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NCIS: Los Angeles Season Ten Rewatch: "False Flag"

The basics: The team joins forces with Harmon Rabb Jr. and Sarah MacKenzie to stop World War Three.

Written by: Frank Military wrote/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” (which he directed), “Black Budget”, SEAL Hunter”, “Rage” (which he directed), “Unspoken”, “Unlocked Mind”, “Revenge Deferred”, “The Seventh Child”, “Crazy Train”, “Uncaged” (which he directed), “The Silo”, “Monster”, “Line in the Sand” (which he directed), season ten opener “To Live and Die in Mexico” (which he directed), “The Patton Project” and “Better Angels”. Military did not write for JAG.

Directed by: Dennis Smith directed “Fame”, “Standoff”, “Rocket Man”, “Cyberthreat”, “Exit Strategy”, “Patriot Acts”, “Out of the Past” part one (written by Frank Military), “The Livelong Day”, Between the Lines”, “Deep Trouble” part two, “Black Budget", “Black Wind”, “Blame it On Rio”, “Defectors”, “Matryoshka”, “Granger, O”, “The Queen’s Gambit” (with Alyssa Diaz), “Hot Water”, “From Havana With Love”, “Plain Sight”, the delightful romp that was Frank Military’s “Monster”, “Superhuman”, “One of Us” and “Smokescreen”. Smith directed seven episodes of JAG.

Guest stars of note: Returning from "The Guardian" is David James Elliott as Navy Captain Harmon “Harm” Rabb, Jr. and Sprague Grayden as Olivia Baird. Erik Palladino returns as CIA Officer Vostanik Sabatino from "Hit List". Alyssa Diaz as NCIS Special Agent Jasmine Garcia was USMC Jasmine Garcia in "The Queen's Gambit" in season eight. Kudos the agents of Carl Chao as NCIS Special Agent Afloat Brian Lee (also from "The Guardian"), Paris Benjamin as Alexandra Duvivier and Kolio Kolev as Muhammad Pliyev who got credits but were just pictures on screens in Ops and in Sabatino's CIA bunker. Catherine Bell as Marine Colonel Sarah “Mac” Mackenzie, Gil Birmingham as Navy Captain Steven Douglas, Don Wallace as Navy SEAL Senior Chief Frank Wallace, Tim True as Anton Yashnikov, Spencer Daniels as Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Vincent Davis, Faruk Amireh as Fadhil Sarraf, Guy Wilson as Navy Gunner’s Mate Michael Skinner, Sue Shaheen as Female Petty Officer 1st Class, Vachik Mangassarian as Fake Iranian President, Thomas Lumberg Jr. as LAPD Detective #1, Ahmed El-Mawas as Arab Soldier and Sam Avishay as Chechen Fighter.

Our heroes: Are in distress in Iraq, on the Allegiance and in San Francisco.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen: Admires the reaction by the SEALs to Sam’s name. Sam: Muslim and proud of it. Kensi: Tell Deeks she loves him as they are in a firefight. Deeks: Tells Kensi he loves her as they are in a firefight. Eric: Going to be with Nell in her time of need. Nell: Frightened she is going to lose her mother. Hetty: Friends with Mac.

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen: Can't understand running on ship. Sam: SEAL whisperer. Kensi: Didn't invite Sabatino… Deeks: …to the wedding. Eric: Possessive of Ops – his Ops. Nell: Messy crier. Hetty: Prefers her filet mignon burned on the outside, bloody on the inside, just like her enemies.

Who's down with OTP: Kensi and Deeks are in love and in a dire situation. Eric wants to be the man Nell needs. Harm and Mac gaze at each other. Season ten - the season of love.

Who's down with BrOTP: Not a ton of bromance this time out between Callen and Sam but the SEAL team loves former Senior Chief Sam Hanna.

Any pressing need for Harm and Mac: Oh heaven's yes.

Who is running the team this week? Hetty "Keep Punching" Lange.

Mosley watch: A fond farewell to this category.

Fashion review: Medium blue long-sleeve tee-shirt for Callen and black long-sleeve tee for Sam for the whole episode. Kensi and Deeks start the episode Los Angeles – she is wearing a dark blue long-sleeve henley with light blue stripes, he has on a grey long-sleeve tee with inside out seams. At the Al-Asad military base, Kensi has on a heavy black zip-up hoodie with a sherling lining while Deeks is wearing a dark blue zip-up hoodie over a red tee-shirt. The two go undercover in clothing favored by male locals by episiode's end. Eric wears a dark blue, button down shirt for most of the episode. Nell is in a floral print top with a Peter Pan collar and a mustard colored coat. Dark blue suit for Hetty.

Music: "Theme from JAG" by composer Bruce Broughton plays when Mac walks into the restaurant.

Any notable cut scene: No.

Quote: Hetty: "And I'll have the filet mignon. Uh, I'd like it burned on the outside and bloody on the inside, like my enemies." Mac: "She's so funny. So where were we?" Yashnikov: "You accused me of running a network of spies inside the U.S. military."

Anything else: At the Eastern Iraqi border at night, soldiers are with missiles mounted on trucks. They are waiting for orders to fire. When they come, the men must be ready to go quickly.

On the Allegiance, Harm, Callen and Sam are in the Communications Room (CIC) connecting to Kensi, Deeks and Eric in Ops. Speaking freely because everyone in the CIC has top security clearences, Eric shows a diplomatic license plate captured on traffic cams outside of Olivia Baird's office. The vehicle is registered to the Russian Consulate. Anton Yashnikov was seen entering Olivia's office building. He works for the Russian State Department and travels to the U.S. regularly.

None of this makes any sense to Callen. Michael Baird was Chechen. Chechens don't work with Russians and Russians don't support ISIS. Sam does think that the Russian involvement explains the financial wherewithal for such a long-term operation. Checking Yashnikov's cell phone records, he's received calls from a motel near LAX. Deeks thinks Olivia Baird is there – Kensi and Deeks are on their way.

Callen and Sam ask Eric to track down all crew members of the Allegiance who were in the area where Agent Lee was seen. "That's a lot of people," Eric tells them. Callen and Sam ask about Nell, who is in San Francisco. Eric has been handling everything alone. Callen and Sam would like an update when Eric hears from Nell.

Deeks confirms with the hotel manager that Olivia Baird is a guest – room 116. Breaking down the door, Kensi and Deeks see Olivia Baird with a weapon pointed at them. Saying someone killed her husband, Olivia is scared. She doesn't know who to trust. Kensi and Deeks encourage her to put the gun down. Once Deeks secures the weapon, Kensi handcuffs Baird and Mirandizes her.

Eric has cleared seven crew members – just 350 to go – when Hetty pops up on the big screen. She is sympathetic to his work load. She is also sympathetic to Nell, who updated Hetty on her mother's worsening condition. Eric is not happy to hear this but has to go back to his work. Knowing Eric needs help, Hetty tells him Fatima is on assignment but help is on the way. Hetty does a countdown to the Ops doors opening. In walks Jasimine Garcia, former USMC, onetime suspect and now NCIS Agent from the San Diego office. Hetty wants them to play nice.

Grabbing Nell's tablet, Jasmine has an app that scans security video for full faces, dumps the images into facial rec and matches them with personnel records. Eric feels territorial – this is his very special Ops. Not happy with Eric's insecurities, she is getting angry. Eric doesn't want Jasmine to be angry.

Back to the search, the crew members matched in the area near where Agent Lee was last seen is matched with crew members who played Viking War Blood video game in the computer room. Eric is impressed when within a minute, they have a name. Petty Officer Vincent Davis. Jasmine contacts Callen and Sam – who are her mentors. Eric jumps Jasmine’s reveal, telling Callen and Sam that they need to speak to PO Davis. Thinking Eric's move was cute, Jasmine is there to catch some bad guys.

Davis sees Callen and Sam in mess and runs. "I hate when they do that," Callen says as he and Sam chase Davis. Davis is clotheslined by Harm, who wants to know where Davis is running? Sam answers "Mystery of the universe" to why the bad guys always run.

Eric and Jasmine update Callen and Sam on Davis’s background. Like Michael Baird, he took his wife's surname when they were married. Vincent Davis was born Vincent Shishani. And like Michael Baird again, he is from Chechnya. Eric and Jasmine are going to track Davis's movements around the time Agent Lee was killed.

Worried about the ship, Harm needs to know what Davis's true mission is. If it is gathering intelligence, Harm needs to track was information Davis could access. If it is a terrorist act against the Allegiance, something could happen soon. Harm needs to know if it is an attack and wants to observe Callen and Sam's interrogation.

Sam asks Davis why he ran. Pointing as much as he can to Callen – his hands are folded with handcuffs on his wrists – Davis ran because he thought Callen, someone he never saw before, was looking at him in a menacing manner. With 5,000 crew members on the Allegiance, Sam is sure Davis doesn't know all of them, why did he feel threatened. Davis says it was a vibe. After Agent Lee's death – Davis and Lee spoke a few times and Davis liked Lee – Davis is scared.

Callen tells Davis they know he is Chechen and Muslim, why did he change his name? "Maybe because of harassment like this," Davis answers. Davis asks if it is a crime to be Muslim. "I'm a Muslim and proud of it," Sam replies. "And there is not crime in it," Sam continues except if you are acting as a terrorist or killed Agent Lee. Davis denies killing Lee and being a spy.

Harm interrupts the questioning just as Davis asks for a lawyer. They are needed back in the CIC. As Callen and Sam leave, Harm tells Davis he's a lawyer. As a lawyer, he can advise Davis that if he is there to do harm (not that Harm) to the ship or crew, Davis is going to need a lot more than just a lawyer.

Still in handcuffs and on the bad side of the interrogation table, Olivia Baird is weeping, stunned to hear her husband was a Chechen spy. Calling her husband good and kind, talking about their future and having children, Olivia thinks this is all insane. Kensi and Deeks don't. They bring up Anton Yashnikov. Olivia confirms she knows him – she's a movie producer. "With zero credits," Deeks adds helpfully. Kensi asks if she was moonlighting as a spy. Olivia claims she was researching movie ideas. Kensi and Deeks can connect Olivia to Vincent Davis and playing Viking War Blood. It is time for Olivia to start helping – "tick tock," Deeks tells her.

Olivia closes her eyes and exhales. She is no longer crying. With a thick Russian accent, she tells Kensi and Deeks she doesn't know very much, full knowledge of the operation was limited. She won't cooperate any further until she gets clearance from Yashnikov. Something has gone wrong with the mission. Deeks agrees – Oliva was caught. "No, it is something far, far worse."

Eric and Jasmine have footage of Lee's body going overboard. 200-feet away, there video of Davis walking inside the Allegiance passageways. He did not kill Lee, which means Davis is not a lone wolf terrorist. There are other crew members involved.

The Commanding Officer enters the CIC. Turning to Callen and Sam, he wants to know if his ship is in danger. Sam can't give him an answer. Handing a tablet to Harm, the CO tells Callen and Sam about troop build-ups in Iran for a planned attack on both Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Allegiance is being ordered to the coast off Iran as a deterrent. If there is a terror threat on the ship, however, the Allegiance will be pulled. With dozens of crew members to interview, Sam wants to talk to the SEAL Team he saw on the vessel.

Waking the SEALs at 3AM, Harm is asking for their help. The head SEAL is Senior Chief Frank Wallace, who could be Sam's brother. The SEALs, Wallace tells Callen, Sam and Harm, are on a classified mission that is their top priority. Sam drops his name and the SEALs are impressed. So is Callen by the reaction. If Sam asks the SEALs to help the SEALs want to help. After being brought up to speed – and shocked that there are foreign operative aboard the Allegiance – Wallace announces "God help them if we find them" planning an attack like the one on the USS Cole. With 80-crew members as suspects, the SEALs will pick them up. Chief Wallace just needs to know where to put them.

Arriving at Ups, Kensi and Deeks update Callen, Sam and Harm on Olivia Baird, Yashnikov and something going terribly wrong. Hetty arrives with a plan to help. Callen and Sam need help – Kensi and Deeks are on their way to the Allegiance. Using the Marine Liaison to the Secretary of State, Hetty thinks she can talk to Yashnikov. "Yes Captain, and she's right here in Los Angeles," Hetty tells Harm. With the JAG theme playing, Mac meets Hetty at a fancy Los Angeles eatery.

After winning the coin toss (YAY!), Mac took the promotion and moved to San Diego with Harm, who passed up his in London opportunity. Harm needed to get back into the fight. After living separate lives, Harm went back to the sea, became an XO and is on track for his own ship and eventually becoming an Admiral. The Secretary of State offer her the liaison position meaning the pretense of their marriage was over. They have not seen each other for nine years. Hetty is sorry but Mac isn't. While Mac tells Hetty she is living a good life, Hetty thinks there are more chapters to be written.

Arriving for lunch, Yashnikov walks in with his mistress. Mac mentions Yashnikov is a regular at the restaurant and a little more adventurous in the bedroom. Hetty finds this news delightful and asks for an introduction. Mac agrees.

Sharing some champagne with his mistress, Yashnikov is surprised see Mac in Los Angeles and not Washington. She makes a joke about being let off her leash which he really seems to enjoy. Not enjoying, when Mac wants Yashnikov to join her at lunch and points out Hetty at her table. "For most, it is not a good day when she shows up." No, Mac explains, the bad part is by the door – Olivia Baird is there in handcuffs between two NCIS Agents.

Joining Hetty – who gives one of the best restaurant orders in the history of food – and Mac at their table, Yashnikov is interrogated by Mac. Asked about the network of Chechen spies – not a group usually in favor with Putin, Yashnikov believes if it is true, it has to do with plausible deniability. If they are caught, they are Chechen troublemakers, not honorable Russians who had nothing to do with whatever was planned. Mac doesn't believe Yashnikov's weak lies. As with the US President, Yashnikov doesn't think his lies have to be good.

Yashnikov wants to know what else the government knows about the operation. Hetty brings up Olivia Baird's warning about trouble in the plan. If the Chechens were being made into Russian spies, maybe they turned against Russia and are listening to their ISIS leaders. Hetty demands the names of the spies. Yashnikov can't help. It was a double blind set-up. Everything was run using the video game. Leaving, Yashnikov won't tell Olivia to help. Hetty and Mac think they make a good team.

Chief Wallace is looking for a Seaman Marlo in a bunk. Finding Marlo dead with his throat cut, Wallace orders another crew member to find Callen and Sam. With a cellphone photo of Marlo, Callen and Sam ask a sleepy PO Davis about Marlo. Since he has been locked in interrogation since his capture, Davis is sure he's not a suspect. Sam wants to know who are the other operatives onboard since one of them is likely killing the others to maintain operational integrity. With an alibi for the murder, Davis isn't cooperating. Neither is Callen who is fine with releasing Davis. Suddenly Davis isn't leaving. Sam tells him, walk or talk.

Davis can't really help. All contact was made through the video game or dead drops on the ship. Callen asks if the Chechens have gone rogue. Davis was given orders that they were no longer working for the Russians, they were working with their brothers in Syria. The spies were going to be given instructions for when the great jihad begins. Callen thinks Davis is very calm since he's going to jail for life. Telling Callen and Sam he isn't going to jail, Davis cut a deal with Agent Lee. He was going to work for "the CIA guy" – David Williamson. Lee was likely killed when the Chechen spies saw him with Davis.

In the CIC room, Harm is able to confirm that David Williamson was a civilian contractor on the Allegiance who was then dropped off in Iraq. It is a CIA undercover name – Williamson was not the man's real name and he was not a contractor, Callen explains. Sam recognizes Williamson from security video as he is on board. Hello Vosanik Sabitino.

The CO arrives – the Allegiance is moving to Iranian coast.

The men from the teaser are waiting for their orders. The missiles will be fired into Tel Aviv and Riyadh.

Furious, the CO was not made aware that the CIA had a man on his ship and that it was facilitated by an NCIS Agent. Sam assures the CO that Lee would have briefed him but was killed instead. More worrisome to Callen is that Lee was killed immediately but the spy he turned – Davis – was left in play. Eric calls in with Mac from the super-secret Ops location. She and Harm share a meaningful stare over introductions. Mac spoke with the CIA – they are denying everything.

Callen and Sam are called away for a minute, leaving Harm and Mac alone. He's a little tongue tied. She thinks the sea suits him.

An update is given to the CO. Sabatino was taken from an airbase to a remote area in the desert. Spy cameras show a mobile unit. Callen reroutes Kensi and Deeks from the ship – they are four hours out from the regional Naval air base – to Sabatino's general location. Sam assigns Chief Wallace to join the Sabatino hunt.

Thinking the best way to track the spies on the ship is through the video, Mac wants Olivia to return to the video game as a way to identify the crew members. Sam heard she wasn't willing to help without Yashnikov's approval. Mac may have a way to convince him.

LAPD breaks into Yashnikov's hotel room. He is tied to the bed, wearing a leash with his young mistress standing over him on the bed. Mac walks in and takes a few photos – "Is your wife on Instagram?" she asks. Yashnikov is forced to order Olivia to help. Besides, the Russians need to know what the rouge Chechen spies have planned as much as the Americans.

Chief Wallace finds Kensi and Deeks at the Al Asad military base's airport.

In the CIC, a Navy translator is walking Callen, Sam, Harm and the CO through a speech given by the Iranian president, claiming the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia are behind the kidnapping of two Iranian scientists. "Conflict" with Israel and Saudi Arabia is imminent and unavoidable.

Wearing local garb, Kensi, Deeks and Wallace are dropped off by a helicopter. Walking to a structure in the desert, they are set upon by three men. One is Sabatino. He's pissy about not being invited to the wedding. Oh, and stopping World War Three.

A French journalist, Alexandra Duvivier, met with a former ISIS leader Muhammad Pliyev in Iraq. ISIS sent a hit team to kill them both. The two escaped and were thought to be near Sabatino's mobile unit, which looks like a not so nicely decorated NCIS mobile Red/Blue/whatever team truck.

Kensi asks what is the big deal about Pliyev? He has information about 13 missiles ISIS commandeered over the years. They are planning a false flag operation – make it look like Iran is attacking Israel and Saudi Arabia. The speech by the president of Iran was faked. With ISIS on its last legs in Syria, if they can cause problems between Iran, Israel and Saudi Arabia, they can seize power in all the chaos. If the missiles launch and the US can't keep Israel and Saudi Arabia from retaliating, the fake start to the conflict will be forgotten. The reports about troop movements are also false. If the US can find Duvivier and Pliyev and get their story out, all the conflict can be halted. Problem is, there is an ISIS hit team on the way to Sabatino's little bunker in the desert.

Running into the armory, Eric talks to a weeping Nell on the monitor. Mama Jones has been intubated, there is an infection in the lining of her heart. While Eric wants to leave and be with her, Nell tells him to stay – the team needs him. Hetty shows up. "The United States can muddle through without you for a few days." She orders him to San Francisco. A grateful Eric kisses Hetty goodbye. Hetty tells Nell her mother is strong, Nell is strong. Nell needs to tell her mother what Hetty tells herself every morning – keep punching.

Two SUVs pull up outside of the CIA bunker. It is Iraqi intelligence, Sabatino knows their leader, Fadhil Sarraf. Deeks asks if Sabatino trusts Sarraf. Since Sabatino doesn't trust Deeks, why would he trust Sarraf? Deeks thinks Sabatino is still annoyed about the wedding.

With no usable intelligence on the location of Duvivier and Pliyev, Sarraf instead complains about the size of the CIA secret bunker. Sabatino warns Sarraf if Iraqi Intelligence can't find Duvivier and Pliyev, he will. Starting in six hours. Sarraf calls Sabatio's decision "stupid and impatitent, my friend." Sabatino denies having time or being his friend.

Playing Viking War Blood in the boat shed, Olivia explains she contacts the spies in coded language and they reply if they are safe. While she is playing, Jasmine and Mac are watching the computer room on the big screen from a security camera feed. It could take a while.

Sabatino is planning to find Duvivier and Pliyev when Sarraf and his men pull up. They claim to have the Duvivier and Pliyev but aren't showing them. Looking at Sarraf's men, Sabatino doesn't recognize any of them. One of them shoots Sarraf – it was a set up to find the CIA's bunker.

The hit team takes out the power to the bunker. An emergency generator keeps the lights on as Sabatino calls in for an emergency evacuation. Deeks sees about half-a-dozen men outside and figures there's twice that many around the bunker in the weeds. As Wallace sets up near the main door, Kensi sees one of the hit squad member setting up explosives to blow the door off its hinges. She orders Wallace to move. As Sabatino calls in their location, the others take cover.

Back in the boat shed, Olivia found a player - Gunners Mate Michael Skinner. Harm calls the name and computer location to Callen and Sam in interrogation. Two SEALs get to Skinner before Callen and Sam. Skinner runs. In the passageway, Skinner pulls a gun and shoots the two SEALs. The crewmembers tend to the SEALs while Callen and Sam pick up the chase.

Harm is following this up on the CIC.

Passing two men playing checkers, Skinner orders them to follow and they do. Callen and Sam are not far behind.

The door is blown off the CIA bunker. Gunmen enter firing. Calling to Kensi, Deeks takes cover as she moves closer to him. In the middle of all the shooting, Kensi and Deeks share I love yous.

Skinner and his fellow spies make their way to the DCC – Damage Control Center. They kill two of the five people working in the center, ordering the others on their knees. Promising to shoot anyone who moves, the men lock the door and secure it with a fire axe.

Sam explains to Callen that the DCC controls all communications, firefighting and alarms. Callen adds they have hostages.

The CO enters the CIC to speak to Harm. The ISIS fired the missiles. They will hit their targets in seven minutes.

To be continued.

What head canon can be formed from here: Certainly not as cliff-hangery as last year, this two-parter was off to a solid start. Here's hoping season 11's premiere pays it all off.

Episode number: 240 – ten episodes from 250. 240 – 13 more episodes that JAG. This is episode 24 of season ten; part two of three.

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

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