Episode 6, Season 12 - "If The Fates Allow"

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," the song from which the title of this episode comes, is a melancholy song even though it's about one of the happiest holidays of the year, but it was appropriate for this episode. Written by Andrew Bartels, this was truly an ensemble episode, and although there were a few less satisfying scenes, it provided some memorable moments. The case itself was nothing special--drug smuggling across the border--but the individual threads woven through the episode created a tapestry of emotional stories.

I'll start with the Callen thread since this was tied directly to the week's case. The writers have only flashed back to Callen's childhood foster experience one other time in 12 seasons, so this was special. In this trip back into Callen's past, Bartels gave us a glimpse of an event in his foster experience with one of his many foster siblings, Raymond Lewis. Callen's never spoken at length about his life as a foster child, and it may be that Raymond was one of the few friends he made during those years, but what happened between them was obviously important to both.

The Callen thread was beautifully acted, and I appreciated that this flashback took place long before Callen met Hetty, and that the actors chosen for the young roles were perfect. The actor who played Raymond as an adult, Demetrius Grosse, was a wonderful combination of gentleness, humility, and warmth and his scenes with Callen were magical. Because of the events when they were young, Callen didn't tell Raymond who he was when he began his interrogation, and during this first scene in the boatshed you could see Callen expected that at any moment Raymond would recognize him, and that was a moment he dreaded. His anxiety was palpable. We already knew that Callen believed he was the reason Raymond spent time in prison earlier in his life, but we didn't know exactly what had happened or why he blamed himself. (We learn in flashbacks that Raymond came to Callen's defense when he was being bullied, and it was after beating up the boy bullying Callen that Raymond started down the road to prison. While this flashback was heartwarming, it conflicted with the earlier history of Callen recalled in "Reznikov, N." when he shares a foster experience in which he retaliated against his foster dad who was beating him.According to the timeline, that occurred before this flashback, and a boy who stood up to an adult is hardly likely to back down from a kid a year later.) After this initial conversation, Callen stepped out to speak to Sam, relieved that Raymond hadn't recognized him. (Callen's reluctance to talk about about his past tells us how painful it still is. He doesn't even talk about the "good" things, such as being a lifeguard.)  Anyway, when he re-entered the room, prepared to take Raymond to see his wife at the hospital, that's when Raymond realized who the NCIS agent was, and the scene of recognition was beautifully acted: Raymond's simple, warm greeting to his foster brother and Callen's reaction of surprise, relief, and confusion were perfect. Throughout this episode, the relationship between Callen and Raymond was genuine and believable, and their conversations revealed how Raymond was able to turn his life around--with the love and support of his wife--and how Callen's feelings for Anna have grown so that he can share something of what he feels for her with Raymond. Callen saw the love between Sam and Michelle and  sees the love between Kensi and Deeks, and they're his family now, but they can't relate to Callen's life experience. Raymond's different. He can relate on a more personal level to Callen's experience, and this is new for Callen. Through Raymond Callen can, at least for a moment, catch a glimpse of what his life could be with Anna, and that he doesn't have to be alone. As he told Lance in an earlier season, "We're not in foster homes anymore. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves."  Whether Callen will move forward and try to make this glimpse a reality in his own life is up to the writers. For the past few seasons, they've been very stingy with happiness for Callen, so that's a big "maybe."  

The second thread was the Densi house hunting/financial woes/job worries thread. The writers still haven't explained why these two are suddenly looking to buy, but in the previous episode they put in an offer on a house and now, Deeks has realized that they can't swing it financially, so, he decides that the only option is to sell the bar. This is hard for both to accept, and Kensi goes off to work while Deeks decides to workout. At one point, Kensi urges Deeks to ask Beale to repay some of the loans Deeks gave him years ago since Beale now has a successful company. Needless to say, everything works out in the end when Hetty comes through and has pulled whatever strings she needed to pull to send Deeks for FLETC training so that he can become an actual NCIS agent. (In reality, Deeks isn't too old for FLETC training; he's too old to apply to NCIS to become an agent. Why the writers made this change is one of those things we'll never know.) The final scene in a decorated OSP between Hetty, Kensi, and Deeks was lovely, but for me it was no "Christmas miracle." If you didn't expect Hetty to come through for Kensi and Deeks, I'd say you probably haven't been watching NCIS:LA long enough.

And then there was the Sam and Kam and Katherine thread although it was so short maybe it should be called a stitch. I enjoyed seeing Kam--it's been too long since we last saw her--but the brevity of their screentime was a "blink and you'll miss it" moment. We learned about her plans to attend Annapolis, but when Sam wanted her to meet Katherine, she begged out to spend time with her friends. The conversation between Sam and Katherine while he was waiting for Kensi was the best scene so far between them because both seemed real--especially Katherine. She was such an extreme caricature when she was introduced, it was nice to see Bartels tone her down and make her more approachable but still with an independent streak (her story about cutting the brake lines was just right). Still, I felt a little cheated: I wanted a longer scene between Sam and Kam or a longer scene between Sam and Katherine or both. I hope both of those happen later this season.

And finally we had the Beale thread. He's always been a character, but in the past few seasons, he's been more goofy and immature than brilliant. This episode he seemed much more like the early Beale: smart but quirky in a nerdy kind of way, and even his "meltdown" was more subdued than they've been of late. We learn he's started a company and signed a multi-billion dollar contract with the Defense Department, but he's back at OSP because he's brought an update to the Kaleidoscope program, and after there's a brief hiccup, he gets everything working as it should. And the new version proves useful right away. To me, this was the most bittersweet thread because it seemed like Beale's farewell (he wore a visitor badge) and if it was, I will miss him. 

The end of the episode is the other reason this episode was bittersweet. The final scenes begin with Raymond's wife singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" to Raymond and Callen in the hospital before he takes her home, and during the song we see the other members of the team: Beale walking through OSP alone, Sam still trying to arrange a meeting between Kam and Katherine--and failing, Beale in Ops where Nell says her goodbye ("So even if you aren't here anymore, a part of you kinda will be.") The Christmas episodes have taken on a noticeably less happy tone since Michelle's death, and Callen hasn't celebrated Christmas with the team since season 8. This season is no different; it finds him spending Christmas alone. The only team members who got a "Christmas miracle" in this episode were Kensi and Deeks. 

A Few Extras:

• After 11 seasons, the ability of the most subtle and nuanced expressions of Callen to pack so much emotion is still remarkable.
  
• Callen offering to pay for Paula's surgery was a lovely gesture.
  
• I was really surprised that there was no Nell-Beale hug. It seems strange that she would be so emotional about Deeks' possibly leaving but so calm and unemotional by Beale's apparent departure. Does that mean Beale's not leaving and that, like Hetty, he will make an appearance every so often?
• The photo of Callen and Raymond at Jerry's was a nice touch.
• Beale's compliment to Fatima was sweet.
• It seemed out of character for Beale to not even offer to repay the money Deeks loaned him years ago. Beale is more principled and appreciative of support than that.
• It was cute that Kam swam aboard, but swimming through a crowded harbor without more protective equipment seems gross.