#milissa | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

typingtess · 9 days

Text

youtube

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 Rewatch: “The Reckoning”

The basics: With four dead, including a CIA Officer, NCIS investigates if this has something to do with the DRONA project.

Written and directed by: Frank Military Military 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" (directed by Military), "Black Budget", "SEAL Hunter", "Rage" (directed by Military), "Unspoken", "Unlocked Mind", "Revenge Deferred", "The Seventh Child" (directed by Military), "Crazy Train", "Uncaged" (directed by Military), "The Silo", "Monster", "Line in the Sand" (directed by Military), season ten opener "To Live and Die in Mexico" (directed by Military), "The Patton Project", "Better Angels", "False Flag" (the season 10 finale), "A Bloody Brilliant Plan", season 11 finale "Code of Conduct" (directed by Military), "Raising the Dead", "Through the Looking Glass" (directed by Military), "Indentured", "Down the Rabbit Hole" (directed by Military) and "The Body Stitchers".

Military directed one episode he did not write, season 11’s holiday episode "Answers".

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

Guest stars of note: Jere Burns returns from season 13’s “Genesis” as Howard Pembrook, Duncan Campbell is back from the last episode (“Sensu Lato”) as NCIS Agent Castor, David DeSantos as Anthony Beltran and Milissa Sears as Leah Novack are back from “Sleeping Dogs”, Philip Anthony-Rodriguez as CIA Officer Rafael Cortes, Scott Christopher as CIA Officer Chris Behr, Amy Kim Waschke as CIA Officer Avery Lamica, Maurice Hall as AMT Julian Cousins, John Marshall Jones as Jonathan Hunter and Rick Tunell, the series’ longtime producer/director was the Head of Airfield Security

Our heroes: DRONA drama blah blah blah.

What important things did we learn about: Callen: Lone wolfing. Sam: Out of town. Kensi: Tailing Callen. Deeks: Airport trip. Fatima: Figured out early that the CIA was up to no good. Rountree: Tailing Callen with Kensi. Kilbride: Side-eye master.

What not so important things did we learn about: Callen: Wasn’t getting violin lessons as a kid. Sam: Absent. Kensi: Waiting for Deeks to return from the airport. Deeks: Mostly absent. Fatima: Side-eying with the best of them. Rountree: Started the day with Deeks, ended it with Kensi. Kilbride: Friends with the head coach at USC.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange? Basking in guilt according to Pembrook.

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

Who's down with BrOTP: Down one part of the BrOTP but Pembrook’s final conversation with Callen was all about the brotherhood of Callen and Sam, the show’s most important relationship.

Fashion review: Callen wore a light blue and white plaid button down shirt before going in the pool and a navy blue hoodie post-pool. Kensi wore a wine colored long-sleeve top. Deeks wore a pale blue henley. Fatima had a fabulous black leather jacket (soft like butter!) and a white sweater with blue piping at the collar. Rountree black long sleeve tee-shirt with a black jacket. Kilbride, as always, dark blue three-piece suit, red tie, pale blue dress shirt.

Music: “Home” by Aron Wright plays at the end of the episode.

Any notable cut scene: Not today.

Quote: Kilbride: “And you are not leaving my office until you tell me everything you know about Pembrook and Beltran.” Cortes: “And you're gonna stop me? With force?” Kilbride: “Don't tease me.”

This is was very solid Kilbride as a badass episode.

Anything else: The previously-s include all the Pembrook nonsense.

In the hospital, a still comatose Leah Novak is being moved to a rehab facility with serious CIA security around her. Callen is there as well. Nobody knows where Leah is going except the head security man – who is driving the ambulance. Novak will be checked in under an alias. The security chief promised to keep Callen advised of her status.

As the security team leaves, the second security team member tells her boss they found one of the Drona subjects, Clayton, dead. If they can find Clayton, the head man tells her, they can find everyone. for some reason, the head of security thinks it is a good idea to meet with the other Drona subjects in Pershing Square. He leaves the ambulance with only a nurse watching Novak. Clayton was tortured before he was killed, according to one of the Drona survivors. The group realizes none of them are safe. And they’re not as a sniper picks off all the Drona subjects except the security chief. He dodges bullets getting back to the ambulance and driving off.

A cranky Admiral is marching from his office to Ops. Deeks and Rountree are just behind him. After a Deeks mindfulness joke falls flat, the Admiral explains that four people, including a CIA Officer named Avery Lamica – she was the number two person moving Novak - were shot dead in Pershing Square. Kensi has already left for Pershing Square to meet with Callen.

In Ops is CIA Officer Raphael Cortes (another person allowed to wander about the super-secret office). After the Admiral does some introductions, Cortes wants to talk to Callen and Sam. Sam is out of town and not available. Cortes does not want Callen running the investigation but the Admiral makes sure Cortes understands that Cortes doesn’t make staffing decisions for NCIS. When the Admiral brings up that Cortes asked for help, Cortes makes sure the Admiral understands that the CIA doesn’t need help, they need information. Since the FBI is investigating the shooting, Cortes wants to question Callen about letting Beltran get away. And Cortes wants the Admiral to do that right now. Knowing Callen wouldn’t return to the office even if Kilbride ordered him to do so, the Admiral won’t – and didn’t plan on anyway.

Deeks asks if the CIA is tracking the ambulance. They can’t find it, according to Cortes. CIA Officer Chris Behr is missing – he’s the head security guy. Cortes thinks Lamica was meeting with other Drona team members. Pembrook ran black ops for the DoD, NSA and the CIA. Rountree mentions Beltran’s plan for a lawsuit against Pembrook for what was done to him and to the others when they were children. Cortes believes Pembrook made monsters – “including Agent Callen.”

At the crime scene, Callen is covering Avery Lamica’s body with a tarp when Kensi arrives. Callen has not heard from Behr. Looking at a high rise building just off Pershing Square, Kensi is going to check the victim’s locations and angle of the gunshot wounds to see if she can backtrack the math to the sniper’s location.

On comms, Callen asks Fatima to check out security cameras. Also on comms, Kilbride tells Callen that Cortes would like to speak to him – the FBI can cover the crime scene. Callen tells Cortes that the FBI isn’t even at the crime scene – though LAPD is all over the crime scene. Deeks talks about Drona and Callen thinks it makes sense – Lamica and Behr were put on the protection team by the CIA and likely Drona. Cortes pushes for Callen to come in but Callen fakes some static and is off comms.

Kensi returns to Callen. Based on the wounds, there is no way the sniper fired from the high rise. The angles of the bullet wounds are too steep. The sniper was likely in a helicopter and one great shot.

Fatima has eight helicopters over that part of Los Angeles at 8:16AM – the time of the shooting. Kensi thinks the shot came from at least 1,400 feet east of Pershing Square. On the big screen in Ops, Deeks finds the helicopter. Deeks traces it to a company called Cypress Park Industries. Rountree asks where did the helicopter come from – Camarillo Airport. Kilbride is sure there are witnesses or video of someone getting on the helicopter. Deeks is going to track that down.

Cortes orders Callen to return to the office or he’ll get the FBI to bring Callen in. Callen says he’s returning but gets a call from an unknown number followed by a text message telling Grisha to pick up. Callen has Kensi take them off comms. It is Pembrook on the phone. Callen has a flashback to his happy times with Pembrook. He wants to meet and Callen does too. Kensi gets back on comms to get Fatima to trace the call. She does this quietly. Pembrook is about a block away inside Pershing Square, watching Callen and Kensi.

Pembrook starts to walk away from the crime scene, saying that Callen won’t miss a chance to face the monster of his childhood. Under a bench near the coffee cart is a discarded water bottle with an address in it. Pembrook wants to meet Callen without any other agents around. Pembrook hangs up and walks away. Even tosses his phone into a half finished glass of water. Callen and Kensi check out the bench – he finds the water bottle. Cortes hears from the FBI – they’re on site and want a sitrep. Callen shows Kensi the address in North Hollywood. With the FBI closing in on Callen, he’s off to deal with Pembrook with Kensi on his tail.

At Camarillo Airport, Deeks confirms that Beltran and three other people were on the helicopter but Pembrook wasn’t one of them. Deeks is getting security video. Cortes demands that it is sent to Langley as soon as it is available. The Admiral does his version of rolling his eyes and says “of course.”

Callen arrives at the address Pembrook provided with Kensi just a few blocks back. No one is at the home but since the bottle had the word “pool” in a circle, Callen check out the backyard. There is a pool with a box at the bottom and lots of cameras all around. Realizing that by going in the water Callen shorts out all his comms, Kensi tells Callen not to let Pembrook control the next move. The Admiral doesn’t want Callen to go offline Callen tosses his earwig and phone into the pool before diving in for the box. Cortes pitches a fit that Kilbride has no control over his agents. Saying they can track Callen through his car – and Kensi can trail him – the Admiral wants Rountree working with Kensi.

A wet Callen finds a key to the house in the box. Inside the house is a change of clothes and a key to a vehicle.

Kilbride wants Kensi to go in and see what Callen is up to.

Callen is up to getting into a van and in the van is an armed Pembrook. Pembrook does the Pembrook stuff – talking about teaching Callen the language of violence. After getting Callen’s gun, the two are off for a drive.

In Ops, Fatima has video from Camarillo Airport. Beltran and three randos – two men and a woman - are walking to the helicopter. Cortes demands Fatima send him the photos to run them through facial rec. She was going to do that but he barks “send them to me.” The Admiral nods and Fatima sends the photos.

Entering the house by picking the lock, Kensi finds Callen’s wet gear. Kensi tells Ops that Callen mentioned a van by the house. Cortes is disgusted they lost Callen “completely.”

Using Kaleidoscope, Fatima traced Callen through Van Nuys to LAX. Cortes disses Kaleidoscope as a tenuous connection and tells Kilbride – who is quiet with a lot of side-eyeing – they better pray they don’t lose Callen. Cortes gets a call – the CIA has ID the three with Beltran. He leaves Ops.

Callen asks Pembrook what are they doing? Pembrook says he’s trying to understand what Callen is feeling but Callen is not “doing that.” Not wanting Pembrook as a therapist, Callen asks what Pembrook wants. Pembrook wants to save Callen’s life, save Leah’s life and by that, maybe save his own. Callen really doesn’t care about Pembrook’s life – “full stop.” Pembrook leads Callen to an underground garage of an office building.

Fatima is still tracking the van on a bit of a delay. The vehicle is near San Pedro. Kilbride thinks that an awful long ride for Pembrook to take Callen on just to kill him. Cortes disagrees – Pembrook could be taking Callen someplace off the grid to torture him. After his phone beeps, Cortes has IDs for the three people with Beltran. The three are Russians but not FSB. The CIA got intel on the three entering the country but nothing else. Fatima is joining the side-eye brigade.

In the parking lot, Pembrook starts by telling Callen he was obsessive and filled with anger. Callen says this isn’t about him but Pembrook keeps pushing. Callen’s anger drives his obsession. Again, Callen really doesn’t care. Pembrook admits he did horrible things – he won’t deny it. And the Drona subject were children. Pembrook says he thought his training methods were justified. He’s consumed with remorse. Callen doesn’t care. Pembrook says he takes solace that Callen has moved on from his trauma. Angry, Callen tells Pembrook he doesn’t know anything about Callen’s life. Pembrook does – he’s been following Callen for 35-years.

Fatima hears from Vance’s assistant. Kilbride is needed on a conference call in three minutes. The Admiral is not pleased as he returns to his office.

Rambling, Pembrook has been following all the Drona children, trying to help those in the most distress. Callen doesn’t believe him. Knowing Callen so well, Pembrook offers to turn over Callen’s paper file – everything about Callen’s past. Pembrook tells Callen he can date test the ink. Pembrook starts talking about his own childhood. If Callen isn’t interested in hearing Pembrook talk about Callen’s childhood, he certainly doesn’t want to hear about Pembrook’s. All Callen cares about is the file and is offended that dangling the file in front of Callen is an apology. Callen starts talking about having a hard time building relationships – he went from the DEA to the CIA to NCIS because Pembrook took from him the most elemental part of being a human – the ability to feel. Pembrook knows this and knows it was a terrible thing to do. He apologizes again and Callen isn’t interested in another apology.

In his office, Kilbride is waiting for Vance. Fatima sends him the NCIS facial rec runs on the “Russians”. They are, of course, Americans. Cortes approaches Fatima, asking that she check the last area where the van was seen – maybe there is a CIA safehouse in the area. Kilbride pops up on the big screen – he wants to see Cortes in his office.

Entering Kilbride’s office, Cortes asks if Kilbride shared what’s going on with Vance. The Admiral did not and asks Cortes to close the door behind him. After bickering about Cortes sitting down, Kilbride brings up an issue of dishonesty, especially with Callen being in such a precarious position. The three with Beltran were Americans, not Russians. Cortes tries to sell it as a good job with backstopping their IDs. No, one of the men played football for USC. Kilbride texted the head coach at USC to confirm it. Cortes is not leaving the office until he tells Kilbride everything. Sneering, Cortes asks if Kilbride thinke he can stop him by force. “Don’t tease me,” the Admiral sneers back.

Rountree meets up with Kensi near the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. They are sitting tight, waiting for an update on Callen. Kensi asks Fatima about Cortes’s Russians and Fatima is sure they aren’t Russians. She’s watching what’s going on Kilbride’s office via a security camera on the second level over the bullpen.

Callen asks Pembrook why is he killing the other Drona subjects. Pembrook has been running a black ops Drona team for years. Beltran was part of that team but wanted to start doing jobs for the highest bidder. The only way Pembrook could get the rouge Drona subjects to stop doing these jobs was to kill them. Beltran and his team killed a pro-democracy presidential candidate in Ethiopia along with the candidate’s family. Pembrook was outraged that they killed children for a paycheck (as opposed to Pembrook I guess who only tortured children for a paycheck). Since Pembrook was trying to kill Beltran’s team, they are returning the favor. Callen reminds Pembrook that he is responsible for turning these people into psychopaths.

A team of shooters open fire on the van. Callen gets his gun back from Pembrook and the two make their way to a stairwell. From the stairwell, Pembrook shoots into the van and blows it up. Callen and Pembrook start running up the stairs but Pembrook is slow – he’s been shot. Neither Callen or Pembrook have phones – Callen’s went into the pool, Pembrook ditched his burner at Pershing Square. Pembrook has more happy news – he’s out of ammo.

Walking into an office that is being refurbished, Callen and Pembrook have Beltran and a partner in hot pursuit. Hiding in a cubical farm, Callen and Pembrook escape to a stairwell but almost run into Beltran’s other two partners. Callen and Pembrook go up another flight.

In Ops, Fatima downloads some photos of Beltran and his team – Cortes is in one of the photographs.

Kilbride wants full transparency on Pembrook’s Black Ops from Cortes. That is going to happen according to Cortes. The CIA is willing to cooperate in the matter but not everything is going to be shared. With his earwig in, Fatima tells the Admiral that Cortes worked with Beltran. Cortes gets a text message with a list of CIA safe houses near where Callen and the van were last seen. Kilbride starts talking to Fatima with Cortes in the room. Cortes wonders what the Admiral is doing.

Callen and Pembrook get a higher floor. Pembrook is in rough shape. Finding a server room – that is fireproof and locks from the inside – Pembrook wants to stop running and let Callen go. Callen and Pembrook wind up locked in the server room with Beltran and his team now on the floor.

Kilbride accuses Cortes of being part of Beltran’s team. Cortes denies it. The Admiral wants to know what Cortes’s role is in all of this.

Beltran tries to open the server door but it is locked. He is about to move on when he realizes there is blood on his hand. He asks the team to find something that will cut through the steel door.

Saying that Kilbride’s accusations are stupid, Cortes stands to leave. The Admiral warns him not to so Cortes pulls a weapon on him. “Are you insane,” is Kilbride’s reaction. Saying his life is over as he knows it, Cortes is desperate to get out of the building. Looking at the big screen, Fatima sees Cortes with his weapon out.

Fatima walks into Kilbride’s office with her tablet and a pretend update. Cortes orders her to leave – he’s exiting the building with Kilbride as a hostage. Fatima won’t leave, earning a second gun pulled by Cortes. She tells Cortes to look around. There are several NCIS Agents with their guns drawn all over the second floor of the office building, including Agent Castor directly across the second floor.

Cortes wants to leave the office and threatens to shoot Kilbride and Fatima if he can’t get his way. When nobody moves, Cortes fires a shot into the floor by Kilbride and promises the next one is going into Fatima’s face. While Fatima is clutching her tablet, she has her firearm under it. To protect Fatima, Kilbride stands. Cortes wants everyone to lower their weapons and Fatima gives the order to the others. Cortes wants her to move to the left. Causing a distracting, Fatima makes a Beyonce joke, asking if it is her left or his left. When it is her left, the Admiral hits the deck, as does Fatima and the other agents on the floor unload their weapons in what was Kilbride’s office. When Cortes does not go down, Fatima starts shooting and before long, he’s fallen out the window and onto the main floor outside of Hetty’s office.

As Beltran and company work to drill their way through the lock, Callen is looking for a way out of the server room. Pulling down an air vent, he makes enough noise to stop Beltran for a second but only a second. The drilling resumes. The air vent is way too small to fit Callen or Pembrook.

Using Cortes’s facial ID iPhone, Castor is able to open the phone and pass it on to Fatima. She finds evidence that Cortes was sending out everything NCIS was working on while he was there (and alive). She starts tracking Beltran’s phone location. Fatima sends the office building location to Kensi and Rountree who are on their way. They were waiting for Deeks but are going in without him.

As the drill gets closer to opening the door, Pembrook tells Callen that when Hetty found out what he was doing she pulled Callen from the program. He’s to blame for all that happened, not Hetty. Callen wonders why Hetty didn’t tell him. The drill breaks through the lock.

Kensi and Rountree see smoke coming out of the garage. Inside, they find the burnt remains of the van with no bodies. Bringing the big guns, Kensi and Rountree follow the bloody handprints Pembrook left on the stairway walls.

When Beltran gets into the server room, Pembrook looks to be alone. Asked where Callen is, a seemingly struggling Pembrook says he doesn’t know, they split up. Beltran says everyone always thought Pembrook was evil, a monster. But Beltran knew otherwise and that was going to be Pembrook’s downfall. Pembrook doesn’t agree. Living with what he’s done is far more difficult than dying will ever be. Beltran promises to put Pembrook out of his misery.

Hanging from a small ledge over the door, Callen shoots Beltran. Jumping down, he takes out Beltran’s partner. As the other two team member rush back to the floor, Kensi and Roundtree arrive, arresting both. Kensi gets an ambulance for Pembrook.

Outside of the ambulance, Pembrook hears that Officer Behr and Leah are safe. Callen has arranged for NCIS Agents to take Pembrook to the hospital. That’s not happening as Officer Behr shows up with Intelligence Agents from both the DoD and NSA – they’re taking Pembrook somewhere safe. Callen is livid – does Behr know what Pembrook has done? He does, Behr was a Drona subject, “There are a lot of us. He made us, for worse or for better.” As Pembrook drives away, Callen wants to know why Hetty never said anything.

Back in the office, Callen looks at all of Hetty’s things. He gets a phone call from Pembrook. He wants to meet Callen outside.

Outside, Pembrook has a large file. He answers Callen’s question – Hetty never said anything because she was consumed with guilt for getting Callen involved in the Drona program. Callen isn’t really interested in Hetty’s guilt about trying to turn children into super-agents. Pembrook disagrees. Hetty put Callen into the program because he was brilliant and gifted, wanting him to live up to his full potential. Hetty’s world was the arts and Callen wasn’t going to learn how to play the violin. She wasn’t going to make the mistake some parents make of taking child with one set of talents and forcing the child to master a different set.

Callen points out that Hetty isn’t his parents. “You mean everything to her. And you always have.” Callen is as close to a son as Hetty ever had – she told Pembrook that because even Hetty needs someone to talk to sometimes. While Callen may feel he’s been alone in this world, “you’ve been far from an orphan.” Hetty loved him deeply. Both Callen and Pembrook are a little weepy.

Pembrook turns over the file with some advice. “Don’t make your life be just about the past. Let it be about the present and now the future.” Pembrook offers his congratulations on Callen’s engagement and wishes him all the happiness in the world. As he leaves, Pembrook mentions he gave Hetty the dossier on Senior Chief Petty Officer Sam Hanna. “I thought he’d make a great partner. No, that’s not true. I thought he’d make a great friend.” With all he did, Pembrook tried to look out for Callen as a way to make up for it all.

What head canon can be formed from here: “Frank Military, please come to the front desk, clean up on aisle Drona.”

As an independent hour, this was great. There wasn’t a dull moment, there wasn’t a dip in the tension, the dialogue was crisp, the action was top notch and there wasn’t a useless scene or conversation. Frank Military is the king of “competence porn” – everyone on the team was at the top of their game, doing their best work. Sam being “out of town” was a bummer – nobody writes the Sam Hanna competence porn better than Military.

But Drona. For the life of me, I don’t know why in season 13 the program completely retcon’d Callen’s childhood. For years, the backstory was Callen bounced from foster home to foster home, some bad, some really bad and some good. He was found by Hetty, went to a good college, joined the DEA/CIA/NCIS and served his country. Now, it seems Callen was some test subject where beating children was seen as great training and Callen completely forgot that part. He remembered all his foster parents but not the guy who took a hammer to his fingers.

Feh.

And if Drona and Hetty were keeping their eye on Callen from the time he was a little boy, could someone maybe have grabbed Amy Callen out of the orphanage and moved her in with a foster/adopted family before she drowned.

Retconning characters’ past isn’t new to me – Samantha Mulder had multiple middle names and multiple kidnapping scenarios. I have a high crapola tolerance level when it comes to this stuff but 13-seasons in, knowing that every season could be the last, introducing a complicated new storyline just seems like a bad idea. And it was.

Nice touch having Cortes land right outside the Hetty’s office, what Mosley called Hetty’s throne. Glad to see Castor not knocked out, instead being a key part of taking Cortes down.

So what did we learn today – you can abuse children physically and psychologically but if you suggest Sam Hanna as a friend to Callen, all’s good.

Episode number: This is episode 19 of season 14. The 321st episode overall.

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

7 notes · View notes

typingtess · 2 months

Text

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 Rewatch: “Sleeping Dogs”

The basics: When several Drona subjects are attacked, NCIS is on the case.

Written by: Andrew Bartels wrote or co-wrote "Allegiance", "Zero Days", "The Grey Man", "Humbug", "Fighting Shadows", "Driving Miss Diaz", "Angels & Daemons", "Where There’s Smoke…", "Glasnost", "Old Tricks" "Battle Scars", "Fool Me Twice", "Warrior of Peace", "Reentry", "The Prince", "Smokescreen", "The One That Got Away"/"No More Secrets" two-parter, "Yellow Jacket", "Missing Time", "If the Fates Allow", "Red Rover, Red Rover", "Divided We Fall", "Genesis" and "Survival of the Fittest".

Directed by: Gonzalo Amat is directing his first NCIS: Los Angeles episode.

Guest stars of note: Ava McCoy as Jordyn Rountree returns from “Perception” in season 13, Ashley Sharpe Chestnut as FBI Special Agent Summer Morehurst returns from "Let it Burn", both Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier as Agent Shyla Dahr and Duncan Campbell as Agent Castor return from “Shame”, Milissa Sears as Leah Novak returns from “Genesis” in season 13, David DeSantos as Anthony Beltran.

Our heroes: Keep droning on about Drona.

What important things did we learn about: Callen: In a roundabout way, asks Sam to be his best man. Sam: In a roundabout way, says yes t being Callen’s best man. Kensi: Absent. Deeks: See Kensi. Fatima: Hacks into the Drona files with Shyla. Rountree: Willing to be shot at to protect Sam and Fatima. Kilbride: Leaving after work to see his son.

What not so important things did we learn about: Callen: Worshipped by Castor. Sam: Thinks Castor getting knocked out twice in three months is a bad look. Kensi: See Deeks. Deeks: Absent. Fatima: Likes Rountree with Summer. Rountree: Runs after school buses, bad guys and through sand castles. Kilbride: Hired Shyla because Shyla remembers everything.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange? Seemingly in a small town on the border of Turkey and Syria warning Drona subjects that they are in danger.

Who's down with OTP: Kensi and Deeks are off doing family things. Rountree and Summer seems to be doing well.

Who's down with BrOTP: Callen popped the question – will Sam be his best man? Callen has a side buddy in Castor.

Fashion review: Callen wears a green, blue and yellow plaid shirt. A long-sleeve black tee for Sam. Fatima wears a tan leather field coat over a black turtleneck. A pale purple fleece sweatshirt for Rountree. Kilbride has on a dark brown three-piece suit with a white dress shirt and a brown and gold tie.

Music: Not today!

Any notable cut scene: Not today!

Quote: Shyla: “Oh, uh, your ride to the airport just pulled up outside.” Kilbride: “I thought I told you to cancel that flight.” Shyla: “Did you? Oh, I-I don't remember.” Kilbride: “You remember everything. That's why I hired you.” Shyla: “Do you still want me to cancel it? Bear in mind, it is nonrefundable and I know how much you hate wasting money. Not to mention missing an opportunity to see your son after all these years...” Kilbride: “All right, all right, I'm leaving. Remind me to fire you when I get back.”

Anything else: A gentleman is out walking his dog in a small park area surrounded by businesses. The dog, Rebel, starts barking and jumps into a bush. Returning to his owner, Rebel gifts the man a dead squirrel, which was not on the man’s breakfast meal plan. The man’s phone rings – it is an older, flip phone. A text message reads “DHRISHTADYUMNA”. The man breaks the phone in half and tosses his phone, causing Rebel to play fetch. While the dog is away, a person wearing a ski mask shoots the dog owner in the back of the dead. Rebel returns to his fallen owner and sits right next to him because dogs are the best.

At a table by a coffee shop, Fatima, Rountree, Jordyn and FBI Agent Summer Morehurst are chatting. Fatima is teasing Rountree for yelling “Federal Agents” as they were trailing a suspect. The suspect ran (because he’s obviously watched the show). “Tree” caught the guy after a 10-minute chase. Jordyn is all in for the Rountree mocking. Rountree always liked to show off how fast he was. He’d forget to give Jordyn her school lunch on purpose and then run alongside the school bus to give it to her like Keanu Reeves. And she hated his lunches – avocados and bean sprouts. She was 14 and didn’t want to eat that stuff back then. Summer says she’s not interested in eating it now. Rountree says it all worked out for the best. Jordyn aced her MCATs and is on her way to medical school. Summer starts mocking “Treefontaine” when she gets a call – FBI wants to see her. Jordyn is off to class as well.

Shyla is giving a not paying attention Admiral Kilbride notice about a meeting with his British and Australian counterparts. Still not paying attention. She would be willing to go. Still not paying attention. Kensi and Deeks are out because Rosa’s aunt had a stroke. Still not paying attention. Office minutiae like the security system doing a reboot and Agent Castor’s performance review aren’t capturing the Admiral’s attention either. Shyla mentions a radioactive group of pubescent turtles foiling and armed robbery at the Santa Monica Pier and nothing. Shyla sees a suitcase and realizes that he’s flying up to San Francisco to see his son. She will arrange transport to the airport at 7PM but he wants to leave at 7:30PM – he’s not much of an airport guy. With spring break, Shyla recommends the earlier departure time but the Admiral promises her he’ll be fine. Eventually he relents but warns Shyla that if he is stuck with a “posse of frat boys you will never hear the end of it.” She thinks that would be a great story. As Shyla leaves, the Admiral wants a BOLO on the turtles and their giant rat leader – can’t have mutant vigilantes running around.

Sam walks in to the bullpen, greeting Callen. On Sam’s desk is a printout of a man in a tuxedo. Callen explains it is the tuxedo Anna, sorry, he and Anna, want Sam to wear to the wedding. Sam thinks he can dress himself. Callen brings up Anna’s, his and Anna’s color palate for the wedding. The tux is just for Sam. “Is this your way of asking me to be your best man?” Callen thought Sam being the best man was a given. Sam’s not so sure. Callen has been spending quality time with Castor – they had some drinks and dinner after Castor was knocked out by Miraslava. Sam notes that Castor worships Callen, even dresses like him. Castor arrives, dressed similarly to Callen. Callen breaks down and asks if Sam would be his best man. Of course, Sam replies but he hates the tux. Callen agrees.

Shyla walks down the stairs. Callen asks if they have a case. She replies “you tell me” as she brings them up to Ops. Once in Ops, she launches all the security protocols that lock the door, shut the shutters and turn down the lights. She was sent two encrypted files through a DOD top secret/special compartmented information channel, JWICS. The first file is the driver’s license for the man the park – John Jenkins. He’s the CEO for a software company. The second file is the ID card of an FBI Analyst, Patrick Hertel. Both men were found dead that morning. Hertel was killed in his backyard, Jenkins in the park. There were numbers with the file – eight, 11 and 22. Maybe August 11, 2022.

Callen isn’t interested in figuring out what eight, 11 and 22 mean. JWICS files are sent by known people. Who sent the file? Shyla doesn’t know, it came from a SCIF on the border of Turkey and Syria, the town of Al-Rai. It was Hetty’s last known location, who else would send cryptic clues. Shyla seems excited –“are you talking about who I think you’re talking about?” Callen confirms – Hetty.

In the Admiral’s office, Callen makes the case that to Kilbride that the JWICS file came from Hetty. The Admiral wants to know why she would send the names for two men and some random numbers. It isn’t an urgent message, it is a top secret butt dial according to the Admiral. He’s checked – the SCIF was closed months ago. Callen thinks Hetty could have routed the JWICS through the SCIF but if she did that, why didn’t she identify herself the Admiral asks. Maybe Hetty thinks JWICS is compromised according to Callen. More being a pain in the ass according to Kilbride. Callen wants to investigate the victims to see if there is anything there. Since Hetty bailed Kilbride out with the Simon Williams case, Callen can investigate as long as he stays in his lane – stay away from the official investigations.

Fatima and Rountree show up at Hertel’s home, which is covered with police tape. They start to work on a story to get involved with the case when they see Summer working the case. She comes to see Rountree and Fatima, who think there is a connection between Hertel’s killing and an NCIS investigation into John Jenkins. Summer starts asking questions and Rountree drops “national security”. Since Rountree and Fatima can’t share their info on Jenkins, which is none other than Callen and Sam are investigating what Hetty sent, Summer can’t working with them. When they can share, so can she. Hertel is FBI – they’re working for one of their own.

At the park area, Callen learns from LAPD that all the cameras were down due to routine maintenance when Jenkins was walking his dog. Callen also shares that Summer is working the Hertel case. Sam thinks it was a robbery – no wallet, no keys, no phone and the killer took away the shell casings. LAPD found half the phone in Rebel’s mouth. Callen gives Shyla a call. She has not found a link between Jenkins and Hertel yet.

Looking into Jenkins, his start up tech company has one employee – Jenkins. They haven’t created a product in the last five years. Jenkins and his company have been doing very well, despite offering no products. He’s likely laundering money. Asked about family, Shyla tells Callen and Sam that Jenkins was adopted and his adopted parents are long dead. Turning back to the crime scene, if the dog found one half of the phone, Sam would like to see if he could find the other half.

Back at the FBI crime scene, Rountree sees an older couple arrive and go right under the police tape. Fatima is on the phone. Rountree calls for Summer, who is a bit embarrassed. She asks about the older couple – they are Hertel’s adopted parents. An arriving Fatima, who was on the phone hears adopted and notes that Jenkins was also adopted. Summer isn’t impressed until Fatima tells her both men were shot in the back of the head to make it look like a robbery. Summer never told them how Hertel was killed. NCIS is now part of the FBI crime scene.

Callen and Sam talk about Callen setting a date but Anna is giving him time to find Hetty. Sam hopes this is the case that gets them to Hetty. Callen doesn’t believe that. If Hetty wanted to be found, Hetty would be found. She would tell them where to find her. Callen wants to get married and it is unfair to make Anna wait so long. Sam is looking forward to his best man speech – he has a lot of wisdom to share. Callen thinks he’s heard most of Sam’s wisdom but the wisdom is for Anna, who needs to know what she’s really getting herself into. Callen is having second thoughts about Castor. The dog finds the other part of the phone.

As the Admiral arrives in Ops, Shyla has an update about eight, 11 and 22. Both Jenkins and Hertel went through the LA foster care system. They are both single, in their 40’s and both had government jobs. Hertel is with the FBI, Jenkins is an NSA Analyst. He’s not in most common databases for the NSA. Shyla learned about his NSA role through some friends in Washington. Shyla is about to call this in to Callen and Sam but the Admiral wants her to way. He needs her to pull some files instead.

Hertel was watering his plants when his killer walked up behind him and fired one shot into his head. There was no cartridges left behind, just like the Jenkins crime scene. Summer apologizes for stonewalling NCIS. Fatima says they would have likely done the same if the roles were reversed. Summer doesn’t understand the connection between the two killings.

Fatima gets a call from Shyla, who asks if Hertel has a birthmark on his back. A little reluctantly, Fatima asks Summer to pull up Hertel’s shirt. There is a rather large birthmark on his back. The Admiral, with Shyla, wants her to call Callen. When Callen answers, he starts a sit-rep for Shyla but the Admiral stops things. Eight, 11 and 22 are people, not numbers. Hertel and Jenkins were eight and 22 from the Drona Project, “your alma mater Agent Callen.” Callen has a flashback to his time with Drona.

The Hertel-Jenkins cases are now joint FBI-NCIS investigations. Shyla is told by Kilbride to share everything they have on the case except Hetty’s involvement. Since Hetty’s involvement was speculation anyway, Shyla wasn’t going to share it. With subjects eight and 22 accounted for, who is subject 11? That is Leah Novak, who Callen contacted in the prior year. Callen is trying to find Novak now.

Callen calls Leah who doesn’t want to talk to him. She is walking through a really sketchy looking indoor parking lot. There is a team of masked men following her. Sam tries to get Leah to listen to him but the masked men open fire. Shyla, who was monitoring the phone call is able to trace Leah’s location to a Mid-City parking garage.

In the garage, Callen and Sam find an empty shopping bag with wrapped up money inside. Callen sees a badly wounded Leah, who says “14” before losing consciousness.

Returning to Ops, Fatima and Rountree are told by Shyla that Leah is in surgery. With someone targeting Drona subject, Callen could be in danger. Rountree disagrees – Hetty would have warned Callen in her JWICS communications if he was in trouble. The Admiral arrives, warning Rountree not to read too much into anything Hetty does. There is another Drona subject who may be danger – number 14. The Admiral wants Shyla to cancel is flight to San Francisco to see his son. As he leaves, Shyla tells Rountree and Fatima to go to the gadget area to study Jenkins’s phone. When she knows who number 14 is, she’ll update them.

There was brass left behind at the Leah’s shooting which means she likely hit at least two of her assailants. Callen found a go-bag in Leah’s car with water, MREs and a satellite phone. She knew she was in danger. Sam thinks the same of Jenkins – that’s likely why he tossed his phone. Callen thinks Pembrook is behind the killings – Callen found him and is now cleaning up what’s left behind of Drona.

While Rountree is sweet talking Summer, Fatima is working on Jenkins’s phone. Once in, Rountree is off his phone and working with Fatima. The “DHRISHTADYUMNA” text message is the name of a Hindu warrior who killed his teacher Drona. There are contacts in the phone – Hertel and Leah Novak are there. So is an Anthony Beltran, a former Army Ranger turned history professor. Fatima sends his address to Callen and Sam.

As Callen and Sam pull up outside of Beltran’s home, Beltran is putting a duffle bag into his trunk. When Callen and Sam try to speak to Beltran, Beltran runs. Callen makes things worse by yelling “federal agents” while Sam gets in his car to cut Beltran off. Beltran starts shooting at Callen, who promises they are not there to hurt Beltran. “Leah sent us.” Beltran is talked into putting his gun down. Callen introduces himself as Special Agent Grisha Callen, subject 17. He assures Beltran he’s safe.

In the boat shed, Beltran is in interrogation while Callen and Sam in the main room. The duffle bag in Beltran’s truck had MREs, cash, burner phones. He also got the same text message sent to Jenkins before Jenkins was killed. Callen wonders who sent the text message and Hetty earns a message. Callen isn’t pleased – this is Hetty training an agent, people are being murdered.

Shyla pops up on the screen. There was one vehicle seen on security/traffic cams at the Jenkins/Hertel/Leah shootings. Backtracking with Kaleidoscope, Shyla traced the vehicle to a building downtown. Rountree and Fatima are going to the building and Sam will meet them. Callen wonders why he’s not going but Sam wants answers from Beltran. Callen is the best person to get the answers.

Callen starts to question Beltran, who won’t sit on the wrong side of the table right away, wanting to stand instead. Beltran eventually sits. As an alibi, Beltran says he was home when Jenkins and Hertel were killed. Callen asks about the text message. Beltran was preparing a lesson – he teaches ancient history – and missed the message when it was sent. Once he saw it, however, he called Leah. Leah told him about Jenkins and Hertel. Beltran put his phone in his garbage disposal, packed his things and was going to hit the road when Callen and Sam drove up.

Beltran thought Callen and Sam were working for “him” – Howard Pembrook. Beltran shows Callen scars on his arm from Pembrook’s abuse. Jenkins, Hertel, Leah and Beltran started working together a year ago, after Callen told Leah about Pembrook. They wanted to take him down with lawsuits. There was talk about bringing Callen in but the men in the group were angry Callen lied to Leah. Beltran believes Pembrook found out about them and now he’s having them killed. Beltran wants to see Leah – they are “very close.”

With Summer’s FBI team 30-minutes out, Sam, Rountree and Fatima in tactical gear go into the downtown building. The vehicle has not returned to the location. This is their best chance to scope out the building. Sam breaks down the door. It is a warehouse with huge computer servers, a desk, file cabinets. While Fatima and Shyla try to get into the server, Rountree finds a photo of Callen on the wall from when he was in Pembrook’s garden.

Callen shows Beltran the photo and explains he was trying to confront Pembrook about the past. Pembrook was fine. Beltran is interested in what was in the building where Sam, Fatima and Rountree are. He’s also furious at Callen for going to see Pembrook. Everything bad that’s happened started when Callen met Pembrook. If this was true, Callen asks, why didn’t Pembrook go after him? Beltran talks about the lawsuit being a bigger threat. Castor appears – the doctor says Beltran can see Leah now. In Leah’s room, she’s on a ventilator. Beltran is holding Leah’s hand, saying Pembrook must pay.

As Fatima and Shyla get access to the server, the previously opened files pop up. There were files for black-ops missions in Crimea, Somalia and Brazil. Pembrook is still in the game. An audio file has Leah and Jenkins using their Drona numbers as they work on a mission. They aren’t being targeted by Pembrook, they work for Pembrook. Sam can’t contact Shyla to warn Callen – signal jammers knocked out the cell service. Gunmen rush near Sam, Fatima and Rountree. Gunfire is exchanged. Fatima and Rountree are pinned down.

Sam is able to get Fatima and Rountree to a safer location – people are still shooting. If they can hold out, the FBI could rescue them but Sam is more worried the FBI is walking into an ambush. More gunfire is exchanged. Sam takes out at least one of the shooter.

In Leah’s room, Callen gets a call from Shyla about the lost comms with Sam and company. The Summer-led FBI team suddenly is unreachable too. Callen is going to the building, Castor will take Beltran back to boat shed. Beltran wants to stay with Leah. He’s not worried about his safety, he just wants to be with her. Callen realizes there were only three Drona subject numbers – eight, 11 and 22. Hertel, Leah and Jenkins. Beltran wasn’t on the list – he was never warned.

Rountree is willing to create a diversion by running – but not in a show-offy way. Fatima thinks he’ll get killed. Sam assures them nobody is getting killed today. He has a plan.

Callen has his weapon out and orders Beltran away from Leah. Leah said 14 to Callen before losing consciousness – Beltran was 14. Callen knocks on the door to get Castor in as back-up. Beltran is impressed that Callen figured it all out but is more impressed with his own handy work when a Drona gunman, not Castor, walks into the hospital room.

Using some flashbangs, Sam, Fatima and Rountree move the people shooting them out of their secure locations. Once they were seen, team NCIS shoot them. Summer and the FBI arrive. Sam finds the signal jammer and shuts it off, he’s quick to contact Callen.

Explaining that once again, Agent Castor is out cold, Beltran takes Callen’s gun. Beltran doesn’t kill people who don’t deserve it – he didn’t have Castor killed, won’t kill Callen. Callen notes that Beltran was going to kill Leah, who was in a coma in a hospital bed. Beltran wasn’t going to kill her – she’s no longer a threat. He just needed eyes on her to make sure. Beltran says he and Callen are on the same side – they want to kill Pembrook. Beltran’s partner has a sedative prepared for Callen – not going to kill Callen, just a long nap like Castor. Callen hits the partner. Beltran runs and after Callen gets the sedative in the leg, he runs after Beltran. As Callen runs after Beltran, he has some Pembrook flashbacks before the sedative takes hold. Callen is out cold and Beltran is gone.

Shyla updates Kilbride. Callen and Castor are fine – it really was just a sedative. Beltran and his partner are gone but the FBI are hunting them down. Shyla also has Kilbride’s ride to the airport waiting outside of the office. She doesn’t remember his order to cancel the flight. Kilbride is not amused – he hired her because she never forgets anything. She offers to cancel the flight but is non-refundable. The Admiral hates wasting money, according to Shyla. “Remind me to fire you when I get back.” And the Admiral is off.

In the Armory, Fatima and Rountree are packing up their things. Fatima asks about a story Summer started at breakfast. Seems Rountree and Summer were having a lovely walk on the beach when the wind kicked up. Summer’s hat went flying and Rountree went flying after it. As he was catching up, he destroyed a kid’s sandcastle. He got the hat back and then spent an hour helping the kid rebuild the castle. Fatima thinks Rountree really likes Summer. He admits he does but realizes he’s late for dinner with Summer. He races away.

Callen is at the back balcony in the boat shed when Sam arrives. Callen said had Beltran and he let Beltran get away. And maybe he did it because he wants Beltran to kill Pembrook. But if Beltran kills anyone else, well, Callen knows that’s his fault. Sam thinks they need to find Beltran and Pembrook. Callen wants to know how Hetty knew the Drona subjects were being targeted. “Add it to the list,” Sam replies. Callen is going for a drink with Castor. Sam notes that it is the second time Castor got knocked out and lost his gun – maybe Castor shouldn’t be trusted with the wedding ring. Callen tells Best Man Sam to knock it off.

What head canon can be formed from here: So done with the Drona/Callen’s childhood storyline. The program has a handful of episode left and this one and one down the road eat up valuable time with this tedious storyline. And the episode down the road – where I will be screeching about retconning Pembrook – could have been used for more of Rountree’s history beside his sister, more of Fatima’s history period, more of Sam with Raymond, Kensi’s mom’s with Rosa. There were other “personal history” episodes besides this nonsense.

As for the episode itself, it was really well done, if a bit talky, for a set-up episode for what comes in episode 19. It was all about Pembrook without Pembrook physically in the episode (flashbacks don’t count). It is still up in the air if Beltran, Leah, Jenkins and Hertel are villains or victims. Beltran is a mess – no issue with killing Leah, Jenkins and Hertel but knockout syringes for Callen and poor Agent Castor. The Drona drama is such a mess.

Episode number: Episode number 16 in season 14. This is the 318th episode overall.

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

5 notes · View notes