#George Gant | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

typingtess · 8 months ago

Text

youtube

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 Rewatch: “Body Stitchers”

The basics: Alleged artists and confirmed killers the Body Stitchers are back.

Written by: Adam G. Key & Frank Military

Adam George Key co-wrote "Monster" with Frank Military, "Searching" with Kyle Harimoto and “Land of Wolves” with Justin Kohlas. Key also played LAPD Officer Harrison in four episodes in seasons 11 and 12.

Military wrote or co-wrote "Little Angels", "Deliverance", "Lockup", "The Job", "Greed", "Betrayal", "Crimeleon", "Vengeance", "Out of the Past" Part One, "Rude Awakenings" Part Two, season four’s finale "Descent", season five’s premiere "Ascension", "Allegiance", "Spoils of War", "Black Budget", "SEAL Hunter", "Rage", "Unspoken", "Unlocked Mind", "Revenge Deferred", "The Seventh Child", "Crazy Train", "Uncaged", "The Silo", "Monster", "Line in the Sand", season ten opener "To Live and Die in Mexico", "The Patton Project", "Better Angels", "False Flag", "A Bloody Brilliant Plan", "Code of Conduct" "Raising the Dead", "Through the Looking Glass", "Indentured" and “Down the Rabbit Hole”.

He also appeared as Donald Kessler in "Raising the Dead" and several other episodes in photos.

Directed by: Suzanne Saltz directed "Outside the Lines", "Murder of Crows", "Sundown" and “MWD”.

Guest stars of note: Alicia Coppola as FBI Senior Special Agent Lisa Rand, Rob Nagle as Albert “Al” Barrington/Plague Doctor, Tobias Jelinek as Bobby Griffin/Wolf, Matt Kelly as Justin Tucker/Clown are all back from “Monster” - that delightful Easter Sunday season nine episode. Teya Patt as Cindy Ferguson/Faceless Mask replaces Kerrie Blaisdell who played this role in “Monster”. Richard Gant as Raymond Hanna is back from “Game of Drones”. JD Cullum as FBI Forensic Psychologist Mark Collins, Derrick A. King as Michael Jeffries, Adrian Elizondo as Philip Guerrero and Antony Del Rio as Alexander Hughes.

Our heroes: Try, try, try again.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen: Away on assignment – he always misses these wacky Body Stitchers. Sam: Pulled away from the case for a terrorist threat in San Pedro. Kensi: Not thrilled to be dealing with Cindy Ferguson again. Deeks: Not thrilled by any of this. Fatima: Working late. Rountree: Heard about the Body Stitchers case in the Academy. Kilbride: Wants the team to stop whining about losing the bad guys the first time and get them this time.

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen: Absent. Sam: Cleaning up after Arkady in Sam’s own backyard. Kensi: Working with Agent Rand for a lot of the episode. Deeks: Working with Sam for a lot of the episode. Fatima: In charge of freeing the Body Stitchers almost victim. Rountree: Catches a Body Stitcher on his own. Kilbride: Warns the team that they can help on this case as long as NCIS doesn’t need them.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange? No mention today.

Who's down with OTP: Not a lot of OTP time today.

Who's down with BrOTP: Not a BrOTP episode either.

Fashion review: Black, long-sleeve tee for Sam. Kensi has on a wine-colored long-sleeve v-neck tee. Deeks wears a very pale blue/nearly grey henley. Fatima is wearing a purple turtleneck. Rountree has on a charcoal grey pullover sweater under a denim jacket with a leather collar. Admiral Kilbride is in his usual three-piece suit with a pale blue dress shirt and a blue tie with a darker blue paisley tie.

Music: “Gravy Train” by Lettuce is playing while Raymond is having breakfast.

Any notable cut scene: None today.

Quote: Sam: “I'm just a government employee. Explain it to me.” Ferguson: “He's a great master, like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Renoir. These humans who changed the world with their imagination and a pencil.” Sam: “So Vincent is a master artist?” Ferguson: “Yeah, Vincent, like Vincent van Gogh. Uh... You know?” (mimics cutting her ear) Sam: “Yeah.” Ferguson: “He's the great master behind the bodies. It's his vision. We're just his apprentices, learning the art.” Sam: “The art of sewing bodies together?” Ferguson: “God. Isn't it beautiful?”

Anything else: Lots of previously-s from “Monster”. And the weirdos are back doing weirdo things. This time with extra self-importance.

Raymond is having breakfast, listening to tunes when Sam walks in with a cigar butt. Raymond feigns ignorance but there are four others in the backyard. Raymond starts to call Callen – obviously an investigation must be started. When told Callen is out of town, Raymond suggests bumping it up to the SecNav. Seems the cigars don’t belong to Raymond – he doesn’t smoke. But Arkady does. Raymond made a friend not to Sam’s liking. The family fun is interrupted by a call – Sam’s being called to the office. Leaving, Sam bars Arkady from the house.

Rountree is waiting as Kensi walks into the office. Agent Rand from the FBI called. Kensi speaks highly of Rand and asks why Rand called. Rountree tells her about the “legendary” case while he was in the Academy about killers who make Frankenstein monsters out of their victims. There was scuttlebutt Rountree heard about another agency being involved in the case. Kensi said they were all in a dark place after the case.

Up in Ops, Kensi and Rountree join Deeks and Fatima. Agent Rand is on the big screen. In a different Zoom box is Special Agent Zachary Collins from the BAU. The FBI heard the group is back in LA. Rand sends Fatima some pictures from a the “Body Stitchers” last crime scene. It freaks Fatima out a little and Rand apologizes.

Rountree asks for a motive. Collins explains the killers think they are creating some kind of art and make money selling the event as art on the dark web. The money gives the killers the freedom to move around largely undetected. Collins thinks the motive is also sexual – the killers meshed violence and sex together as young people and are acting on it.

The Body Stitchers have been seen in the US, Central and South America. The FBI has gotten close several times but just missed. Deeks asks why. Collins tells the group – including an arriving Admiral Kilbride that the killers aren’t stupid. They set up, do their thing and move on. They avoid common ports of entry and regularly purchase new identities on the dark web.

The Admiral puts his foot down – this is not a military related action, the OSP’s involvement will be limited. If NCIS needs the team or a team member, they’re out of the case. Rand is fine with that – the OSP is the only agency ever to interact with the killers. As advisors or part of the task force, the FBI wants NCIS to offer whatever they can. Kensi tells the Admiral the case is unfinished business for the team. No, it is unfinished business for the FBI, he replies. Deeks brings up Lt. Commander Weir but Lt. Commander Weir was a random crime victim and not killed because of his service. Kensi brings up how he was killed and the Admiral relents – NCIS will be mildly involved. Rand is grateful.

Sam, Kensi and Deeks arrive at the crime scene. Rand is there with the dead guy and Collins from BAU. Collins introduces himself as Mark Collins which is weird since he was Zachary Collins about five minutes ago. Sam asks when did the FBI figure out the killers were back in LA. Rand explains a woman named Staci Campbell was murdered. Suspect Michael Jeffries got a text with photo of all the body parts used to sew the “art” together. Sam notices freezer burn on the dead people’s shoulder. That makes sense to Collins – if they don’t have enough parts to sew together, the killers have to preserve the parts they do have.

Kensi asks about Jeffries, who is in custody but there isn’t much to hold him. He’ll likely be cut lose in a few hours since a judge turned down their warrant request to search Jeffries’s apartment. He was only seen with the dead woman a few hours before her death – that’s not enough. Sam, Deeks and Collins are off to interview Jeffries, Kensi and Rand are teaming up.

Just after the men leave, a young female FBI agent has something to show Kensi and Rand. There was a locked room, now opened. Inside are a lot of dead bodies.

While Collins is interviewing Jeffries in interrogation, Sam is in the main room of the boatshed talking about how the four people in the case lied right to his face. They killed people and sewed them back together. “And we had them.” The Admiral arrives and wants Sam to stop “wallowing in the fact that you missed something” and tell him what Sam learned.

Sam said the killers knew exactly how to manipulate the investigation. Deeks chimes in that the killings themselves, the planning, the execution – “the intelligence was off the charts.” They did not present themselves as smart. Collins joins the group. Jeffries knows the FBI and NCIS have nothing so he’s going to be released soon. Sam asks about Jeffries, who doesn’t really work, just short-sells stock online. He has no connection to the killers, just lives in the same building as murder victim Staci Campbell.

Fatima pops up on the plasma to connect Kensi and Rand. The only person to see Campbell and Jeffries together is the super in their share apartment building. They are going over to interview the super now.

The Admiral tells Sam and Deeks to remember who they are, put the past in the past and “get this thing done.”

In interview, Deeks just stares across the table at Jeffries while Sam sits near the door. Jeffries is about to speak when Sam tells him to “hold that thought.” Deeks talks about the smell of the sea around them, the ocean breeze and how these things hide a cold, hard truth. Jeffries tells them he did not kill Campbell. They were neighbors but he never touched her.

That’s not the truth, Sam tells Jeffries. Deeks explains that Jeffries is surrounded by frustrated and angry agents from several government agencies. “We’re hungry and you’re the only thing on the menu,” Sam says. Jeffries is keeping up – the kitchen is closed, he didn’t kill Campbell. Deeks brings up his connection to the killers, killers who executed a member of the US Navy. That’s federal lock-up.

Sam pushes the idea that they have proof that Jeffries has provided financial assistance to the killers. Jeffries admits he’s a fan – “people love true crime and serial killers.” He though the body parts came from grave robberies or morgues. He didn’t think they were being killed for the art.

Outside Jeffries’s apartment building, Kensi and Rand approach Phillip Guerrero, the super. He’s trimming some hedges in the building’s courtyard. He liked Campbell, “good tenant, nice girl.” Guerrero saw Campbell and Jeffries walk into the courtyard. They were chatting about food delivery people leaving too many menus by the mailbox area. As the conversation goes on, Guerrero brings up “Mrs. Jeffries”. Rand thinks wife but it actually Jeffries’s mother. She’s in bad health – an invalid after a partial stroke a month ago. Guerrero drops off food deliveries from time to time – he likes her.

There is no response from Mrs. Jeffries after they knock on the door. Guerrero lets himself in to see if she’s OK. While he’s looking around, Kensi checks in with Rountree. He’s trying to chase the killer’s money but it all leads to offshore accounts which are dead ends. As Rountree finishes, Guerrero runs from the apartment, horrified and unable to breathe. Kensi and Rand enter the apartment. They find Mrs. Jeffries in the bathtub. Kensi and Rand flee the premises when they get a whiff of sulfuric acid fumes.

Outside, Kensi provides the team an update. The building has been evacuated due to the health concerns around sulfuric acid. Guerrero breathed in too much and is getting treated. Kensi assures everyone she and Rand ran out as soon as they understood what was in the air. Collins notes that sulfuric acid is easy to find so tracing its purchase will be tough. This fact annoys Sam.

A titanium knee pretty much identifies the woman in the bathtub as Mrs. Jeffries. Collins offers the idea that Jeffries killed her because she had incriminating info on her son. This doesn’t work for Rand. Based on the lack of damage to the bathtub, Mrs. Jeffries is likely dead only 12-hours. Jeffries has been in custody for over a day.

Sam, Deeks and Collins ask Jeffries about his mother, why he didn’t mention an older, sick woman alone in his apartment while he was in custody. Sam tells Jeffries his mother is dead and he seems genuinely surprised.

Jeffries blames Collins for his mother’s death. The killers would know the Feds were in town while they were planning their show. He had a ticket to go but couldn’t because he was in custody. The killer thought he was selling them out and since they couldn’t kill him, they killed his mother as a message. Collins thinks Jeffries’s mother knew he killed Campbell and he paid someone to kill his mother. Jeffries is willing to trade info on the dark web he has about the show for witness protection.

Rountree gets to the Body Stitchers’s website on the dark web. It’s been cleaned out but they access to the e-mail server and will be able to track the killers to their next website. Kensi calls in with Rand. Mrs. Jeffries right hand was sawed off before she was put in the acid bath.

Fatima found the new website with a new live video going out shortly. Everything is password protected but she’s working her way in. In the live stream, everything is set up but nobody is there. The stream is coming from an abandoned movie theater in Woodland Hills.

As the team is about to leave, a terrorist warning come in based on an OSP case in San Pedro. The Admiral has to send something to deal with San Pedro since it is an NCIS priority. Sam goes. Deeks and Collins are off to Woodland Hills.

Kensi, Deeks, Rountree and Fatima pull up with Rand and Collins leading the FBI. SWAT is on their way but not expected for 30-minutes. The teams can’t wait and enter the theater. There are 16-theaters. Everyone breaks off to clear their own theaters. Fatima and Rountree are in five, Kensi is in theater six. Deeks enters a theater on his own. He’s worried the place is too big – too many places to hide. He starts looking around as one of the FBI agents notes the comms in the theater barely work.

Outside of theater seven, Rand find the group at theater eight. Kensi and Collins are on their way. A shot is fired during the “art” event, dropping one of the killers on the stage. Rand is as surprised as the killers. She yells FBI and seems stunned that everyone runs. One of the killers, Barrington, is chased by the young FBI agent who showed the team the dead bodies earlier in the episode. Barrington drops his knife in his right hand but has a really small boxcutter in his left palm. When the FBI agent tries to cuff the killer, he stabs her in the throat just as Collins arrives. As Barrington flees, Collins calls for an EMT.

The young agent claims she’s fine so Collins goes after Barrington. In a hallway, he runs into Deeks. The two startle the hell out of each other. They search as a team for Barrington.

In the theater, Fatima is having the planned victim released from the board he is strapped to with the help of the FBI. Another FBI agent removes the mask of the dead killer – it is Bobby Griffin. Everyone wonders who shot him.

Kensi finds Cindy Ferguson trying to escape and quickly cuffs her. “You’re not getting away, again,” Kensi tells her.

Justin Tucker, the fourth killer, runs right to where Rountree is searching. Tucker pulls out a big knife, which Rountree insists he drop. An elevator ping and opens, giving Tucker a way to escape. Rountree tries to get to the elevator before the door closes but doesn’t make it. On comms, he warns everyone that Tucker taking the elevator down. Collins says he’s nearby but the elevator barely moves before Tucker shuts it down.

Outside the elevator, Rountree and Rand try to talk Tucker into surrendering. Rand demands a cellphone. He wants to speak to Vincent, the last living master. Rountree and Rand have no idea what he’s talking about.

Deeks is in a projection room when he hears Collins call “Agent down.” Deeks finds Collins, who says Barrington stabbed him in the neck. With the comms are failing, Deeks goes after Barrington when Collins says he’s alright. Deeks finds a fire exit and starts making his way down.

In the theater where all the killing was going to go on, Fatima with Kensi and Deeks are talking to Alexander, the man who nearly was killed. She has photos on her phone of the Body Stitchers and Alexander recognizes a few of them but wonders why they don’t have a photo of the main guy – “Master”.

Cutting a deal, Tucker will come back to the NCIS/FBI floor and turn himself in if he can speak to Vincent. He does go to the NCIS/FBI floor where he cuts his own throat in front of the NCIS and FBI teams.

Kensi has a very tough talk with Ferguson, who the FBI dropped off at the boat shed. Ferguson doesn’t know Michael Jeffries but she’s not interested in talking to Kensi. Talking to Kensi takes time away from the beautiful places like the Taj Mahal and not the prison cell she will call home for the rest of her life.

Out in the main room of the boatshed, Sam is back with Deeks, Rand and Collins. The reason to call Sam away was a paperwork issue. Collins doesn’t think Ferguson will offer up anything – she’s too committed. While they have to cut Jeffries loose – no real reason to hold him – Jeffries lawyered up and the lawyer wants him in witness protection. Deeks thinks that’s the next best thing to having him in custody. Sam wants a chance to speak to Ferguson.

Ferguson remembers Sam. He asks to speak to her without Kensi and Kensi is happy to leave. Reintroducing himself, Sam tells Ferguson she’s being turned over to the FBI. Ferguson doesn’t care and Sam knows that – because she’s “stupid.” Ferguson doesn’t like that. She really doesn’t like when Sam tells her Vincent is in custody and spilling everything he knows. He gets time off any sentence for every crime he helps the FBI solve – crimes that will put her in prison for decades. Ferguson doesn’t believe him but Sam says it is a done deal.

Sam would like to Ferguson explain the whole idea of Vincent being her master. He isn’t her master, Ferguson explains, they aren’t a “cheesy cult.” Vincent is a great master like DaVinci or Michelangelo – a great artist like Vincent Van Gogh. Ferguson shows off her ear and pretends to cut it off. She is an apprentice to a great master learning their art. It is “affecting” and Sam agrees – he’ll never forget what they did. Ferguson goes on about their art making them immortal, gods and how they’d die for Vincent.

At home, Sam is enjoying a nice dinner with his father. Raymond jokes that he’s cooking great meals hoping it will keep him in Sam’s house. There’s a WBA middleweight fight that night – Sam thinks the two of them should watch together but Raymond has other plans. A honking horn outside the house is Arkady, who knows he isn’t allowed to come inside. Raymond is off to play poker and drink some fine whiskey. Sam isn’t happy about this. Raymond is annoyed – he’s happy, he has a friend and someplace fun to go. He plans to live whatever days he has left as full a life as he can have. Raymond hits up Sam for a few hundred dollars – he’s joking.

Just after Raymond leaves, Rand calls. She’s sure they missed something. Jeffries’s mother was dead for at least 48-hours based on the blood lividity tests. He killed her – Jeffries wasn’t in custody at that time. And if he removed his mother’s hand, he’s part of the Body Stitchers. Sam wants another crack at Jeffries, who is being taken to an FBI safehouse in San Diego by Collins. Sam calls with an apology to Fatima but he needs her help. She has Kaleidoscope searching the cameras around the theater. They are looking for video of Barrington leaving.

Saying “Dementia can eat my shorts,” Raymond returns home with a large wad of cash. He throws it to Sam, who was snoozing in the living room. When Raymond leaves for bed, Fatima texts Sam – “You need to see this.”

There is video of Barrington leaving the theater through a back door. There is someone wearing a dress shirt holding the door open for Barrington. A flashback shows a wounded Collins getting up and letting Barrington out of the theater.

In a car, Collins is joined with Barrington, who is sure the entire state of California is looking for him. Collins tells Barrington he updated the killer’s profile saying Barrington is likely to return to his home in Orlando. Collins plans to have him on a beach half-way around the world.

Sam contacts Rand with questions about Collins. Rand met Collins during the Body Stitchers case. He’s profiled many serial killers, a logical addition to the team.

In Collins’s car, Jeffries joins Barrington and Collins with a “gift from his mother, I thought she could give us a hand” – it’s a cooler. Collins is relieved they got rid of the amateurs – Griffin, Tucker and Ferguson – who were only going to get them caught. Another flashback shows Collins killing Griffin from the theater’s projection room.

The plan is for Barrington and Jeffries to lay low for a good long time. Collins gives them envelopes with new identities and $10,000. There will be more cash when needed. Down the road, they will reunite and change their art. Make a body with three arms, five legs and a head growing out of its stomach. “What would Picasso or Dali do?”

Rand tells Sam that Collins and Jeffries never made it to the safe house in San Diego – they were due hours ago. She’s worried something happened to Collins. Reviewing Collins’s interrogation of Jefferies, Sam sees Collins run his hand through his hair and showing Jeffries his ear. Sam flashes back to Ferguson and her Vincent Van Gogh remarks. Sam tells Rand that Collins is Vincent.

What head canon can be formed from here: “Monster” was a really well done episode that was also a one and done hour. No need to stop on USA or ION when you see it is rerunning there. It was clever (if disgusting) and rarely does the team get beaten by the bad guys at the end. There was also the introduction of Spencer Williams and all that would unfold in the Mosley storyline.

This wasn’t that. A little lighter on the gore, though only a little, a lot more muddled in the storytelling. Hated the idea that what we thought were these clever psychopaths were actually just lemmings following a serial killer who was working for the FBI. It takes away the accomplishment of the “Monster” episode.

Always happy to see Rand but Collins (with three names here – Zachary, Mark and eventually Vincent) was going to be one of two things – the red-shirted member of the team or one of the killers.

Did like the Sam and Raymond storyline bracketing the episode. Raymond putting his foot down about living his life the best he can as long as he can was good to see. Sam has his father’s best interests at heart but Raymond lived a long life and planned to enjoy what he had.

Also liked that Rountree learned about the case in the FBI Academy. A reminder how much younger he is than the rest of the team that participated in the case.

Kudos to Callen who missed both of these episodes with the Body Stitchers.

Episode number: The third episode of season 14. Episode 305 overall.

#NCIS: Los Angeles Rewatch #NCIS: Los Angeles #NCIS Los Angeles #NCIS: LA #ncis la #Youtube

4 notes · View notes