Callen’s Corner: Redacted Files, IV

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Redacted File 4,470: What are your thoughts concerning Callen’s mood over the past five seasons? Did it change? How so? How do you think this will influence Callen’s character in Season 6?

Vicki: Callen appears more open and content since Reznikov, N episode. He has proof that he was loved and bad situations arose to separate him from his family at such a young age. So he’s been able to accept it and move on. Like his words to the team at the end of S5E23.

ChrisDaisy: I agree, Vicki – I think especially this sentence in S5x23 shows that he has opened up and learned to gain trust at least to a certain extent. I believe that knowing he was once part of a loving family helped him get over some of his trust issues. Still, there are so many open questions left and he also got caught by Sam crashing in the gym various times instead of in his house (which is supposed to be his home) which means that a large part of him is still unsettled, in my opinion.
I also think that besides that sentence in S5x23 his reaction to the “love note” was quite light and not typical closed-up Callen. A sweet scene which I enjoyed watching a lot.

Richtsje: He seems more open nowadays and I like it… But I do confess that at the same time, I loved the darker side of Callen we saw in the first two seasons. Back in those days he was more mysterious to us, the viewers, than he is nowadays. I like both sides of him.
The opening up is okay, as long as, in the show, G. Callen will be a person that will not really settle down in a relationship like they tried in Season 5. That part may just as well be left out if you’d ask me when it comes to S6.

Richtsje: Now what I would love is to see a badass from the past who comes back, because so far it is from the past that we learned the most about Callen. Season 5 focused more on Deeks, on Kensi and even on Sam than it did on Callen and yes, I confess: there is so much more to find out about the complex character of Callen. Sometimes he seems to be unbeatable, which of course is not true…
To keep it short: it is okay to see Callen soften up a little, see more of those great smiles, as long as it goes with some vulnerability and a tiny bit of hurting as well. [Did I really say that?]]

ChrisDaisy: Yes, you did, Richtsje… *huge grin*… and right you are 🙂

ChrisDaisy: I totally agree, Richtsje – it was Callen’s mysterious, dark side that made me watch the show in the first place. I loved the episodes where he went lone wolf and I would love to see more of that. A little softening up is fine as long as it does not seem out of character. I always liked the little moments where his emotional side showed, but I love me some badass Callen as well.

Richtsje: Right you are ChrisDaisy, we might need some badass Callen every now & then, lone wolf Callen, too!

Justdreaming83: I couldn’t agree more with the previous comments. We watched Callen go through some intense stuff in the first few seasons. He’d been gunned down in broad daylight and didn’t know who, or why for a while. Then there was the Keelson case – someone who knew more about him than he knew himself. The whole Comesu blood-feud thing was pretty emotional. And then G had to deal with the evil Crimeleon on more than one ocassion. Now that he has filled in some missing pieces about his past, and with the Comescus wiped out and Janvier behind bars, Callen seemed to be in a much lighter mood in Season 5.

Fan GCallen: Callen does seem to be in a lighter mood, especially after the first few episodes of S5. But then again, most of S5 was about Densi. There wasn’t really much focus on Callen or his story, apart from the 100th episode, and his romance with Joelle, and that little mention about his admirer, Elise. So I suppose we weren’t really given a chance to see much of badass/angst/emotional-filled Callen, which Chris O’Donnell plays perfectly.

Richtsje: Well said! Those are exactly my thoughts and you are so right. Never mind what Shane Brennan said in the interview, Chris O’Donnell is so good at showing Callen’s emotions!

 

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Redacted File 4,471: Will Joelle be around for Season 6 and what do you think of that idea?

Vicki: She will be, but how much, I have no idea. They’re keeping her at a low profile just the same, which is nice seeing we like to see G focused on work.

Richtsje: Please no more Jo. I do agree with Sam [“I just want you to be happy and find a good girl.”] but in fact, I don’t see Callen with a woman he would have to lie to every day. She knows his name is Callen and he told her he works ‘in security’, but he’d never be able to tell her all about his job. Which – sadly – makes the agents‘ private lives very difficult!

Callen would never have to lie about his personal life if he had dated Paris (whoa), but no, I prefer Jo over Paris. Best match so far was Grace. So…
IF there has to be a love life, keep it out of the show unless it is essential for the storyline.

ChrisDaisy: Richtsje – you did it – you said the P… word…
I am guessing Joelle will be back but I wouldn’t mind if she wasn’t. I still don’t see G in a steady relationship, especially not one that is based on lies. In fact, I was surprised he told her his real name…
Of course he must have a love life somehow, I just don’t think a “happily-ever-after” relationship fits his character, more like a date here and there but nothing serious and nothing steady – no commitment.
So I’d rather see the focus on good cases, his unrivaled bromance with Sam and, of course, his past. If they have to bring a female character up again (not a long term love interest) I would like to see Elise resurface.

Justdreaming83: I think Joelle will be in and out of the picture. She’s pretty, and really sweet. Even though I’d rather see him stay the way he’s always been, I really didn’t mind Jo so much, until it felt like Sam was pushing too hard… and then discussing his partner’s personal life with other people. G is such a private person. (I think he would be even if he didn’t work as an undercover agent.) An occasional interest in someone just shows he is human. Like how impressed he was, and how he flirted just a bit with Giordano in S-1. So I hope that they don’t get carried away with the Jo thing.

Richtsje: ChrisDaisy and Justdreaming83, I am glad you reason like I reasoned. It is not that I did not like Jo, not at all. It is just that… Well, the show should focus on the action and it doesn’t fit right now that Callen gets carried away by a relationship. It’s not relevant…
And P? No, never. I just mentioned the name to point out that it would be easier to date someone in the same line of work, someone he would not have to lie to…
And ChrisDaisy, I must say I completely forgot about Elise. Hmm… Not too sure about her!

ChrisDaisy: It is not realistic to think that someone like Callen does not have a love life – but just as you said, Richtsje, it should not take over the focus of the show. I agree that Joelle is sweet, it just doesn’t fit. And as for Elise – I was a little disappointed that they did not make a little more of this “blogging neighbor story” – I don’t really need her back but that sidestory seemed like a good reason for fun banter among the team.

Fan GCallen: Personally, I’m not really a fan of romance in TV shows, especially in crime and action packed shows like NCISLA. It’s tolerable if it’s just in little doses here and there, but not if it takes over and becomes the focus of the show.

Since there was a fair bit of mention of Joelle in S5, I’m guessing the writers may revisit this bit in S6. But since the beginning of the show, I have always enjoyed Callen and Sam’s interactions and partnership. I think this is one of the strengths of the show. So I definitely hope the writers keep the romance to a minimum in exchange for more buddy scenes between Callen and Sam.

 

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Redacted File 4,472: How in the world is Callen going to survive until the season opener, trapped in that sub with his huge partner, who has admitted his dislike for confined spaces?

Bee: Entertain the possibility that Sam might have to be conked on the head with a heavy object. Or break out the fertilizer bags and plump them into a beanbag-esque chair to relax in.

Justdreaming 83: Oh, I was thinking the opposite, Bee. I’m thinking Callen will end up being the one conked on the head with a pipe or something. He’ll start razzing Sam about his claustrophobia thing, and when he brings up the clown thing again? CONK!!!

Bee: Nah, Sam wouldn’t do that, he’d sit in a corner and mediate while visualizing exploding Callen’s head with his brain when the teasing gets to be too much.

Justdreaming 83: Yeah. You’re right, Bee. Sam’s all bark and no bite when it comes to G. He threatens to bounce him off rocks and drown him in Jacuzzis and stuff like that. But he’s a self-disciplined man. He’d only WANT to conk Callen in the head.

Vicki: Maybe Callen and Sam will work out how to kill the submarine with all those wires in their section of the sub. We’ve seen flash backs of Sam’s time being buried alive (Special Delivery 2×04), so we know how it has affected him before. Callen knows about this and I am sure he knows a thing or two to help his partner through it. They’ve been partners a long time now. Also, maybe Eric and Nell can come to their aid and track the sub for a rescue? It’s an interesting cliff hanger. Not just onboard with terrorists, but also with all that fertiliser. But G has been known to use some MacGyver tactics to get himself out of a bad situation. Am looking forward to seeing how the next season plays the remainder of this episode out.

Richtsje: It won’t be easy for the two of them, and all those things you mentioned came to my mind as well. Remember how Callen teased Sam about the loss of Charlene? And the clowns, and the claustrophobia-matter? That IS a lot indeed.
It is a small space they’re stuck in, and it will be just as uncomfortable for Callen. We are unaware where the submarine will be heading to and why; and an extra trigger is the fact that it is NOT filled with drugs but with a lot of stuff to make explosives with!

Justdreaming 83: Let’s just hope Callen doesn’t offer the “giant teddy bear” another hug. Sam‘s discipline and patience can only last so long.

ChrisDaisy: If there is anybody who can find a way out of this situation, it’s Callen and Sam (with the help of the team, of course). They will somehow manage to get rid of all the bad guys without being hurt themselves (or maybe just a little – Callen in hospital for a few days would sure be interesting) and I am certain that at least one of them is capable of steering a submarine 🙂

And yes, Callen might give Sam a hard time but only to the extent to keep him alert and in „agent mode“. He can be sensible with the big guy and he knows exactly how to handle him. It’ll be interesting to see what they are going to do!

Fan GCallen: Well, if those two actually have time to get on each other’s nerves… Callen can start by singing show tunes or hum some jazz music, or offer Sam a hug (after all, he did get one from Sam in S5!) if Sam were to start panicking and getting claustrophobic and annoying Callen to no end (now this would be fun to see, I’d imagine.)

But frankly, I think the action would be fast paced and they would be trying to figure out a way to outsmart the baddies. And maybe, just maybe (fingers crossed!) there might be some Callen-Sam bonding time at the end of the episode where they have some heart-to-heart talks with each other. Something similar to when Sam told Callen his fear of losing his partner.

 Richtsje: A good talk between friends, every now and then, would be very welcome indeed!

 

A very special thanks to Justdreaming83 for helping to make this post go live!

 

10 thoughts on “Callen’s Corner: Redacted Files, IV

  1. skippy2105

    Great ideas – all of them.
    Please allow me to share my thoughts with your comments.
    Redacted File 4,470:
    I don’t know if I would call it “open up” but he seems more relaxed.
    I haven’t seen Callen sharing any insights of his life to anybody (maybe Sam, but he did that before). And he didn’t have any personal talks with Hetty for ages.
    I am totally with you that I love the lone wolf, mysterious and dark side of Callen. I hope we will see more of that in S6.

    Redacted File 4,471:
    I hope that they skip the romance of the show, I mean all of it. I don’t like that part which, unfortunately, had to much focus at some episodes.
    Yes I agree with you “Fan GCallen”, with everything!

    My guess is that they will keep Joelle just for some tragic event/case that might happen some time later (maybe even in S7, if there will be a S7).

    Redacted File 4,472:
    It is not only Sam trapped in confined spaces but also the fact that after all that happend in the season opener, Sam might snap. It might be too much for him (Nate mentioned something like this to Hetty in the “Impact” Eps.).
    So for Callen it is not only keeping the bad guys under control but also Sam.
    We will just have to wait and see what will happen.

    1. BH72

      Great thinking on bringing Nate’s words about Sam to our attention. I wonder where the writers and Shane Brennan are going with this story line.

  2. ChrisDaisy

    Sorry – forgot to mention in the post:
    Of course you are more than welcome to share your thoughts with us and participate in our “roundtable discussion”.

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts, skippy2105!

    You’re right, Nate did mention the possibility of Sam snapping… mmh – something more to think about…
    But if somebody can deal with Sam in such a situation, it’s Callen (yes, I have a deep trust in Callen and his skills :)!

  3. Richtsje

    Might seem odd to hear it from me, but hey, Christine, love to read the post like it is!

    Skippy: you’re right in there. Even though Callen seems to open up, he still is not someone who gives away too much. In a way it makes him a mystery man… which I like as it is.

    1. LasiaMsinred

      I agree. Callen is a mysterious man and that’s what we love about him. I like his darkside simply because I believe that everyone has a darkside and having G’s experiences on your back and the new knowledge about the loving family he had might make him go rough and go after everyone who took it away from him. ***which I would like to see bc it seems like “natural” reaction to me**
      I do believe that he still hasn’t found his home…kinda sad but if you give it a deeper thought only the fact that he used to live in this house for 3 months,yes, with a loving family, doesn’t make it his safe haven.
      The dating issue is such a flop :-I
      I like to see that some ppl agree with me that they couldn’t have started this topic in a weirder way.
      I agree with Richtsje. Even no one wants to hear about Paris…they didn’t start on a lie…same goes for Grace and Tracy,maybe even for agent Gordiano. If it’s meant to be he’ll meet someone.
      I’d like them to pick up the Elise-blogging topic again.It was funny.

  4. Domingo

    Callen has a darkside and has been involved in “Black Ops” so there would be redacted files.

    I would like to see some of these Black ops re-occur in Callne’s life it all adds to the mystery about him.

    You are right there hasn’t been much about Callen in this series apart from pm the 100 episode, so if we can move on from Densie perhaps we can have more on Callen and his relationship with Sam.

    Grainger must have acces to Callen files, and I wonder if that could be a cause for some of the friction between them, Hetty protects Callen so,if she is absent from the team for a while this could open up a whole can of worms.

    Just watching a repeat of “Past Lives” on UK TV reminds me just how good Callen is under cover, and how enjoyable Nate was in this episode.

  5. mckenna

    LOVED this discussion, great questions and thoughts brought up to ponder over during the summer.

  6. Linda

    Well, I am late as usual to make my comments but here goes. I want to say that I agree generally with what everyone has said already. It is an excellent analysis. Thank you. I have been rewatching NCISLA from the beginning and I am in Season 1. I notice a difference of course. The stories are serious, but the mood was lighter then. There was more banter between Sam and Callen, but Callen was still mysterious and edgy. Just how I like him. By season 5 and probably into season 6 I see him opening up more. He already has found out about his past in some detail. He knows about his mother and father and he knows that he did have a loving family. You can’t take that away from him and he is still mysterious. There is still so much more to learn. He trusts more now, and I believe that he will continue to do so in the future.
    As for Joelle, she will probably be back. I think that he is happier in his life because of her. I don’t think that it is serious but it is good for him to have that relationship. I like her. She is sweet, but how honest is he going to be able to be? Will she be in a serious story? Who knows? I just wish they would stop discussing his private life. Callen is and always will be a private person. Just mention her from time to time.
    I think Callen and Sam will be fine in the sub. I feel that probably Callen will joke with him, but he knows how far he can go. Sam has the discipline to deal with anything. I think they are going to be focused on how to get off the darn thing. I really don’t think that they are going to be on it that long. How do they get out anyway?
    I am looking forward to season 6. It is going to be a long summer.

  7. Charla

    I loved this discussion thanks ChrisDaisy! Here’s my thoughts. I agree I don’t like the romance. To me it just doesn’t seem to fit. You can’t start a potential relationship based on lies. And if he were to tell Joelle who he really was, she might figure out who Sam and Michelle really are. No good for anyone. Yes, Callen does date, but I think what really bothered me was it was almost like they threw it in our face and pushed it way to hard. I thought I remember Callen telling Hetty that he wanted to find out his real family before starting his own. As far as Joelle coming back, I don’t know. I maybe wrong and it maybe wishful thinking, but I think it sort of blew up in the writers/directors face. I noticed toward the end of the season nothing was mentioned. Maybe because so many people got so upset about it on Twitter. The romance in general seemed to make a lot of people upset. Hopefully next season we will see more about Callens past, family, maybe we can see Arkady again.

  8. I Feel Possessed

    I enjoyed reading these redacted files comments and on the whole, agree with most of it. As season 1 is showing on UK TV (as well as S5) it is interesting to see the change in Callen. Callen in S1 is mysterious, edgy, untrusting and with a ‘bad boy’ vibe.

    As the show has progressed, and Callen finds out more about his past, his family – and finally has proof that he once was part of a loving family – he has become more relaxed, less edgy and more trusting. I do not see that he has become more open at all. His ‘edginess’ and darker side still materialise when he goes ‘lone wolf’ – as in the 100th episode.

    This is exemplified by the way he stayed in the restaurant for the blind date with Joelle and is enjoying the relationship. I agree that we do not need the romance – there is more enough with Densi and the Geek twins in ops! For the moment, Joelle is being used as a comedic tool but I do wonder if her greater purpose might be to get hurt in some way because of Callen’s job/his past.

    I have enjoyed the S5 bonding between Callen, Sam & Deeks and I hope S6 will continue with this, draw some more parallels between Callen & Deeks (I want to see them paired up or drawn together for an episode or two). Callen’s search for his past must continue as my greatest bug-bear for S5 is that the 100th episode was stand alone and might well as never happened. It doesn’t necessarily warrant another episode of its own, but to see how his family’s past might affect future cases….After all, Callen’s father was a Major in the KGB and as per NCISLA, the Cold War seems to be warming up again…

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