S08.E23: Uncaged

[HurricaneVal]

Remember, when Kensi and Deeks originally went to the warehouse, it was because they were looking for security camera footage, not actually Michelle herself.   So the impression they got from the guard was pretty much "general genial asshole" not "in it up to his eyeballs" and I think that first impression of him colored their subsequent interactions.  He was dismissible because they didn't like him, and they thought he was just a petty venal man.  Then when they searched for a refrigeration unit, that was only because Nell's info had the pharmaceutical company that owned it before having refrigeration units for drug storage.   I presume they (off camera) searched the other warehouses in the area as well.  I don't blame them for not noting the freshly walled off archway that lead to the other part of the warehouse--warehouses are weird, and at some point it may have been split in half for two different users.   But I can see Kensi and Deeks angsting about that nevertheless.

Aunjanue Ellis was awesome in this episode.  I haven't much cared for the Michelle character when she's been in previous episodes in the early years, but Aunjanue Ellis really brought it for Michelle's swan song.  It can't be easy to act your way through dying of suffocation while tied to a chair, but somehow she managed to do it, and do it very well.  This episode is going to have ripples...

Mr. HV came home and distracted me for a little while.  Why does Nell possibly have repercussions from this?

[123BP]

The one thing that no one's mentioned and that will probably be a help to Sam in getting through this--besides his family, his friends, and his faith--is that he had the chance to say goodbye. That makes a huge difference even if your contact is by computer. The fact that Michelle didn't die alone, that she spent the last four hours of her life talking to the man she loved most in the world will help. It helped Michelle and it will help Sam. The strongest emotional scenes--other than the ones between Sam and Michelle--were the scene in OPS when Michelle tells G to take care of Sam (knowing full well how Sam will react to her death), and he says he always does (knowing full well his responsibility), and the silent drive to the warehouse when Michelle has been found IMO. Sometimes there's nothing to say; you feel dead yourself.

[MissLucas]

1 hour ago, HurricaneVal said:

Mr. HV came home and distracted me for a little while.  Why does Nell possibly have repercussions from this?

She backed Hetty's play calling off surveillance claiming that SECNAV had authorized it.

[betsyboo]

1 hour ago, HurricaneVal said:

 

Mr. HV came home and distracted me for a little while.  Why does Nell possibly have repercussions from this?

When Tahir was released, NCIS had a full team tailing him. Naturally, the car he was in ducked into a parking garage, and then 10 cars of the same color and model came out the exit ramp. No one knew which car to follow (chase cars, Callen in the copter). They were worried they would tip their hand if they got too close to each car to see if Tahir was inside. Hetty called them off so as to not risk Michelle. One of the drivers asked "Who authorized this?" (letting Tahir go free with no tail). Which i took to mean he blew right past Hetty as if he knew her story and knew enough to ask for a second source... HA! So Nell responded with "This is blah blah blah analyst Nell Jones and this action was approved by SecNav." Which was clearly not true.

[centopercento]

3 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

  I don't blame them for not noting the freshly walled off archway that lead to the other part of the warehouse--warehouses are weird, and at some point it may have been split in half for two different users.   But I can see Kensi and Deeks angsting about that nevertheless.

 

Yes .So too I thought, and that will affect them

[ymeagain]

3 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

He was dismissible because they didn't like him, and they thought he was just a petty venal man.  Then when they searched for a refrigeration unit, that was only because Nell's info had the pharmaceutical company that owned it before having refrigeration units for drug storage.   I presume they (off camera) searched the other warehouses in the area as well.  I don't blame them for not noting the freshly walled off archway that lead to the other part of the warehouse--warehouses are weird, and at some point it may have been split in half for two different users. 

Because they didn't like him? Wow, that's a logical reason--good detective work. Searched for a refrigeration? No, the security guard showed them the refrigerator unit and then they left the warehouse. Again, good detective work. Does anyone really think that if Kensi had been missing, Deeks would have looked at one refrigerator, said, "Thanks," and then left the building? And not noticing plywood walls? Seriously? No wonder they're going to feel angst.

[comsimplex]

They did this with Vance...now Sam.  Everybody else on the show is single...can't we keep one married couple alive and happy?

[Just my 2 cents]

Nobody is perfect and mistakes happen.  I don't think anyone should be blamed.  The whole plot made Michelle's kidnapping and death possible.  She came out of seclusion to question someone from her CIA past.  Sam went straight to a case and left her with the car to drive home.  She was unarmed and her guard was down giving them just enough time to grab her.  They all did everything they should have done.  They just didn't get there in time.  I'm not a fan of any particular one, but didn't Deeks get tortured or lose teeth for not giving Michelle up a few seasons ago?  He even left the hospital to go help Sam save her. 

[dirtydi]

10 hours ago, 3girlsforus said:

Personally I think they all deserve to be blamed, including Sam. At the very beginning of the episode when they couldn't find the van on an surveillance cameras, my first thought was that they didn't go anywhere. But no, on a show where they can always track everyone and eveything on traffic cams they decide they just managed to avoid them instead of the logic conclusion that they aren't on cameras because they didn't go by cameras. 

Yup. I guess you can blame them all.  Sam being too frantic to think straight,  Eric not detecting the video footage was tampered with, Hetty, who knows everything,  not figuring out the proximity trick (right under your nose), Nell for not analyzing all outcomes, Callen who was too worried about Sam to figure it out, and Kensi and Deeks for not being suspicious sooner (and no Deeks didn't poo poo the guard's 3 phones he said, yeah, me [I noticed] too).

But really you should blame the bad guys or get meta and blame the writers.

 

As for it affecting people.  It should affect Kensi and Deeks.  And Sam, and Callen, and.....  They are a team and a family, they loved Michelle, spent holidays with her.  It also may make them think about their lives, taking it and others for granted.  That's human nature.

Edited May 9, 2017 by dirtydi
more thoughts

[ymeagain]

55 minutes ago, ally said:

The whole plot made Michelle's kidnapping and death possible.  I'm not a fan of any particular one, but didn't Deeks get tortured or lose teeth for not giving Michelle up a few seasons ago?  He even left the hospital to go help Sam save her. 

I agree that the plot made Michelle's kidnapping possible, but there were lapses and who knows how these will develop next season.

As for the Deeks torture and rescuing Michelle, that whole thing was so unbelievable it was laughable and not because it was Deeks. He's been tortured horribly and yet has the strength to get up, leave the hospital, get to the roof of a hotel some distance away, and get into a gunfight with armed men. That would have been ridiculous for ANY of the team, including Sam (whose exploit at the end was just as ridiculous). Thank goodness these kinds of actions have been toned down.

[Just my 2 cents]

15 minutes ago, ymeagain said:

As for the Deeks torture and rescuing Michelle, that whole thing was so unbelievable it was laughable and not because it was Deeks. He's been tortured horribly and yet has the strength to get up, leave the hospital, get to the roof of a hotel some distance away, and get into a gunfight with armed men. That would have been ridiculous for ANY of the team, including Sam (whose exploit at the end was just as ridiculous). Thank goodness these kinds of actions have been toned down.

At the time I was thinking he was in really bad shape when they brought him into the ER.  I would expect big strong Navy SEAL Sam to get out of bed, but I did think it was funny that Deeks was able to accomplish it.

[Sake614]

16 hours ago, roamyn said:

It occurred to me that all three NCIS shows have rumored to be killing off a female character:  Michelle, Delilah & Sonya.  I hope I'm wrong abt the other two.

Not a fan of Sonys and wouldn't be at all sad if she left the show, but I don't want her dead. And if they kill Delilah, there will be hell to pay!

on topic, I was absolutely convinced they wouldn't kill Sam's wife so color me genuinely shocked that they did. All through the episode I was saying 'there's no dramatic payoff since she won't die.' And then she did.

[jzygayle]

Dear NCIS Spouses:

Divorce now.  Your only other option is death.

[betsyboo]

4 hours ago, comsimplex said:

They did this with Vance...now Sam.  Everybody else on the show is single...can't we keep one married couple alive and happy?

And Gibbs, technically!

31 minutes ago, jzygayle said:

Dear NCIS Spouses:

Divorce now.  Your only other option is death.

that has me very scared for Delilah. :-(

[anna0852]

Speaking of Vance, I know they won't do it but I'd like to see him the crowd at least if Michelle's funeral is shown. He has a deep understanding of what Sam and his children will be going through. Nate should be there too.

[jzygayle]

1 hour ago, betsyboo said:

And Gibbs, technically!

And Tony/Kate/EJ[not EJ--Paula--Thanks, betsyboo!]/Ziva.  And Bishop/ex-husband/dead-guy-dating.  Divorce or death.  Those are the options.

Edited May 9, 2017 by jzygayle
Wrong dead special agent

[betsyboo]

1 minute ago, jzygayle said:

And Tony/Kate/EJ/Ziva.  And Bishop/ex-husband/dead-guy-dating.  Divorce or death.  Those are the options.

Wait - did EJ die? I fully admit this is off topic - but I can never remember. Paula - yes. But I thought EJ went off to live her life.

I'd count Kensi in this list, even thought Jack ended up being alive in the end. 

I'm going to put my glass-half full hat on and believe that Sabatino is a good guy.  Until he proves to me he's not. :-^ (I have had a soft spot for Erik Palladino since Dr. Malucci was a young pup.)

[jzygayle]

13 minutes ago, betsyboo said:

Wait - did EJ die? I fully admit this is off topic - but I can never remember. Paula - yes. But I thought EJ went off to live her life.

 

No, you're right; I confused EJ with Paula.

[BungalowSummer]

23 hours ago, roamyn said:

 

It occurred to me that all three NCIS shows have rumored to be killing off a female character:  Michelle, Delilah & Sonya.  I hope I'm wrong abt the other two.

 

Isn't that the NCIS Way? When it's time for a shake-up, a shock, or just some tears and drama -- kill off one of the women! And I keep hoping for them to off that annoying, unfunny dweeb, Eric Beal.

[centopercento]

10 hours ago, comsimplex said:

They did this with Vance...now Sam.  Everybody else on the show is single...can't we keep one married couple alive and happy?

I think this is one of the messages they give us.
Their work does not allow a happy private life.
To have a happy private life you have to change the environment.
Kensi and Deeks? I do not believe happy end now !!
In episode 8x1, Deeks and Kensi in the car talk about this.
Kensi's considerations are now bitters.

And Michelle's death, perhaps confirms to them that it is not possible a normal and happy life In this environment, with this work ..

For me...my opinion !!

Edited May 9, 2017 by centopercento

[MissLucas]

4 hours ago, BungalowSummer said:

Isn't that the NCIS Way? When it's time for a shake-up, a shock, or just some tears and drama -- kill off one of the women! And I keep hoping for them to off that annoying, unfunny dweeb, Eric Beal.

To be fair Kate (the first big death) was killed because Sasha Alexander wanted off the show. Kate's death and its repercussions were extremely well handled. But yeah, afterwards it became a bit of a shtick: wife/ex-wife/fiance gets killed, character flies off the handle (Vance, Fornell, Bishop - not to mention Gibbs' origin story) - maybe that's why the drama of Michelle's death left me cold.

And no! to killing off Eric!

Edited May 9, 2017 by MissLucas

[anna0852]

I always liked that this show wasn't nearly as quick to kill off characters the way Mothership does. Until this episode, we'd only lost 4 over 8 seasons. Dom, Hunter, Renko and Granger. And only 1 woman. For a show that is definitely more violent (bombs, shoot outs, etc...) that's pretty impressive.

[betsyboo]

20 minutes ago, anna0852 said:

I always liked that this show wasn't nearly as quick to kill off characters the way Mothership does. Until this episode, we'd only lost 4 over 8 seasons. Dom, Hunter, Renko and Granger. And only 1 woman. For a show that is definitely more violent (bombs, shoot outs, etc...) that's pretty impressive.

OHHHHHHHHHHHH RENKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I blocked that out. Boo. 

(At least Dom, Hunter and Renko were story-driven, not sadness-driven.)

[Tony Dickson]

The ending reminded me of several episodes of Miami Vice.  Of course. Frank Military was heavily involved in that show too.

[enoughcats]

EJ (who I always 'heard' as BJ) was a major exception to the NCIS rule.  She got her partners killed and she survived (because she was more photogenic wrapped up in the trunk of a car and the tall guy wouldn't have fit.  

Even though NCIS has more years of episodes, there just hasn't been the turnover in Los Angeles, yet, has there?  And there haven't been the introduced in the same office supporting characters aka cannon fodder.  

Hettie doesn't even have a Secretary; are there other teams working out of that office? 

[TVForever]

On 5/8/2017 at 0:16 AM, Chorusgirl said:

I was completely disappointed.   To  pull a "girl in the fridge" literally at the last minute with a strong female character becoming just a means to focus on Sam's need for revenge and not her http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StuffedIntoTheFridge

But isn't this the setup for just about every Clint Eastwood/Charles Bronson/Steven Seagal/fill-in-the-blank with the big tough guy of your choice movie ever made?

"They killed my woman and now I'm taking names and kicking a**!"

I don't know if I'm ready for another testosterone-fueled revenge quest. Someone upthread described NCIS/LA as the "lighter, fluffier cousin" of NCIS- somehow I guess I was okay with that.

I would have been perfectly happy with Michelle becoming a bigger part of the show with her and Sam being a loving, kick-ass crime-fighting couple, but in their respective agencies. She could have been a great liaison and friend to the team, much like we've seen with other characters on both shows. 

Sigh. It's their story to tell, and I'll continue to watch. But I'm really disappointed with this twist.

[123BP]

1 hour ago, TVForever said:

But isn't this the setup for just about every Clint Eastwood/Charles Bronson/Steven Seagal/fill-in-the-blank with the big tough guy of your choice movie ever made?

Having been a Clint Eastwood fan for a long time (Bronson was okay; Segal not my style), I see no similarity between those "testosterone-fueled" films and NCIS: LA. This is one two-part episode. And if you have a problems with this, you must have not liked Deeks' actions this season after Kensi was kidnapped by Ferris, either. Or the time Deeks tortured the cleric to get information to rescue her in Afghanistan. Or when Kensi went after the men who murdered her father. Or when Sam tortured Tahir for information about the mole. There seem to have been several "testosterone-driven" episodes, but out of more than 150 episodes, they're really few and far between. Maybe it's because they occur so seldom that they have such an impact when they do. This is just my opinion, and I have to admit, this was one of my favorite episodes of the season.

Edited May 10, 2017 by 123BP

[mythoughtis]

If the actress playing Michelle needed off the show, then just don't create scenes for her. It's not like she was in all that many episodes anyway.  Wasn't Granger enough of a reset? 

[TVForever]

41 minutes ago, 123BP said:

Having been a Clint Eastwood fan for a long time (Bronson was okay; Segal not my style), I see no similarity between those "testosterone-fueled" films and NCIS: LA. This is one two-part episode. And if you have a problems with this, you must have not liked Deeks' actions this season after Kensi was kidnapped by Ferris, either. Or the time Deeks tortured the cleric to get information to rescue her in Afghanistan. Or when Kensi went after the men who murdered her father. Or when Sam tortured Tahir for information about the mole. There seem to have been several "testosterone-driven" episodes, but out of more than 150 episodes, they're really few and far between. Maybe it's because they occur so seldom that they have such an impact when they do. This is just my opinion, and I have to admit, this was one of my favorite episodes of the season.

I admit I was connecting some very distant dots with my comparisons, but I was really piggybacking off of chorusgirl's  disappointment that a "strong female character had become just a means to focus on Sam's need for revenge and not her". And in a large way, I do in fact include many of Deeks' actions (out of worry over Kensi) of the past season ( or was it two?) in that category. I actually tuned out for awhile while that SL settled down. I was addressing more specifically the trope of the murder or rape of a woman to justify 2 hours of extreme violence by the hero of the story. If the scenes for next week are any indication, that's where we're headed with Sam. I'm just not looking forward to it, that's all.

[secnarf]

10 minutes ago, SweetTooth said:

I believe they maintained the feed to Michelle, so she could provide misinformation, such as the ninety minute drive. 

I think one of the characters stated this during the episode. Of course, they were speculating, but I really can't think of another reason other than the torture of watching your wife suffocate.

[teddy-bear]

On 5/7/2017 at 9:28 PM, Jillibean said:

I absolutely did not believe they were going to do that until they did it. And then I cried. That was hard to sit through, and somehow also one of the best episodes of this show I have seen in a very long time. 

How absolutely devastating for Kensi and Deeks that they had literally been in the exact building hours earlier. And obviously the repercussions for Nell remain to be seen. Excellent performances by all, but especially LL and  Aunjunue. I loved her on the mentalist as well and am very sorry to lose her from this show. 

Finally: major kudos to whoever scored that episode. Gorgeous piece to end the episode. I knew as soon as they started that music piece this couldn't be good and I STILL didn't buy it until we saw her under the sheet. 

That episode reminded more of the original NCIS, which has never been afraid to kill off major characters in powerful and dramatic ways, than of LA. 

ETA: One of the reasons I was sure they wouldn't go through with it was the video feed--my naive self thought, "This is an 8 PM show. They're not going to have us watch her suffocate to death." Oops.

The music played when they are racing to her is by Harold Shore and is from Lord of the Rings - I was really surprised to hear it on a tv show.

[123BP]

37 minutes ago, TVForever said:

I admit I was connecting some very distant dots with my comparisons, but I was really piggybacking off of chorusgirl's  disappointment that a "strong female character had become just a means to focus on Sam's need for revenge and not her". And in a large way, I do in fact include many of Deeks' actions (out of worry over Kensi) of the past season ( or was it two?) in that category. I actually tuned out for awhile while that SL settled down. I was addressing more specifically the trope of the murder or rape of a woman to justify 2 hours of extreme violence by the hero of the story. If the scenes for next week are any indication, that's where we're headed with Sam. I'm just not looking forward to it, that's all.

I see what you mean but don't agree. I don't think the murder of Michelle was exploitive in any way, and definitely nothing like slasher/stalker films or shows that so often show women as victims of violent crimes (Law & Order SVU or Criminal Minds and such). In this case because of Sam's nature--so balanced and calm--it had to be a horrific event to push him over the edge, and it would have been worse to have killed his 12 year old daughter. Besides, NCIS: LA has a great cast of strong, intelligent, capable women and has had many women guest stars in roles of authority and as professionals. 

Edited May 10, 2017 by 123BP

[Dylandog0425]

My first thought was how Sam being a single Dad in a dangerous job is going to affect him. Hoping they don't write him as so hell bent on revenge that he puts that fact aside. Part of having Callen "take care of Sam" would have Callen strenuously objecting on that basis if Sam appears to be going off the rails. I liked the way they played Vance and his interaction with his kids after Jackie was killed. 

[misstwpherecool]

Callen acted more like a team leader this epi. As soon as Michelle said take care of Sam that's when I thought she probably would not make it. 

I understand wanting the talk to the hostage in a fridge but the best she could've done was nothing, fall asleep to save oxygen.

All these other shows have police etc using infrared binoculars so why didn't the field teams have them.

The entire FBI, police force etc seem  get to the warehouse before Sam and Callen.

I'm surprised with the Granger stuff this season they went this route.

Edited May 10, 2017 by misstwpherecool

[Zahdii]

I'm not sure if I'll watch the next episode because I don't want to watch Sam go off the rails and go after the killers on his own, with only vengence on his mind.  It's a perfectly understandable response, but he has kids to think of.  He needs to be there for his kids and trust his team to take care of the bad guys for him. 

The team has a very good reason to make war on the people that killed Michelle.  They love Sam, and by extension Michelle and the kids.  Hetty once reminded Sam that his daughter called her and wanted lasagna for dinner, and she fully expected Sam to make that happen.  The team is close enough to the family to be highly motivated, but far enough away to do the job right and keep Sam out of jail.

I have the advantage of living on the west coast, so I can come here and find out how it all plays out.  If I like what I hear, I'll watch, but if Sam goes nuts and we're left with a cliffhanger where the team if faced with the prospect of bringing in the killers before Sam can get to them, and possibly killing him in the process,  I'll probably read a recap and check in next season to see how it all turns out.

Best option, Sam loses it for a bit and then works with the team to pull off a Leverage style scam where he scares the bad guys enough to put them off balance and allow his friends to scoop them up and put them away for good.  Meanwhile, Hetty is watching the kids and monitoring the situation from her phone and laptop, and after it's all over she makes Sam go on leave to grieve and build a new life with his kids. 

And for what it's worth, I don't understand why the house they were living in didn't have a safe room where Michelle could go to when she heard the bad guys breaking in.  Every freaking closet and bathroom in that house should have been made into a safe room.

[anna0852]

I think you've made several great points @Zahdii and I'm pretty much the same boat. The next episode is probably going to incredible as this is resolved but I' not sure I'll be able to watch (of course I'll watch, just might be through my fingers!) especially seeing Sam's grief. His family is so much a part of who he is and to lose Michelle is going to alter him in fundamental way. This might be just brutal to watch (emotionally and physically).

Yeah, I would have though Sam had a safe room but I guess not.

Whatever happened to that Overwatch spray from Season 2? They used it for *this specific scenario* when a terrorist was sprung from jail  and they were able to track him all the way to Yemen! And again at the end of Season 4 on Janvier! I wonder seriously why Tahir wasn't dosed with it, and for that matter, why the agents and their families don't regularly wear it either. Michelle could have been found in minutes. 

[ymeagain]

I'm surprised by so many of the comments about Sam. It's as if viewers have never watched the show (no disrespect intended). Of course he's out to get the people responsible, but he's not some mindless Neanderthal whose going to go so crazy that he forgets about his responsibility for his children. Give the man some credit. Good grief, Deeks went off the rails sooner than Sam when Kensi was kidnapped and somehow that seemed "normal" to most posters and just showed how much he loved her. Sam will get it done, the team will help, and the guys responsible will all be dead (hopefully) by the end. Whether or not Sam stays with the team is for next season. Some other team member may be "leaving," and that worries me (LL said a cast member gets finished--something like that--in the finale and that's May 14). In the CBS promo, it looks like Deeks jumping from the exploding van and Callen looks as if he's been shot. Losing another team member would be hard to take.

[ymeagain]

1 hour ago, Zahdii said:

 Best option, Sam loses it for a bit and then works with the team to pull off a Leverage style scam where he scares the bad guys enough to put them off balance and allow his friends to scoop them up and put them away for good.  Meanwhile, Hetty is watching the kids and monitoring the situation from her phone and laptop, and after it's all over she makes Sam go on leave to grieve and build a new life with his kids. 

And for what it's worth, I don't understand why the house they were living in didn't have a safe room where Michelle could go to when she heard the bad guys breaking in. 

First, Sam is a former SEAL and an NCIS agent, not a former con-artist (none of them are), so there will be no Leverage story. And for the moment, NCIS is his life and his family unit (after his children). Leave his closest friend and partner when he needs him most? Sure, he may take time to heal, but friends are part of that process not something you walk away from and leave behind. Second, safe rooms cost thousands to build, and you wouldn't use a closet or a bathroom. FCOL

Edited May 10, 2017 by ymeagain

[123BP]

1 hour ago, anna0852 said:

 

Whatever happened to that Overwatch spray from Season 2? They used it for *this specific scenario* when a terrorist was sprung from jail  and they were able to track him all the way to Yemen! And again at the end of Season 4 on Janvier! I wonder seriously why Tahir wasn't dosed with it, and for that matter, why the agents and their families don't regularly wear it either. Michelle could have been found in minutes. 

You don't think Tahir wouldn't have been suspicious if they doused him or sprayed him with something before releasing him? And spraying his clothes wouldn't help. The man's not a moron.

[anna0852]

Yeah but it was specifically shown at the time to penetrate clothing and you only needed a little to be effective. That was what made it so great. Suspects could be monitored without being aware. They had a whole thing about it.

[Zahdii]

1 hour ago, ymeagain said:

First, Sam is a former SEAL and an NCIS agent, not a former con-artist (none of them are), so there will be no Leverage story. And for the moment, NCIS is his life and his family unit (after his children). Leave his closest friend and partner when he needs him most? Sure, he may take time to heal, but friends are part of that process not something you walk away from and leave behind. Second, safe rooms cost thousands to build, and you wouldn't use a closet or a bathroom. FCOL

You're absolutely correct that Sam isn't a former con-artist.  I never thought he was.  I used Leverage as a demonstration to show how they used misdirection and keeping people off balance to get the bad guy(s), instead of running around shooting things up.  I understand that NCIS:LA is prepared to go in shooting, but they've used other methods in the past.

I also know that safe rooms aren't just a room with a stronger door.  They are rooms with extra shielding in the walls, ceilings, floors, and doors.  They usually have a way to call for help, even if it's a panic button.  They may also have a vent to the outside for increased airflow; food and water, and medical supplies.  In Sam's case, the police were only a few minutes away and the family knew that they were targeted.  It stands to reason that NCIS would make the house as safe as possible once the family was living there without security guards on site at all times.

Feel free to respond, but I won't see it because you seem unnecessarily aggressive and I'm putting you on Ignore.

[123BP]

1 hour ago, anna0852 said:

Yeah but it was specifically shown at the time to penetrate clothing and you only needed a little to be effective. That was what made it so great. Suspects could be monitored without being aware. They had a whole thing about it.

Well, you mentioned dousing him so my response was to that comment. But the spray does nothing more than tag someone without specifically identifying them don't you think it would be confusing if NCIS & other agents were tagged as well as terrorists? How would they know who they were watching (not to mention the whole invasion of privacy aspect)? I know I probably wouldn't let them tag me, plus Michelle didn't know she was compromised until it was too late.

[anna0852]

I can't remember the details but there was a way to tell people apart. I know it was too late for Michelle but they could have gotten Tahir before he left prison. Would have made tailing him easier.

[123BP]

37 minutes ago, Zahdii said:

You're absolutely correct that Sam isn't a former con-artist.  I never thought he was.  I used Leverage as a demonstration to show how they used misdirection and keeping people off balance to get the bad guy(s), instead of running around shooting things up.  I understand that NCIS:LA is prepared to go in shooting, but they've used other methods in the past.

I also know that safe rooms aren't just a room with a stronger door.  They are rooms with extra shielding in the walls, ceilings, floors, and doors.  They usually have a way to call for help, even if it's a panic button.  They may also have a vent to the outside for increased airflow; food and water, and medical supplies.  In Sam's case, the police were only a few minutes away and the family knew that they were targeted.  It stands to reason that NCIS would make the house as safe as possible once the family was living there without security guards on site at all times.

Feel free to respond, but I won't see it because you seem unnecessarily aggressive and I'm putting you on Ignore.

I read both posts, and to be honest, your reference to Leverage was way off. Besides, setting up something intricate takes time, and it's unlikely Tahir will stick around to let them get everything together. As for the safe room, you DID mention bathroom and closet, and when you look at your list, maybe you have HUGE bathrooms and closets where you live, but I'm guessing that list wouldn't fit in most. This is a discussion thread and folks will disagree with you--and me--but disagreement doesn't equal aggression.

1 minute ago, anna0852 said:

I can't remember the details but there was a way to tell people apart. I know it was too late for Michelle but they could have gotten Tahir before he left prison. Would have made tailing him easier.

I think you're mistaken about telling people apart. I remember the scene when they witnessed people coming out of the mosque who had been marked; they all just appeared as dots. They "recognized" Janvier because they knew his location, and he was the only one who had been tagged.

[123BP]

This is my last comment--maybe--but I re-watched the beginning of this episode and it was so well-crafted I would use it to teach dramatic writing. I think I posted earlier about blaming--or maybe putting some blame on--Kensi and Deeks for missing Michelle when they were at the warehouse the first time, but watching it again, there's no one to blame. Military puts in the small details that make all the difference. The entire team worked efficiently and logically, they followed the clues and the information, they did everything they possibly could, they did everything right--and it wasn't enough. That's one of the things that makes it so hard to watch, and that's one of the things I love about Military's writing. Nobody's a caricature--not even the bad guys--and the emotions and actions are true (when I re-watched it, I honestly believed G would have crushed Charov's larynx if the guard hadn't pulled him away). Everyone did their best and it didn't make a difference.