Author => Diane

Resurrection (4×21) Review by Phillydi

Resurrection (4×21)

WRITTEN BY: Dave Kalstein and Gil Grant
DIRECTED BY: Eric A. Pot

We’ve been anticipating this episode ever since Dave Kalstein commented on Twitter (after our roundtable discussion) that there were “So many things I want to say!” Oh Dave! You had us at hello! Tonight he gets a chance to spill the beans and come clean along with his partner in crime, Gil Grant who co-wrote Resurrection. This is also a special episode for Eric A. Pot who has been promoted from his first-assistant director role on NCISLA to become the captain of the ship, directing the show tonight through rough Densi seas. Not an easy assignment for Eric who is sitting in the big chair for the first time but he pulls it off beautifully!

Tonight we have stolen bodies, DEA leaks and a little trip down to Mexico way for Kensi and Deeks. We begin in Tijuana, Mexico… unarguably one of the armpits of North America unless you enjoy tequila….and even then I’m not too sure. (Don’t ask why I know that!) Bodies are dropping left and right but conveniently it’s all happening in a morgue. Unfortunately, bodies are being stolen now too. A cartel kingpin, Miguel Barbosa was gunned down in Tijuana by government authorities and now his corpse has been stolen upon arrival at the morgue. Although Sam thinks it’s pretty normal operating procedure, the shooter knew the killing was going to happen ahead of time…so there has to be a leak in the system.

Sam and Callen go in search for John Ness, one straight and narrow DEA agent played by James MacDonald, who at one time chased and tried to capture Barbosa. The boys aren’t sure he had anything to do with his death but he may be looking for closure after he was almost killed by a car bomb that Barbosa had planted which also killed Ness’ wife.

Further down Mexico way, Deeks and Kensi are looking for a cartel informant to arrive and trying to outdo each other with crappy childhood memories. Kensi has a point about bringing children into this cold world…but I love that Deeks has the solution to her concerns and all he needs is a cape and some tequila to make it all better. (Gotta love the guy!) Before Kensi can react, the team is in the middle of a shootout of their own to protect the informant. Javier Ramos is a minstrel for Barbosa’s cartel, who turns out to be their very own jester who sings the praises of the cartel’s exploits. Barbosa’s enemies want to prevent Barbosa from becoming a martyr so it could be in their best interest to take him down as well. But Kensi and Deeks are pretty sure it’s for another reason.

Callen and Sam are back with Ness to gather more information but the DEA agent is next in a long line of people dropping like flies since Barbosa’s death. Callen and Sam’s aversion to dairy and gluten may have helped prevented them from becoming their the next victims ! As Kensi suspects, someone’s tying up Barbosa’s loose ends and Javier is their best lead in finding out who that someone could be. Javier is conflicted about his feelings for Barbosa and Kensi and Deeks have a sweet scene reliving life with their respective dads too. Deeks admitting he missed his dad in a weird sort of way was revealing. One more thing for Deeks fans to tuck away for later.

Finally, Javier remembers that Barbosa once told him about his strange obsession to rise from the dead and come back to smite his enemies with his resurrection. The agents have their first insight….Barbosa has got to be alive and has staged his own death. The ruse could give Barbosa the upper hand in a cartel power struggle. Javier realizes that Barbosa will come after him next to keep his little secret hidden. According to Deeks and Kensi, he only has two choices: Witness protection or help the team capture Barbosa and put him away for good. Neither one is a great choice and Hetty is not a fan of either. Or in Deeks speak…. they both kind of suck. After the plan to have Javier intentionally abducted by Barbosa succeeds, the team must now make good on their word to keep him safe from Barbosa’s grasp.

Some great twists and turns at the end with an exciting finish. A good solid story line all the way which is what we expect from Kalstein and Grant. Bravo Zulu goes out to Eric Pot as well who did an incredible job behind the camera. I’m looking forward to his return! But the coup d’état at the end was the wonderful scene with Kensi, who we watch with pride as her maternal instincts finally kick in while comforting the young boy. We knew you could do it Kensi and so did Deeks. The look on her partner’s face…… priceless. You want to play house? Yes, Hetty, they do grow up so fast, don’t they?

Show Highlights

-How come we just found out that Kensi and kids don’t mix? And why is Deeks and the rest of the gang (except for Eric) just finding this out? Poor Deeks, I would have thought he would have been the first person Sam would have gone to for childcare! An adult kid is the perfect babysitter. This changes everything!

-Poor Hetty. But I kind of agree with Sam and Callen here. Not sure Aunt Hetty is the babysitter type!

-Speaking of Hetty…great to see her working the scene of the crime for a change….we got to get that seasoned agent back in the field again!

Best Lines from the Show

Deeks: If Sam clears his throat any harder, he’s going to break a hip.

Kensi: I’ll do it.

Sam: You will?

Kensi: I’ll do it.

Callen: What changed your mind?

Deeks: Yeah, what changed your mind besides the fantasy of little Martys running to and fro?

Bromance Moments

Callen: You first Sam.

Sam: You’re crazy. There is no way I’m putting this garbage in my body.

Callen: I’m actually allergic to dairy.

Sam: Oh since when?

Callen: Since that thing…

Sam: What thing?

Callen: That thing…allergic.

Sam: I have to pass..I’m gluten free.

Callen: I’m pretty sure there’s nothing gluten in there…

(I think Sam and Callen are just about ready for the old folks home right about now!)

Densi Moments

Deeks: Well Kensi should be fine unless the informant is a child.

Kensi: And yet I’ve managed to get along with you the entire time.

Deeks: Touché.

Deeks: God I love Mexico. Seriously this place has got four of my favorite things. It’s got cheap beer, it’s got great surf, it’s got obviously beautiful woman and it’s got sombreros. (Oh, that definitely makes it ok then Deeks!).

Javier: Why can’t I have a lawyer?

Kensi: Because I said so.

Deeks: Did you just drop the ‘because I said so’ bomb on him?

Kensi: So what if I did?

Deeks: What do you mean, what if I did? What are you going to do, send him to his room next?

Kensi: Excuse me?

Deeks: Take away his milk money?

Javier: Why are you guys arguing?

Densi: We’re not arguing!

Kensi: We’re not arguing, we’re having a discussion.

Deeks: Why don’t you work on that 10 and 2!

(OMG Deeks and Kensi already have the parent thing down pat! They are a natural together!)

Check out our interview with James MacDonald who did a great job as DEA Special Agent John Ness. James shares a great story on working with Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J and talks about his career and upcoming projects. Thanks go out to James for stopping by and talking to us about his time spent on set!

One final thought….I found it kind of interesting that Eric Christian Olsen announced the upcoming addition to his family on the same day the extended trailer was released for Resurrection. “Will Kensi not being able to handle kids be a deal breaker for Deeks?!” I’m sure that ECO’s missus, Sarah is looking forward to her new role of motherhood with great anticipation….whereas Kensi may never be able to embrace the concept. Not exactly art imitating life but it works for ratings purposes, I guess. What kind of mom do you think Kensi will make? Looking forward to your comments! Also check out our next roundtable discussion coming soon with SweetLu and Imahistorian when we review the latest Densi developments and what we think may be up next season for the troubled duo.

We’re getting down to the last three episodes… so join me next week for our review of the Raven and the Swans only here on NCISLA Magazine!

Follow me on Twitter @phillydi.

Interview with James MacDonald

Playing a law enforcement agent is a role that James MacDonald is very comfortable with, but this time he gets to do it in a Polo shirt and ball cap! MacDonald guest stars as DEA Agent John Ness in this week’s episode of NCIS Los Angeles and he stopped to talk to NCISLA Magazine about his time spent on set. James had a great time working with first time director, Eric A. Pot and was pleased to be handed such a great script and character to play. Let’s find out more about MacDonald….
[Admin Note: The interview contains hints regarding the storyline of the NCISLA episode “Resurrection”… expect spoilers if you haven’t watched the episode yet…]

Can you tell us a little about your background and how you decided to become an actor growing up back in Wisconsin?

I was 13 or 14 when I did plays at junior high and I had just moved into town and I was searching for something to be good at because I was mediocre in sports and I think I became the class clown because I moved around so much… so you have to find a way to survive. I just auditioned and that’s the way it all started and I thought this is fun and I seemed to be ok at it and it just went from there doing a lot of high school plays and a lot of comedy, actually early in my career which I don’t tend to do much anymore. I tend to play these heavies and serious roles.

I went to a small college and did a bunch of plays and got a lot of really great parts and all of a sudden you think, I’m a big fish in a small pond and I got stars in my eyes and I said I got to go to New York! My professor at college helped me audition for a couple of acting schools in New York and I ended getting into a program called Circle in the Square in New York in the 80’s and went through their acting program for two years.

I was really lucky and I was very young when I got out of the program in New York and we had a scene night where agents could come and my first job was on a soap opera called Another World. Then I did some after school TV shows playing teenagers and got my first movie called Some Kind of Wonderful by John Hughes and played another high school kid. I was also doing theatre too. I was on Broadway doing the Heidi Chronicles which was really exciting and I did 204 shows and I wanted it to last because getting a steady paycheck in New York was a good thing. My foundation is really theater and you are luckily if you can keep making a living doing film and TV work as well.

You have been working pretty steady in TV and film…how do you remain motivated and keep driving yourself?

I think it’s the same for any creative career or one that is constantly in flux in terms of security. I feel like I have to stay constantly in training. I look at every audition as a big event because you go there and there are 25 guys for each role and you have to come in and nail it. You only got three seconds to prove yourself and you got to be in the zone. Some people can just turn it on and off but not me. I have to freely be in the right mind set. You have to have this really positive and optimistic view constantly. It takes work and that’s why I think some people just don’t last in the business and they can’t weather that. It’s kind of tough at times.

You play a DEA agent in this week’s NCIS Los Angeles episode “Resurrection”. Can you tell us about your character?

They love me in a uniform which is great for me because a lot of my work as a guest star is military, FBI agents so it’s kind of my bread and butter. The nice thing about this role is that I’m not in uniform and I get to dress casual in a Polo shirt and a baseball cap. So I said that’s cool because I have both of those so I thought maybe that will help me get the part! It was a really nice role and it had a two or three page monologue. It had a really nice juicy scene with a really nice script, so I was excited to do it because it had been a long time since I had a really interesting character to play from my perspective.

What was it like on set?

They really know what they’re doing because the director Eric A. Pot, who is usually the first Assistant Director, was directing the show for the first time. He was so enthusiastic about directing and so positive. It was kind of refreshing and that was really fun because he wanted to take the time and talk maybe more than another directors would about my character and my choices in terms of what we are doing. I really appreciated that and Chris and Todd were really nice guys and they get in the grove and it’s always nice coming on the show as a guest star when they are so relaxed because I’m always very nervous. But they made me very comfortable and I think because of that, the scenes came off really well and I thought ‘this is going to work out!’ You just never know what to expect.

Can you share any stories that you will take with you from that day?

All my scenes were with Chris and Todd. In the second scene I have a death scene! The director really wanted it a specific way because I’m poisoned and he kept telling me to slow it down and do it this ways…saying ‘you’re losing control of your arms’. So he was being very specific on how he wanted it. This one time I started to do it and as I’m dying LL Cool J just breaks out laughing and says “What are you doing man? You’re doing the moon walk!” In the middle of my death scene it was just so absurd as far as what it looked like from his perspective. And Chris was like “Hey man, give the guy a break!” It was pretty funny because I can only imagine what I did look like.

You were also in NCIS awhile back… can you tell us the difference on set between the two shows?

I can remember it vividly because when I did NCIS it was the very first show after they got picked up after the pilot. So the energy was very intense because it was the first show and the script changes were coming in very fast and there was a lot more tension and there was no fooling around. I got my scenes so late; I barely had time to memorize it. It was all military jargon and I was concerned but I got through it. They just were so concerned that the show was going to work out like everybody wanted it to. So it was just a different experience. On NCISLA they were taking the time and it didn’t seem rushed to me and Eric A. Pot was really getting what he wanted and wasn’t forced to move on and only get one take. It was nice that we actually had the time to work the scenes so that really makes a difference when everyone is just so relaxed. It was a good gig for me in that sense. Eric knew the set so well and knew everyone on it….there are a couple of neat twists and turns and it’s a fun story. When I was reading the page, there are some really great action sequences and I’m kind of curious how they are going to pull them all off so that will be kind of fun to see.

You have written and directed a short film called Heavy Lifting. Would you like to do more in this arena?

Absolutely! I think writing and seeing it become alive is one of the most fulfilling things besides acting. I’ve been writing since my early 20’s and I wrote a one man show that I did in New York and the thing about writing is that it is a pure form…and you are also creating work for yourself which is also a great element in this business. I find it completely satisfying. My wife wrote a book that I’m in the process of turning into a screenplay, getting producers and I hope that I will be able to direct my first feature film!

What’s next for you?

The writing and directing thing is happening right now. I have a one act play that I wrote and it is being produced in June and July. It is part of the Fringe Festival out here and we are going to start casting that probably in two or three weeks and I’m excited about that because it will be my first produced play. I’m really looking forward to it. I love acting but you’re really lucky if you get a chance to do it because there are so many people who want to do it and there are only so many roles but there are a lot of really talented actors who have to generate and create their own work to be creative. There are a lot of people like me who say, if I’m not going to be cast in something then I’m going to write something and put myself in it. You kind of end of doing it yourself. I’ll always be an actor and there is nothing like getting a change to do a role that is really interesting and stretches you and it’s such a blast. But the directing and writing just goes naturally as you get older if you have any talent in those areas you just want to give it a try.

NCISLA Magazine would like to thanks James for taking time out of his busy schedule to join us for a fun talk about his guest star role on this week’s NCISLA episode, Resurrection.
You can find out more about James and his future work by going to his IMDB site: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0531762/?ref_=sr_1

NCIS Los Angeles Original TV Soundtrack Review by Phillydi

The NCIS Los Angeles Original TV Soundtrack is one big party waiting to happen. From the first song by Daughtry, a pounding rock anthem called Never Die through to the last cut on the cd, the music never stops rocking and rolling. Although some of the tunes are very techno pop, it is the soundtrack of an exciting, pulsing city and it has been used effective as the background music for many different episodes over the course of the last four seasons on NCISLA. Sure, there’s a few clunkers but for the most part, the cd is a terrific representation of the music that makes the series so electric. Unfortunately, the sleeve notes do not identify the song to the episode. But our incredible webmaster, sindee has identified most of the episodes and I have listed them below in connection to the songs on the cd. We’re still looking to identify a few more episodes and attach them to the song, so if you have any idea what episode they belong to, let us know.

Some highlights on the cd for me: Allen Stone’s Mama Gonna Punish You is the first track that stands out from the bunch. Allen is an up and coming soul revivalist with a wonderfully sweet voice, but he can also push it to the limits as he does in his contribution to the cd. If you never heard the guy sing, pick up his first two cds…you won’t be disappointed. Of course, there is LL Cool J’s song of a love gone wrong. No More has a great punch to it and was a wonderful addition to the Sam-centric episode when it was used this season.

My favorite song has to be Jacob Dylan’s Arms of a Ghost. If you’re a Densi fan, you probably heard the song used in the opening scene of Neighborhood Watch when Deeks wakes up to an empty bed. The song drifts lazily along as Deeks pads his way through the house looking for his sugar bear and it really set the tone for the rest of the episode. Another gem, is Zac Brennan’s (son of Shane) angsty contribution to the final few minutes of the episode Sans Voir II (3X24). Definitely one of my favorite Callen and Hetty moments. I loved how the song wafted over the poignant scene where Callen is looking out the car after he was arrested for the death of the Chameleon. The music is used effectively to convey Callen anxiety and Hetty’s sadness. It gave me goose bumps as the scene faded to black. Such a perfect example of how music can make a dramatic scene even better.

There was one omission that stands out for me and that’s Loomis and the Lust’s contribution to Personal (2X17). The song Good Time Lover was played as Deeks was running along the beach and on the way to the convenience store. There’s no way to think about that scene without hearing the playful song pulsing in the background. It was so perfect for Deeks’ character and his devil-may-care attitude. I can’t hear it without it bring back all those feelings that made the episode so memorable for me. Too bad it wasn’t included in this cd. Luckily you can pick it up through iTunes if you want to add it to your NCISLA soundtrack. I can think of one or two others, but hopefully there will be a second soundtrack that will grab some of these lost tracks.

The picture of the cast inside the liner notes is also worth the purchase of the cd. It was from last summer’s photo shoot and it’s a great group shot of the gang. I have a feeling this cd is going to be playing in my cd player for a long time…it’s a great compilation of some of the best music on the scene today. Let us know what your preferred track on the cd is and if they left off any of your favorites. You can purchase the soundtrack by clicking the Amazon link below. Enjoy!

Track List
1. Never Die (Daughtry)
featured in episode “Purity” (4×20)
2. Wine & Vinegar (The Wild Feathers)
3. Lipstick On His Collar (Caro Emerald)
   featured in episode “Wanted” (4×17)
4. No More feat. Ne-Yo (LL Cool J)
   featured in episode “Betrayal” (3×09)
5. Shotcaller (Taio Cruz)
   featured in episode “Lokhay” (4×16)
6. Alive feat. The Good Natured (Adrian Lux)
   featured in episode “Crimeleon” (3×15)
7. Everythang’s Corrupt (Ice Cube)
   featured in episode “The Chosen One” (4×13)
8. Momma Gonna Punish You (Allen Stone)
   featured in episode “Wanted” (4×17)
9. Devil In The Backseat (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club)
10. Lonesome Valley (Ryan Bingham)
11. Shuffle A Dream (Little Dragon)
12. Where Is The Heart? (Alex Clare)
   featured in episode “Red, Pt.2” (4×19)
13. Arms Of A Ghost (Jakob Dylan)
   featured in episode “Neighborhood Watch” (3×22)
14. Misery (The Gaslight Anthem)
15. Your Next Move (Zac Brennan)
   featured in episode “Sans Voir II” (3×24)
16. Kerosene (Jim Hanft)

Interview with Lily Mariye

@Paul Smith

Lily Mariye knows that nice girls can finish first. As a film maker, she named her production company Nice Girl Films because being nice is also about being appreciative and kind to the people you work with. This refreshing philosophy has served Lily well and she is enjoying extraordinary success as a director, writer and actor in the challenging entertainment industry. In 2000, Lily was named Filmmaker of the Year by the National Organization of Women for her award-winning short film The Shangri-la Café. The accolades continue to this day with her first feature film that she directed and wrote called Model Minority. The film was released last year and continues to make the rounds of film festivals around the world collecting various awards as it goes. Lily is best known for portraying Nurse Lily Jarvik on the TV series ER along with putting a together a long resume of acting credits in film and theatre. In Purity (4×20). Lily guest stars as Ashley Hung. She took some time to answer our questions about her career and the time spent with the cast and crew of NCISLA. Let’s welcome Lily to the NCISLAFamilia!

It’s wonderful to see a strong Asian American woman who is involved in all areas of the entertainment business. Besides acting, you have written, directed and produced your own feature films. What made you want to venture into these other creative areas?

Thanks, it’s nice to be called a “strong” woman! My journey into filmmaking started in college. I always considered myself a writer and thought I was going to be an English major, but got sidetracked into the Theatre department at UCLA. I started out as a ballet dancer as a child, added all different kinds of dance to my repertoire, then singing, then acting. When I started getting work as a dancer and an actor (I got my SAG card in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas with Dolly Parton), my writing became something I did on my off-days or during my downtime on film sets. In 1998, I saw one of the actors from ER, Deezer D, headsets on, sitting behind the monitor with one of our directors, Chris Chulack. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was “shadowing,” or observing the job of the director. That looked like lots of fun and a way to pass the very long hours on the set. So I asked our producer, John Wells, if I could “shadow” too. He said yes and introduced me to two of the most talented, prolific directors working, Jonathan Kaplan and Lesli Linka Glatter. They have become inspirations, role models and continue to guide me even now. And John allowed me to observe every single aspect of television production, from meetings with writers to production meetings to casting to location scouting to every aspect of post-production. It was a huge gift for which I am eternally grateful. In 1999, Lesli recommended that I apply to American Film Institute’s prestigious Directing Workshop for Women (where she made her first short and got nominated for an Academy Award) and I got in! I had no idea if I could direct or if I would even like it. I wrote and directed my first short film, “The Shangri-la Café.” And as it turns out, I LOVE filmmaking! As an actor, I get to pretend that I’m another person, but in the big paint box of filmmaking, I’m only one color. When you’re a filmmaker, you get to play with ALL the colors. It’s exhilarating.

Was it hard trying to make it in Hollywood as an Asian American actor? What obstacles, if any, did you face?

I can’t really compare my road to being an actor with anyone else because I’ve only had my experience as an actor. Apparently, it’s a tough road for all of us! I have friends who were blond haired, blue-eyed All-Americans who didn’t get the breaks I did. I think it’s all about perseverance, doing what you love, or even just trying to do what you love. I’ve been very lucky. Certainly, my 15 seasons on ER is an almost unheard-of gig! Of course, I’ve lost roles along the way because the decision was made “to go another way.” And I’ve turned down roles because the parts were offensive or stereotypical. But I can’t compare my career to other actors’ careers. That’s a dangerous path to take! I just keep finding ways to be creative and trust that I’m where I’m supposed to be.

You have a strong television acting background, in comparison, what was it like on the set of NCISLA? Can you tell us a little bit about your character?

The set of NCISLA reminded me a lot of the set of ER—it’s a well-oiled machine, everyone doing their jobs efficiently and joyfully. My old friend from ER, Consulting Producer/Writer Joe Sachs, wrote a part for me and contacted me saying, “Want to work on NCISLA with LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell?” My answer was a resounding, “WOULD I?!?!” There were quite a few crew members from ER, so it really felt like home. And our director, Eric Laneuville, directed many episodes of ER. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I will just tell you that I play Ashley Hong, the Operations Manager of an electroplating factory that deals with large silver and gold plating, like you’d find on huge machines or aerospace parts. Something really bad happens, so Chris and LL have come to investigate.

Who did you work with on screen in terms of the main characters of the show, and can you share a special memory of your time spent on set?

I worked with LL and Chris. We had a scene where we were going down a freight elevator into the basement of the factory. We shot on the lot at Paramount, under one of the sound stages, in the basement. I didn’t realize how tall LL is, so even though I was wearing 3” heels, he and Chris tower over me as we descend down this elevator with moody lighting coming out behind us. I spent a lot of time alone with the guys in a huge elevator with big wooden gates that lift up. I guess nobody thought about who was going to open the gates until Eric yelled, “Action!” I realized that it’s my factory so I should be the one pulling up this ENORMOUS wooden door. But then Chris leaned over to help! It was very sweet. They are both very funny and very nice. It was fun to watch them interact with each other, much like they do on screen.

@Julia Ransom

Tell us about your latest film, Model Minority and what it was like to write, direct and produce that film?

Model Minority is set in South L.A. and follows teenagers as they survive the treacherous world of peer pressure, drug dealers, juvenile hall and dysfunctional families. Kayla, an underprivileged Japanese American 16 year old, endangers her promising future as an aspiring artist when she becomes involved with a drug dealer. I enjoyed every moment, every aspect of making this film. And I can’t wait to make my next one.

What was it like to be recognized with the best film and director award from the Asians on Film Festival for Model Minority?

It’s humbling and amazing that my first feature and my first feature directing efforts have been recognized and rewarded! Along with those two awards, which were the most recent ones, I’ve also won the Emerging Filmmaker Award from the DC APA Film Festival and the Special Jury Outstanding Director Award from the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. But the one I’m most proud of is the Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature in New York at the Asian American International Film Festival. Awards from judges are always great, but knowing that your film was loved by an audience is why you’re making films in the first place.

What’s up next?

Heaven knows! I’m still auditioning for acting roles, and writing my next feature, which is tentatively called “What I Did For Love.” This one will feature dancing, taking me back to my roots. It’ll be nice to go full circle, because in my heart, I’ll always be a dancer first.

Lily lives in Los Angeles with her husband Boney James who is a Warner Brothers recording artist and her cats, Sammi and Oscar. A big thank you goes out to Lily and we appreciate her taking the time to talk to NCISLA Magazine! You can find out more about Lily on her websites and watch a trailer for Model Minority:

http://www.modelminoritymovie.com

http://www.lilymariye.net

And follow Lily on Twitter and Facebook:

https://twitter.com/lilymariye

www.facebook.com/lily.mariye

www.facebook.com/pages/Model-Minority/130160293722454

Purity (4×20) Review by Phillydi

Purity (4 X 20)
WRITTEN BY: Joe Sachs
DIRECTED BY: Eric Laneuville
After all the controversy surrounding the Red episodes, it’s good to see our LA team back at work and together again and free from all the Red Team diversion. Tonight Callen and company are investigating a military death which may have profound homeland security implications. Joe Sachs (Drive) has written his second episode this year and Eric Laneuville’s returns behind the camera for the first time this season.

In this episode, a communal water jug has been found to contain a lethal dose of cyanide and has already killed a Navy officer and incapacitated another. The team needs to find out if this is an isolated incident or the work of terrorists. Jihadist groups are taking credit for the death but Sam has his doubts after reading the internet chatter. The source of the poisoning is coming from a water cooler which was probably tampered with before the bottle was opened and Deeks just found the murder weapon…and empty syringe. Callen and Sam are trying to get more information from the other victim but other than a discharged sailor that caused some problems in Lt. Gordon’s past…they still don’t have much to go on. But one dead sailor is the least of the problems for the team. A two hundred pound drum of cyanide is missing from a factory and could kill close to a million people. Things just went from bad to worse!

Callen and Sam track down Gordon’s protagonist who is now out of the military. The only thing he can share is that Gordon seemed to be a man with a lot of secrets. Does this have anything to do with the cyanide poisoning? Deeks and Kensi run down the janitor who installed the jug from the water cooler. Other than a new lead regarding a strange man hanging around the club looking for work, the killer is still out there and if things were bad before….Sam and Deeks just found out there are more drums missing with the potential now to kill four millions people. The stakes just got higher! People are having heart attacks and if it’s not in the water delivery service jugs, then it’s in the city’s drinking water. It looks like a local attack….maybe homegrown?

Kensi and Deeks finds the source of where the cyanide may be getting into the drinking water and Eric and Nell track down a possible radical group called Designing a New America (love their acronym-DNA) who may be using guerrilla tactics to make their point. Seems like the team may have found their homegrown terrorists. Callen infiltrates the group after bring Sam down during a protest. (I’m surprised Sam didn’t have a few words for Callen after their head-to-head. Callen finds it all goes back to the beginning of the story with their first suspect who is the leader of the radical group. Oh no, Callen is forced to drink the cool-aide!! Luckily, he has the antidote close by and gets to live another day. (The man has more lives than a cat!) The team goes on to take down the radical group and secure the cyanide despite the tears of a misguided child. Callen does a great job talking the kid off the ledge. The ball tossing scene at the end was a nice touch but I’m not too sure any child after all that brain washing would act so normal a few days later. But it was nice to see Callen showing his parental side.

I have to say it wasn’t one of your more exciting episodes but it had a few shining moments for individual members of the team.

Show Highlights:

I loved seeing Ron Howard’s father Rance Howard as the old man who let’s Kensi into his house to check the water system. Dwarfs? That can’t be good!

Always enjoy seeing Sam in uniform. Also fun to see Callen getting in Sam’s face too.

Hetty has such a great sense of humor, doesn’t she? I loved her April Fool’s joke on Deeks. Did you see the look on his face when he thought he was going to be fined over $100,000! I think he would rather be drinking that cyanide instead! Ha!

Best Lines from the Show:

Deeks: If you built a time machine and didn’t tell me about it, I’m going to be pissed!

Eric: Close…it also starts with a C and ends with an E. Anyone, anyone? Ding…times up…we were looking for cyanide.

Bromance Moments:

Sam: God, I love algebra. It’s logical. It’s clean.

Callen: That’s right. You use to be a mathalete.

Sam: No I wasn’t a mathalete. I was a junior math Olympian. There’s a big difference.

Callen: You guys count on your fingers, or something?

Densi Moments:

Sam: Kensi seems to have lost something.

Deeks: Shocking!

Kensi: We’ll take the bikini bar?

Deeks: What? We will?

Kensi: I don’t like to see him beg and plus he would mope all the way to Point Mugo if we didn’t.

Deeks: This is fantastic news but I don’t beg.

Kensi: Oh, you beg.

Deeks: I definitely don’t mope, because you’re the moper…you’re like MopyDick.

Kensi: Feel free to take the pole for a spin.

Deeks: Touche.

The cast tweeting live during the show.

Check out our interview with ER alum, Lily Maryie, who played Ashley Hong on tonight’s episode. She has some interesting insights on working in the entertainment industry and why she had a blast working with the NCISLA team on Purity. We want to thank her for taking the time out to speak with NCISLA Magazine!

Looks like we’re going to have another break next week but when we return it’s the long awaited Densi-centric episode we have all been promised, written by Dave Kalstein and Gil Grant. Later that week, our roundtable panel of writers will be back again to talk about the episode and to see if some of our predictions came true regarding the Box! (I predict by then that the damn prop will soon have an agent and publicist!) Join us again in two weeks for Resurrection (4X21) and check out my review and the subsequent discussion.

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