"All the Little Things" (Season 13, Episode 11)

 

This episode was better than more recent episodes, but that doesn't mean it didn't have problems, and as usual, the problems are of the writer's own making. First, a brief recap.

The case involves an abandoned baby on an aircraft carrier, and Kensi and Deeks are sent to help the agent afloat locate the mother who may be suffering from complications after giving birth. After interviewing crew members and shortly after beginning their investigation, Kensi and Deeks return to the location where the baby was found and find the mother, unconscious. She's taken to medical and cared for. When she wakes and is questioned by them, she reveals that she was raped by a civilian contractor she was escorting around the carrier while he was working. He's arrested on shore by Callen and Rountree while the mother is shipped to the naval hospital in San Diego where her baby is being treated. 

One of the best things about this episode for me was that there was no emotional Densi scene. Too many of those--like we had in season 12--lessens their impact. Kensi and Deeks worked well together on the carrier, but I did wish Deeks was more serious in his behavior, especially when the case involves a mother and child. I get that being relaxed and easy-going are part of his personality, but there's a time and place for everything, and searching for a mother--who's possibly dying--doesn't seem like the time for being relaxed (like casually asking passing sailors to take their temperature). Overall, their banter was easy and fun; I especially liked Deeks' comment that Kensi is the worst storyteller and the scene where the mother decides to name her baby Evelyn. The case ends with everyone safe or arrested, but there is more going on.

This is the first episode without Sam, but his absence was explained early, and frankly, the case was so simple, there would have been nothing for him to do--just as there was nothing for Rountree to do until the very end. (I still don't understand the reason for his extended absence.)

The other thread involves Callen and his search for Hetty and information about his past. We also finally see Anna again who was last seen 15 episodes ago in season 12. And because of her absence, in this episode the writer tries to make up for the conversation(s) between them that we should have seen, and his attempt to make up for those missing conversations leads to a conversation that doesn't make any sense in the current context.

While Callen and Anna are strolling on the beach--itself a nice scene--he asks her about her school, the Institute for Noble Maidens. Wow. The writer wants us to believe that months after rescuing Anna from Katya's associates and learning that she attended the Institute of Noble Maidens, Callen is just now getting around to asking her about it? That's ridiculous and, for me, pointed out what a mistake it was to ignore the conversation between them that we should have seen in an earlier episode. After so many months have passed since her rescue, it would have made far more sense for Callen and Anna to talk about his search for Hetty, maybe even what he found in Katya's safety deposit box, and what--if anything--he learned from Leah (who was evidently a pointless distraction). Instead, they talked about something that they would have talked about months earlier. And the idea that Anna knows how much Hetty "cares" about Callen comes off as phony to me because Hetty's done nothing since season 7 that demonstrates any special "motherly affection" for Callen. Callen's comment about being on a farm in Idaho and not knowing where he belongs came out of left field and conflicts with his comment at the end of "Mother" when he told Hetty that his place in this world made sense. It's not that he might not be confused after learning that he was Subject 17; it's that the writers never give us scenes of him struggling with his conflicting emotions. Those are more difficult to write and so, it seems, they just avoid them altogether. That makes their job easier, but it makes things more confusing for the viewer (and probably the actor). One of the best things about their scenes together in this episode was how comfortable they are together and how far they've come as a couple even though we haven't been given the chance to really see this growth. During their walk on the beach, Anna tells Callen that as long as she can smell the ocean, she feels safe and asks him what makes him feel safe. He replies, "You do."  When she laughs his reply off and tells him she appreciates his answer but he's totally lying, he assures her he's not lying. That he tells her this indicates how much he's come to trust her, something that shows he's gotten past the lie she told him about her trip to Santa Cruz and not telling him earlier about her schooling. Still, he doesn't seem ready yet to ask her to marry him. Hopefully, the writers will move this relationship further--and let us see it progress--until Callen reaches that point.

This Callen thread also weaves in scenes with Zasha and Keane, and these are effective. They provide some details about Hetty's mission and a possible reason she undertook it: the hostages being held could be NCIS agents (maybe Turk or Grace?). We knew that Callen sent Zasha to Syria to track down Hetty, and it makes sense that Hetty would enlist Keane as her overwatch--and that he would be willing to do it. The fact that Keane also knows something about the program for children isn't unbelievable since he worked for the CIA.

Nate also returned, and his return was nicely explained and made some sense, but his first scene with Kilbride reinforced my opinion that Kilbride is the worst, most unprofessional person who's been "in charge" of OSP, and the idea that he ever rose to the rank of admiral is insulting to the Navy. His questions about what Hetty might be doing in Syria were fine, but referring to a team of NCIS Special Agents as an "island of misfit toys" is incredibly insulting. And his comment about not wanting to know "which one still wets the bed" is more than simply insulting; it shows an enormous lack of respect for the agents and for Nate as the operational psychologist. Why the writer thinks Kilbride's attitude is funny--because I'm certain this was supposed to be humorous--is a mystery. And later, in their second meeting, Kilbride tells Nate that he isn't worried about Sam or Kensi (so there are only two misfit toys on the island, it seems), and Deeks is a basket case (even Granger wasn't so condescending), but he is worried about Callen because of his past (the same Callen he made a snarky "reiki" comment about to Fatima). Honestly, the writing for Kilbride is some of the worst I've ever seen; it's a shame to waste an actor of McRaney's talent. Anyway, Nate is, of course, surprised and shocked that Callen was a subject in the secret CIA program, and Kilbride wants him to return to work with Callen. Hopefully, this will not be another conversation the writers ignore. (And for goodness sakes, children in the Russian program were called ravens and swans, not ravens and sparrows; it's the title of the episode.)

There were other issues that didn't work, issues that could have been avoided if the writer had paid more attention to details. First, it's unlikely the baby we see is 29 weeks old (a 29 week old baby weighs approximately 3 lbs.). Was the point of making the baby a preemie because it's unlikely a woman could disguise her pregnancy on an aircraft carrier for 9 months? Maybe, but even for 29 weeks, it was fortunate that her pregnancy didn't interfere with her duties, especially with morning sickness and frequent trips to the bathroom. And why would the agent afloat ask Special Agent Blye and Inspector Deeks if they had any children? It's obvious that she didn't know them (she didn't even know Deeks' rank). Why would she "assume" they're a couple or ask such a personal question that has nothing to do with the investigation? Also, it's not possible to identify the mother's blood type from the baby's blood type, especially when the father's blood type isn't known (but the hCG hormone remains for several days or weeks after a woman gives birth and can be identified with a simple blood test). 

With a few noticeable problems, the episode was still good, far better than a majority of episodes recently. The ending was very good and opens up a number of possible directions. One thing apparent from that ending is that whoever is using the "deep fake" seems as intent on harming Callen as Anna, maybe even more intent on harming him. I hope the writers can stay focused and carry this storyline to a logical, well-written conclusion, and I hope we see both Anna and Nate before this storyline reaches its resolution. Having important events happen in Callen's life offscreen is lazy writing, and as viewers, we deserve to see this main character tackle and work through such major issues, issues which are every bit as important to him as having a family is to Kensi and Deeks.