S12.E13: Red Rover, Red Rover

[thewhiteowl]

To rescue Joelle from further torture by the Russians, Callen and NCIS must offer up Anna as bait to Katya. Also, Callen finally discovers who accused him of being Russian spy.

[LittlePeas3]

Apart from hiding behind that tree when they blew up the picnic table, I actually liked this episode. I can not imagine that tree would have protected them. I kept expecting Sam to do his last minute bomb disarm, not dislocate Joelle's arm and yank the vest off of her. While I could have been just as happy if Joelle died, a one-legged CIA agent sounds interesting.  

For someone who doesn't want to be operations manager, Nell can do a decent job when she puts her mind to it.  One moment she is whingeing to Kensi and the next she is saying it is time to go home and rest and get some sleep and she is going to call the SecNav.  

Who is going to be Katya's security against Anna, will it be Arkady or Callen?  Both have valid arguments for them.  

 

 

[123BP]

Better than "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." Still not a Joelle fan no matter how "noble" she is. This is her mess, and everybody else is paying the price. Wanted at least SOME conversation between Callen and Anna because it's definitely time. The fact that Joelle knew that Katya was the person who fingered Callen as a Russian operative and that she was looking to defect and STILL didn't tell him just kind of slid past without any reaction from Callen. That was strange. I expected him to at least acknowledge that she's the same Joelle--keeping secrets. Don't know what to make of the two women who know Anna from "the academy," but am really missing the presence of Katya. There's just not the same level of threat without her. Don't know what Anna meant that there's a lot about her Callen doesn't know. She's been approved by Hetty, Chicago PD, ATF, and probably the CIA since she worked with Joelle, so it doesn't look like the background checks for any intelligence agency is very good. Expected to hear something about Hetty in this after watching some of the interviews with Chris, but maybe next episode.

[mythoughtis]

This did not hold my interest.  I don’t care  about the CIA agent that had been interrogating Callan as a spy.  I loathe Joelle.  How is that woman still an agent?  She’s so shady.  Why does Callan seem so affected by someone who had an intimate  false relationship with him at the expense  of her family?  We’ve never gotten a satisfactory answer as to why the CIA thought they should investigate an NCIS agent in the first place.  Seems to me that they should have gotten enough answers them and not come after him a second time. 
even the presence of Arcady couldn’t save this episode. 

Edited March 30, 2021 by mythoughtis

[ymeagain]

Agree with this review.

https://ncislarandomthoughts.blogspot.com/2021/03/episode-13-season-12-red-rover-red-rover_30.html

[CheshireCat]

I have little to add except: why do Callen and Sam care so much about Joelle? I think the writing/directing was way off on both how they care about Joelle and how Anna cares about her. You'd think that Anna's Callen's former girlfriend and Joelle his current one and Anna still loves him but realizes that it's time to let the person she loves go and she wants Callen to be happy.