NCIS: Los Angeles Review: Active Measures (Season 7 Episode 1)

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The Season 7 premiere of NCIS: LA “Active Measures,” is both a huge serving of the very things we’re used to seeing from these characters and a sprinkling of is this really happening? And though we would have liked to see them go in a completely different direction in all story-lines, just the fact that we’re getting some progress is good enough to get us excited for the season to come.

After all, it’s hard to ask a show to completely change tactics in Season 7, especially when the status quo seems to be working.

We’ll start with the predictable: G. Callen. For a man with such a mysterious past, Callen is anything but enigmatic to viewers. All the previews seem to suggest that Callen was going rogue, but did we really expect him to betray everyone? No, we didn’t. And, we were right.

Still, the opening scene ending with Sam and Callen pointing their guns at each other is a bit scary.

Since we’re on the subject of Sam, he is also the Sam we’ve come to know and love, right down to knowing Callen better than even Callen knows himself. Sam is loyal, wise, and uses t-shirts that are way too tight on him. But that’s okay. He’s like a lovable teddy bear. And he is right on point in this episode.

Granger is pretty much who we expect him to be too, and I’ve never been a big fan of the character, but couldn’t they have him do something other than scowl everyone in a while? At some point, the gruff exterior thing is going to get old.

But the advancement for other characters makes up for the fact that this is a sort of weak episode plot wise. Sure, there’s team loyalty, with everyone refusing to go after “rogue” Callen, and there is Hetty giving cryptic instructions. But with the lack of a case this week, we are forced to focus on team dynamics, which, as I said before, is fine if you really have something to focus on other than Sam and Callen being the same exact characters they’ve always been.

Like Eric finally, finally trying to grow out of his analyst position. This is a long overdue step forward for our favorite tech guy. Nell has been going the mini-Hetty road for a few seasons, and yet Eric has been strangely stagnant. Not so anymore.

And the other big thing? Kensi and Deeks.

When the producers said they were going to give us Densi, did we really expect them to give us established happy Densi so soon? Running together in the mornings (well, okay, Deeks is on a bike, but you get my point), exchanging casual I love you’s to drive home the fact that Deeks is not at all interested in any other woman. It would be heartwarming if it weren’t worrying as hell. You don’t skip over a couple’s progression like this unless you want them established and happy before you put them through hard times.

So, yes. Hard times are coming for Kensi and Deeks, and those hard times will probably come courtesy of the Internal Affairs investigation that’s been hanging over Deeks for a couple of months. I won’t even speculate where they’re going with that, but the fact that Deeks doesn’t seem to know either is at least as worrying as the fact that Hetty, in this particular instance, doesn’t have all the answers.

For all of Callen’s going “rogue,” this episode still ends with a lot of nothing plot-wise. Callen’s whole plan is crafted to figure out Arkady’s whereabouts, and yet we still don’t know if he’s is alive or not (I’m going to go with yes), we’re not even close to finding out more about Callen’s past and we’re not exactly sure what this season will bring on that regard. But we do know one thing – whatever it is that’s coming, this team will figure it out. Together.

Other things to note:

• The whole Kirkin asking about Deeks thing is hilarious and a nice callback to earlier episodes.
• Does anyone like Sabatino? Because I sure don’t.
• Callen’s “Deeks on a bad day” is pretty good. Chris O’Donnell just looks better with hair. I don’t imagine it’ll last, but I like it.

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What did you think of the season premiere of NICS: LA? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

NCIS: LA airs Mondays at 10/9c on CBS.