Callen’s Corner: What is the Right Girl for G?

image

What is it about G Callen that draws the female fan of NCIS: Los Angeles to the seasoned Federal Agent? Is it his heroism; his strong arms and striking blue eyes, as mentioned by Elise (his neighbor) on her blog (S5E06 ‘Big Brother’); the fact he has no family or first name other than a letter, which pulls on your heart strings; the bad boy image or lone wolf tendencies? Whichever it may be for you, there is one thing apparent — many fans don’t want to see G Callen in a relationship. Let’s look back at the women in his past and reflect on them in regards to G Callen.

image

The first signs of seeing Callen get more personal in a case was in ‘Search and Destroy’ (S1E04), when Callen gets close to a suspect’s girlfriend Cherise Dawson and chooses to not only lie to her that Walton Flynn did indeed want to be with her:

“He told me I’m to stay away from you. I guess he really does like you.”

But he also organised a beautiful bunch of gerberas with a message from Flynn:

“Thanks for believing in me.” Walton.

This gave an insight into who the man G Callen truly is: kind-hearted, but also desiring a normal life and perhaps someone to believe in him also?

image

In ‘Keeping It Real’ (S1E06), Hetty and Sam were trying to set Callen up with Agent Natalia Giordano who was pretty obvious in her advances towards him. Callen stated to Sam that she pretty much “left the door pretty wide open. A truck could drive through that.”

[Sam and Callen walking up the stairs in the mission]
Sam: “Room service, really?”
Callen: “I don’t date law enforcement.”
Sam: “Might wanna make an exception this time.”
Callen: “Sam, you know the rule. They got their own handcuffs, I’m out.”

[In wardrobe]
Hetty: “Take her out to dinner after the case is solved.”
Callen: “Agent Giordano?”
Hetty: “Then take Sam the next night. You know how he gets.”

[In the Boatshed]
[Callen is handing the money back to Agent Natalia Giordano after they arrested the bad guys]
Agent Giordano: “So do you wanna get a hamburger? Or we could order room service?”
Callen: “I’ve got this rule about dating cops.”
Agent Giordano: “So you mean I have to wait till I retire.”
Callen: “I guess.”
Agent Giordano: “She must have been some cop.”
Callen: “She was.”

(S1E06 ‘Keeping It Real’)

image

This was due to the effects of what Tracy had done to him, resulting in him making this rule up of never dating cops. However back in Season 1, we had no idea who Callen was referring to, until ‘Standoff’ in the following season:

The team were watching a hostage situation live up on the big screen in Ops, when Callen admits that the woman was using an alias as his ex-wife. He goes in to talk to her and solve the situation, admitting to Sam that she was “the kind of person who chooses the mission over her partner.”

[Tracy Keller is holding up hostages in a Navy Recruitment Center]
Callen [handing his gun to Sam]: “It’s for her protection, not mine. I’m still upset over her getting the dog in the settlement.”

[Callen walks into the Navy Recruitment Center to face Tracy]
Tracy: “You look good.”
Callen: “Yeah, having a shotgun pointed at me tends to bring out my natural glow.”
Tracy: “Whatever happened to us? Huh! We used to be great together. My meticulous planning, your gift for improvisation. We were unbeatable.”
Callen: “I absolutely agree. We were great. Till you hung me out to dry.
Tracy: “You never let me explain.”
Callen: “Explain what? It was a crappy thing to do to your partner. To me.”

[In the Boatshed]
Sam: “She was right about one thing. Somebody wants to take her out. How do you want to handle it?”
Callen: “Like a hostile divorce hearing.”

Why did Callen fall for her in the first place? Like what often happens, he may have fallen in love just from the fact they were put into a close working relationship. Or, it might be that he just fell in love with the idea of actually having someone in his life. Either way, they must have worked well together. Her intelligence and drive, his intuitiveness and ingenuity, just a great combination for undercover partners. And the chemistry between them was evident. But her drive may have been their undoing. According to Callen, this woman put the mission above him and whatever relationship they had developed. It just seemed cruel that, once again, our G Callen was abandoned. He was most probably already a lone wolf – a result of his upbringing. But whatever trust he might have had in mankind just went kya-poohie after Tracy failed to show the same loyalty he had for her. So dating someone in law enforcement holds that same possibility of getting close to someone who is “all about the mission.” He’s just not going to purposefully put himself in that situation again, although we saw her sweet talk her way back into Callen’s life (or so she thought):

[In the Boatshed preparing to meet their suspect Mason]
Tracy: “I really appreciate you trusting me back there.”
Callen: “That’s what partners do.”
Tracy: “I never stopped caring. I tried to reach you. You never let me explain.”
Callen: “You made it pretty clear where your head and your heart were at.”
Tracy: “I was young. Ambitious. I made a mistake. One that I regret.”
Callen [whispers]: “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
Tracy [places her hand on the side of Callen’s neck]: ” Remember when we used to talk about getting away from it all? Just you and me on some remote island.”
Callen [removes her hand away]: “Buddy hated the beach.”

[On a boat in the Cayman Islands]
Tracy: “You know, we could start over. My real name is…”
Sam [exiting the cabin]: “Rosetti. Nice boat.”
Callen: “You didn’t think I could keep my partner from a free trip to the Cayman Islands, did you?”

(S2E06 ‘Standoff’)

image

Callen saw through her manipulative words, refusing to let her hurt him again. So why was Hetty trying to play match maker again with Callen, with a fellow NCIS Agent, Paris Summerskill from the Red Team? Hetty’s behavior on the screen on Callen and Sam’s first night with the Red Team was out of character for the petite Operations Manager:

Moscow, Idaho
[Hetty moves closer to the camera so she appears very large on screen]
Hetty: “So how is everyone getting on in Idaho?”
Granger: “Everything’s fine Henrietta.”
Hetty: “Mr. Callen?”
Callen: ” All good.”
Hetty: “Miss Summerskill?”
Paris: “Um..it’s great to have company for dinner.”
[Hetty disconnects]
Paris: “What was that all about?”
Callen [eyes squinted as he thinks over Hetty’s weird behavior]: “Something.”
Sam: “Something she’s not telling us.”
Granger: “Something she may never tell us.”

[In the bedroom]
Callen: “Hetty’s checking up on us.”
Sam: ” Yep.”
Callen: “Take a stab at guessing why?”
Sam: “Maybe she was seeing if you and Paris hit it off. That’s a good looking woman G.”
[Callen doesn’t respond, only flicks his boots off his feet]

(S4E18 ‘Red, Part 1’)

El Centro
[Claire and Sam sit in a cafe looking out across the street to where Callen and Paris are]
Claire: “You know Hetty thought they’d be good for each other. That’s why she was checking up on the the night you arrived. Did you notice that?”
Sam: “I noticed.”
Claire: “Did Callen?”
Sam: “No. Did Paris?”
Claire: “Maybe Hetty’s right, perhaps they do have something in common.”
Sam: “Hetty’s always right.”

But was Hetty right in this instance? Was she aware of Callen’s no dating cops rule like Sam was? So why did Callen say to Paris that he could do complicated? Was it the fact he knew she would be on the road solving cases, so there wouldn’t be any pressure on him for commitment? Did he see something of himself in her, that perhaps Hetty saw in them both?

Outside of El Centro by the trailers
Callen: “What exactly happened that night Roy got shot?”
Paris [has flashbacks to the night in question]: “I shot a guy and he didn’t stay down. He was wearing a vest. Roy saved my life.”
Callen: “So what’s the problem?”
Paris: “It’s complicated.”
[Sam pulls up. Roy exits the trailers]
Callen: “I’m good with complicated.”
Paris [whispers]: “It’s really complicated.” [returns to normal voice] “So I guess that beer’s going to have to wait.”
Callen: “I guess so.”

Los Angeles
[Hetty and Owen sit either side of her desk drinking scotch]
Hetty: “Here’s to Paris and Callen.”
Granger: “You mean Roy.”
Hetty [lifts her glass and laughs]: “Of course.”

(S4E19 ‘Red, Part 2)

image

Tracy is not the only woman from Callen’s past that we’ve met on the show. In the middle of Season 1, Callen has to reconnect with a woman that he got too close to when he was undercover as Jason Tedrow; Kristin Donnelly. However, in this circumstance, Callen is the one whose done the hurting and Kristin admits to him that she’s moved on from him. But not after she lets him sweat over whether or not he was Michael’s Father.

Kristin: “You hurt me. So I wanted to make you suffer.”

(S1E12 ‘Past Lives’)

When Hetty finds Callen reminiscing over old photos of him and Kristin, she tells him that she believes that Jason Tedrow was his favourite alias of all that he had been. We can see he had for at least a few months some form of normalcy, in a happy relationship with a non-criminal woman, who he formed feelings for. That became apparent over his need to do a background check on her fiancé and rough him up a little. We also saw this desire in ‘Search and Destroy’, when Callen was driving Walton Flynn to a safe house. He can relate to Walton Flynn from their backgrounds of Foster Homes and in seeking a “normal” life but from his reaction after this conversation it seemed kind of obvious that he, too, like Walton Flynn, never expects to live a life like that:

[Callen driving Flynn to a safe house]
Flynn: “And one day we’ll both live in the ‘burbs, barbecue with our neighbors, and coach Little League.”
G: “I don’t know. Teaching your son how to play baseball sounds pretty idyllic.”
Flynn: “Yeah, it does. But that’s why we do what we do, so others can live those lives.”

(S1E04 ‘Search and Destroy’)

All through the five seasons we have seen Sam and Hetty at the forefront of trying to get Callen into a relationship. Grace highlighted in ‘The Raven and the Swans’ (S4E21) the only time they had any relationships were with criminals. She asked him if he had a girlfriend. When Callen replied with “Not at the moment,” Grace pushed further with “Just how many moments have their been?”

So what has Callen said to Sam and Hetty when they’ve asked him about it?

Hetty:

Hetty: “Where’s Sam?”
Callen: “He went home to spend time with his family.”
Hetty: “Ah, that’s good. He needs that… especially now.”
Callen: [Long pause] “What about you? You ever regret not settling down – and having a family?”
Hetty: “I think about it sometimes. Maybe when I’m older.” [Hetty chuckles]. “And you?”
Callen: “I think I’ll keep looking for mine first.”

(S3E07 ‘Honor’)

[Callen joins Hetty in her office at the end of the day, talking about Nate]
Hetty: “That man hasn’t taken a vacation in years. And what about you? When was the last time you took a day off that wasn’t caused by a bullet? I don’t want you waking up one morning, wondering if it was all worth it. I’m sorry if I was…a tad strident today. I just want to make sure that you all take the time to smell the roses.”
Callen: “How about Saturday? There’s a Rembrandt exhibit at the Norton Simon Museum. I’ll pick you up at 11:00?”
Hetty: “Rembrandt, Mr. Callen?”
Callen: “Don’t get too excited. I just go there to meet chicks, so… essentially, you’ll be my wingman.”
Hetty: “I relish the assignment. If only it were true. What about tonight?”

(S1E11 ‘Breach’)

Sam:

Callen: “You know what, I slept in.”
Sam: “With who? You barely sleep.”
Callen: “There’s nobody.”
Sam: “Come on I think it would be great for you to be in a relationship.”
Callen: “Sam, how many times are we going to have this conversation? You’re my partner! Not my mother!”
Sam [puts on a funny nasally voice as if he’s Callen’s Mom]: “I just want you to be happy and find a good girl!”

(S1E16 ‘Chinatown’)

image

Therefore it is no surprise to see Sam set Callen up on a blind date in ‘War Cries’ (S5E14) last week telling him to wear a suit and tie for dinner. Callen was clearly expecting to see Sam and Michelle at the restaurant when he was shown to his table. It was evident that Callen was surprised when there was a red head sitting at the table waiting also for Sam and Michelle; but with all the nagging by Sam over the years, he shouldn’t have been surprised at all. He carried himself respectfully towards Joelle who had taught Sam’s daughter in Kindergarten.

We at Callen’s Corner have noticed a similarity between three of the women mentioned in this post:

image

Sam may be onto something with this woman, especially after hearing Callen reveal his general attitude towards relationships:

[Callen and Sam are searching Valdiva’s home and finds lots of pictures of women on the fridge]
Callen: “Meaningless sex with an endless stream of beautiful women. How empty.”

(S1E06 ‘Keeping It Real’)

Sam is the closest person to Callen out of anyone. He knows what he likes, dislikes, what he spends his free time doing, his bad habits, and Callen does spend a bit of time at the Hanna’s home. Setting him up on this blind date shows to Callen that he does care enough to believe in him, that he too can have that normalcy of life he shares with Michelle. He and Michelle would know better than anyone else, what would be the right kind of girl for him.

I would like to thank the following members of Callen’s Corner Dream Team for their assistance in this post: ChrisDaisy, Richtsje, Serena and Mary.  A special thank you to ncislosangelesfan.com for the screencaps.

11 thoughts on “Callen’s Corner: What is the Right Girl for G?

  1. blue dogs rock!!!!!

    as long as it was not paris summerskill!!! he should find some one that he is happy with!!!
    i liked grace!!!

  2. BH72

    Looking back at who Callen had chemistry with, he definitely had it with Tracy, however, she deeply hurt him, placing the mission over him. She tried to make amends, but Callen had grown since her. So although they had great chemistry, and she was “way too hot for you” as Deeks put it, Callen couldn’t trust her. He even admitted how great they were together in Standoff and with his conversation in the boat house with Giordano in Keeping It Real. It’s a shame because they made a great couple. Callen and Paris felt forced and was never going to work. Tracy is definitely the closest to being right for G. Then there was Kristin. He still had feelings for her, but he admitted she loved his alias, not him, so it wasn’t real.

  3. Fenix

    Here is not girl for G.
    First he has to deal, with his past.
    Then, and only then, he can think about the woman of his heart.
    Without a settlement with the past, are all women, just waste of time.

  4. I Feel Possessed

    I agree with the above posts, Paris was just wrong, the best chemistry was with Tracy, and Kirsten was in love with Callen’s alias – although it was an alias that he loved playing (a rogue who was in a good relationship) – and a relationship based on lies.

    I think Callen has had his fair share of one night stands in the past – with trust, commitment issues, and generally being married to his job – and he is a man with needs after all! But he is also desperate for a normal life and doesn’t believe he is maybe capable, worthy or will ever have one.

    I also believe that when he does fall in love, he falls in head first and that relationship means everything to him. So when he gets hurt or has (inadvertently or deliberately) caused that hurt (e.g. Tracy and Kirsten respectively), it hits deep and deepens those trust and commitment issues.

    However as he has found out more about his past and is coming to terms with the fact that his mother didn’t abandon him, his (probable) father didn’t abandon him – he seems to be more interested in securing that normality for himself. This is illustrated in his flirting with Paris and the fact he actually seemed to embrace his blind date.

    In terms of character development, a relationship would be very interesting to see but NCIS Los Angeles is an action show, not a romantic comedy or a sitcom. Kensi and Deeks is more than enough. Personally I need the action, the fun, appropriate character development and back stories – and a little flirting on occasion. And finally I love the ‘bad boy’ Callen of the early seasons, where he would royally screw up any relationship he was in, as he is just screwed up. This is not so apparent now.

    Sorry for the essay…

    1. Charla

      I agree NCIS LA is a action show. I like the banter and them focusing on cases. I understand to keep a show going this long they have to develop the characters and let them grow etc., but surely they don’t have to get personal all the time. A little is ok, but Nell and Eric, and Kensi, and Deeks, and Sam and his wife. It gets to be to much sometimes. Callen doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to settle down. Just because he doesn’t tell anyone who he really is. I think deep down he probably knows that. The difference is that Sam and Michele were both CIA. So Sam doesn’t have to keep a lot of secrets with her.

  5. Jan

    I’m not big on creating romantic interests for a character just for the sake of doing so. Especially for Callen, who is supposed to be a lone wolf. If we go around looking for a love interest for him, it’s almost like saying we don’t like the character as he was originally conceived.

    That said, characters do evolve, and finding a woman with whom he has genuine unforced chemistry would open a door for a different side of Callen. The only character I’ve seen who had genuine chemistry with him was Grace. All the others have seemed forced, and I’ve had the reaction of ho-hum, they’re trying to introduce a love interest. If it’s forced, it doesn’t work, IMO.

  6. Linda

    Thanks to all for a wonderful analysis of Callen and his relationships. I agree with the many people who have expressed the idea that NCISLA is an action show first and foremost. It is not a soap opera. We already have several romantic relationships on the show- Sam and Michelle, Kensi and Deeks and the flirting of Nell and Eric. I would very much like for Callen to be happy and to find someone he truly can love, but I don’t see that that is going to happen until he finds peace of mind regarding his own family. I believe that that should happen near the end of the show. A little flirting, a few episodes here and there are fine but we don’t need a major romance.
    I have not really been too happy with any of the women put forward so far. Joelle was sweet, but we have only just met her. Grace, I think, had the best chemistry so far. However, she is law enforcement. Finally, as Callen’s character changes and grows it is he who will have to decide whether he remains a lone wolf or finds his soul mate.

  7. ChrisDaisy

    I agree with most of the above said, I don’t see Callen in a relationship, at least not during the show.
    For one, I am not a huge fan of romantic involvement in an action show and there is enough going on in the show already.

    G stated that he wants to find out about his own family first before starting a new one and I think this is what should be his (and the show’s) foremost motive when it comes to Callen’s story.
    It’s his mysterious past and his lone wolf tendencies that make this character attractive for me – and I have to admit that I fear Callen being part of a „happy couple“ might destroy just that (but maybe I’m wrong here, who knows…)

    To me, most of the relationships with female characters so far felt forced. He did have chemistry with Tracy but she was too calculating and cold. And Kristen was nice – but she fell in love with his alias.

    This, I feel, is the major problem – he either has to build up a relationship based on a lie or with another agent – and as Callen said in “Keepin It Real” – he doesn’t date law enforcement…

    A little flirting every now and then is fine but hopefully they leave it at that…

    Despite the fact that am not into the “romance thing” I enjoyed reading the entire post as a whole (as I was involved in only parts of it 🙂 – very thoroughly put together and great to read!

    1. mckenna

      Completely agree, not a fan of romance, and it’s an action drama, shouldn’t have too much. Also don’t think I like the idea of Callen in a relationship. He’s just so intriguing that I don’t want a love interest, like him alone(sorry Callen).

  8. Shelia

    I agree that the show is an action show, with a lot of character interaction between the team mates. The Deeks and Kensi relationship and the Sam and Michelle marriage are good, they show that you can have the job and a family as well. Since I don’t think that Nell and Eric are anything more than friends I will leave that one alone.

    Its good for Callen to see the family that Sam has and the thing that is between Deeks and Kensi, he needs to know that relationships can be good and that they do sometimes workout.

    None of the women the show has tried to pair G up with have been right for him. Now I don’t really want to see my superagent bad boy tamed, I would like to see him have a date every now and then, I believe he needs a strong, intelligent woman. One that understands the lone wolf thing and doesn’t want to settle down herself. Maybe someone he has an off and on relationship with.

  9. Serenity

    I think G should should an interest in Nell Jones. Intelligent, witty, strong enough to go toe to toe with him emotionally and intellectually. Not to mention the looks the two share throughout the show here and there. I think they would be adorable together. Nell’s a strong woman and I just think they look good together. And although she doesn’t know his past (after all, he doesn’t either), she DOES know who “he” is – no aliases or legends, just G Callen and the man he allows himself to be around the few he has learned to trust.

Comments are closed.