NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 Episode 2 Review: Of Value

You wouldn’t think that missing architects would fall within the OSP’s bailiwick.

And yet they did on NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 Episode 2 using the most tangential of reasoning.

The Sandhagens had done work with the Seabees, including a missile command center built into a mountain. 

Yes, the kind of projects the Sandhagens had done would be of interest to foreign powers and terrorists. That made the couple sort of military, at least for a time.

The team had determined that the Sandhagens’ side hustle, designing private secure facilities, was more likely to interest thieves wanting to break into one of those.

That would have been the time for them to turn over what they found to LAPD’s robbery division. Which Kilbride did have Roundtree do, but since the teams were already in the field, what did it hurt to check out a few places?

It was no longer their purview, but they must have had nothing pressing, so why not?

The fun part of this outing was that Sam was out, so it was a chance to spin the pairings to a good advantage. So it was Kensi and Fatima, Callen and Deeks, Kilbride and Roundtree.

(That’s what happens when you’re the most junior agent. You’re stuck in Ops with the cranky old guy.)

The best pairing, hands down, was Kensi and Fatima. Free of Deeks for the day, Kensi seems to flourish as a senior agent when paired with a younger partner.

Sure, there was the expected chat about each other’s personal lives. How was Kensi liking being a new partner? How was Fatima’s relationship going with the Muslim agent we barely remember from last season?

As cool as Fatima seems on the job, seeing her insecurity seep out about dating was endearing.

Kensi used her experienced eye to pick out the likely target for a robbery from the Sandhagens’ private projects list. 

And in short order, they were precisely in the right place to halt a robbery at a diamond broker and rescue the Sandhagens.

With the element of surprise somewhat on their side, the pair was able to take down five members of the “professional” heist crew before Callen, Deeks, and Roundtree could locate and rescue them.

It was a case of the week that depended more on luck than investigative prowess, which was probably why it got short shrift.

Kilbride’s particular project for Roundtree was the more interesting storyline. 

Apparently, one of Kilbride’s sidelines is helping disabled veterans make the transition to civilian life.

Col. Jackson Ladd, who lost both of his legs during the knee on his final tour, had missed a  job interview that Kilbride had set up for him. Since Ladd had been having a hard time since his injury, Kilbride had Roundtree attempt to track him down.

Roundtree sent the cops to Ladd’s house for a welfare check. Seeing the difference in perception about the whiskey and beer bottles found by LAPD was hilarious. 

Roundtree saw the alcohol as a warning sign, while Kilbride viewed it as a perfectly acceptable coping mechanism. It’s one that Kilbride regularly uses after hours in his office.

Why Kilbride had Roundtree put in so much effort was a mystery since he seemed to know precisely at which bar to find Ladd.

It was easy to feel for Ladd when he explained to Kilbride how he had gone from being a superhero to an object of pity for a little old lady. It didn’t take him long to realize that the customer-service desk job he would have been interviewed for wasn’t for him.

At least Kilbride recognized his error and promised to find some position around the military for Ladd.

It was good to see Anna again, even if she appeared somewhat adrift now.

With her action-packed background, she should have realized even before she interviewed that a desk job at a non-profit organization wasn’t going to be her thing.

Becoming a private investigator would be closer to a law-enforcement position while also being something new.

It’s encouraging that Callen will resume his pursuit of Pembroke, last seen on NCIS: Los Angeles Season 13 Episode 21, sooner rather than later.

Anna seemed content to be settling into home ownership and wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Callen putting himself in even more danger than he faces in his day job.

But filling in the gaps in the past isn’t something that Callen has been willing to let go of, as he’s been obsessed with it throughout the series.

The Rosa storyline it appears will be rolled out in dribs and drabs. This time out, it was Rosa struggling with calculus. (Join the club.)

At least Deeks and Kensi were willing to admit that calculus wasn’t precisely in their wheelhouse and that an outside tutor would be appropriate.

It’s simple to see where this is going. The tutor will be a cute boy, and the foster parents will have to deal with their new daughter contemplating a relationship. Deeks is going to be that dad, isn’t he?

To revisit the Pembroke storyline, watch NCIS: Los Angeles online.

How did you enjoy the different pairings?

What did you think of Kilbride’s efforts to help Ladd?

What would be a good new career for Anna?

Comment below.

Edit Delete