NCIS: Los Angeles Review: 767 (Season 8 Episode 19)

“When our purpose is clear, those are the good days,” Hetty-the-Yoda-wannabe states at the end of NCIS: LA Season 8 Episode 19, “767,” and she speaks to a higher truth than the context of this show.

She speaks for the arts in general, she speaks for the writers and the actors and even us, the viewers.

What is the purpose of a TV show, you ask? Is it just to entertain us? To allow us to escape our concerns for a little while?

There’s certainly a lot of that riding on them, but should it stay at just that?

Or, are TV shows supposed to move us, to present stories that we can relate to in ways that ring true to real life? Are they supposed to give us role models we can look to in times of trouble? Are they supposed to be more than just fiction?

That’s for you to answer. But the truth is that, whether TV shows aim to do this or not, often, they become more than just entertainment.

What does this rant have to do with NCIS: LA, you ask? Well, simply put, when I first started watching this show, about seven years ago, I did it for the entertainment.

There was action, pretty faces, a strong, kick-ass female character and a hint of an OTP. That was pretty much all I needed.

But the show as it stands, today, is much more than that. It’s a show well-balanced enough to try not just one couple among the main cast – but to have all of its core characters involved in a relationship, be it with each other or third parties.

It’s a show that, when an actress is due maternity leave, doesn’t just write her off, but turns the whole thing into a brave and raw story about disability and what it does to the psyche of the person facing this uphill struggle.

Moreover, it’s a show that understands nuance enough to know that, even though it should rightly focus on the person suffering the disability, there are stories to be told about her loved ones, about balance, about the life that must, inevitably, go on.

And, it’s a show that, on an episode that was all about Callen and Sam saving the day in a believable manner, without anyone that shouldn’t know how to landing commercial airplanes, can sneak in a conversation about whether Kensi is recovered enough to resume a sexual relationship.

It might seem like a little thing, but it’s not. Just as it wasn’t when Eric was feeling overwhelmed and scheduled time to talk to Nate, or when Sam reminded us that he gets through the bad days because he has Michelle at home.

Yes, the core elements of this show, the ones that made me turn on the TV the first time, are still there. Callen and Sam prove it by being total bad-asses in this episode, and the team on the ground proves it by being effective, even when they’re not personally involved in the high stakes situation in the air.

But NCIS: LA has, in a way I would have never thought possible all those years ago, become something more. It’s become a show that can tackle any story-line with care, a show that is not afraid to talk about mental health, that’s not afraid to tell stories about couples growing together.

And, most importantly, it remains, to this day, a show about family. Not the one you were born to, not necessarily, but the one you choose.

That’s why people are still watching. That’s why it resonates. And that’s why I hope it sticks around for years to come.

Other things to note:

• “You’re the strong one; I was just along for the ride,” says Deeks, and it’s true, and in a way, it isn’t. Support is a great part of the reason why you can be strong.
• And yet, of course, from his POV, he did nothing more than be there for her – and even that wasn’t a big deal for him. What else was he supposed to do? She’s the love of his life.
• Anna’s podcast habit is such a little, throwaway comment, and yet such a big deal in the grand scheme of Callen/Anna. It means they’re integrating well with each other.
• Sometimes the way Eric and Nell jump from point A to point D seems a bit far-fetched to me, but in this episode, I not only followed their train of thought perfectly, I sort of appreciated what they were doing more than ever.
• Maybe it’s because I was a bit worried about Callen and Sam.
• The Callen/Sam banter was in fine form this episode.
• I’m still laughing at Callen and the chicken.
• The callback to Kensi’s friends is nice. Continuity is such a pretty thing.
• Let me be honest with you, Hetty, I missed this version of you. Keep on being Yoda.

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 Sundays at 8/7c on CBS.

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