S13.E01: Subject 17

[thewhiteowl]

While Callen suspects Hetty of keeping secrets about his past and Joelle surfaces in her quest to capture Katya, NCIS must track down an informant whose life is in danger. Also, Kensi and Deeks work to expand their family.

[DavidWeis1]

Hetty’s back! Wait! No. She left again. How many years has this been going on? Seriously. And the Federal Government has no issue with this? 

Caller’s always been an entitled jerk (“I was adopted. Poor me.”) but last night, with both Fulbright and Hetty, he confirmed it in spades. Poor Sam is ready to throw in the friend-towel. 

and what is it with Joelle and Anna? Does the show not have the money to pay one of the actors to commit? This whole seesawing between the characters has gotten really old. Again, how many years has this been going on?

Speaking of wearing out its welcome is the whole Kensi/Deeks pregnancy. That’s all those two add to the show. That and Deeks blinding sneakers.

[threebluestars]

I don't know why the writers think rehashing the "who am I" plot with Callen is a good idea. I also don't know why they think every bloody season revolving around Kensi/Deeks/baby is interesting. I also don't know why we are still being inflicted with Joelle. I don't find ANY of this interesting.

[milkyaqua]

I can only echo what's been said here.

I'm not all that upset by Hetty's brief appearances because it seems obvious that Linda Hunt may not be fully up to doing this full-time between her accident and COVID.  I'm fine with Kilbride.

Callen and his backstory just aren't interesting at this point and yes, he's not the only person who's had questions of where they come from but he's freaking out because there might be something else in the backstory.  And exactly why should that matter to him at this point?  Sam is right, going down that rabbit hole might not do him any good and it just stirs up stuff that hopefully has been resolved.  Also, obviously Hetty knew what he was up to.

Anna and Joelle...ho hum.  Joelle needs to go to an island somewhere and disappear.  I was willing to cut her some slack earlier but she's unbearable now.

Never, ever cared about Kensi and Deeks as a couple and I sure as heck don't care about them trying to start a family.  Either they have one or not but it's not essential to keep cramming it into the storylines.  What does it have to do with what their actual job/mission is supposed to be?  I wish they'd stop playing lip service to the shippers.

The only things I got from this epi was Callen once again trying to get into Hetty's business re: sending Katya to Syria.  We'll see how well that works out because of course the Russians would have no way to track her.  And that the team don't always have to kill everyone in sight.  All it took was Kilbride telling them not to.

I don't know what it is with the TPTB but they either need new writers or to make this the final season and wrap it up.

Edited October 11, 2021 by milkyaqua

[LittlePeas3]

I am glad I am not the only one thinking, "Why bring up Callen's past now?" Surely, this should have all been bought up years ago, when Callen was trying to find out his past? It just doesn't seem to fit.  I get Callen's frustration, I just think it is something like 6 or 7 years too late, minimum. 

I wish the Joelle storyline was way beyond gone.  I really dislike her these days.  She also walks far too well for someone with an amputated leg. At least when Arizona lost a leg on Grey's Anatomy, she limped for a fair while.  Joelle adjusted very fast. Sam shoving Joelle through the hatch was hilarious and so timely.  

"Is there some women who kill dating site out there that I don't know about or do you just have the world's worst luck with dating?" comment is hilarious. Kilbride at least has some good comebacks. 

I so wish they would go back to doing undercover stories.  

I never thought I would say this so early, but I miss Nell and Beale.  

Non-lethal....that's gold.  

[123BP]

It wasn't perfect, but I actually liked this episode a lot more than most of the episodes in seasons 11 & 12.

Can't say I understand why Gemmill wants to revise Callen's backstory again--or even that I like it--and not sure where it's going, BUT this was the Callen I remember from much earlier seasons when he didn't back down, got angry and yelled when he did, and took charge, sometimes ignoring authority. That part I liked a lot because Callen's been almost boring the last 2 seasons, and he's shown way too much concern about Joelle. She made her own mess. (I'm super tired of Joelle and would much rather see Anna. After all, Katya's supposedly after Anna, so she should be more in the picture than Joelle.) I did like Sam giving her a push and Callen threatening to tell her family and yelling at her in the Hellcat. That was much better than the care and friendliness they showed her last season.

I was glad the baby/adoption talk was kept to a minimum. It's beyond boring at this point. Both of them talk way too much about personal stuff all the time.

Kilbride isn't my favorite, but he had some good lines. I still don't get his role. What position does he hold?

I like the way Hetty's character is being revealed. She hasn't been a "mother" to Callen since season 6, so it's about time to put that image of her to bed. She's a complex character. She's a manipulative, deceptive liar--but she's not all bad and she does care for her team. I think her scene with Callen was really powerful; both of them were hurt by what she'd done in the past. I'm interested to see where the writers take this.

[MissLucas]

I'm confused - did we not already know that Hetty groomed orphans for spy-work? What's new here? Callen starts to remind me of Gibbs (and not in a good way), rehearsing the same traumatic past over and over again. Get some therapy!

As for the rest: I must have missed some episodes because I had no idea what was going on but I enjoyed Kilbride calling out Callen's bad luck with dating.

[mythoughtis]

Please no more Joelle and no more Anna.  I miss Nell and Beale. Get rid of the newest agent.  He adds nothing.  

I could totally understand if Linda Hunt wanted to retire.  Send her to headquarters and put her on zoom occasionally. She can do a lot with material like that.  She’s very expressive.  
 

[maggiemae]

Really - never liked Joelle or Anna. Enough of those relationships.

[ymeagain]

Interesting episode. The change to Callen's DOB was not something I saw coming. It might work even though it screws up some of the past events. It'd be nice if the writers explained why it's different, but guess that's too much to ask.

On 10/12/2021 at 3:29 PM, MissLucas said:

I'm confused - did we not already know that Hetty groomed orphans for spy-work? What's new here?

I think we knew, kinda sorta, but I don't think Callen knew that he was part of a "program" and that Hetty started his "training" when he was so young. If I remember, he was a teenager when he met her in "Rage," and that was the first time he remembered meeting her.

This was an interesting review.

https://ncislarandomthoughts.blogspot.com/2021/10/subject-17-season-13-episode-1.html

[Tony Dickson]

"Special Guest Star Linda Hunt"

[LadyIrony]

On 10/12/2021 at 4:48 AM, DavidWeis1 said:

Hetty’s back! Wait! No. She left again. How many years has this been going on? Seriously. And the Federal Government has no issue with this? 

Caller’s always been an entitled jerk (“I was adopted. Poor me.”) but last night, with both Fulbright and Hetty, he confirmed it in spades. Poor Sam is ready to throw in the friend-towel. 

and what is it with Joelle and Anna? Does the show not have the money to pay one of the actors to commit? This whole seesawing between the characters has gotten really old. Again, how many years has this been going on?

Speaking of wearing out its welcome is the whole Kensi/Deeks pregnancy. That’s all those two add to the show. That and Deeks blinding sneakers.

I've always had trouble believing Hetty is this fearsome Cold Warrior. I find her boring and tiresome. At that level in a field like NCIS there is no way they would just allow the leader to come and go like that. Even at middle management level they would be chained to their desks and phones ready to deal with anything. 

Also bored with Callum and being adopted. I was about to comment on the other characters when I realized that none of them are particularly interesting or charismatic. Deeks had his moments early on but coupling up has ruined him. 

[Sweet Tooth]

Holy crap, was this the "EVERYONE'S annoying now" episode? 

I think the only person I still liked was Sam.

I loved Kensi and Deeks, but I don't want to hear the word pregnancy again.

I thought we were done with Callen's past. But him demanding answers like a pampered little schoolboy had me grinding my teeth.

Joelle can die yesterday. But Sam throwing her into the water was awesome.

Edited October 23, 2021 by Sweet Tooth

[CheshireCat]

On 10/11/2021 at 2:45 PM, milkyaqua said:

Callen and his backstory just aren't interesting at this point and yes, he's not the only person who's had questions of where they come from but he's freaking out because there might be something else in the backstory.  And exactly why should that matter to him at this point? 

I think it matters because it's about his identity, about who he is. Yes, he knows about his mother and his father now but I don't think that's all there is to it. His memory tells him this is how he grew up and now it looks like those memories, the life that he's known, are a lie. I think he probably also feels betrayed by Hetty; he was in 37 foster homes, he was abused in some of them. Hetty was/is a mother-figure and she doesn't seem to have taken action. I would imagine that he has questions about that; why didn't she get him out of the foster system, why didn't she take care of him, try to find a family who'd adopt him? Was it part of the plan? Was there another reason? (Come to think of it, this is something I'd like to know, too. I'd also like to know why Callen left the homes he was not abused in).

There is also the issue that (I'm assuming) he believes that he made the choice to become a CIA agent as a young adult. Yes, it did come from Hetty in a way (at least, that's how I understand it) but it still seems to have been his decision. He now found out that he may have been conditioned to become one/that he was manipulated to become one.

That said, I'm not sure that they can do this story justice. Unless Hetty tells Callen why and if everything that happened in his life as a teenager was part of the plan or not, it sounds like it needs to be explored over more than one season. And if Hetty tells him then it would kind of be anti-climatic. I think they should have chosen to do this instead of letting Callen find a father who's then barely present and a sister who doesn't like him anymore. (Speaking of, why do they not simply continue to explore his relationship with his sister if they wanted to do something that connects to Callen's past?)

 

On 10/11/2021 at 2:45 PM, milkyaqua said:

 Joelle needs to go to an island somewhere and disappear. 

Agreed.

 

On 10/11/2021 at 5:26 PM, LittlePeas3 said:

I am glad I am not the only one thinking, "Why bring up Callen's past now?" Surely, this should have all been bought up years ago, when Callen was trying to find out his past? It just doesn't seem to fit.  I get Callen's frustration, I just think it is something like 6 or 7 years too late, minimum. 

There was this guy in S3 & 4 (I think he was called the Chameleon) who loved to taunt Callen. I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't have known about it and dropped hints.

 

On 10/11/2021 at 11:58 PM, 123BP said:

I was glad the baby/adoption talk was kept to a minimum. It's beyond boring at this point. Both of them talk way too much about personal stuff all the time.

Maybe I'm a bit sensitive about the issue because my three cousins are adopted but what bothers me the most about it is how reluctant they are to adopt. They have a colleague who grew up without parents and who lived in 37 foster homes and yet, they completely rejected the idea in S11 and two seasons later, they still insist that they absolutely have to have their very own baby. Adoption is not the end of the world or a punishment and I find it unrealistic that they didn't even pause to think about it when it first came up considering they work with Callen and think of him as a friend.

 

On 10/11/2021 at 11:58 PM, 123BP said:

Kilbride isn't my favorite, but he had some good lines. I still don't get his role. What position does he hold?

Good point. I doubt that being an admiral puts him automatically into the chain-of-command of NCIS since it's its own agency with its own director and civilian investigators.

And speaking of Killbride, I think his insistence that they don't use lethal force was the most ridiculous thing ever. The guys are heavily armed and he's letting them go in blind but sure, don't shoot the guys with the automatic riffles. I think Killbride sounded ignorant and like a paper-pusher who has no idea what is going on out in the field anymore in that instance. I liked him much better when he was still a guest star and an ally. I'm so tired of superiors acting like the enemy and always trying to turn this team into something they're not.

 

On 10/11/2021 at 11:58 PM, 123BP said:

I like the way Hetty's character is being revealed. She hasn't been a "mother" to Callen since season 6, so it's about time to put that image of her to bed. She's a complex character. She's a manipulative, deceptive liar--but she's not all bad and she does care for her team. I think her scene with Callen was really powerful; both of them were hurt by what she'd done in the past. I'm interested to see where the writers take this.

I think it makes sense that she would establish her own spy school as a counter-part to Russia's. This would still have been during the Cold War, so, it's credible that she felt the need for it.

I think it's a good assessment otherwise. The only thing I would add is that she and Callen have had as complex a relationship as they are characters. I've never been quite sure what they are to each other and I don't think they know either. Callen's probably never allowed himself to consider her a mother yet, she has been the closest thing to a mother that he's had and I don't think she ever allowed herself to think of him as a son and yet, she seems to care about him. She cares about all of them but I think it's different with Callen. I think they both think it would have made them vulnerable for different reasons (Callen because he would have risked rejection, Hetty because it would have been a weakness enemies could have exploited) if they had allowed for that mother-son relationship.