NCIS: Los Angeles Review: Assets (Season 9 Episode 3)
NCIS: Los Angeles Season 9 Episode 9, “Assets,” turns the focus back on the personal lives of our favorite agents, leaves a customary few plot threads hanging and makes me, once again, marvel at how good this show can be, nine seasons in.
Decline? Not NCIS: LA. If anything, you can say this show has found its sweet spot.
Take Sam’s grief, for example, and the subtle and yet real way the show is dealing with it. Months have passed, but Sam is still not okay. Of course he’s not.
More importantly, no one expects him to be.
And even more significant than that, no one’s walking on eggshells around him.
Grief is a sneaky thing, and a loss like Sam’s is the kind you never get over. But you can get better. You can find a new normal.
Sam doesn’t have to do any of that alone.
He’s got Callen. He’s got the team. And he’s got a show that allows him to go through the process without saddling him with the unfair expectations that are sometimes placed on men.
There’ll be days when he’s okay, and days when he’s not. That’s the way of it. And I, for one, am immensely grateful the show is willing to show that.
This episode also devotes a healthy number of minutes to what feels like an overdue conversation for Kensi and Deeks, especially in the light of Mosley’s reluctance to accept Deeks as part of the team.
On any other show the fact that Deeks is the one that suggests he should quit, get a desk job, take care of their hypothetical kids, would be a breakthrough. Here it’s just common sense.
Why would Deeks be selfish and ask Kensi to give up everything? She’s his partner, after all. His equal.
It’s so sad that what’s commonplace on this show seems sometimes like such a big deal, not just in television, but in life.
NCIS: LA has thrived the past few years not because they’ve done procedural better than other procedurals, but because they’ve managed to combine interesting cases with compelling characters who love and triumph and suffer and, invariably, learn from all of these circumstances.
Now the question is -– is Mosley here to break up our team or to make them stronger?
The answer to that question seemed obvious on the NCIS: Los Angeles Season 9 Episode 1, just as the blueprint for a show like this seemed obvious in Season 1.
But, plans change. They do.
Sometimes they even change for the better.
Other things to note:
- Don’t apologize! I’d react the same way if someone came at me from the back in a deserted pool.
- At this point I probably don’t have to point it out to you, but yes, that guy playing Tom IS Daniela Ruah’s husband and Eric Christian Olsen’s brother: David Paul Olsen.
- “How long would you keep talking if no one stopped you?” “Many before you have searched for the answer to that question,” is a pretty funny exchange, I’m not gonna lie.
- Though if you make Deeks shave, it’s on Mosley. IT’S ON. A trim, fine, but no locks? Please no.
- “Your other left, sweetheart,” is legit the most relatable exchange these people have ever had.
- Why you surprised, Callen? Sam is obviously the type of guy who’s always prepared. I would have been more surprised if he didn’t have a screwdriver.
- I really enjoyed the Eric/Nell conversation about their new coworkers. Sometimes the Nell/Eric parts can be too cut and dry. Some personality is good.
- Usually I’m in the why do you kill all your witnesses bandwagon, but I’m not sure what else they could have done this time.
- This one’s going to come back to bite the team in the ass, though. That’s obvious.
- See, at least now there’s an explanation for the lack of Mosley in the past episode. She’s going to DC for meetings! Ah, the joys of airing episodes out of order.
- I have a beating heart, of course the boat name made me teary eyed.
What did you think of this episode of NCIS: LA? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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NCIS: LA airs Sundays at 9/8c on CBS.
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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
4 comments
Thanks for the review. I also liked this episode and the little scenes that revealed more about the characters. I think one of the things I like so much this season is that the scenes seem less frantic and more realistic. I enjoyed all the scenes between Kensi and Deeks–and that Deeks was the one who spoke about leaving (which isn’t the first time he’s mentioned this)–but that name, Princess Sunshine? Seriously? I loved Kensi’s reaction and her name choice–Athena (a la Wonder Woman)–as well as her reminder that not all girls like pink. The scenes between Callen and Sam were also enjoyable (I think we saw Anna’s influence when Callen talked about Instagram), but the final scene between the two was perfect–serious and sweet without being sentimental or maudlin. This show does that very well as we saw when they said goodbye to Miguel/Granger. I agree that there might be some repercussions for the team later, but that’s true in real cases, as well. Things aren’t always wrapped up neatly. I also don’t dislike Mosley as much as others seem to (after all, she’s only been in two episodes), but she does have some good points and we don’t know what instructions she’s been given by her superiors. We’ll just have to wait and see, but I’m all for that. And knowing that Hetty is out there somewhere, I didn’t miss her actual presence. She’ll make her presence felt soon enough, I’m sure.
Thanks for your very positive review. I enjoyed this episode .Episodes like this are why I love this show and watch it weekly. The case was very interesting, the pace and action were fast, and the cast , as usual, were awesome. I loved Kensi and Deeks , both working together to solve the case, and yet finding some lovely moments for their relationship. I thought their segment was well done. Although, I am still not happy that TPTB killed Michelle, I think they are developing Sam in a very believable way. I also thought the Sam/Callen interactions were well done.For me the only thing about the show that is not working is the new character Mosley. She seems to have no personality other than to be self-absorbed, and I am finding it offensive that she is so judgmental of Deeks’ appearance. He is an undercover operative.
I disagree about Mosley being judgmental of Deeks’ appearance. Every member on the team is an undercover operative, and he looks extremely sloppy and unkempt. She’s in charge, so she can set the requirements–within the law–about appearance at work. So far, she’s pretty relaxed: they still wear jeans, leggings, and t-shirts (Deeks even wore a plain white t-shirt which most businesses wouldn’t allow because it can be considered an undershirt).
I enjoy your reviews, so I’m glad you’re continuing this season. So far, I’ve liked this season’s episodes; they seem more focused on investigation and less on shoot ’em up–which is fine with me–and I liked this episode. I thought all the partner interactions were well done (although, I agree, that name–Princess Sunshine–was just awful. What was Deeks thinking?) The scenes with Callen and Sam were good, as well, and I loved the ending. Everything seems a little quieter this season, but I think that’s intentional–based on the finale last season. Again, I don’t have a problem with it. The stories have been good, the dialogue has been very good, and the humor has been present–maybe not as much as in other seasons, but the characters have all changed. To not have them change would have been silly. I don’t dislike either Mosley or Hayley because they’ve only been in two episodes: they’re new, and they’re getting used to their new surroundings just like everyone’s getting used to them. I’m interested to see how this season progresses.
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