George Key, who co-wrote “Monster” and “Searching” as LAPD Officer Harrison.

Our heroes:  Are split between alien abductions and Anna’s surrender.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen:  Whacking bad guys with a frying pan. Sam:  Knew Anna was around for three-weeks. Kensi:    Knew Anna was around because Callen was leaving work on time. Deeks:  Figures out the alien abduction was a fraud. Eric:  Whacked by a bad guy (who was a woman). Nell:  Sharing alien secrets with Eric. Hetty:  Talking to the SecNav again.

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen:  Breakfasting with Anna. Sam:  Table fighting. Kensi:  Shares a Yelp account with Deeks. Deeks:  Loves reading the loco-moco review for the bar.    Eric:  Has many theories about the truth being out there. Nell:  Gets the early all clear on Eric’s safety from Callen. Hetty:  Absent.  

Who’s down with OTP:  Kensi and Deeks share a Yelp account, Eric and Nell share a hug, Callen and Anna share her current location with others.

Who’s down with BrOTP:  Sam had Anna’s return figured out after a week.  

Any pressing need for a young FBI Agent:  They could have used the help today.

Who is running the team this week?  Callen, but I worry about ADA Williams.

Fashion review:   Blue sweatshirt for Callen.  Long sleeve red tee for Sam.  Blue-green plaid button-down shirt over a black v-neck tee for Kensi, grey sweatshirt for Deeks.  Blue pullover sweater with a pink dress shirt underneath for out in the field Eric.  Nell is in a dark dress that is hard to see in Ops.

Music:  There is a list of two songs playing in the bar at the end – “I Want It All” by Leeroy Stagger and “Oh, How I Love It” by People’s Choice but I don’t hear either of them.

Any notable cut scene: No.

Quote:  Arkady:  “Where is she? Where’s my daughter? My Anoushka.” Anna:  “Oh… Papa.” Arkady:  “You, Martin. You have vodka?” Deeks:  “Yeah. Yeah, I do. It’s a bar.” Arkady:  “You have lots of vodka?” Deeks:  “I don’t know if your definition of “lots of wodka” is the same as my definition of lots of “wodka” And now I’m saying “wodka”.” Kensi:  “Now you’re saying wodka.” Deeks:  “Why do I do that?” Arkady:  “I want to buy all of your vodka. Vodka for everybody!”

Anything else:   The previously-s are Anna and Katya escaping from their cell, news reports of Anna’s escape.  Arkady speaking in Russian about spies.  Fatima’s hostage video.  Fatima’s parents’ video.  Anna’s return to the bar, Callen telling Kensi he’s moving on from Anna.  Anna being in Callen’s apartment.

Two military jets are doing an exercise over the ocean.  When it wraps, one of the pilot’s screens lights up with something flying their way.  Her exercise partner thinks it is a joke.  His screens are not reacting to another plane coming their way.   On the screen, “that thing just accelerated to Mach.”  It returned and is moving toward them.  While her equipment is picking something, the pilots can’t see anything in the air.  They deploy evasive movements anyway.

Callen and Anna sharing a meal in the bar before breakfast.  Well, Callen is, Anna isn’t hungry.  They are eating Deeks’s loco-moco which she loves and praised in her Yelp review.  “It’s all he talks about,” Callen tells Anna.  With a diet of hamburgers rice and gravy, she feels like she’s back in prison.  It’s been a month and she’s losing her mind.  

Callen reminds her the CIA said it would take a few weeks to expunge her records.  Anna corrects him, they said it would take weeks to decide if they were going to expunge her record.  They might not.  Callen assures her Joelle promised to get it done.  Except Anna knows Joelle doesn’t have that much power.  The federal and state criminal databases all need to be altered, her court records all need to be wiped.  Add in the news footage of Anna’s escape and everyone involved with the manhunt.  They aren’t going to forget.  

Telling Callen he’s risking everything, Anna starts to cry.  Callen made the choice, he stands by it as much as he stands by her.  Anna knows he will.  Callen wants to call in Hetty but Anna stops him.  Taking a deep breath, she tells Callen she’s going to be fine.  She spent six months in prison, one month in an apartment isn’t that bad.  Especially since Callen is a better roomie than Katya.   With Callen going to work, Anna wants to wash the dishes before Bertie arrives.  Callen goes to work leaving Anna behind and still quite sad.

Deeks is reading the Yelp review in the bullpen  Kensi has heard it before.  The review’s praise is over the top.  Deeks wants to come up with an equally generous reply.  Kensi already has.  Deeks is not happy – “you can barely spell.”  Kensi is not happy with that line. Deeks is unhappier with her “thank you for your business and kind words” with only one exclamation point.  An arriving Fatima agrees – anything less than four exclamation points is cold.  Fortunately, they have a case.

Deeks asks if Fatima has found a new place to live yet.  She has found an old place to live – her parents.  Seems while she’s been somewhat estranged from them for the last few years, they “can’t stand the thought of me sleeping more than 300-feet away from them.”  Kensi tells Fatima it was hard for her parents to make the video.  “Try it with a sword at your throat.”  Kensi apologizes for diminishing what Fatima survived.  Fatima tells Kensi she didn’t – she’s just stressed out by her family.

In Ops, Nell has a photo of Defense Intelligence Agency Agent Walter Anderson, who runs a small DoD office in Mar Vista.  At 6AM that morning, he missed a scheduled video conference with the Pentagon.  When his phone went straight to voicemail, one of his coworkers, Agent Sarah Raines, checked him out.  His car was there but Anderson wasn’t answering.  She got LAPD to go in, no Anderson and no sign of a struggle.  The Pentagon wants Anderson found now.  

Kensi thinks looking for someone missing a few hours seems extreme.  The DoD disagrees.  Callen and Sam are already at the office in Mar Vista.  They brought Eric with them because there could be a security breach.  The Pentagon won’t confirm it.  Hetty is talking to SecNav to see if there is some intel to share.  Deeks thinks this is light on information even for the Pentagon.  Kensi and Deeks are on their way to Anderson’s house.

Eric is flashing his ID and trying to get into the office in Mar Vista.  Agent Raines isn’t budging.  When Eric mentions the level of his security clearance, she thinks he should be very proud of it but isn’t moving.  Eric tries bringing up they both working for the Department of Defense.  So does the building’s janitor, Raines replies.  NCIS, Raines tells Eric, is supposed to find Anderson, they’re not authorized to enter the building and use the computers.  Sam arrives with orders from the SecNav - they’re authorized to go in.

Not happy with the order, Raines tells Callen and Sam there’s been no security breach.  “It’s a waste of time.”  Sam disagrees.  Anderson was part of the Special Access Program, Raines is not.  Raines keeps arguing to keep NCIS out but Callen ends things – “This is where you let us in.”

Inside the office things are small but nice.  Sam asks where is the rest of the staff.  She and Anderson are the staff – the Pentagon wants to keep what they’re doing quiet.  Callen wants to know what she and Anderson do.  They are AATIP – Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program.  Eric tells her AATIP was shut down years ago.  True, but it was reopened a month ago.  Raines puts up the video from the teaser of the object moving at Mach speed over the ocean.  There have been half-a-dozen UAP sightings by Navy Pilots.  UAP is unidentified aerial phenomena.  “They use to call them UFOs,” Eric tells Callen and Sam.

While Eric works on a computer in the main work area, Callen, Sam and Raines are in the conference room.  The Pentagon called Raines at 6:30AM when Anderson missed his call.  While she was surprised there was a call, she wasn’t surprised she didn’t know about it.  Anderson has been keeping secrets lately.  He was no longer sharing new data, limiting access to certain files.  “It’s like he didn’t trust me anymore.”  Raines admitted they were arguing over the UAP.  Anderson got his job because he was an out of the box thinker.  Lately, Raines wondered if Anderson even knew there was a box.  

Raines has three explanations for what was on the pilots’ screens.  The first is a glitch in the system from a bad piece of code.  The second is an experimental aircraft from a foreign power.  Sam thinks if the foreign power idea is true, there is a government out there with working technology that the US didn’t even think was possible.  The third is that the UAP doesn’t belong to anyone on this planet.  Anderson believed in the third explanation.  He also believes that Raines is there to cover up explanation three for the Pentagon.

Entering Anderson’s house, Kensi and Deeks finds it is full of files and more files and more files after that.  Deeks wonders if Anderson is buried under something.  Kensi finds several books on UFOs in Anderson’s living room.  In his dining room, there is a bulletin board covered with maps, string and all sort of photos.  Anderson is a believer.  

Looking around the house, Deeks sees the windows are wired with homemade break-in censors.  Kensi thought the lock to the front door was also DIY.  Deeks sees a security camera outside one of the windows with cables going into a backroom.  In a kitchen cabinet is a rather high-end security monitor set-up.  Kensi thinks if they can access the system, they might see what happened to Anderson.

Fatima has Anderson’s financials.  He doesn’t spend much but is a regular at a nearby coffee shop.  With approved access to the shop’s security cameras, Fatima found Anderson sharing a coffee with Jason Ward.  Ward has an arrest record – he’s tried to get into some military facilities including Area 51 in Nevada.  Claiming to be a photographer covering the world of military secrets, the FBI has a number of photos confiscated from Ward.  Fatima puts the photos up on the underused collaboration board.  

Nell matches one of the photos to one in Anderson’s dining room string-fest.  Ward shared his work with Anderson.  Maybe Anderson returned the favor.  Nell and Fatima think Anderson could have leaked the UAP footage to Ward.  The team is bringing Ward in.

Eric is still working furiously on Anderson’s computer.  There is no malware, nothing crossing the airgap – he still needs to access the secure files to make sure.  Raines says without Anderson, they can’t get in.  “We have our best agents on it,” Eric tells her.  He has a question – could the UAP be extraterrestrial?  “Possible, yes.  Probable, no.”  The two talk about the Drake Principal (that there are thousands of civilizations out there) and the Rare Earth hypothesis (we’re it).   Raines believes in the great filter – Earth will destroy itself before anyone makes contact.

In interrogation, Ward has a prepared speech for Callen and Sam.  He doesn’t break any laws.  He doesn’t trespass on government property.  He doesn’t loiter or vandalize.  “I just take pictures.”  If the government doesn’t want him to take pictures, they should build bigger and better walls.  Callen tells Ward he’s not there for the photos, he’s there because of Anderson.  Ward is surprised because Anderson is “harmless.”  

On Ward’s website, he claims to expose the dark secrets of the US Military.  Anderson is part of that.  Ward thinks Anderson is an insurance agent and is stunned to learn he’s a Defense Intelligence Agent.  Ward claims he met Anderson because they shared an interest in UFOs.   They met with a group.  “It’s not weird,” he assures Callen and Sam.  The two started hanging out.  Ward showed Anderson his Area 51 photos from a trip the week before.  Anderson wanted a copy of one of the photos but Ward said no.  A day later, Ward’s apartment was broken into.  The photo , all prints, digital copies were gone.  The camera’s memory card was untouched except for that photo being “surgically removed.”  

Asked what’s in the photo, Ward doesn’t want to cooperate – the government did this.  With Anderson missing, the photo could be the reason.  Ward needs to cooperate.  Besides, withholding information is obstruction of justice.  The photo was at night.  A hanger door was open with a smooth, round craft inside.  “Like a saucer.”

Reviewing the video cameras at Anderson’s house, Nell tells Kensi there is footage of him arriving the night before and of Raines showing up that morning.  Deeks joins Kensi, reading one of Anderson’s UFO books.  None of the door or window sensors were activated.  Kensi notices a weird readout at 2AM.  There is a jump in the computers timecode of 37-minutes.  Deeks looks at his watch.  It is 11:16AM.  The clock on Anderson’s stove reads 10:39.  Same with the coffee maker, clocks in the dining room, a fancy living room clock.  Deeks find a chapter in his book about missing time.

In the boat shed main room, Callen is checking in on Anna.  Anna tells him she’s playing video games.  She’s part of a ranked match.  Callen doesn’t know what that means but he wishes her well.  Anna isn’t playing video games.  Wearing sunglasses and a hoodie under a jacket, she’s going outside.

Kensi has Fatima looking into the doorbell cam one of the neighbors has – focusing in on the 2-3AM hour.  All the neighbor’s clocks are correct.   Relaxing on a rocking chair on Anderson’s porch, Deeks is all in on alien abduction.  Except this wasn’t one.  He found a clock in the sprinkler system.  It is telling the right time.  Someone set up Anderson’s disappearance to look like an alien abduction.  While this could slow down an investigation, Deeks thinks the idea of it is quirky.  If they’re going with quirky, Kensi wonders if Anderson is behind this.  It is more likely than alien abduction.

Anna is walking down the street where I think Callen and Sam ruined Stan King’s laptop.  As she makes her way down the street, a patrol car passes.  She walks into a crowded café to find Arkady ordering a vodka, neat.  He takes his glass and finds a table in the outdoor café.  Anna watches from the window.

Ops is sending a forensic team to Ward’s apartment to see if what he’s saying is true.  Sam would like some actual evidence.  All they have is suspicions, possible security breach and a fake alien abduction.  The sooner they find Anderson, the sooner they have the answers.  Nell and Fatima pop up on the plasma screen.  The doorbell camera from across the street has footage of an SUV pulling up to Anderson’s house at 2:07AM.  The video isn’t good enough to get a clear look at who was in and out.  Sam is sure, Anderson was out.  Though there is no license plate on the SUV, the lack of a plate makes it easier for Kaleidoscope to track.  At 4AM, the SUV pulled into a restaurant parking lot on Melrose.  It hasn’t moved.  Callen and Sam will meet Kensi and Deeks there.

The restaurant parking lot looks like the parking lot from episode 150 where Callen and Sam blew up the truck, where Kensi and the female police officer from Mexico got into a fight, where Kensi carjacked the vehicle following her in “Blye, K.” Part Two – popular place.  The restaurant went under in 2016 but has been sold from shell company to shell company.  As Kensi and Deeks arrive in front of the restaurant, two men enter the SUV and drive off.  Kensi and Deeks are following them while Callen and Sam check out the restaurant.  Tailing the SUV quickly becomes speeding to keep up with the SUV.

Callen and Sam enter the restaurant, which still has lots of chairs and tables despite being closed for nearly four years.  There is noise – pots and pans banging – in the kitchen.  Making their way to the kitchen, Callen sees Anderson tied to chair with a man standing over him.  The man is on his phone.  

Sam walks into the kitchen and mayhem ensues.  Lots of fighting.  The man standing over Anderson hears the noise and takes out a butcher knife to kill Anderson.  Callen tackles the man before he can kill his hostage.  The two fight.

The SUV drivers make the Audi and start to speed away.

Sam’s fight has moved to the restaurant.  His opponent is well trained in martial arts.  Sam is busy fighting off kicks to the torso.

Callen’s fight has turned to his opponent as the man has Callen in a sleeper hold.  

The SUV gets around a truck, leaving Kensi and Deeks behind well them.  Deeks is worried Kensi is going to try to do something dangerous.

Tired of the kicking, Sam picks his opponent up – the man is smaller than Sam- and tosses him into the bar.  Sam finally knocks him out with the top of a table.

Callen does the same to his guy, whacking him in the head with a frying pan before tossing him into the freezer.  

Kensi and Deeks lost the SUV.

In interrogation is Lau Qiang, Callen’s freezer buddy.  His US Visit Form says he works in automotive manufacturing.  He does not.  He’s a spy for China’s Ministry of State Security.  Kidnapping Anderson is a problem.  If he cooperates, he’ll be put into protective custody.  If he doesn’t, he’ll be sent to a federal prison where the Ministry can get to him.  Qiang is not talking.

Outside of interrogation, Callen thinks they’re taking a chance guessing Qiang is a spy.  He could be a hired gun, a member of the Triad.  Bringing up the idea that the UAP could belong to a foreign power, the UAP could be from China.  They’d want to know what the US knows about the aircraft.

Checking in with Nell and Fatima, Kensi and Deeks are at the hospital with Sam’s bar buddy.  He’s not going to be talking for a while.  Sam had the choice of hitting him with a table or shooting him and decided to save his life.  As for Anderson, he’s better than Sam’s bar buddy but not coherent.  He was given a cocktail of drugs, including scopolamine.  The worry is what Anderson told them.  

As Arkady stands to leave his table, Anna slips a phone in his jacket pocket.  He’s surprised by the ringing.  Finding the phone, he answers, not 100% sure in the beginning of the call it is Anna.  “Do you have another daughter I don’t know about?” she asks.  She is around the corner from Arkady but says she is far away.  Near tears, Arkady tells her “I am just a mess.”  He’s worried about her.  When he tells her he’s drinking too much from the worry, she tells he always drank too much, that isn’t her fault.  Nothing is Anna’s fault, according to Arkady.  He should have gotten her out of that prison herself.  

As Anna is telling Arkady she is going to do what’s right for her and for everyone she loves, a car between the two of them blows its horn.  Arkady realizes she’s nearby and starts calling for her.  Anna takes off.

Nell rushes into Ops.  Anderson said he was forced to share his access codes for the AATIP system – the men in the SUV are on their way to the Mar Vista office where Eric is working.

Eric rushes into the Mar Vista office.  With Raines at Anderson’s computer, Eric tells her about the men coming to the office with Anderson’s codes.  Callen and Sam are 15-minutes away, he asks Raines if the office has any weapons.  She has one, trained on Eric.  She’s been downloading all of Anderson’s classified files.  

Raines explains to Eric that the UAP was a coding error – they figured that out earlier in the week.  That’s what Anderson’s call to the Pentagon was about.  Since she didn’t know about the call, her plan was to kidnap Anderson that morning and have nobody realize his was missing until he was dead.  Anderson would have taken the fall for the stolen data.

Eric is confused – if the Pentagon doesn’t have a file one the experimental aircraft, what is Raines downloading.  There is an experimental aircraft.  But it’s the Navy’s.  Since the coding error was on that experimental aircraft too as well as the current Navy jets, AATIP has access to the aircraft’s design.  The Chinese will pay well for that. And Eric is in her way.

Callen and Sam find an unconscious Eric on the floor.  He has a bad bruise on his forehead.  Raines left ten minutes earlier with the stolen military data.  As Callen confirms to Nell that Eric safe, Arkady calls.  Callen tries to blow Arkady off but Arkady is worried about Anna who is about “to do something very not smart.”  

A police car is looking for a report of smashed windows in a residential area.  As one of the officers in the car calls that it looks like a prank, Anna walks in front of the car.  She turns herself in for making a false 9-1-1 call.

Leaving the office in Mar Vista, Callen leaves Anna a voice to call him back.  Sam has Fatima looking for the SUV or Raines.  She can’t find them but Nell thinks they dumped the SUV anyway.  

In the boat shed, Kensi and Deeks are taking a second crack at Qiang.  They tell him they know about Raines.  They also know about Lucy, Qiang’s fiancé.  Once his organization learns of Qiang’s arrest, Lucy will become a hostage to guarantee Qiang’s silence.  If he helps, NCIS will bring her in and keep her safe.  When Qiang does not reply, Deeks is off to call the consulate.  Qiang stops him.  The deal is happening in Pershing Square – a favorite site of the show.  Kensi and Deeks are on their way.

So are Callen and Sam.  Sam wants to know if Anna is in trouble.  He knows Anna has been in LA for three weeks.  Callen tells Sam it’s four.  Sam understands Callen not sharing the information but Anna is family to him.  Eric pops up from the back seat with a lot of questions.  Callen plans to deal Anna when the case with Raines is over.

Kensi and Deeks watch Raines exchange the hard drive with the Chinese spies.  Deeks has Raines as Kensi chases the Chinese spies.  Raines runs into a homeless man and his cart.  Tripping, she drops the money-filled briefcase and it opens.  Deeks has to get through a group of people picking up cash to arrest Raines.

Callen and Sam join Kensi on the spy case.  Kensi runs on top of some jersey walls to make up the distance between her and the spy.  When Callen bumps into the spy, Kensi is able to tackle him.  

That leaves Sam to chase down the other spy.  The other spy starts a round of kicking and Sam is so done.  He picks the spy up and slams him through a table.  

As Deeks points out Raines forgot to adjust the sprinkler system, Eric arrives.  Raines tries to mock Eric but he pities her.   She thinks she proves that self-annihilation is in our nature.

Nell contacts Callen.  Anna has been picked up by LAPD.  

Waking into Anna’s cell, Callen is livid.  She’s calm.  She could not live with Callen possibly getting in trouble.  She thinks they should be happy for the time they had together.  As Callen tries to call Hetty, ADA Alvin Williams is there to release Anna.  The warrant for her arrest wasn’t just vacated, it no longer exists.  There are no files for any law enforcement organization looking for Anna.  In fact, her prison records are gone.  All LAPD can hold her on is making a false 9-1-1 call.  Williams wants to know what’s going on.  Anna says nothing.

That night, Eric and Nell are hugging in Ops.  Nell is happy he’s OK.  Eric is thinking about the Fermi paradox.  IF there are infinite universes out there, where are they?  Nell has secrets from Anderson.  Like the photo taken from Ward’s camera – DoD didn’t do that.  There is no forensic evidence in Ward’s apartment.  Nell blew up the security camera video of Ward showing Anderson the photo.  Seeing it – but not showing it to the viewer – Eric notes “The Great Filter can bite me.”

At the bar, Kensi knew Anna was upstairs.  Callen was too eager to return home every night.  Deeks mentions Callen growing his hair out.  Deeks wants to pet it but won’t.  Callen spills that Anna wrote the loco-moco review.  Deeks wants to give her free loco-moco for life.  She’s good.

Arkady walks in, delighted to see his “Anoushka”.  Hugging, she calls him “Papa.”  Arkady asks if “Martin” has vodka.  Since it is a bar, “Martin” has vodka.  Arkady wants a lot but Deeks needs a definition of a lot.  He also imitates how Arkady says vodka (“wodka”).  Arkady buys “wodka” for the who bar. 

Sam arrives “just in time.”  Walking away from the others, Callen confirms the Chinese spies are in custody.  Sam tells Callen Lucy is in a safe house.  Hetty told LAPD that she did not know Anna was staying with Callen.  Neither Callen or Sam believe that.  They do think Hetty may be behind Anna’s freedom or it could be Joelle and the CIA.  Sam chides Callen for not enjoying the moment.  They go back to others to celebrate.

Outside of the bar, ADA Williams is in vehicle with a group of other law enforcement officials. Anna is out of prison because they are trying to track down Katya.

What head canon can be formed from here:   This is the worst episode of the season.  By a lot.  You have three important storylines to pick from and the biggest – the case of the week is perfectly dreadful.  They cast an actress who had a big part of the mothership’s early run.  Not Scottie Thompson’s fault but she was distracting throughout.  And when you have a familiar face in the episode, they’re either the victim or the villain.  Since Anderson was the victim…

Also, Raines was willing to murder her co-worker and pin her theft of secret technology on him but when Eric gets in her way, she conks him on the head while he knows she’s 100% guilty.  Feh.

Storyline two was Anna – that was worth an episode of its own.  Her escape was a two-parter.  Instead, it is filler between alien conspiracies.  It is made worse by the fact that at the end of the episode, another familiar face from the mothership shows up as an ADA who is setting up Anna.  

Storyline three was Fatima’s return home.  That could have been the “B” plot for the Anna episode.  Instead, it is a line on the stairs to Ops.

Episode number:    Episode 18 of season 11, the 258th episode overall.

NCIS: Los Angeles Season Eleven Rewatch:  “Fortune Favors the Bold”

The basics:  The team investigated the murder of an Iranian exile with a new face and losing an old one.

Written by:  R. Scott Gemmill wrote/cowrote “The Only Easy Day”, “Brimstone”, “Breach”, “LD50”, “Found”, “Borderline”, “Absolution”, “Archangel”, “Tin Soldiers”, “Impostors”, “Cyberthreat”, “Honor”, “The Watchers” and both sides of the NCIS Los: Angeles/Hawaii Five-0 “Touch of Death” episodes, “Recruit”, “Free Ride”, “Wanted”, “Ravens and The Swans”, “Impact”, “War Cries”, both ends of the “Deep Trouble” season five finale/season six premiere, “Inelegant Heart”, “Praesidium”, “Traitor”, “Active Measures” (season seven premiere), “Blame It On Rio”, “Internal Affairs”, “Matryoshka” part one,  "Talion" (season seven finale), “High Value Target”/“Belly of the Beast” (season eight premieres), “The Queen’s Gambit”, “Under Siege”, “Unleashed” (season eight finale), “Party Crashers” (season nine’s premiere), “This Is What We Do” (episode 200), “Các Tù Nhân”, “Goodbye Vietnam”, “Ninguna Salida” (the season nine finale), “Hit List”, “Asesinos”, “Till Death Do Us Part”, “Choke Point”, “The Guardian”, “Hail Mary”, “Kill Beale Vol. 1” and “Alsiyadun”.

Directed by:  Eric Pot directed “Resurrection”, “Windfall”, “Traitor” (co-written by Gemmill), “Internal Affairs”, “Home is Where the Heart Is”, “Forasteira”, “Reentry”, “Hit List” (written by Gemmill), “The One Who Got Away” and “Kill Beale Vol 1” (co-written by Gemmill).  Pot is a First Assistant Director for the program.

Guest stars of note:  Caleb Castille returns from “Watch Over Me” as FBI Special Agent Devin Roundtree, Shani Atias as Roxie Larian, Michelle Azar as Doctor Shahmir Gilani, Mark Engelhardt as LAPD Bomb Disposal Tech and Adam Kaiz as Dude with Metal Detector

Our heroes:  Wind up down one Nell but possibly up one Roundtree.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen:  Grateful to Hetty for getting Anna released. Sam:  Bungee-jumping rescue champ. Kensi:  Troubled about Nell’s unhappiness. Deeks:  Nearly gets the new guy killed day one.   Eric:  Head’s going to explode if Kensi and Nell don’t go to Ops right away. Nell:  Leaving. Hetty:  Didn’t pull strings to have Anna released.

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen:  Going to Laguna Beach with Anna. Sam:  Wants Callen to go to Laguna Beach with Anna now. Kensi:  The heart of the Squid and Dagger. Deeks:  Cop, Surfer, Lawyer, the Dude. Possibly the pancreas of the Squid and Dagger. Eric:  Senior Tech Op. Nell:  Little Miss Multitasker. Hetty:  Anna Wintour meets Mata Hari with a touch of Yoda and Chuck Norris.

Who’s down with OTP:   Kensi gives Deeks a good pep talk after Roundtree is rescued – asks him to keep his head in the game for him and for her.  Nell is avoiding Eric for a lot of the episode but when things are settled, she’s confident in telling him about her plans.  Callen and Anna are in Laguna Beach on a two-week vacation.

Who’s down with BrOTP:   Callen is gone so same is mostly banter-free for the guys outside of Deeks and Roundtree at the end.  Kensi and Nell have a long talk, as do Hetty and Nell.

Any pressing need for a young FBI Agent:  He’s here.

Who is running the team this week?  Sam.  Hetty is around but doing her own thing.

Fashion review:  Blue hoodie for a going-on-vacation Callen.  Black long-sleeve tee for Sam.  Kensi is wearing a black scoop neck top.  Deeks is in a blue plaid button-down.  An orange sweater over a blue dress shirt is the look of the day for Eric.  Nell is wearing a black jumper over a black blouse with small and slightly larger dots.  Hetty starts the episode in her martial arts workout attire before switching into a dark suit.

Music:  “Bowery” by Cutty Gold is playing during the beach scene in the teaser.  “Nick of Time” by The James Hunter Six is playing in the bar at the end of the episode.

Any notable cut scene: Nope.

Quote:  Deeks:  “Are you ready?” Roundtree:  “Do I have a choice?” Deeks:  “Don’t worry, we do this stuff all the time.  Just another Sunday, baby.”

Anything else:   At sunrise, a man is walking and working a metal detector at the beach.  His first find in the sand a penny.  Throwing that into the sea, he gets another hit – a watch.  Glad to dig up a watch in the sand, the man’s smile turns when he see the watch is attached to a wrist.

Sam walks into the bullpen, finding Callen at his desk.  Callen was supposed to be on vacation in Laguna Beach with Anna.  Roundtree is shadowing the team.  Callen jokes about his replacement being lined up already before offering to hang around an extra day to observe Roundtree.  Sam is having none of it – vacations are out of Callen’s comfort zone.  When Sam returns from the firing range, he wants Callen gone.

Roundtree walks around the outside of the office confused by the condemned sign as well as Sam’s car.  As she pulls up on her motorcycle, Fatima warns Roundtree not to touch the car.  After Roundtree butchers Fatima’s last name (“Agent Namaste”), she asks if he is lost.  He’s not – he’s been sent to work there for a day.  He’s looking for Henrietta Lange – “Does she work with you?”  Fatima makes it clear, she works for Hetty.  Roundtree seems stuck on another name, Hetty, who Fatima describes as a mix of “Anna Wintour meets Mata Hari with a touch of Yoda and Chuck Norris.”  Roundtree is impressed.

In the gym, Hetty is watching several martial artists work with sticks.  Between exercises, she asks Callen, who has not made his presence know, why is he still in the office?  She wants him to go for two weeks.  Before he leaves, Callen wants to thank Hetty for getting Anna out of trouble.  Hetty assures him she had nothing to do with it.  “I just hope it is all for the right reasons.”  Callen is worried, so is Hetty.  She orders him to leave for vacation – “out! – and resumes the exercises.

Callen interrupts a very annoyed Sam in the firing range.  He recalls his conversation with Hetty including the “right reasons” line.  Sam thinks it is odd but really wants Callen to go on vacation.

Fatima gives Roundtree a tour of the first floor – wardrobe, gadget room, Hetty’s office, bullpen - before Sam joins them.  Roundtree’s arm is healing though still “as sore as hell.”  Sam suggests the two finish the tour as he rallies the troops.

Kensi finds Nell in the armory “counting bullets for Uncle Sam”.  Before Nell can start her inventory, Kensi takes two boxes of bullets – lightening Nell’s load.  As Kensi starts to leave, Nell calls her back.  After asking their conversation be kept private (which in that office building seems a bit of a risk), Nell tells Kensi she no longer wants to be an agent.  Kensi is surprised.  This isn’t a sudden decision for Nell – she’s not the same person she was when she started with the team.  “None of us are,” Kensi tells Nell.  Nell realizes that but the job isn’t right for her anymore.  She’s gone from being fearless to not wants to get out of bed.  Kensi agrees, discussing the job’s burnout rate – maybe time away from field work and just analyzing intelligence will recharge Nell’s batteries.  Nell no longer wants to work in intelligence either.  She’s resigning.  

Fatima’s tour ends in Ops where Roundtree is introduced to both Deeks and Eric.  Deeks thinks Roundtree came on a great day, they have their first severed limb of springtime.  On the big screen is the wristwatch and the wrist found in the sand.  Roundtree is a bit surprised.  Sam asks about Kensi and Nell – who are blowing off Eric’s alerts.

Kensi is pitching Nell on staying after a sabbatical.  With all that’s been going on with Nell’s mom and with Eric, Nell probably hasn’t even taken a vacation recently.  Kensi’s tone is closing in on desperate, as if she’s about to lose her friend.  Nell tries to say it is not her mom or Eric but Kensi keeps going.  Telling Nell she’s spent too much time taking care of the team and everyone else in her life, Kensi wants Nell to “slow down and take a breath.”  After Kensi implores Nell not to decide anything today, Fatima walks in.  They are needed in Ops or “Eric’s head is going to explode.”  Not a good look with the new guy in the office.

Up in Ops, Eric has started the briefing.  The hand belongs to David Larian of Bel Air.  Larian is a wealthy and successful commercial real estate businessman.  His family reported him missing a few days ago.  Sam asks if Larian has a boat – he does but it hasn’t moved from the marina in weeks.  The hand was severed by a power tool.  Deeks makes a groaner of a handyman joke that Eric likes and amuses Roundtree.  Sam is not amused.

Back to the hand, it wasn’t in the water long – less than 48-hours.  Larian was a known supporter of MEK and was active with a stateside affiliate.  Roundtree is familiar with Mujahedeen e-Kalq.  Deeks jokes about it being a DJ name.  Roundtree tells Deeks it is an Iranian based group working to overthrown the current regime in Iran.  The concern is that Larian learned of a threat and was stopped before he could alert the authorities.

Kensi, Nell and Fatima join the briefing as Sam forms a plan.  Sam does quick intro for Kensi and Nell as Roundtree shakes their hands.  Nell excuses herself – catching Eric’s eye – as she walks to her work station.  Sam is eying Kensi as well.  He wants Deeks and Roundtree to retrace Larian’s last known locations.  Eric and Nell are to do a deep dive on the guy’s background.  Sam is going to Larian’s office.

Deeks brings Roundtree to meet “Operations Manager Henrietta Lange”.  Hetty barely looks up as Roundtree says it is a pleasure to meet her.  She grumbles a “likewise” and goes back to her paperwork.  Deeks keeps talking because he’s Deeks, looking for words of wisdom for Agent Roundtree from Hetty.  “Don’t get yourself or anyone else killed.”  Warm greetings, indeed.

In the boat shed’s main room, Kensi and Fatima are meeting with Roxie Larian, David’s daughter.  Her mother is too distraught to talk.  Fatima shows Roxie the now wristless wristwatch and asks if it belongs to her father.  David Larian collected watches – it looked like one of his.  Asked if her father has enemies, Roxie says no.  He had business rivals but they took their rivalries out on the golf course.  Asked about MEK, Roxie knows nothing.  The most political thing her father ever did was run for Treasurer in Beverly Hills once.  He never discussed Iran.  Roxie wants to know what are the chances her father is still alive.  Kensi and Fatima do not answer.

Updating Sam as she walks through the office, Nell has the GPS location of Larian’s last known location.  Deeks and Roundtree are on their way.  Sam is on his way to Larian’s office.  He spoke to Larian’s assistant who knows nothing about MEK.  There is a safe in Larian’s office – Sam will send the make and model so someone from the office can figure out how to open it.  Only Larian had the combination.

As Nell is ending the call, Eric is coming down the backstairs.  Nell quickly turns around and hides from Eric in the burn room.  As one does, Hetty is burning things in the burn room.  She’d would like to know what Nell is doing.  Nell goes back to the inventory line.  She’s back taking inventory.  Hetty asks if Nell wants to talk.  “Nothing that can’t be discussed later,” Nell answers before leaving.  In the incinerator is a passport from what looks like Afghanistan, a thick file and photo of a woman.

Pulling up to the last known location for Larian – a residential area beneath an overpass.  Roundtree asks Deeks if Larian had any real estate in the area.  Deeks thinks that’s a good question and calls it into Eric.  When Deeks wants Roundtree to describe himself in 20-words or less, the two haggle over the number.  Deeks decides to go first – he’s a cop, surfer, lawyer, the Dude as in The Dude from “The Big Lebowski”.  Roundtree never saw the movie and asked if it was any good.

The two find Larian’s Mercedes looking rather intact around some vandalized vehicles and abandoned furniture.  Deeks opens the passenger’s side door while Roundtree opens the driver’s side.  When Deeks asks Roundtree to pop the trunk, Roundtree sits in the car to do it.  Deeks tries to stop him but not in time.  Deeks finds a bomb in the glovebox.  He tells Roundtree not to move.

A large police and fire department presence are around the Mercedes.  When Sam pulls up, he asks “What the hell, Deeks?”  Deeks never thought the car would be wired – it looked like a stolen vehicle.  The bomb squad tech tells Sam he hasn’t seen a bomb like that since Afghanistan – it is a military grade bomb.  Roundtree triggered the bomb.  They could freeze it to slow the reaction but if Roundtree gets up, the bomb is going off.

Sam makes his way to Roundtree.  Looking around, he checks on Roundtree who is waiting for a plan.  Sam tells him the plan is “to get your ass back to work.”  Roundtree is on-board.  Looking around the car, Sam comes up with an idea.  Checking with the bomb squad tech about wires in the roof and pillars – there are none – Sam wants them removed.  

Walking back into the office, Kensi asks if Fatima has spoken to Nell lately.  Fatima talks about the pep talks Nell has given her but nothing recently.  Eric meets them as they’re about to go up to Ops.  He updates them on Roundtree’s situation.

As Sam puts on a harness, Deeks would like it on the record that it is a terrible idea.  It is a terrible situation that leads to the terrible idea  Deeks volunteers – he’s responsible for the situation Roundtree is in.  Sam tells Deeks the only person responsible for Roundtree’s situation is the person who set the bomb but “Hetty would be pissed if we get a recruit blown up on his first day.”  Sam is leaving that task to Deeks if the plan fails.  

With the top of the Mercedes removed, Sam updates Roundtree on what the bomb squad is planning.  Roundtree will be fit for a harness but Sam assures him he’ll be OK.  Once the harness is on, Deeks attaches Roundtree’s harness to a bungee cord.  Sam is on top of the overpass with the rest of the bungee cord.  Sam wants Deeks and everyone else to clear the area around the Mercedes.  Deeks assures Roundtree they do stunts like this all the time – just relax.

Kensi and Fatima arrive as Sam climbs up the barricade at the top of the overpass.  On his orders, it is going down.  Or Sam is going down.  As the firefighters and Deeks run from the Mercedes, Roundtree takes a few deep breaths and Sam jumps.  Roundtree and Sam are on a pulley.  As Sam goes down, Roundtree is pulled up.  He is just clear of the Mercedes when the bomb explodes.  The bomb tech goes flying – he was not far enough away from the explosion.

Kensi and Fatima run to find Deeks, who is helping put out the fire on the bomb tech’s protection suit.  Kensi asks for Sam and Roundtree.  The two men are hanging over the explosion, safe if a little dirty.  “Y’all freaking crazy,” Roundtree tells Sam.  Sam’s answer:  “You’re welcome.”

Eric updates Hetty, who is looking at some photos in the back of her office.  The bomb tech is the only injury – suffered some burns and blast damage to his hands.  Hetty is distracted but pleased the team is safe.  Eric asks about Nell, who Hetty says is doing inventory.  Eric is surprised – “of what?”  Hetty has no idea.  

Eric sends Nell an alert on her tablet.  She dismisses it just in time to run into him – physically run into him.  With a case going on, Eric wants to know why Nell is doing inventory.  She’s doing both – “Little Miss Multitasker”. Eric asks if Nell is avoiding her.  As the two walk – fast walk, The West Wing style – to Ops, Nell promises Eric she’s not avoiding her.  Then why did Nell blow off his alert, Eric wants to know.  Nell thinks they can talk in Ops, why would they talk on her tablet?  She changes the subject – is he fasting again?

Nell’s tablet beeps again – this time with footage she puts on the big screen.  David Larian is in a restaurant with a woman who is not his wife.  Nell tasks Eric with finding out who the woman.  When Eric asks where a leaving Ops Nell is going now, Nell tells him to update Hetty and get him a power bar.  Eric admits he could use a snack.

Deeks is deep in thought on the curb near the explosion when Kensi walks up.  He’s not in a great place – “I almost got that kid killed,” he tells her.  Kensi reminds him that Roundtree is not a kid and they both almost got killed.  Not helpful to Deeks, who thinks they can have all the training in the world and still get “your ass handed to you.”  “Yeah, but you didn’t,” Kensi tells him.  She asks Deeks to keep his head in the game – “for you, for him, for me.”  He’s in.

Kensi and Deeks join Sam and Fatima in a tent LAPD has set up.  While Sam and Fatima are looking at bags of evidence recovered around the explosion, Kensi tells them LAPD is canvasing the neighborhood looking for anyone who saw anything.  Deeks has Ops looking at surveillance cameras to see if they caught anyone dumping the car.  It is not a place where you could just leave a car and walk away – you’d need another ride.  Fatima is going to work with the crime lab on the bomb components.  

Kensi doesn’t understand why someone would booby-trap the car if they already had Larian.  Sending a message sounds like an idea to Deeks, just wanting to kill people works for Sam.  Eric calls in with news of the woman with Larian in the restaurant – Dr. Shahmir Gilani.  The name is familiar to Fatima.  Gilani is a well-known plastic surgeon with a series of clinics throughout the US.  Larian disappeared after they two had dinner.  Kensi asks where is Gilani.  According to her publicist – and since this is LA, everyone has a publicist – Gilani is at her Century City clinic today.  Deeks wants a publicist.  Kensi and Fatima are on their way the clinic.

Sam is going to work with Roundtree for the rest of the day.  He wants to observe Roundtree, see how he reacts to the stress of the morning.  Deeks promises not to get Roundtree blown up again but Sam wants Deeks to chase down other leads.  Getting into Sam’s car, Roundtree guesses this isn’t a typical day for OSP.  “No, most days are actually dangerous,” Sam tells him.

As they pull into the parking lot of Gilani’s clinic, Fatima asks Kensi if she thinks Roundtree will stay.  Calling it a baptism of fire, Kensi reminds Fatima that she returned to the office after Egypt.  Fatima notes it wasn’t her first day.  Kensi talks about dirty days at the job and wants Fatima to know that she’s available to listen at any time.  Fatima returns the offer.  As “Hetty’s Angels” they have to stick together.  Kensi laughs at the Hetty’s Angels line – “#HettysAngels.”

Walking into the lot is Roxie Larian.  Kensi wants to talk to her but Roxie runs, dropping off something near the parking lot’s gate.  Roxie has a good lead on Kensi but Fatima jumps over a fence and takes on Roxie.  A good head butt puts Roxie on the ground.  Roxie is carrying a gun.

In the boat shed, Kensi is taking photos of photos when Sam and Roundtree arrive.  Roxie had her father’s safe combination and took some files from the safe. She tossed those files when running from Kensi and Fatima.  Sam asks about the files which are MEK intel from years ago.  The group was looking for possible new members.  Larian flagged three men in the group as real terrorists – one a bomb maker – but NCIS doesn’t know their names.  Eric and Nell are working on it.  Roundtree is familiar with the bomb maker’s work.   Before Kensi can question Gilani, who is in interrogation, Sam wants to do the questioning with Roundtree.  Fatima is in the upstairs interrogation room with Roxie.

Sam doesn’t want to do the interrogation, he assigns Roundtree.  Gilani tells Roundtree that she and Larian were friends, good friends.  Roundtree asks about Roxie, who is a patient.  But she wasn’t seeing Gilani for medical reasons, Roxie wanted to show Gilani the files.  Roundtree asks if Gilani is MEK.  “I am a supporter and believer,” but not a member.  She and Larian spoke about MEK during dinner.  Larian was worried about the increasing tensions between the US and Iran.

Sam shows Gilani the photos of the men Larian thought were terrorists.  She saw the photos before – Larian had them.  Gilani suggested he call the authorities.  Roundtree wants to know why Roxie would bring them to Gilani and not the authorities.  Saying that Roxie was looking for advice, Gilani said her father would want her to turn the files over to the authorities.  But Roxie was more interested in revenge.

In the second-floor interrogation room, Fatima is comparing her upbringing in “Tehrangeles” to Roxie and how their parents longed for the Iran they once knew.  “We’re on the same side.”  Roxie wants to be released.  Kensi arrives, telling Roxie she was arrested for carrying a gun without a permit.  Roxie knows that is a misdemeanor with a $1,000 fine.  Kensi corrects her – it is a year in jail and assaulting Fatima makes it a federal rap.  If she provides a list of the MEK members her father worked with, Kensi and Fatima are willing to cut Roxie a deal.  

Roxie is unwilling to help.  Why would she?  Fatima tells her they can find the people responsible for her father’s disappearance  Roxie thinks NCIS would spy on Americans for the political beliefs.  Kensi tells Roxie she’s free to go.  Roxie wants her father’s files back.  She won’t get those – they’re evidence – but she will get copies.  When she asks for her gun back, Kensi and Fatima start laughing until they realize she’s serious.  

Roxie wants to protect herself.  Kensi offers a security detail but Roxie will take care of herself.  As Roxie is leaving, Sam is finishing up with Gilani.  The two women leave together.  Kensi gives them both her card.  Roundtree is surprised they let the women go but Sam and Kensi explain the plan – Gilani drives Roxie back to the clinic where Deeks is waiting.  Deeks has a tracker in Roxie’s car but plans on tailing her too.

Back in Ops, Sam is looking for an update on the three men Larian suspected of terrorism.  Eric has nothing – they are not in any database.  With forensics on the bomb still hours away, Sam wants Eric to warn LAPD and CHP that there are possible car bombs in recently stolen vehicles.  

Deeks joins in on the fun, popping up on the big screen  Roxie is being followed by someone else – not just Deeks.  As Deeks give Eric the license plate number, the two car-one big red truck caravan comes to a halt.  Two men from the other car tailing Roxie get out of their car and make their way to hers.  As they try to grab Roxie from her car, Deeks jumps outs and announces LAPD which has the same reaction as yelling Federal Agents.  The show does a rather slow-motion shooting sequence where Deeks shoots the driver and catches the second man while wearing his Aviators.

Sam shows up at the crime scene.  Deeks is working with LAPD to show how the shooting went down.  Neither of the men had IDs or credit cards – just cash, phones and guns.  Roundtree is able to use the facial rec app on the second man’s phone to open it.  Eric calls with a warrant for Roxie Larian’s phone.  Sam hangs up – they are on to other phones.  Sam found a video of David Larian’s torture and murder on the second man’s phone.  Eric and Nell are going to look to see if they can find a location for the crime.

While Sam, Deeks and Roundtree make their way to Westchester near LAX, Eric does not have an exact location for the crime – more a one-mile radius.  He’s working on finding it but he’s wasting time talking to Sam  Hanging up, Eric watches Nell come into the gadget area.  She wants to talk.  So does he but after they find where the footage was shot.  Nell sees David Larian on one of the screens.  Eric warns it is from videos “before they tortured him to death.”  Nell lends a helping hand and finds the exact house – 7746.

Having Kensi, Deeks, Fatima and Roundtree empty out the houses around 7746, Sam is checking the doors and windows for tripwires.  The house is wired to blow.   Climbing into a second-floor window Sam sees a wire on the ground and avoids it.  Once he’s inside, he makes his way to the first floor when the bomb maker starts shooting through walls to kill Sam.  Telling the team to stay outside – the building is wired to the Sam and the bomb maker shoot it out.  When the bomb maker runs out of ammo, he picks up a bomb with a dead man’s switch.  Sam sees the switch and shoots the bomb maker in the head.  Before the man can lose grip on the switch, Sam tackles him through the home’s first floor window, holding on to the man’s hand with the switch.  Fatima asks if the living room window was wired.  With the switch secured, the team beats a hasty retreat.

Walking into Hetty’s office, Nell provides an update – dead bomb maker, bomb squad working on the house.  Hetty has some scotch for Nell – “my arm is only so long.”  Nell usually doesn’t drink that early.  Hetty didn’t either earlier in her career.  Hetty toasts to happy ending and new beginnings.  “That was a cue for you to tell me you’re resigning.”  Nell is at first surprised but then realizes who she’s speaking to about her resignation.  

After telling Hetty she can’t give the job the proper focus it requires and deserves, a crying Nell is grateful for all that Hetty has taught her.  She can never thank Hetty enough.  “You can, that is enough,” Hetty tells her.  Noting that Nell has several weeks of vacation time coming that are already paid for, Hetty will have Nell on vacation until she uses all her days.  If she doesn’t return, Hetty will accept that Nell has resigned.  She understands that Nell’s decision is up to Nell.  As a whistling Eric walks down the stairs, Nell is going to speak to him.  Eric thought they’d hang out at the bar but Nell wants to talk to him alone.  They are going to Boba Fetish. Nell’s phone rings but she lets it go to voicemail.  Nell takes one last look at the empty office before she leaves.

At the bar, Kensi is the one calling Nell.  Roundtree is surprised Deeks owns the place.  Kensi makes it clear he owns half, she owns the other half.  She’s the heart of the place, Deeks is more the spleen, according to Kensi.  Deeks thinks pancreas.  Sam goes lymph node while Fatima picks large intestine.  Deeks asks Roundtree about his first day – “it had its ups and downs.”  Deeks and Roundtree share some bomb jokes.  Sam begs them to stop.

What head canon can be formed from here:  Not much of a case of the week here – the case really drives the introduction of Roundtree as a possible regular and works with Nell’s growing unhappiness with her job.  Much of the case is investigative work done by the people in Ops but Nell is being pulled in a lot of different directions.

Found Kensi’s reaction to Nell’s departure perfectly in character.  Kensi saw her Mom leave, Dad die.  Jack left, Dom got killed - she’s not good at goodbyes.

Episode number:   Episode 19 of season 11 – with just three left.  259 overall.

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 11 – Recap

Season 11 saw the team not at 100% for almost all the episodes.  Callen took a vacation with Anna.  Sam took some PTO to hang out with his son.  Deeks was back with LAPD a few times.  Eric was gone, back for an episode and then gone until the team rescued him.  Nell put in her non-official official resignation.  With Nell gone, Eric was half-way out of the door.  Hetty was around for a little while but mostly gone in season 11.  Hetty’s possible retirement was a running storyline for most of season 11.

The team added two possible members.  Sam’s desire to find two young agents and train them as Callen moves to into Hetty’s role if she retires set up the addition of Fatima and FBI Agents Devin Roundtree.  Fatima did some international field work but is now back in Los Angeles full-time.  Roundtree was shot by a dirty FBI Agent and was “shadowing’ the team with an eye toward joining NCIS.

After saying goodbye to old Mossad girlfriend Eliana, Callen reunited with Anna, even keeping her hidden in his apartment as the CIA promised to clear her name.  Sam found a companion in Katherine Casillas.  Kensi and Deeks are trying to have a baby after a false alarm and a “Deliverance” role reversal in place loaded with explosives.  Eric and Nell are no longer living together but are taking their relationship as it comes.  

Family mattered with Callen working with Darius (and Alex and Jake getting a mention), Anna reuniting with Arkady, Deeks hanging with Bertie and Aiden telling Sam he will be flying jets for the Navy.  Family became an issue as one of Hetty’s former charges cut a guy in half, tried to blow up Deeks and wound up being stabbed by Hetty.  Eric remains the one staffer without family.

Familiar faces included our friends from JAG, Sabatino, Deputy Crown Prince Kamal, Jasmine Garcia, several Chief Wallace appearances, Lance Hamilton, Karen St. Pierre, John Rogers, Nicole DeChamps, Jennifer Kim, Eshan Navid, Adm. Kilbride (my choice for a retirement replacement for Hetty), FBI Agent Munger, Anna, Arkady and mentions of both Talia and Joelle.

Be on the lookout for both Executive Assistant Director Shae Mosley and Deputy Director Louis Ochoa both who went home at one point during season 10 and never returned.

The team (or members of) travelled to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the USS Allegiance (twice), Tel Aviv, San Francisco, Greece, Afghanistan and familiar LA spots.

OSP worked with the CIA, Mossad, DOJ, the US Army Military Research Unit for the Investigation of Infectious Diseases (USMRIID), LAPD and the LAPD’s Art Unit, SFPD, Army CID and DIA.

Personal Opinions: Three best episodes: “A Bloody Brilliant Plan” “Answers” “Mother”

“A Bloody Brilliant Plan” was fun, “Answers” combined all the conversation fans wanted to see for years and “Mother” had a million things going on, all good.

“Yellow Jack” was really well done and should never be seen again.

Three worst episodes: “Missing Time” “Decoy”   “Let Fate Decide”  

“Missing Time” is just dreadful and badly cast (no insult to the actors, just the wrong folks).  “Decoy” had everyone working in their little scene silos with no real team action making it as choppy as can be.  “Let Fate Decide” had some fun stunts but no payoffs including who killed Ellie Simms.  Feh.

Looking forward to tonight’s premiere.  Season 11 was average and sort of front loaded with quality episodes.  The second half of the season wasn’t bad just wasn’t much more than average.

Also looking forward to the new opening credits with Fatima and Roundtree added.  I still mourn the loss of the “San Voir” explosion.  Also hope the scene at the end of the credits where the whole team is working around the collaboration table with Mosley the digitally removed is at some point (when safe) reshot.

NCIS: LA Press Interviews 11/6/20

A post shared by NcisLa Fanpage (@dg251170) on Nov 6, 2020 at 10:15pm PST

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A post shared by Eric Christian Olsen Fans (@ericchristianolsenfans) on Nov 7, 2020 at 7:38am PST

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Video dump (or links to videos at least) - from press interviews Friday morning with Dani and Eric. Kudos to @ericchristianolsenfans and dg251170 on Instagram for posting these. 

“War Crimes” press release

AS THE TRIAL BEGINS OF A CHIEF PETTY OFFICER WHO CALLEN AND SAM ARRESTED FOR WAR CRIMES, THE NCIS TEAM IS CALLED TO HELP FIND THE MISSING STAR WITNESS, ON “NCIS: LOS ANGELES,” SUNDAY, NOV. 15

“War Crimes” - As the trial begins of a Chief Petty Officer who Callen and Sam arrested for war crimes last year, the NCIS team is called to help find the missing star witness, on NCIS: LOS ANGELES, Sunday, Nov. 15 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

REGULAR CAST:

Chris O'Donnell (Special Agent G. Callen) LL COOL J (Special Agent Sam Hanna) Linda Hunt (Operations Manager Henrietta “Hetty” Lange) Daniela Ruah (Special Agent Kensi Blye) Eric Christian Olsen (LAPD Detective Marty Deeks) Barrett Foa (Tech Operator Eric Beale) Renée Felice Smith (Intelligence Analyst Nell Jones) Medalion Rahimi (Special Agent Fatima Namazi) Caleb Castille (Special Agent Devin Rountree) GUEST CAST:

Tracie Thoms (Marine Lieutenant Colonel Lucilla Catro) Juan Riedinger (Navy Chief Petty Officer Thomas Argento) Myk Watford (Navy Petty Officer William Moffet) Kendall Johnson (Special Warfare Operator First Class Malcolm Kendricks) Heather Mazur (Margaux West) Tim Lounibos (Navy Captain Anthony Sorrentino) Hina Khan (Monica Kendricks) Bill O'Neill (Martin) Chris Lamica (Navy Petty Officer Second Class Michael Cole) Krystal White (Bailiff) Mike Tarnofsky (Navy Corrections Petty Officer) Tom Noga (Retired Navy SEAL Parker Cole)

WRITTEN BY: Jordana Lewis Jaffe

DIRECTED BY: Yangzom Brauen