NCIS: Los Angeles Review: Mountebank (Season 9 Episode 5)
When it comes to NCIS: Los Angeles, I’ve got a new standard. Unless I say so, let’s just assume all episodes have at least a semi-engaging plot, good character interactions and enough moments with heart to make it so I would never give this show up. Enough moments with heart that you never should.
Can we do that?
Now, NCIS: LA Season 9 Episode 5 “Mountebank,” is, in many ways, a typical set up episode, the kind we get a lot off during the beginning of every season, especially once the actual cliffhanger is taken care of. There’s just too many loose plot threads that are certain to come back up again at some point during the season.
This, of course, means that it’s not exactly the most action driven episode – or a particularly character heavy one, it’s just …an episode of NCIS: LA, which, as we’ve established before, is not a bad thing.
But hey, if I’m going to raise the standards, then there’s one little problem I’m going to have to point out.
Yes, I’m talking about Mosley.
What’s the point of having her around? I’m really asking here, because right now, I’m coming up with nothing new.
At times it feels like her only purpose in the show is to be disruptive, which is kind of a throwback to Granger’s first episodes, except back then we had Hetty to ground us, Hetty to make us think that, at some point, his character might be one we might come to appreciate. Now we have nothing.
Except questionable decisions.
Truly, what was the point of sending Sam into a dangerous situation without a backup he can trust? Yes, it all worked out, but sending an unknown into a volatile situation does not exactly scream leadership to me.
Was Mosley in the right for trying to protect Sam by not sending Callen? Probably – she doesn’t know the team enough and better safe than sorry is not a bad philosophy to live by. Were there better options than Hidoko, who no one in the team knows or trusts yet?
Yes. Kensi, Deeks, Nell and even Eric.
Throughout these first five episodes we’ve been introduced to a capable, competent woman, someone who has clearly earned the job she occupies. And yet, she’s not Hetty, we don’t love her, and to be honest, we’re not even sure we like her.
Worst of all, we really, really don’t trust her.
Now, we’re five episodes in. Maybe that’s the point; maybe a big twist is coming.
Maybe it’ll all make sense sooner rather than later.
I hope so. And you know what else I hope? I hope Hetty’s back soon.
Not only that, I hope the team has to go find her. Not saying rescue her, because this is Hetty we’re talking about, but hey, it’s been a while since we’ve had the entire team on a feelsy mission to save one of their own.
Give me those found-family feels, please.
And yes, even if I complain, give me what you do best, NCIS: LA. Give me the team, give me Densi, give me interesting cases. Change if you have to, but don’t change too much.
We love you – just the way you are.
Other things to note:
- “Anna and I are not really at the credit card sharing point of our relationship?” Wait, is that a thing?
- I’m starting to have a good sense of why your relationships don’t work out, Callen.
- Mosley having a problem with Deeks and Kensi dating, I can see that. I don’t know why she thinks she’s got a say in Callen’s relationship, though. Not unless Anna is actually working WITH the team.
- Deeks description of Arkady is one of my favorite things in this episode.
- “I don’t bluff, especially when it comes to math.” Where’s the lie?
- I love how anti-stereotype Sam’s love of math is. He’s ALWAYS the one doing these undercover ops.
- I keep trying to dislike Arkady. It never sticks.
- To be honest, I never knew I needed Arkady with Kensi and Deeks. But I do. Give me more
- Eric Christian Olsen is great at physical comedy, and such a simple thing as Deeks wearing all the necklaces is so Deeks and, at the same time, so funny.
- “Is it bring a kid to work day?”
- Honestly, I could go for this Callen/Finn story-line. I really, really could.
What did you think of this episode of NCIS: LA? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Reviewer rating:
User rating:
NCIS: LA airs Sundays at 9/8c on CBS.
Follow us on Twitter @telltaletv_
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
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
9 comments
Great review, I agree with everything you said. I enjoyed the episode. I loved Deeks, Kensi and Arkady, all those scenes were just wonderful. They were well balanced , humorous, and fun. Eric Christian Olsen delivered a great performance. Overall it was an entertaining hour of television. I still do not like Mosley, and you have elaborated perfectly why. The notion that Harley backs up Sam instead of Deeks, Kensi, or Nell, really sums up why she is not making good leadership decisions.
Thank you! I haven’t liked Mosley from the beginning and yet I was trying to give her a chance, but the idea of Harley backing up Sam was just the final nail in the coffin – makes no sense!
I don’t know where you’re getting the idea that Mosely thinks she has any say in Callen’s love life. She simply points out that Callen has a conflict of interest (which he does) and determines that other agents are more suitable to the assignment of dealing with Arkady.
And I don’t understand why you think that Sam showing off his math skill is playing against type. It is established in canon that Sam was a junior math Olympian. What’s so against type about that?
Not against show stereotype – but against TV stereotype. I know Sam’s background. 🙂
As for Mosley’s comment re: Anna/Callen, I’m just commenting on my interpretation of the scene. You are, of course, perfectly entitled to have a different one. We’ll see if/when they pick up that thread again.
This wasn’t really a review as much as a monologue, of sorts. Interesting, but I disagree with you completely about Mosley. I don’t distrust her at all. I also fail to understand the constant criticism of her just because she has her own way of doing things. For goodness sakes, Deeks is still working with the team, she accepted the “receipt” from Arkady, and she hasn’t–as far as we know–made Deeks pay for the damage when he went joyriding in her car. I also disagree about her sending Hidoko as backup for Sam. First, Sam can definitely take care of himself; second, Hidoko is an NCIS agent–she’s not a rookie; and third, it would be extremely unprofessional of Sam to make an issue out of having another agent back him up–something I can’t see Sam doing. I don’t understand your comment about Callen and relationships–when it comes to opening a credit card in someone else’s name, that usually happens with marriage or some “formal” commitment–and since Anna just got a new job, it’s doubtful that she’s ready for that level, either. I was expecting something more than one sentence about the beautiful final scene and how well that was done and what it revealed about Callen, but then it wasn’t a Kensi-Deeks scene (I’m not counting your sentence “I really, really could.”). All in all, I found the episode well-written and enjoyable and the final scene one of the best ever (there have been several excellent final scenes already this season).
We all enjoy different things – I’m glad you enjoy Mosley. I’ve had a hard time connecting to her, though we’ll see where the show takes it.
Considering the card thing was presented as someone taking a card in Callen’s name (or his alias) and using it, not in getting a joint credit card or having an extra in someone’s name, I was making a joke about how that wasn’t a normal thing – at least not in my experience. 🙂
As for the final scene, I found it moving, and certainly a different side of Callen, but I chose Mosley/Hetty as the focus of my review. Hopefully this is something that continues, because I’m really interested in where they could be taking it, and I think this is a story-line that promises to be a favorite of mine.
Thanks for the comment, even when we disagree!
I just saw this re-run and the only reason I visited this site was to see if anyone found the “receipt” to be odd…when it was actually an invoice.
Even though Jordana is my least favorite of the regular writers, I enjoyed this episode. The least enjoyable part to me was Arkady–and I love Arkady–but the scenes with him just did not ring true to character. Arkady is many things, but silly and incompetent are not two of them. He is ex-KGB: smart, ruthless,connected, and charming all at once–not some bumbling gambler who loses his shirt in a single sitting. One of the reasons Jordana is my least favorite is because Deeks is so obviously HER favorite–and I dislike stories where other characters need to be silly and ridiculous (when they’re not) to make her favorite look better. It would have been more to my liking to have had Kensi win at poker–instead of standing by her man, again (stereotypes are boring)–and Deeks win at arm wrestling. Sam was good in his undercover (loved the subordinates) and I really enjoyed the scenes between Callen and Mosley: he doesn’t mind letting her know he doesn’t agree with her, disregards her directives, but is able to work with her when necessary. The ending was one of my favorites, and it was much more Military than Jordana. If her humor was less exaggerated and her effort to make her boy so super good less obvious, she might have great potential.
Get rid of the new assistant director this is a terrible show now I will not watch it anymore thank goodness for NCIS New Orleans
Comments are closed.