Season 14, Episode 8--"Let It Burn"

What a horrible fall finale. It's bad enough that the main actors are going to be missing four episodes this season, but when they are in an episode, to have them off-screen for most of the episode is just awful writing. This episode was disappointing all around. [Some viewers may think my use of the word "horrible" is too critical, so I'm offering an explanation. In a procedural, a fall finale is either a cliffhanger (like the fall finale in The Equalizer) or a "feel good" episode with a special, emotional, or cute moment for every member of the main cast (as used to be the case in the Christmas episodes of NCIS:LA). This episode was neither a cliffhanger or a "feel good" episode, and worse, a new guest character played a prominent role (it's one thing to have a recurring guest character--Mama Deeks, Anna, Arkady, Kam, Aiden, Raymond--who has an established relationship with a main character in a fall finale, and another to introduce a character who we may/may not ever see again). Granted, this character had previously had a relationship with Rountree, but--regardless of how much the writer and the producers want, or think, Rountree is as significant a team member as the original four, he isn't--to build a fall finale around him and a relationship with a new guest character was a terrible decision.]

A fall finale should have all the main characters in the episode; it shouldn't be introducing Rountree's former girlfriend. There was nothing in this episode that required it be shown in this spot in the sequence of episodes. The only detail it included that was related to an ongoing storyline was Kilbride giving Callen some information about Pembroke, and those scenes were badly written. Again, Kilbride goes off on an agent when there's been no indication that Callen has let his personal search for Pembroke interfere with his work, so Kilbride again comes off as a bitching, cranky, old man (same as the previous week with Deeks). And the conversation itself made no sense because at one point Kilbride tells Callen to quit while he's ahead--which means some of Callen's points have merit--and then, after berating him for having his personal search take his focus off his work, Kilbride wants Callen to use the entire work day to read the material he's collected on Pembroke. Make up your mind, writer: Kilbride is pissed that Callen isn't focused enough on work so he gives him time off work to spend time on what's keeping him from being focused on work? For some reason, the writers are making Kilbride treat Callen with more disrespect than any of the other agents. Describing Callen's time as a subject in the Drona Program as "unhappy" was a slap in the face. After all, Kilbride considered Katya's training (which was similar to what Callen endured) to be conducted by "monsters," but Callen's experience was just "unhappy." And Kilbride's entire final speech, while it might have sounded good to the writer on paper, was actually pretty damning and reflected a callousness on the part of Kilbride. First, he essentially said that the end (saving lives and national security) justified the means (torture and mistreatment of children in the Drona Program). And while his comment that Callen keeps people safe everyday was probably supposed to be a compliment and excuse the treatment he received in the program, the other agents also keep people safe without having endured the horrible treatment inflicted by Pembroke. And why on earth would Callen talk to Kilbride about anything personal? Callen has always kept his work and his personal life separate. If he talks to anyone at work, it's his partner, not the boss unless it's Hetty. And other than Sam, Callen would likely talk to Anna about personal things. And Callen's final question made no sense: Why would he think he's either a mistake or a dark, ugly thing Hetty has to carry to the grave? Would the writer think Deeks is a mistake or a dark, ugly thing his father had to carry to the grave? Doubt it. Both Deeks and Callen were victims; victims are not to blame for the abuse and injury inflicted on them. Even if Callen didn't do what he'd been trained to do or if he went off the rails like Akhos, he would still have been the victim of the training he endured while a child. The only "dark, ugly thing" would be the person who submitted children to the program (apparently Hetty) and the person who inflicted the abuse on them (Pembroke). This is where a writer who doesn't know the character writes a "powerful" line that sounds good but makes no sense based on the character's personality and background.

And the behavior of the agents is getting silly. For an "elite" team, they often act more like college students. I mean, Rountree couldn't even remember to bring his own swim trunks, so he just put on a pair that belonged to someone else? And he walks around the boatshed in a towel? That's an Arkady move. And Fatima eavesdrops and shares details with Kilbride? There's less and less gravitas to their actions. It's possible to tell "personal" stories and still be professional in your behavior. 

The plot itself was forgettable (but there would not be one adult chaperoning 25 high school students in DC, even if she is a special agent).

This was a very, very disappointing fall finale.