While I agree with some points in the pre-existing review, I must disagree with some others. Until now this show has been a huge disappointment when compared to its parent show, the ever-reliable "just" NCIS.
Against NCIS L.A.: the pimped-up look which is unintentionally hilarious, lazy plots, average scripts for actors not exactly known for character acting, action scenes that mistake themselves more for being cooler than they actually are. I could nitpick it for longer, but the failings are pretty much obvious to pretty much everyone.
Then comes along a pleasant surprise like this. Ironically, "Missing" has what the other episodes have been missing: *heart*. Action and character moments both succeed. It's like watching an entirely different show. Then again, this episode *is* a Format Breaker, so from the moment the writers pitched the idea, this had better chances of standing out from the crowd than the rest. And the ending succeeds like the endings of no previous episodes: it makes you *want* to keep watching the series. Now, let's hope this just doesn't turn out to be the only lucky episode that managed to achieve 8/10 greatness (though not a classic by any standards).
Against NCIS L.A.: the pimped-up look which is unintentionally hilarious, lazy plots, average scripts for actors not exactly known for character acting, action scenes that mistake themselves more for being cooler than they actually are. I could nitpick it for longer, but the failings are pretty much obvious to pretty much everyone.
Then comes along a pleasant surprise like this. Ironically, "Missing" has what the other episodes have been missing: *heart*. Action and character moments both succeed. It's like watching an entirely different show. Then again, this episode *is* a Format Breaker, so from the moment the writers pitched the idea, this had better chances of standing out from the crowd than the rest. And the ending succeeds like the endings of no previous episodes: it makes you *want* to keep watching the series. Now, let's hope this just doesn't turn out to be the only lucky episode that managed to achieve 8/10 greatness (though not a classic by any standards).
