NCIS: Los Angeles Review: Internal Affairs (Season 7 Episode 10)
I didn’t think you had it in you, NCIS: LA, especially not after seven seasons. I’ve been emotionally compromised by a TV show before, but surely if you hadn’t managed it in seven seasons, you weren’t about to start now. You are my fun show, full of banter and a light and mostly happy OTP, not my torture of choice. That privilege is reserved for other shows. And then this episode happened. Then you made me tear up. You made me curse at the screen.
You made me feel.
So kudos to you, NCIS: LA. You still have it. It might even be said that you’re getting better and better.
This is not a perfect episode by any stretch of the imagination. And yet it doesn’t have to be. The little characterization issues are easily forgiven in the face of such raw emotion. Sure, Sam and Callen’s easy banter at the beginning of the episode when they already know Deeks’s in jail is both baffling and ridiculous, but the heart-to-heart between Deeks and his mom is so good, that, after that scene, I couldn’t even worry about the little inconsistencies. I’m not saying those things are okay, or that I like them, but on an episode like this, I can push them aside, chalk it up to gallows-humor. In any other episode, it might not have been possible, but in “Internal Affairs”, there’s just too much good to pay attention to the bad.
And, here’s a surprising confession – my absolutely favorite part of the episode is …*gasp* Hetty.
Henrietta Lange and I have issues. She’s a manipulative little witch, and though I used to love her, I don’t think the writers have done her any favors in the past few seasons. Loving Hetty has given way to scheming Hetty and it’s sometimes hard to separate one from the other, to remember that she’s supposed to care for this team that she put together, that she considers them family.
In this episode, it isn’t so hard to believe that the Hetty from the first few seasons is still there somewhere.
Maybe it’s because the writers don’t shy away from their issues. Kensi yelling at Hetty is all of us yelling at Hetty for the inconsistencies of the character. And Hetty pulling strings in the background to get Deeks out, Hetty keeping his secrets, Hetty giving advice? That’s the woman we used to love, the one we can maybe love again.
And Kensi and Deeks? Well, Kensi and Deeks are a couple we can root for. They’re partners first and foremost, and the protective instincts and the trust that they share are the foundation to any good relationship. Which is why I really, really hope the writers don’t use this opportunity to have Deeks keep secrets from his girlfriend. He’s always been better at this relationship thing that Kensi, and frankly, at this point, we expect him to know better. We expect him to be better. Even Hetty does.
Do right by these characters, NCIS: LA. Do right by them. That’s all we ask.
Other things to note:
- Callen and Sam got on my last nerve in this episode. There is no urgency to their investigation, no real sense of concern. It was a little OOC, especially for Sam. Consistency is an issue in this show sometimes, and though this episode isn’t as bad as some others, Sam’s attitude still threw me off. Deeks WHITSTOOD TORTURE for your wife, Sam. Would a little concern be too much to ask?
- I love the banter, we love the banter, but sometimes, writers, the banter is inappropriate. When one of your teammates is being accused of murder, you DON’T BANTER.
- Callen asking Hetty if there was something they should know was rich. Hetty can keep YOUR secrets, but no one else’s? Is that how it is, Callen?
- If Callen is going to break up with Joelle, WHAT was the point of that episode where she found out he was an NCIS agent?
What did you think of this week’s episode of NCIS: LA? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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NCIS: LA airs Mondays at 10/9c on CBS.
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz
Lawyer. Writer. Columnist. Geek. Falls in madly in love with fictional characters. Hates the color yellow, misogyny, and people who are late. Can always be found with a book. Watches an absurd amount of TV every week, often, while eating coffee ice cream. She has no regrets. You can check out her blog here: Absurday. Lissete is a senior writer for Tell-Tale TV. Follow @lizziethat