Episode 255 - "The Circle": An End and a Beginning

What a difference a week--and a writer--make. The same actors solving a crime are about the only similarities between "Commitment Issues" and "The Circle." One was abysmal and the other outstanding, and based on my review of last week's "Commitment Issues," this week's "The Circle" is obviously outstanding.

The episode opens with human traffickers in the process of moving their victims from a semi to a cage to await their fate, like cattle, when one of those kidnapped tries to escape and is killed in front of the others as a warning. From this disturbing image, the scene shifts to Callen and Sam in the armory reviewing files of prospective agents to bring onto the team.They have disagreements about the qualifications of these prospective new team members, and they end without reaching a consensus when Sam leaves to keep his dinner date with Katherine. 

After the armory, the story shifts to the Squid and Dagger--quickly becoming the NCIS hangout in L.A. During the conversation between Callen, Kensi, and Deeks, the question is again asked and answered, sort of, about Callen taking Hetty's place, but only after Deeks brings up the taboo subject of the video of Anna in Spain which only Callen and Nell were supposed to know about, but Nell told Beale who told Kensi who told Deeks who then spilled the beans to Callen, as those things go. Callen does answer this question, admitting that his leads have turned into dead ends, and if Anna doesn't want to be found, she won't be. Later that evening at closing time, Callen tells the bartender that he'll lock up. And it's when Callen is all alone that Anna makes her appearance. From here, the episode takes off, wrapping up previous storylines, filling in missing blanks, and exploring the complex relationship between Callen and Anna and the parallel lives of Callen and Darius.

The first "missing blank" filled in is what happened to Anna after Callen and his NCIS team left her behind in Cuba with Joelle. This conversation between them is almost formal in its lack of emotion: Anna comes with a warning for Callen, and that seems to be her sole objective. Callen, who respects personal privacy more than any other member of the team, doesn't push for answers even though he has spent countless hours searching for her. He lets Anna share whatever she feels comfortable sharing with him, and because Anna feels comfortable with Callen, she shares more than just a warning. This may be because she knows he's been searching for her; it may be an effort to alleviate any guilt he may feel for leaving her behind, but for viewers, it provides background that helps explain her current status. The warning she brings is that Darius--who Callen met when rescuing Nikita--has arrived in Los Angeles. Finding him and trying to turn him to become an asset for U.S. intelligence is Anna's assignment, but knowing the history between the Comescus and Callen's family, she reveals her intel in order to warn Callen. This in itself shows that she still has feelings for Callen, and Darius' presence raises strong feelings in Callen, not only because the Comescus destroyed his family, but because Darius was Nikita's surrogate son and because he is using the Comescu name now instead of Nikita's.

In OSP the next morning, Nell and Beale arrive discussing the latest twist in the Comescu story before getting to work locating Darius--with a quick nod to Nell's paper and the Comescus Callen has killed. Their discovery that both Hetty and Anna are in Mosley's office allows a reaction that is both expected and pure Beale when Hetty makes the glass walls opaque to obscure their view. In her office, the conversation between Hetty, Callen, and Anna, is all business. Anna states that no one in the CIA knows she's in L.A., and Callen acknowledges the risks she's taking by being here because she's still a fugitive. (This makes it clear that although now working for the CIA, Anna's legal problems and status as a fugitive still exist filling in another "blank.") Anna leaves after assuring Hetty that she will lay low during the effort to find Darius, but making clear that finding Darius is her mission. Once Anna leaves, Callen and Hetty discuss Darius with Callen asking Hetty for her assessment since he "interacted" with Darius for only a few seconds while escaping the bunker in Cuba. Her comments are not encouraging: when she found Darius, he was struggling between following in the footsteps of the Comescus or following in the footsteps of Nikita. This is the first instance of parallelism between Callen and Darius because Callen faced a similar struggle when Hetty took him in. Now, Callen's only interest is keeping his family safe, and he's taken steps to ensure this. We don't know if Alex has allowed Callen back into her and Jake's lives, but this lets us know that even if she hasn't, Callen still views them as his family--a relationship he seems determined to hold onto.

After Anna leaves Hetty's office, she reunites with Kensi and Sam downstairs, and this reunion is lovely and heartfelt. Kensi apologizes for leaving Anna in Cuba, but Anna downplays that and turns the conversation to the wedding, and Kensi is happy to share photos. When Callen comes downstairs, Sam is obviously interested in hearing more, but Callen turns the tables and asks about his date with Katherine. The three agents then head out to locate Darius after Nell and Beale find a lead, but Anna stays behind. They capture Darius, but only after he's managed to kill again. Darius' capture leads to three of the most powerful and important scenes in this episode.

The first scene is Anna's arrival at the boat shed where Darius is being held. She announces that she's going to question him, but Callen stops her, and their conversation evolves into matching insults in the presence of a very uncomfortable Kensi. This conversation reveals the strong-wills of both Callen and Anna and more. Callen and Anna have a history of difficulty establishing intimate personal relationships because of the personal baggage each carries. Callen's comparison of Anna to Joelle reflects that, in his eyes, the Anna standing before him at that moment reminds him of the woman who betrayed him, a woman focused so intently on her mission that she lost sight of the human cost. It was Joelle's focus that led her to betray Callen, a betrayal that still affects him emotionally, and this focus led her to choose her career over her husband and son. Anna agreeing with Joelle's view of Callen doesn't suggest that Anna agrees with Joelle as much as that she's lashing out because his comments hit too close to home. Before more insults are hurled, Nell and Beale interrupt with information about some photos found in the possession of Darius' latest victims, photos that suggest the brothers were involved in human trafficking. Darius had in his possession a photo of a woman when he was arrested by the agents, and Nell and Beale report that this woman, Mina, was recently reported missing from Comescu territory in Romania. With this information, Callen knows he needs to talk to Darius, and this leads to the second important scene.

When Callen enters the interrogation room where Darius is waiting, handcuffed to the table, he takes a moment before sitting opposite. Callen carries the photo of Mina, but places it face down on the table. He begins by telling Darius that Nikita is dead. Darius has no reaction. Callen then continues by telling Darius that before Nikita died, he shared with Callen stories of Darius' youth: how he loved to hunt and when he fell off the roof after drinking vodka. (This scene tells us how Nikita spent his final days with Callen and fills in more "missing blanks.") What makes this scene powerful is the contrast between the gentle joy Darius' expression reveals as these stories are recounted and the repressed pain evident in Callen's face and voice. He collects himself before he says to Darius, "You had the childhood that I never had." And then we see Hetty, watching this interrogation, and her face expresses all the anguish of a mother. Callen continues, "My life was supposed to be different." But Callen knows that Darius' life should also have been different. Having suffered so much himself, Callen recognizes that Darius is suffering now. He shows Darius Mina's photo knowing what this photo means to him. As Callen continues the interrogation, he surmises that Darius returned to Romania from Cuba to start a new life, a "normal" life, and Callen's emotion is obvious. Darius, unlike Callen, made an effort to leave his other life behind and met a woman to share his life with him. This has eluded Callen his entire adult life, and now he realizes that the woman he wants to share his life with is outside the interrogation room, a fugitive, and may leave Los Angeles once her mission is complete. Callen's frustration is palpable, but he'll help Darius find Mina because that is what he does, that's who he is. Before the interrogation ends, Callen needs to know why Darius is now using the name Comescu and if Darius knows what that name represents, what the Comescus did. Darius' expression changes when he tells Callen that he knows exactly who the Comescus were and what they did. That's the reason he's taken the name: it allows him access he would never have as a Reznikov. Darius tells Callen that he also knows about the blood feud between their families, and the feud, as long as he gets Mina back, is just history to him. Callen tries to get a read on Darius, but like Hetty, he sees the difference between the Darius Comescu and the Darius Reznikov and is unsure which is the "real" one. After Callen has more details about the auction, he presents Darius with an ultimatum and gives him one hour to decide whether or not to help. Callen's plan does not include Darius because he's not yet ready to trust him,and during that hour, Callen returns to OSP to prepare.

It's while preparing for his undercover assignment that the third important scene occurs, again between Callen and Anna. It begins with Anna giving Callen the background of his undercover identity, a truly slimy individual. He thanks her, sarcastically, and there is silence for a moment. Anna then apologizes and tells him that she knows he trusts her. If he didn't, he would not have let her remain in Cuba. Callen then admits that she isn't like Joelle; Joelle never would have told him that Darius was in L.A., and for this he thanks her. Anna admits that working for the CIA with Joelle is changing her in ways she doesn't like, making her into someone different than who she really is. It's hearing this and seeing her desire to get out of her current situation that draws Callen in. When she needed his support after the Sokolov incident, Callen wasn't there. He gave Anna "space" instead of reaching out to see what she needed. It wasn't because he didn't care; he had always worked things out on his own and really didn't know how to help. We saw him admit this in "Answers" when he told Sam that he didn't know what to do to help him after Michelle's death, and Sam assured him that just being there was what mattered. Perhaps this made Callen realize that he hadn't been there for Anna. Listening to Anna now, Sam's words in "Answers" may have come back to him: "That's the outcome of how you played your cards. Another outcome could have been she's [Anna's] in L.A., and you two are together. I know that's what she wanted. I think you wanted it." and "I'm a better man for having told her [Michelle] that I loved her," Callen seems determined to not make the mistakes he's made before. He tells Anna that they can work this out, that they just need to put their heads together; in essence, he's telling her that he is here for her, that she won't be going through this alone. This indicates a major commitment by Callen, one that's been years in the making. As they talk, Callen and Anna move physically closer, and for a man who doesn't engage in public displays of affection, this action shows the depth of his feeling.  All he sees is Anna, and if Beale hadn't interrupted ...

The following scenes involve Callen, Sam, and Darius (whose inclusion was a requirement of Hetty) attending a live auction of trafficking victims while Kensi and Deeks work with LAPD SWAT teams to rescue the bulk of the victims once the auction concludes. During the rescue of the women being auctioned, Callen is drugged and relives his mother's murder: in a powerful sequence, the adult Callen watches his mother murdered, but in this drug-induced nightmare, the Comescu assassin is Darius. Perhaps it's "seeing" Darius in his nightmare that helps Callen put to rest the blood feud that has ravaged both families. Callen trusts Hetty-who trusts Darius-and he's seen Darius keep his word and not turn against him or Sam. Later, when Darius is in danger, Callen is able to see past the nightmare vision and save him. Callen and Darius have both been affected by the blood feud, but it's Callen's acts of helping rescue Mina and of saving Darius that brings it to an end. Callen finally finds within himself the ability to leave his family "history" behind and move forward. And the way forward for him, just as it is for Darius, is through love. For Callen, this love is Anna. 

Of course, it wouldn't be Callen if he didn't still value his privacy and want to keep his relationship with Anna--especially because of the many complications that attend it--away from the well-meaning meddling of his team. This desire to keep things quiet leads to one of the best final scenes of any episode. Here's hoping that the writers continue to develop this romance and we see the relationship between these two blossom into one with all the strength, humor, and intensity these two characters have always exhibited. (I don't see Anna in Callen's apartment for very long as that would be the first place the authorities would look for her. Hetty, however, has many resources at her disposal, and it's long past time that she help her "son" find happiness.)


Just a quick aside:

• Another parallel between Callen and Darius: both are in love with very independent women, and both are/have been desperately searching for these women. What happens now that they've found them is an important part of this story.
• I agree more with Callen's assessment of the candidates than Sam's; Sam seems a little biased towards his favored candidate because of his candidate's military background while dismissing the candidate Callen favors because of that candidate's "privileged" background. Plus, I think there's a difference between finding your purpose in life--which Callen found years ago--and wanting information about your family, but that's not relevant to this episode.