Season 14, Episode 2 - "Of Value"

 

This episode was better than the premiere which isn't to say it wasn't without some problems. Still, it gives this viewer hope. Unfortunately, the problems involved the plot (still) and characters (still), but before addressing those, there were several things that worked, and worked very well.

The writer, Harimoto, did a good job of subtly weaving some current and past storylines into this episode. The flashback to Pembroke was well done and tying the lie Anna told Callen in "Cash Flow" when she left to hunt Katya to her interview for a new job in this episode was clever. (It was also appropriate that Harimoto clean up that mess since he wrote "Cash Flow.") The conversation between Kensi and Deeks regarding Rosa and her progress at school was natural and reflected the personalities of both characters. Rountree did well in ops, and his relationship with Kilbride is continuing to develop. The pairing of Callen and Deeks has always worked, so that was a plus (it's happened rarely the past few seasons), and their conversation reflected Deeks' effort to "bond" with Callen while Callen showed a genuine interest in Rosa but was reluctant to divulge personal details about his relationship with Anna. (He did tell Deeks about Anna's struggle to find her niche as a married woman who's no longer working in law enforcement, and that was a lot of information considering the source, but when Deeks brought up the subject of children, that was the end of that conversation.) Deeks comment, "I don't receive it," was a throwback to LL (I remember him making the comment on Queen Latifah's talk show). Kensi and Fatima have partnered up in the past, and they work well together as mentor and mentee (and the "favorite aunt" comment was perfect). Kensi knowing the name of the business was Hebrew was a nice touch. The way these women took out the bad guys all by themselves was also well done--not over-the-top but effective and loved the soundtrack behind the action. (Fatima using the expanding baton reminded me of when Anna used it in "Se Murio El Payaso.") It was also good to see Kilbride finally bring the LAPD and FBI into the case once he determined that military infrastructure probably wasn't the target. I did like that Callen was so concerned about the Sandhagen's kids (he mentioned that it was good they hadn't seen their parents kidnapped and then, at the end, he noted that the nanny almost make two kids orphans by what she did). He may not want to talk about having kids, but he thinks about kids.

But the the scenes that worked best in this episode, without question, were the scenes between Callen and Anna. These were the first scenes ever where they had a conversation that didn't happen before, after, or during a case or before being sent to prison or while injured or while on the run or while in hiding . . .  and they were very natural and comfortable together. This is the first time they could, as a couple, sit and talk about themselves and their future. Yes, Callen is still thinking about Pembroke and Hetty, but at this moment, he's not involved in searching for either of them. (After Callen had that flashback to Pembroke, it was nice that Anna didn't press him about it; she has always been one to give him space, but she also sounded slightly worried about him going after Pembroke because things are so good for them now--a realistic emotion since their entire relationship has been fraught with dangers and obstacles since they first met.) This was a well-deserved time-out because it gave the characters a chance to further develop their relationship and for viewers to actually see some of this development--something that's been sorely lacking for this couple over the seasons. And the soundtrack over the final scene was an excellent choice.

Now, what didn't work in this episode plotwise (and too often these things are something a professional writer or the showrunner should see and correct before the episode ever makes it to production). The basic plot was a stretch: NCIS investigating the kidnapping of architects (even with a military connection), but accepting that, there were some other things that posed some problems. The first problem was the day of the week. It obviously wasn't a weekend because Kensi was at Rosa's school, but to see Callen and Anna strolling down the street in the morning--and not the early morning--was something I'd expect on a weekend, not a work day. Besides, no team member griped about being called in on the weekend. But if it was a weekday, why weren't the Sandhagen's kids in school? And their nanny taking them into a safe room didn't give them a clue that something was going on? Does she do that often? How about when they came out and their parents were gone. Then did they have a clue that something was wrong? It seemed weird that Rountree couldn't get a bearing on Kensi's car. (The cars don't have Lojack?) I didn't understand the whole "we have to open each lock manually." If the locks aren't opened manually, how else would they be opened? Maybe on a timer? I found the timeline a little confusing: the owners of the business saw the bad guys coming and locked themselves inside their own vault and that's why the Sandhagens were kidnapped. So, the bad guys got to the business, found the owners locked inside the vault and then went and kidnapped the Sandhagens OR did the bad guys kidnap the Sandhagens before they arrived at the business to rob it in case the owners locked themselves in the vault? And that vault got opened so quickly after the bad guys were taken out. Were the Sandhagen's just stalling?

The problems with the characters were also ones that should have been "fixed" before filming began. The first problem was Callen not knowing why Sam wasn't at work. Come on, guys. These two have been partners for 15+ years, but Sam's not going to tell Callen that he won't be at work because he's taking his dad to see a specialist, and it was just a coincidence that Callen drove himself to work that morning? And then there was the Callen - Fatima conversation. Forget that he asked the newbie where his partner was, Callen would NEVER invite himself to her family's Sunday brunch. Callen might invite himself to a family gathering Sam was having. It's even a little questionable if Callen would invite himself to a family gathering Kensi and Deeks were arranging, but for him to invite himself to a Namazi--or a Rountree or a Kilbride--family gathering would simply never happen And then he doesn't include Anna, his fiancée? Seriously. That was just ridiculous. Whatever the purpose the writers have for the Callen - Fatima forced friendship, it needs to stop because the writing for Callen is extremely out of character. Fatima's admission to Kensi that she's finding dating and the whole "relationship" with the guy she's currently seeing difficult was a nice insight, but the dramatic change in her life doesn't make sense to me. (In an earlier season, she explained that her best friend had died in a car accident because she was driving drunk, but that doesn't logically translate into joining the military. It's one thing to join the military after 9/11--like Pat Tillman did--but if a friend dies because of driving under the influence, it seems more logical to put your celebrity status to use to promote safe driving or join an organization that works with people overcoming addiction or who've been victims of drunk drivers. If Fatima had been planning on joining the military before her acting career, her move to the military would make sense, but there's no indication of that.) Fatima's okay as a character, but it doesn't seem as if the writers have clear, established ideas of who some of the characters are.

The whole Kilbride - Ladd storyline was just an add-on that had no connection to the main case. It seemed an effort to replicate the Hetty - Keane storyline, but without any development or real background, it made little impact. The idea of including actual vets and storylines about the difficulties of vets returning home is a good idea, but they should be integrated and integral elements in the episode and not tokens in a subplot that's tagged on to make the episode feel more "military." (The justification Kilbride makes for drinking wasn't a particularly good look with alcoholism among vets being a real health issue.)

One thing that stands out--as it did in season 13--is that this team needs a regular technical operator. They rely so much on technology--from running background and financial checks, to facial recognition, to utilizing Kaleidoscope to find suspects, to communicating with each other--it's absurd that OSP still doesn't have a technical operator. 

Overall, the episode had its pluses and minuses, but it was worth it just for the chance to see Callen and Anna have a comfortable conversation that moves their individual and couple storylines along.