Past Seasons 1-4: Sometimes A Boathouse Is Just A Boathouse

[formerlyfreedom]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from NCIS: LA's first four seasons.. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[anna0852]

I'll throw one out to get us started: Who was the nastier villain Sidarov or Janvier?

[Samantha84]

I'd say Sidarov, Anna.

 

I'd like to see Michelle working w. the team again. Personally I would have loved if she'd been brought in for a special arc while Kensi was in Afghanistan. 

[anna0852]

That would have made too much sense Samantha84.

 

Also, thank goodness you're here! I was starting to think this forum would stay dead until September.

Edited June 1, 2014 by anna0852

[KittenPokerCheater]

If Samantha84 says it, I'm going to think there's a 90% probability she'll show up next season.

 

I liked the slow burn of Kensi/Deeks, but I thought they dropped the story almost entirely after she got back to the US.

 

And I like how Callen doesn't have all the pieces to his childhood intact.  It would be boring if we knew it all- at least until the show ends.

 

If I am reading things correctly, Hetty was more of a pencil pusher/money saver type character at first?  And she only became Superspy Hetty in the second season?

[Samantha84]

Hey Anna! *waving* :-}

 

The Afghanistan arc was written in advance and meant to coincide w. the current storylines. Was it perfect? Nope. Glad to have Daniela/Kensi in all episodes and respect/appreciate the work she put in, shooting into her 7 [almost 8th] month of pregnancy.
I, too, felt like once Kensi was back the Densi relationship felt different. I'm hoping that season 6 will flow better. In fact I have faith in that. 

Here it is: All the information aka special features for the season 5 DVD. PS: Daniela and Eric are doing audio commentary on 5x10 "Frozen Lake". 

[Lebanna]

I think because Hetty wasn't in the original plan for the show, they didn't really know what to do with her in the first few episodes of the 1st season. She seemed to be their costume designer/den mother in the first few episodes, and it wasn't even clear if she was really in charge or not.

 

But I'm pretty sure the superspy stuff started around the middle of the first year. Which was good and one of the things I loved most about the show until they spoiled it a bit with her daffy actions with the Afghanistan thing this season. Although honestly, none of the characters have come out of that well, IMO.

[Samantha84]

I think because Hetty wasn't in the original plan for the show, they didn't really know what to do with her in the first few episodes of the 1st season. She seemed to be their costume designer/den mother in the first few episodes, and it wasn't even clear if she was really in charge or not.

 

You are correct. There wasn't even a character of Hetty, let alone having Linda Hunt play her. Louise Lombard played Special Agent Lara Macy in charge of the NCIS Office of Special Projects [in Los Angeles]. Audiences didn't react positively to Macy thus Lombard was dropped. Linda/Hetty wasn't brought on until NCIS:LA was picked up to series. 

 

It's true, Hetty spent 90% of her time fitting the team for their undercover missions.  I like that it's well known that Hetty was a badass and she was a great agent.  Though I will admit that the show overplayed that character assett far too much. At some point it became overkill. So much so that I couldn't believe in it anymore. She was the know all, done all, be afraid of her looking at you type. That's one thing I like about the character of Owen Granger .. he's not afraid of Hetty and he told her so and shows it. 

 

This season and Hetty's involvement w. the white ghost/Afghanistan situation just furthered made me dislike the character. At this point I can take her or leave her. 

She put Kensi's life in danger. Kensi could have been raped, was beaten, and could have been killed. Sam, Callen, Granger, Sabatino were all almost killed. Deeks almost lost a part of his moral compass in what he did to that man to get info. on Kensi. All that and Hetty hasn't even offered Kensi, of all people, an apology. Season finale .. she had almost an attitude w. Kensi. Whether she was protecting her by not telling her things or not .. it wasn't a good look for her. 

Some major character repair needs to happen in season 6. 

[Samantha84]

FYE/FYI: They filmed the season premiere, "Deep Trouble [Part 2]" and they filmed the Chris O'Donnell directed episode .. but that's not the 2nd episode of the season. 

[anna0852]

All is right with the world again, I get to agree with Samantha84. Hi Sam!

 

This season and Hetty's involvement w. the white ghost/Afghanistan situation just furthered made me dislike the character. At this point I can take her or leave her.
She put Kensi's life in danger. Kensi could have been raped, was beaten, and could have been killed. Sam, Callen, Granger, Sabatino were all almost killed. Deeks almost lost a part of his moral compass in what he did to that man to get info. on Kensi. All that and Hetty hasn't even offered Kensi, of all people, an apology. Season finale .. she had almost an attitude w. Kensi. Whether she was protecting her by not telling her things or not .. it wasn't a good look for her.
Some major character repair needs to happen in season 6.

 

I'm really hoping that she is avoiding Kensi out of guilt. Hetty has to own up to what she did and not in some one-off comment to Nell (during Spoils of War). An honest-to-God apology to Kensi and the others, followed by actual change.  That is the only way to being making amends.

 

I also need to see Kensi apologize to Deeks for the hitting, then all four guys (Deeks, Sam, Callen and Granger) for nearly getting them killed. Hetty might have put this thing in motion but Kensi is the one who took off without a plan and without telling anyone what was going on. And she can't claim she didn't know who to trust. She had a sat phone and could have called Deeks who in turn could have sicced Nell/Eric on it to hack out what was going on.

[Samantha84]

FYE: Producer's office is back July 14th and first shooting day is August 4th. 

[webruce]

I do hope that  on Hetty's trip to be questioned on the Afghanistan/White Ghost affair, that she doesn't get just a light slap on the wrist. She should be reprimanded.

 Maybe even a couple Episodes where Director Vance has to run the team? Or the head of the Red team? Asst. Director Owen Granger, I would think would also be called in to answer questions. Maybe have some kind of nvestigations Subcommittee on the Actions. Maybe have the whole team and Sabatino and Tech Jonh Booker(I still think he was the White Ghost) come in for questioning. Then have Hetty have the whole team plus them 2 and Jack Simon come in for Hetty to give a giant apology. 

 Also rewatching "The Unwritten Law" and Kensi so worried about Deeks PTSD, It seemed they glossed over Kensi's. But really Sam had little effects too. With Kensi they made it a few weeks later. maybe have Nate come back to check on those 3 to see how things have been going. And not just do like Sam would and say he is ok, and needs to get out on a case.

[justcris]

I just started watching this show in the middle of season 5, and now I'm wondering if it's worth it to go back and watch everything that came before. Has the awesome banter been there from the beginning? Do they have older storylines that might continue in this season?

[anna0852]

It's absolutely worth watching from the beginning.

Season 1 was a little uneven but everything really gelled with the addition of Deeks in season two. The banter is great and there were some interesting story lines.

[amensisterfriend]

Which season would you guys say is your favorite so far? Least favorite?!

[FormerMod-a1]

Season 1 is my favorite, then they brought Deeks on permanently and ruined the show for me.  When I heard he had been made a regular for season 2 just didn't watch.  I couldn't stand his mop top, trying to hard to look like stereotype of southern California dude, trying too hard in general, puppy dog act, but really insecure and actually quite annoying shtick.  I could bare make it through the eps he was in during Season 1.  So I dropped it Season 2 and never came back.  Then I heard the character had gone through some stuff and they let it affect him and "stick" so I tried again, a few episoded even and nope...  he's still the same annoying character.  Get rid of him and I'll come back.  (Maybe this should be in an UPO thread, heh).

[mtmjr]

My opinion is the opposite.  I didn't get into the show until I saw a marathon on USA a couple of years ago, and the character that hooked me was Deeks.  I think the first episode I watched was "Personal" from season 2.  I've now seen everything, most of it multiple times, but the only season I've only watched through once was Season 1 (with the exception of the Deeks episodes).  In my opinion, the show only figured out what it was in Season 2, with the addition of Deeks and Nell.  Before that, it was kind of scattered.  Callen, Sam and Hetty were always fun, but the show itself came into its own when in began focussing on the characters as partners, and that only happened when Deeks and Nell came on board.

 

My personal favorite season, and I know this is a minority opinion, is season 5.  I loved the Kensi-in-Afghanistan storyline.  It was not only a brilliant way to cover for Daniela Ruah's pregnancy, but also added so much to Deeks' character as he related to the others, to Nell as she got out in the field, to Kensi, as she faced her awful solo mission, and to Hetty, as we saw the dark side of her ruthless manipulation.  And it led up to what I think is the best episode they've ever done, which was "Spoils of War."  The main problem I had with Season 5 was that after "Spoils of War" there was really nowhere to go, so the tail end of the season basically tailed off and the cliff-hanger finale was a big dud.

 

So my ranking is the same as broadcast order, from least to best, 1-2-3-4-5.  As for season 6, I've enjoyed a lot of the episodes, but I'm still waiting for them to pull it all together.  I'd like some sort of over-arching story like the hidden nukes/Janvier in season 4, or the White Ghost in season 5.

[anna0852]

I have this rattling around my head for awhile and wanted to see if anyone saw the same subtext I did. When Michelle (Sam's wife) was undercover in Season 4 to try and get Sidarov for the stolen nukes, was she actually sleeping with him? Cause that is vibe I got. 

[KittenPokerCheater]

I'm not sure if Michelle was sleeping with him or not- I doubt it, because she and Sam seem to have such a happy relationship.  It is possible though....

 

But I am convinced that Deeks slept with....Monica is her name, and more than once- they were very vague at how long he'd been on this assignment (which was kept from the rest of the team).   I also suspect that he was getting into some pretty frisky business with Monica that Kensi had to listen to.  She seemed even madder than usual (the bit with the donuts and the who's the bitch now).

 

Just like Callen had the relationship with that women when he was under deep cover- and though her son was his.

 

I think the show is quite adept at letting the viewer decide what is/was going on.

[anna0852]

I'd kind of like to see more of the delicate balancing act that they have to go through when on long-term undercover assignments. It must be so hard to play that kind of role without crossing the uncrossable lines.

[greenbean]

I've just started watching this show. I keep catching it on tv, at first I thought it was corny but then I eventually came around. It's fun, and I'm not even going to pretend that Callen/Hanna isn't a huge draw. Who knew that Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J would be so good together!

I've caught up with this season, and just started a S1 binge watch. I'm always so late to the party.

[greenbean]

RE: NCIS and muddled arcs. One arc that's been done well is Sam vs Tahir. The final confrontation is one of my favourite episodes, Talion. LA does those boiler episodes really well. It was so tense, and I loved everyone. Kensi faking being a student, Sam's son being a mini-Sam. I also loved the cadet friend who put on the NCIS gear. Callen backing Sam up in so many ways. And of course Sam going toe to toe at the end. Love that Callen let him have that fight. The teamwork was great throughout the episode. And the seasons long build-up between Sam and Tahir was a good foundation to that climactic end. It is in contrast to the mole storyline imo.

[123BP]

1 hour ago, greenbean said:

And the seasons long build-up between Sam and Tahir was a good foundation to that climactic end. It is in contrast to the mole storyline imo.

Exactly! That story arc was done really well. I liked all the episodes, especially the scene in Betrayal when Callen examines what might be Sam's body. That was emotional because you know that happens and Michael was a good man. They also did a good job interweaving the story of Elmsley into that story line.

I also liked the shorter arc of the three episodes Beacon, Kolcheck, A., and Chernoff, K. That was another tight story line and one in which the team worked well together, and it had Arkady--I always enjoy him!

Edited February 24, 2017 by 123BP

[123BP]

On 2/26/2015 at 1:36 AM, mtmjr said:

My personal favorite season, and I know this is a minority opinion, is season 5.  

I liked some of the episodes in every season, but I found the entire White Ghost story just trite and boring. I did like Spoils of War; it showed the tightness of the team with every member willing to go to any length to rescue one of their own.  I'm probably in the minority in that Deeks has been one of my least favorite characters because--especially in the early seasons--he was just so "cute" it made my teeth hurt. He was unbelievable as both an LAPD detective and a liaison to a federal agency, even with Hetty as the operations manager. He's been better this season because they've toned him down; he's not making as many stupid jokes and the other team members aren't always responding with laughs. And he's stopped making his sexist comments (when he told his mom in the hospital this season that her comments about the male nurse were condescending and sexist, that made me laugh because it was like the pot calling the kettle). I'm sure they'll keep Densi together and I get it, but I hope those two can keep their "pillow talk" away from the office. lol

[greenbean]

Oops!

Edited March 9, 2017 by greenbean
wrong thread

[mtmjr]

Quote

I want to sit down all writers of OTP's and have them watch Densi s7 and this one. B/c this is how you do it. Particularly writers of procedural-esque shows. 

I just tried to move this quote over from the Queen Pin thread to this one, which I hope I did right, to say OMG this, a thousand time this!  

I love genre television.  Not just procedurals, but also sci fi.  And I get that the relationship stuff is not the central part of these shows.  The genre is.  I mean, if you want relationship-focussed tv, then you have plenty of options.  I mostly find them melodramatic and lame with a few notable exceptions ("Six Feet Under", for me).

But almost all long-lived genre shows try to sneak relationship stuff in, maybe because certain cast members have great chemistry, or because they're trying to "up the ante" in their case/alien of the week storyline.  And they mostly fail horribly.  I loved and watched Stargate for 10 years and Stargate Atlantis for 5, and they never got a single romantic relationship right.  I've watched Law and Order SVU and Criminal Minds for over a decade each, and they'll build up this chemistry between characters that never gets resolved, or that shifts from week to week, and that may provide fodder for fan-ficcers but that leaves the viewer totally confused.  And don't get me started on NCIS and the eight years of torture that was Tiva.  It was a disservice to the characters, the actors and the audience.

Of all the genre shows I've watched, NCIS: LA is literally the ONLY one that has got an OTP right.  And I'm not saying there haven't been some hiccups along the way (as every relationship has :)  but we have got a legitimate beginning and middle, and I have total faith we will get a satisfying end.  And it wasn't that hard to do.  Just take two actors/characters who have obvious chemistry, and let the relationship progress naturally in the gaps between the action.  Don't work so hard to perpetuate a will they/won't they vibe that you kill any credibility.  Rather, accept that characters can move forward and evolve together, and than the evolution can produce interesting scenes and interactions.  I guess I'm saying, let the characters act like real people.

This, THIS, is why I love this show so much.

[ymeagain]

On 2/22/2015 at 10:16 AM, aquarian1 said:

Season 1 is my favorite, then they brought Deeks on permanently and ruined the show for me.  When I heard he had been made a regular for season 2 just didn't watch.  I couldn't stand his mop top, trying to hard to look like stereotype of southern California dude, trying too hard in general, puppy dog act, but really insecure and actually quite annoying shtick.  I could bare make it through the eps he was in during Season 1.  So I dropped it Season 2 and never came back.  Then I heard the character had gone through some stuff and they let it affect him and "stick" so I tried again, a few episoded even and nope...  he's still the same annoying character. 

Just skimming through this thread and saw this. Deeks is pretty much a dud in my book, too. He's unbelievable as LAPD, he brings no remarkable skills to the team, he's too "laid back" to ever work for a federal agency--even as a liaison--and his one-liners and antics were annoying. Season 8 is the ONLY season he's been watchable mainly because he's been more on the back burner with Kensi and her arc. Gemmill spoke about a "reset" next season; whatever it is, I hope they keep Densi to a minimum. Kensi I've always liked, and more so this season since she's matured and isn't just Deeks' clingy, jealous girlfriend (the guest star roles like Talia and FBI Special Agent Rand were always more professional than Kensi until season 7). If they keep the Densi nonsense--and Deeks--to a minimum, the show will be okay.

Re-watched Sacrifice the other day (great scenes between Callen and Sam). Found the little speech Deeks gives the Mexican police chief to keep her from killing Molina at the end the height of hypocrisy since he killed his partner Boyle.