Category Archives: Review

Impact (5X02) Review by Phillydi

@cbs

IMPACT (5X02)

WRITTEN BY: Sara Servi and R. Scott Gemmill
DIRECTED BY: Jonathan Frakes

Last week’s episode was an emotional roller coaster rider for most fans of the show. If I had to go by the comments from my last review of Ascension, I would say you were all pretty taken back by all the raw emotions (or lack thereof by certain team members) that were displayed on screen last week. But frankly, Deeks’ reaction to the violence he encountered hit a nerve with everyone on that team, even if they all had different ways of showing it. According to Shane Brennan, Impact takes place four months AS (After Sidorov) and Deeks is not handling the ordeal any better than when Kensi first found him in the Mission carrying that box around in a dazed stupor. It’s time to bring in the big guns, and Nate Getz returns to grace the Mission halls once again in order to help the team get back on its feet. But will it be enough?

But life goes on and the team has to concentrate on their new case…the death of a former maverick Navy Admiral and journalist who were killed in a plane crash. Sam feels ready to take on the new case but Hetty has sent in Nate for one finally screening of the durable Sam Hanna who is tired of shrinks and ready to serve. But Hetty knows the downside of not being fully vigilant when taking care of the body and convinces Sam to meet with Nate. Sam wants the whole thing to be over and done with and feels uncomfortable by how nice everyone has been to him….actually too nice. Nate tries to explain how trauma works but Sam is a practical man. To survive is to let go. Although he fears what any future damage can do to him….for now the hard part is over. Not so with Deeks.

Hetty has a little visit with the off the grid Deeks and tries her best to understand what horrors he is still reliving. (Will somebody please tell me what she was doing hiding behind those curtains?) In the end she has to lay her cards on the table. She needs Deeks back or the team will have to go on permanently without him. But Hetty is worried and realizes there is a violent storm going on in Deeks’ head. He’s going to need more than relaxation tapes and Hetty doesn’t want him back if he can’t return as the Deeks we all know and love. That could be a tall order.

Meanwhile, Kensi is partnered with Callen at the scene of the crash and laments that she can’t get through to Deeks, even leaving cronuts on his doorstep. Callen tries to reassure her but neither of them really knows the full toll the violence has taken on their respective partners.

At the crash site, the plane’s black box is missing. Nell discovers that there was also a journalist (Jason Carter) on board who had been writing about the war in Afghanistan and was also the ghost writer of the Admiral’s memoirs. Eric is right….someone doesn’t want this book published. Callen and Kensi finds Carter’s apartment has been burned and gutted and his stunned girlfriend has no answers as to why someone might want him dead. Eric discovers that all of Carter’s virtual information has been erased leaving the man a ghost of his former self. On top of that, the block box was stolen proving that the crash was sabotage.

A digital recorder is found in the plane debris with talks of cover ups and war crimes by people who would kill to keep those kinds of secrets. The culprits were able to sabotage the tower’s communications systems and the jet’s instrument systems. Even Eric is amazed by their tech savvy. Callen decides to bait the killers by using the media and Carter’s girlfriend as the source for further damaging information. No surprise the killers take the bait and the sting is a success. I loved Callen being able to read the mind of one of the assassins…he must have been right on by the look on the guy’s face! The raid caught the small fish which hopefully will lead them one day to the larger fish and ultimately those responsible for the crime.

Solving this crime was just the backdrop to the larger issue of trying to get the team back on it’s feet again as a working unit. After Sam, Nate knows he had his work cut out for him. The conversation been Deeks and Nate was real and very raw. Deeks knows he’s in big trouble and has no faith in Nate’s help because he can’t even help himself! Deeks has always been able to survive on brains and instinct his whole life but this is a different ballgame. The trauma is bringing up everything now, even events that go back to his childhood days. The Post Traumatic Stress is kicking in big time and Nate tries to explain how it works and how long it will last but his explanation is not very comforting to Deeks. Nate tries to draw Deeks into talking about his partnership with Kensi and what it means to him. It seems finding the answer to that question may be Deeks way out of the long dark tunnel he’s in. Is he too close to return to Kensi? Why? Is he ashamed as to what happened? Is this what this is all about? It was a heartbreaking conversation all around.

Food, horror movies and cronuts…the recipe that finally gets Deeks to sleep. I assume Nate later encouraged Kensi to visit with Deeks and Deeks took Nate’s conversation to heart as well and opens his front door to let her in. But why didn’t Kensi think to do this a whole lot sooner?? She might have saved the poor man months of sleepless nights! There were so many great lines between the two of them here…too many to record. The most important thing was Kensi was able to reestablish the trust that was lost between her and her partner, allowing Deeks to relax and drift off into sleep. This was probably the sweetest scene ever filmed between the two of them and it warms the heart. Such a huge contrast to the last few episodes. But don’t let this fool you. Deeks still has a long ways to go…and there’s a long season ahead of us too. So what happens next? I hope it’s a love story but at least for now we can all take a big breath in and exhale.

Show Highlights:

Eric trying to walk in big boy pants had me reliving an old Monty Python sketch. So much fun!
There was a lot of tough love going around in Hetty’s heart-to-heart with Deeks. More of a maternal talk than supervisor, wouldn’t you say?
Eric certainly does have a death wish after calling the cam hidden in the garden gnome a Hetty cam! Miss Lange was not amused!

Best Lines for the Show:

Deeks: Hetty! What are you doing?

Hetty: I thought I would brave the monsoon to come check on you?

Deeks: Storm sounds make it easier for you to fall asleap..so…

Hetty: Are you having trouble sleeping?

Deeks: Yeah, I’d say I have a little case of insomnia.

Hetty: Probably all that clenching and releasing. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, you’ve been busy!

Hetty: Always eat your carrots, Mr Hanna!

Eric: This is some serious voodoo. I’m talking black bag, Kung Foo, ninja warrior assassin black bag.

Callen: Do you have any idea what he’s saying?

Kensi: I really don’t but I think it’s bad.

Callen: Either that or his motherboard is fried.

Sam: I want a job where it’s an accomplishment to leave my pants on.

Eric: I have sensitive thighs.

Callen: He has sensitive thighs.

Bromance Moments:

Glad to see the banter is back and in full force with Sam and Callen:

Callen: What did Nate have to say?

Sam: Same old shrink mombo jumbo

Callen: If you ever had sexual fantasies about your mom, do you ever wear her clothes when she’s not home, that sort of thing?

Sam: What? What the hell are you talking about? He asked you that kind of stuff before?

Callen: Yeah, but that’s normal shrink stuff?

Sam: Are you messing with me?

Callen: I’m not messing with you!

Sam: Don’t be messing with me on my first day back!

Densi Moments:

So what’s going on with Kensi? Is she really thinking of dating and did she already forget Deeks’ kiss or words of endearment from four months ago? Kensi is a complicated woman, and you can’t judge her by her outward actions. The real stuff is hidden deep under all that emotional armor. Besides the abandonment issues leftover from Jack and her father, Deeks has also told her he just wants to get away from everything and everybody. Kensi is probably thinking… oh boy, here we go again. So, she forgets the kiss ever happen and marches on like a good little soldier instead of getting hurt. What complicates Kensi’s actions even more is that she is also a federal cop who keeps the world safe by being invulnerable. Vulnerability equals death…so most law enforcement officials armor up, both mentally and physically in order to go out and perform their jobs affectively. When loves enters the picture, it’s sometimes hard to remove that cloak of invulnerability but in Kensi’s case she wraps it around closer, shuts down and isolates herself from all emotions. Kensi finds it easier to push back on Deeks’ declaration of love… his vulnerable side, than to go to that scary place. She will have to learn that to wake up every day and love someone is a very soul bearing thing to do and she is just not able to make that happen yet. In the last scene, Kensi takes a bold step forward in removing that cloak of invulnerability. If the two are ever to have any chance of love story together she has to continue to let Deeks see that other side of her that she keeps hidden deep inside. The question is… is it too late for any hope of a relationship due to her inability to express her love or is Deeks too damaged to accept it? And the speculation continues…….

Neric Moments:

How cute was Eric sneaking his head around the post to try and listen in on Nell and Kensi’s dating conversation? Is Nell trying to make Eric jealous or is she having a hard time convincing herself that there’s a future with her colleague in Ops?
When Eric continues the interrogation of Nell’s dating habits in Ops, the two come close to taking that first step towards a date, but Eric chickens out… afraid of what answer he may get. This is going to take some time folks!
Eric and Nell are starting to behave like an old married couple. Nell has no problem calling him on the whole pants ordeal:

Nell: Eric, they are pants. People have been wearing them for thousands of years.

Eric: Oh, no….not my people! The Beals of the clan McBeals…

Nell: Now you’re Scottish?

Eric: As heather and haggis!

Nell: So why don’t you wear a kilt?

Eric: I do, I did, I used to until this little incident with Hetty. It’s easy to forget how short she is…her eye line is lower than you think….

Nell: I got it!

@cbs

It was great to find Jonathan Frakes behind the camera again. Check out our interview with Impact guest star, Patti Yasutake who reunited with Frakes in this week’s episode. Patti played Nurse Agawa on Star Trek, The Next Generation and she has some warm memories regarding working with Jonathan on the STTNG set and now together on NCISLA.

Come back next week for my review on Omni (5X03). See you then!

I can be found on Twitter: @Phillydi

Exclusive Review

Season Four DVD Review of Extra Features by @phillydi & @ghartler

Every August we wait patiently for the latest DVD of the NCIS Los Angeles season compilation of episodes. As much as we look forward to receiving our very own copy of each episode, we also can’t wait to watch the inserted features called Extras that come with the DVD package. Different highlights from the season are presented with behind the scene activity that we aren’t always privy to and the insights during the episode commentaries are illuminating and usually a whole lot of fun to listen to especially if Olsen and Ruah are behind the mikes. If you haven’t had a chance to pick up the latest season four edition, here are some of the highlights to enjoy:

Sound Off

Finally! We get to watch some of the unsung heroes who work their magic behind the scenes and make this such a first class show. It was nice to see the sound technicians we met on our set visit last year and hear them talk about their job on screen. Dave Schneider was one of the first people we were introduced to and he was as warm and funny as he was portrayed in this feature and very passionate when talking about his job. Dave and his colleagues are creative geniuses when it comes to their craft. It was interesting to hear about the mechanics behind their jobs in particular how important sound quality is to all shows. It’s incredible to find out some of the tricks of the trade like where they can creatively hide the mics on the actors’ person!

We take for granted what these men do because they do it so well…but it can be an incredibly hard job. As Chris O’Donnell said, it’s a complicated process the way they mike us and boom the actors. People don’t think about sound being that important because they are always concentrating on the visuals but when there is poor sound quality it can make all the difference in the quality of the show. So here’s to the masters of sound! Eric Christian Olson’s tribute to Dave at the end was actually hysterical and made the feature shine. Hopefully they will highlight a different part of the crew in future season dvd extras.

Chris at the Helm

Wanted was one of our favorite episodes of season four and to have Chris O’Donnell direct this episode was a treat. Chris enthusiastically talks about what a learning experience it was for him. His team mates have nothing but praise for his directorial debut and how much they enjoyed working with him at the helm. You can tell how proud they were of Chris’ efforts. It’s not an easy job but Chris was a natural and there was a comfort level for Chris having worked with everybody on the set for so long… he trusted that they would trust him to do a good job. There’s no surprise that Chris was confident and happy while directing…who wouldn’t be when you are directing the best show in the world? Chris understands the NCISLA world and he didn’t let it intimidate him; instead his enthusiasm and experience was evident in all the scenes and it was great to watch him enjoy his time behind the camera. We look forward to his next effort as director during season five.

Some Assembly Required

Shane Brennan takes us behind the scenes of the Red team’s home away from home: Lavern and Shirley. The two-part pilot was at its best when they were inside the trailers, living and working together as a team. It was a unique set, and not replicated anywhere else. It was fascinating to watch these transformer-like trailers come alive and how everything was designed to fold up/down and go. Creating the trailers and showing how they were designed was amazing…so much work went into making that set a reality. It was a challenge for Brennan’s team but they pulled it off. It was nice listening to members of the Red team again talking about their living quarters. Wish we could have had more time watching them interact on that set. It’s a shame the actual concept of Red Team was not as interesting as the elaborate Lavern and Shirley trailers. But who knows, maybe with a few tweaks, we may yet see the return of NCIS Red in the future.

Un4gettable Season 4 of NCIS Los Angeles

There are a lot of great memories here as we look back at season four highlights with the cast and crew. You realize how far the characters have come as you review the various storylines for the last year. The memories from season four can help keep you warm now while waiting for season five to begin…there’s everything here from Callen’s continued quest for family history; the discovery of Hetty’s collection of orphans; the introduction of Sam’s CIA operative spouse; Kensi becoming a weapons expert; Deeks learning how to communicate with Kensi; and Nell and Eric getting to work out in the field.

Some of the other highlights were Brennan’s description of Hetty which were heartwarming and insightful. It explains why we all love the grand dame of NCISLA. The love/hate relationship the audience has with Granger has developed even strong and has made him a more integral character within the team. You have to laugh when Barrett calls Eric the Don Knotts of NCISLA. How appropriate! The only thing that could make this feature complete would be a blooper reel. But of course our favorite actors would never be less than perfect when delivering their lines would they? (wink!)

Brennan feels the crew accomplished everything they set out to do this past season. We have to agree with LL Cool J that the energy is definitely still there and the show feels as exciting and fresh as when it premiered four years ago.

Season 4 DVD Commentaries

“Recruit” (4×2) – DVD Commentary with Renee Felice Smith and Barrett Foa

For the season 4 DVDs viewers are treated to not one, but two commentaries, including the first-ever by Renee Felice “The Hair” Smith and Barrett “The Jawline” Foa! Our favorite digital duo immediately entertain us by singing the opening theme! (Admit it, you do it too!)

Renee and Barrett behind the scenes during the shooting of Recruit by @ericcolsen

Barrett noted how he enjoys the Eric/Sam scenes because the characters are so different – and how scared Eric is of Sam. During the “Wolfram/Ununoctium” conversation Renee takes pride in how “sassy” Nell is with Eric. As they discuss other cast members, the conversation focuses on the free-wheeling improvisation of Eric Christian Olsen. The pair notes the tablets they are constantly holding get a bit heavy to the point Barrett thinks he’s getting carpal tunnel syndrome.

During a well-known Densi scene, they ditto the thoughts of many:

Renee: They love the Touché.

Barrett: They like the Touché. There’s some Touché later too.

The Ops-based techies detail their love of the boatshed set, including Renee’s far-fetched desire for their own scuba scene with a notable entrance via the trap-door in the floor of interrogation! (Too bad Chris O’Donnell already had his own scene with this!)

As the scene featuring the techno-geeks in the field plays out we see the comedy brilliance of Barrett Foa, which soon turns to a nervous situation at the physical closeness of the ever-confident Nell. The two detail a depth in the scene too often overlooked in their regular quirky portrayal of these characters. To our great surprise, this scene wasn’t even originally scripted; it was added later when the episode was running short! Thank you, Fate!

Renee admits, “My favorite episodes are always the episodes that show more of our personal interactions with one another, rather than so focused on the crimes.” (We agree!)

As included in nearly every commentary for NCISLA, the inevitable discussion of Chris O’Donnell’s beautiful blue eyes are also a topic of conversation. Further, Renee makes note of a 2.5 minute music video (the amazing “Yo Mommy”) that took 16 hours to film.

Overall they provided the viewers with insights to the show and characters in a highly entertaining fashion. Let’s hope for future commentaries from Renee and Barrett!

“Wanted” (4×17) – DVD Commentary with Daniela Ruah and Eric Christian Olsen

In this third commentary by the (on- and off-screen) bantering duo, the amusement kicks off immediately as ECO introduces himself as “Aaron Christmas Elvis.” Connoisseurs of previous DR/ECO commentaries can easily predict and now expect the following: they will 1) forget or erroneously name a guest actor (even with a cheat sheet), 2) make reference to Portugal, and 3) mercilessly mock each other.

Daniela outs ECO for always working to get the last line of a scene, even if it’s not scripted. Defending his effort, ECO replies it’s his effort to make the scene funny (implying she can’t do the same?) Note this is not the first time she has called him on this or that he has questioned her comedic ability!

The issue of ECO and his accents is again noted. Even though Daniela doesn’t speak German, her efforts were better than ECO’s (even with a dialect coach). Thus, she had to keep prompting him on the pronunciation of the words. Daniela compounds the issue by reminding everyone of ECO’s (terrible) British accent from “Lone Wolf” (3×6) – the cross between Mary Poppins and Jack Sparrow. Again, ECO upholds his effort by explaining his accent was “too good”, so he had to botch it a little to make it realistic.

During the scenes with the CIA agents, DR & ECO admit they were “unleashed, like wild monkeys”. (One can only wonder how the original script compares to the televised version.) Soon Sam is tackling Sabatino to the ground and ECO makes an obvious statement, “Boom. God, I would not want to be that stunt guy.” (No kidding!)

They explain the extent of their improvisations and that it initially unsettled COD. Speaking of COD, just like in the Renee/Barrett commentary, the issue of COD’s eyes is again admired. Daniela confesses she had a poster of COD hanging on her wall in her youth!

As they engage in personal banter, Daniela tosses out a popular Densi term: “Touché”; ECO back-handedly compliments her knowing the appropriate use of the word. Daniela counters with, “Of course I do; I’m not an idiot.” ECO then questions if Kensi is an idiot; Daniela timidly admits, “Sometimes”.

The mocking progresses to a deeper, more personal level with Daniela stating ECO has “no emotions… . I am convinced that Eric is a sociopath, because he mimics emotion; he doesn’t actually have it.” (What?!) Next they offer up a pile of their patented “Really”s.

Then we arrive at the Turkish bathhouse. Daniela asks if he’s sporting a “muffin top”. (Wow. Seriously?!) This naturally takes them to the references of ECO doing push-ups before certain scenes; this was a hot topic on the “Neighborhood Watch” (3×22) commentary as well. ECO’s explanation of this scene and COD’s direction is remarkable, such that it must be viewed/heard to be fully appreciated. A golden moment of the commentary is when Daniela reveals ECO’s dog-like, wet headshake was indeed improvised, which only resulted in a genuine reaction from Daniela! Genius!

As disclosed in previous interviews, ECO declares his favorite Densi scene of the year is at the end of this episode. (So true – Sunshine & Gunpowder….) ECO easily outlines, it’s “heartbreaking and jealous and funny and it’s everything.” Daniela creatively wants to coin their famous phrase to create a perfume/cologne combination!

@DeeksFreak

In wrapping the commentary they reiterate who they are, but using each other’s names, including Daniela uttering, “I’m Aaron Christmas Elvis”. (Hmm. An inside joke we need to get to the bottom of!) As we are accustomed, their natural interactions make their commentary a DVD favorite!

Pick up your copy of the NCISLA Season four DVD and have fun watching the Extras….you won’t be disappointed.

Barrett Foa is an Inspired Choice for The Music Man Lead

Barrett Foa as Harold Hill
@Gerry Goodstein

I have been in love with the music of Meredith Willson ever since I first heard the Beatles sing Till There Was You. This just happens to be one of the signature songs from his most popular musical, The Music Man. Imagine my delight when it was announced that Barrett Foa would play the colorful lead in this iconic production for the Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s 2013 summer series of plays. I was excited to see Barrett recreate the role of Harold Hill, the hustling music ‘professor’ who rolls his way into River City, Iowa to con the town folks into buying band instruments and uniforms before skipping out of town with their cash. The music alone is worth the price of admission but getting to see Barrett in his natural habitat and doing what he does best was a theatergoer’s delight.

Tony Award Winning Musical is a hit with people of all ages

The Music Man made its debut on Broadway in 1957 and was a singular success winning 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical and the very first Grammy for Best Original Cast Album. There was a film and a television remake over the years but the best place to see this musical is on the stage. The Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s production of The Music Man brings back all of the excitement of seeing live musical theater at its best. It’s also wonderful to see how well this play has held up over the years and continues to remain an audience favorite.

Barrett Foa brings a youthful vibrancy to the role of Harold Hill

The story begins in River City on the 4^th of July in 1912. The animated first scene on the train sets the tone for this fast pace and lively musical. Willson loved to play with words and many of his songs are a treat for the ear. Barrett Foa was definitely up to the challenge and brought with him a youthful and charismatic edge to the character, singing, dancing and fast talking his way through many of the more energetic scenes in the play. After watching Foa play Eric Beale for the past four years on NCIS Los Angeles, I really got to see a different side to one of my favorite actors. Barrett is a natural on stage and you can tell he is having the time of his life. Some of the show stopping numbers like (Ya Got) Trouble and Seventy-Six Trombones helped highlight his wonderful stage performance. I don’t know if Barrett was born to play the devious Harold Hill but he sure does bring a smile to your face as he commands the stage. Would you expect anything less from the immensely talented actor?

Foa’s co-star, Courtney Balan plays the prim and proper Marian the Librarian. Ms. Balan has a beautiful voice and her scenes with Barrett were sweet and heartwarming as she declares her love for Hill when she sings the beautiful romantic ballad, Till there Was You.

Barrett Foa with Courtney Balan
@Gerry GoodsteinBalan

Balan has worked together with Foa before at the University of Michigan and he convinced her to join him on stage for this new production of The Music Man. There previous collaborations have served them well. They were very relaxed and complementary together on stage.

Some of the other highlighted performances were Lynn McNutt as the Isadora Duncan wannabe and the mayor’s wife; Richard Ruiz as Hill’s accomplice and we can’t leave out one of the youngest member of the cast Elijah Saddlemire as Winthrop. His rendition of Gary Indiana was a joy to watch. The rest of the cast was also extraordinary with the best collections of talented singers and dancers in regional theatre. I was impressed by their energy and how much fun they seems to be having on stage. Their enthusiasm was really contagious and you couldn’t help but get swept away in their exuberance especially with the performances of the younger members.

The cast is made up of professional artists, faculty members from the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut, and the department’s most advanced student artists which make for a unique combination of performers which you don’t see too often together in this business. Connecticut Repertory Theatre is the professional arm of the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut, Storrs.

Barrett Foa backstage after the performance with Diane Volpe

Backstage with Barrett Foa

I met with Barrett back stage after the show and we talked about this new production and taking on the lead role for the first time. I wanted to know what it was like this time around. “Before I was in the chorus and you don’t get a chance to wrap your arms around these amazing words. (This time) you get to explore the character in a way that you don’t really get to do in film.”

Although he is on hiatus from NCIS Los Angeles, he says he doesn’t mind working on his vacation. “This is like heaven for me! It’s such a fun role and so well written. It’s so easy to get your mind and heart around it.”

Thanks go out to Barrett for inviting me back stage and taking the time to answer my questions after a long and grueling day. He was as gracious and accommodating as always. Also a big thank you to the artistic staff of the CT Repertory Theatre, including Vincent Cardinal and Frank Mack, who made the whole experience so memorable.

If you are in the Storr/Mansfield area….go see the Music Man! It is the perfect musical diversion for a hot summer day! The play runs through July 23^rd. Please call 860-486-2113 for tickets or for more information tickets are also available online at www.crt.uconn.edu.

NCIS Los Angeles “Descent” – Final analysis of Season Four Finale by Phillydi

I thought I would give it at least week to let the dust settle so I could properly digest the final episode of NCIS Los Angeles’ fourth season. The writers already have the conclusion to this cliffhanger neatly tied up in a bow since the first episode of season five was shot directly after they finished the finale. Unfortunately, the fans will have to spend the summer agonizing over the brutality of Sam and Deeks’ torture, praying that Kensi can rescue Michelle and wondering if Callen will enact his revenge on the Chameleon once and for all! I’ve read all the reviews and pondered over your comments and no matter how many different ways you dice and slice this show it all comes down to one thing…. trust. As Sam says to Sidorov “We have trust issues.” And boy, do we ever!

Trust Doesn’t Come Easy to Callen

Of course trust has always been a tattered ribbon that has weaved its way in and out of this show from the very beginning starting with the resilient G. Callen. Having endured the shortfalls of the foster care system as a child, Callen is often known as the lone wolf. Having to depend on help from other people does not come easily to him….if Callen could solve all the crimes at NCIS by himself I think he would prefer working totally alone and in a bubble. Despite his better judgment, Callen must put his trust in one of the greatest adversaries of his career and this misplaced faith may result in the death of his closest friend and confident, Sam Hanna. His actions may have dire consequences for the rest of the team as well, along with the possibility of nuclear annihilation if the bombs get in the hands of the wrong people. There has never been any love lost between Callen and Janvier but what will Callen’s next step be once he finds out the fate of Sam, Michelle and Deeks? The scars Callen obtained during the drive-by shooting from season one will be mere scratches compared to the wounds that will be left behind if this mission fails. Janvier may get his death wish, but who will be left to pick up the pieces for Callen?

Sam Wrestles with his own Little Green Monsters

Sam also seems to be wrestling with his own feelings of insecurity when it comes to his wife, Michelle. Not sure if Sidorov wants an assassin or a lover, Sam has little tolerance for any man standing between him and his woman, even if she is working undercover. Despite Michelle being a trained CIA operative, Sam doesn’t agree with her desire to get back into the game. Sam has trouble trusting her decision but when fate gives him no other choice, he struggles over how he will protect the mother of his children from these monsters.

It’s this intense fear that precipitates the hostile reaction he has to the announcement that Deeks will be his new partner. He has worked with Callen for so long he’s only comfortable with his trusted partner by his side. Having to rely on Deeks is a whole new ballgame. This attitude didn’t just start with the final episode though; Sam has had a hard time taking Deeks seriously from the very beginning. We finally find out what’s really behind all the insults he has been dishing out to Deeks over the years. He calls him different; he has a problem with his character because of the way he looks. Sometimes being a product of the military system means you are so use to taking orders, it’s hard to think outside the box, or in his case, accept anyone outside the box. Sam’s fear has exasperated the situation but Deeks finally calls him out. Sure, he feels more secure with Callen by his side, but not even his partner will be able to protect the people Sam loves with the stakes being as high as they are in this mission. Hanna will get to find out if his instincts are right (or wrong) about Deeks. It was heartbreaking to watch him struggling in pain while begging the LAPD Detective with his eyes not to give into the indescribably torture and reveal Michelle’s cover to Sidorov. He has no choice but to trust in the man who he has repeatedly criticized in the past for being different. Ironic how things come around full circle.

Densi, Trust and Matters of the Heart

Finally we come to our favorite couple, Densi who reinvented the term dysfunctional when it comes to fear and trust issues between a man and woman. In the previous episode, Parley, Monica Davis has both Kensi and Deeks contemplating the true connection they have between each other. She’s not questioning the lack of professional trust between partners but the lack of trust that comes from unresolved matters of the heart. Everyone who works alongside the couple can see there’s a love affair going on here… except Kensi and Deeks! Even Hetty decides it’s time to give her blessing. Let’s face it, Kensi has been afraid of intimacy ever since she was abandoned by her fiancé, Jack and paralyzed by the loss of her dad as a young girl. On the other side of the coin, Deeks tends to agonize over his undercover persona, Max Gentry and whether Davis was right. “You know you can’t trust him,” she tells Kensi. Does Gentry come from a part of his personality that he keeps hidden and locked away? Kensi would never trust Gentry but can she truly trust Deeks?

As Deeks watches Kensi prepare for her trip to Iran, he is afraid if he can’t accompany her, he won’t be there to protect her if something goes wrong. In the past, Deeks has always had great faith in Kensi’s readiness but now he is in love with the woman and this is a huge game changer. Kensi recognizes there is something different in his anxiety over her safety this time and she doesn’t know how to respond to his love and concern. Instead they dance around their feelings and the meaning behind their veiled words to no conclusion. It’s all too frightening for Kensi because she really doesn’t know how to give her heart to Deeks after all of her loss. Even though she tells Davis she trusts Deeks with everything, her reaction to the kiss is a perfect example that she is still struggling. Kensi may have been a bit stunned by Deeks impulsive method of communication, but the mission was a convenient excuse to act like the kiss never happen and run quickly away. As she motors off into the distance not knowing the fate that awaits Deeks, what will happen when she finds out her partner is near death or dying from the torture he endures at the hands of Siderov? Will this lack of trust and uncertainty turn into overwhelming grief, misery and ‘what ifs’ for the agent?

There is no doubt that all the members of this team will be severely changed by this mission. The entire group dynamics will be affected. You can’t expect to overcome brutal torture, unbearable fear, anger and unrequited love and still be able to survive all that carnage unscathed. Without a doubt, these men and women will be transformed…and I believe one or two of them substantially. We can only hope that the resiliency of the human spirit will win out in the end.

Some final thoughts:

I found it funny that Sidorov trusted Janvier because he is a sick bastard. I guess there is honor among thieves.

There have always been trust issues between Granger and the team and between Granger and Hetty. Despite the high stakes of this mission, Granger’s executive decisions may also cause the team to continue their estrangement from the Assistant Director. Oh, it’s lonely at the top.

Assuming he survives, will torture affect Deeks’ personality the most? Will this change his laid back, sweet disposition? Could it force him to withdraw or will it strengthen his resolve even to the point of finally taking Hetty up on her offer to become an agent? Deeks wants the respect of his colleagues, especially Sam, which is why he has taken his crap for so long. I wonder if a Special Agent Deeks would be seen differently in the eyes of Agent Hanna?

If Sam and/or Michelle are still alive next season (!), what will be left of their marriage after this mission? Will she still want to continue as a CIA agent and will Sam be able to accept her decision? Whatever the answers, things are going to be changing in the Hanna household and safety issues will become a top priority.

I know many of you have expressed concern after watching the torture scenes. I don’t think it was gratuitous violence and it was there for a reason. Although not exactly easy to watch, it will set the team up for some real soul searching as we go into season five. If you want to find out what makes these characters tick you have to put them in indescribable circumstances and watch them find the courage to fight and crawl their way back to the light. The original definition of courage comes from the Latin word cor, meaning to share your whole story with your whole heart. When these characters triumph despite all odds, we applaud and cheer and when they fail we cry. You can tell the writers of this show love these characters and it’s important that they put all of their strengths and weaknesses on the screen. It’s how they emerge out of the other side of the darkness that is the true test of their metal. This act of courage is an act of storytelling….and it’s the best on television today.

Descent (4X24) Review by Phillydi

Decent (4X24)

WRITTEN BY: Frank Military

DIRECTED BY: Terrence O’Hara

The wild speculation leading to the final episode of the season has been a very powerful rallying call for the fans of NCIS Los Angeles. We’ve all been speculating as to what will happen to our crusading heroes after watching all the horrifying trailers. Images of team members floating in water, crashing through windows and being tortured have been circulating throughout the media sites for days now. Even Shane Brennan says he can’t watch some of the scenes without grimacing. We’ve been following the ominous thread all season with the theft of a number of nuclear bombs by a known Russian arms dealer. The storyline began in Rude Awakening and continued later in the year with the episode Wanted. As Isaac Sidorov gets closer to selling the weapons, the team tries to match him step by step. Unfortunately, the man keeps eluding them and in the finale the team must stop him from making the sales, locate the weapons and save the world from nuclear annihilation. Jeez, not asking too much, are we? To add further angst to the pot, Densi fans who have had to watch the painful pas de deux between Kensi and Deeks over the past couple of episodes, now wonder if they will ever be able to overcome their own personal demons when it comes to resolving their feelings towards each other. Apparently facing an untimely death tends to put a whole lot of things into perspective.

A parade of evil guest stars (including the Chameleon) gather to make this one of the most explosive finales in the show’s history. To try and fit all this action and emotion into one hour is going to be hard to watch while knowing we will have to wait all summer for the conclusion!

The last show of the season is off and running after a nuclear bomb explodes in a Mexican dessert. Sidorov wants to prove that the bombs are still functional because he needs to find a buyer. The team knows the exact man to do business with Sidorov! I guess we never thought after last year that the Chameleon would return to broker a weapon’s deal and help the people who put him away. Callen and Kensi partner-up for a trip to Iran to find Janvier. There’s a new chess game in town and Janvier doesn’t want to play until Callen throws him a poker chip instead….revenge. He agrees with one condition…that Callen finishes what he started by killing him after the mission. Callen’s refusal sets up Janvier’s next move on the board. It will lead to the team’s ultimate destruction.

Meanwhile, Granger orders Sam and Michelle to find Sidorov and reconnect as part of his team. The husband and wife team are able to rejoin Sidorov by playing another dangerous undercover game and helping him set up the eventual deal with Janvier.

Deeks has been assigned as Sam’s new partner during this phase of the mission and Sam is not happy. What a surprise! As a side bar, we have been witness this year to Sam’s continuing insults to the team’s LAPD liaison, Deeks. Although his remarks were often funny and seemed to be in good nature, it looks like there was something actually brewing under the surface all along. Amazingly, Deeks has kept his feelings under wrap for a long but finally loses his patience (a rare occurrence for sure!) and demands an explanation. Sam just doesn’t like different. How could he find a problem with Deeks character? Really? I have a feeling he will regret these words by the time the show is over. Not sure where the writers are going with this…but it is an interesting reveal about Sam.

Back in the boathouse, Callen instructs Janvier to call Vaziri to find a buyer for the weapons and then convinces Sidorov he will play middle-man and introduce him to Vaziri’s buyer deep in the Mojavi Dessert. Janvier is going to be the one to broker the deal himself…this time there is another request…a daughter in Paris that he wants the blood money to go to. Something just doesn’t feel right to Callen. Yes, the inside of Janvier head is a scary place. There are so many pieces on this chessboard, my head is spinning.

The deal goes down, Janvier does his job but Callen is still not feeling right about it all. He doesn’t like being on the same team as Janvier because he feels he’s being played. The exchange is in process…the gold is good and Sam gets to deliver it to the bank. But Sidorov has a more sinister idea in mind! Sam and Michelle have been made! When Sam is pushed into the pool with a box of heavy gold bricks attached to his wrist, Deeks races to the rescue. Can you just see Deeks used CPR to save Sam….oh boy! Don’t you wish they had filmed that scene!

Brennan is right; the violence against the team is hard to watch. First Sam and now Michelle. Oh no, and now Deeks! I really can’t watch this. The expression on Sam’s face begging Deeks not to give into Sidorov’s cruelty is heartbreaking. We end the season with Deeks screaming in terrible agony. I think I will hear that scream ringing in my ears all summer long.

Callen was right. Janvier had only one purpose in helping NCIS and that was to take revenge on the senior agent….he will kill everything Callen loves and that includes Sam….sadly, Deeks is collateral damage. Like I said it’s going to be a long summer, folks.

Show Highlights:

The action was intense and the quality of the episode was first rate. Kudos to Mr. O’Hara and company. Frank Military also turned in another excellent script. Can’t wait to see Joe Wilson’s conclusion to the two-part episode next season.
Nice to see Deeks finally demanding the respect he should receive from all the members of the team. About time!
Enjoyed watching Callen trying to keep his cool while working with Janvier. Oooh this so sticks in his claws! Emotions are at an all-time high! Janvier may get his death wish yet!
Deeks complains about Kensi’s communications skills but unfortunately, he’s also held back from saying what he wants to say due to fear. Poor man is afraid of what his partner might eventually tell him, I suspect. Where does that leave us? Yep, love sucks.
The green eyed monster is back again leading to…..THE KISS!! No need to say more. But did Kensi just act like it never happen? Yeah, she did. Damn!
So I stand corrected. Deeks has great communications skills! Densi fans can be heard sighing around the world tonight. Thank you Mr. Brennan!

Another thank you goes out to Massi Furlan (Mikhail Andros) for being our final guest star interview of the season and talking to us about his career and the explosive season finale. Massi will be sharing some exclusive photos with us…so check back later this week. It was a real treat to talk to Massi and we invite him back any time to NCISLA Magazine.

I also would like to thank all of the incredible readers who have read and graced this review with their comments and remarks about the show over the last 24 episodes. I’ve had a great time and I can’t wait to do it all again next September! Have a wonderful summer and I’ll see you back here then! Let’s hope we can all make it to Season Five without any more casualties! Take care!

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