I have been following NCIS: Los Angeles: Found, as well as other shows of the like, for quite some time. I have to say that NCIS LA FOUND is my favorite as I enjoy the characters the most. Speaking of which, I am going to miss SPECIAL AGENT DOMINIC VAIL's character played by ADAM J. CRAIG. I felt LL COOL J (SAM) did a great job displaying his concern and frustration of Vail's capture and ultimate demise. I hope the essence of this episode continues on... Also, I found interesting was BEN YOUCEF (YARI). I saw him on LAW & ORDER a few weeks back, and he played a very different character. I look forward to the episodes to come...
2 Reviews
Misconcieved
ttapola6 January 2011
So... the sequel to the Best Episode So Far, #1.13 - Missing, has finally arrived. Hopes are high - not a single episode since Missing has come even close to equal, let alone surpass, it.
The driving concept behind this episode is a compelling one: different intelligence agencies compete for funding with little regard on the fate of the "rank-and-file". The whole US intelligence community was examined in an article in late 2010 by The Washington Post and was found mostly to be a huge black hole that sucks devastating amounts of money with not enough justification. This would have been a great subject to explore.
What NCIS: Los Angeles offers us is a quick reference to the pissing contest between the agencies and gives us instead a standard investigation episode, which just happens to include a hostage situation. Not to mention the series shameless attempts to appeal to the lowest common denominator: When a suspect tosses a laptop into a swimming pool, who dives in after it? Is it G? Is it Sam? No, of course it's Kensi, because then we get a nice shot of *wet* cleavage. Not that there is anything wrong with that, as the famous line goes, but the writers could have been more subtle...
A man's life is in danger yet the investigation lacks any real sense of urgency. The pace is sluggish and even music is way off from creating the necessary sense of race against time. And the requisite "extreme situations demand extreme measures" discussion? As faulty as 24 became after the first two excellent seasons, at least they took the matter seriously, with consequences. Here, it's just briefly touched upon. Also, Jack Bauer never had the time for this kind of a drag. Plus, when Jack interrogates a suspect, they better talk - G would most likely get laughed at and mocked: "Make me talk? You? The Boy Wonder?"
There are redeeming features. It's always nice to see Carlo Rota, who, funnily enough, portrayed Morris O'Brien in 24, but as a whole, this episode is not different enough from any other to live up to the standards set by its excellent predecessor. Even the climax is predictable, by the numbers, every single element seen before elsewhere, done better. Sadly, a 6/10, the usual for most NCIS: Los Angeles episodes.
The driving concept behind this episode is a compelling one: different intelligence agencies compete for funding with little regard on the fate of the "rank-and-file". The whole US intelligence community was examined in an article in late 2010 by The Washington Post and was found mostly to be a huge black hole that sucks devastating amounts of money with not enough justification. This would have been a great subject to explore.
What NCIS: Los Angeles offers us is a quick reference to the pissing contest between the agencies and gives us instead a standard investigation episode, which just happens to include a hostage situation. Not to mention the series shameless attempts to appeal to the lowest common denominator: When a suspect tosses a laptop into a swimming pool, who dives in after it? Is it G? Is it Sam? No, of course it's Kensi, because then we get a nice shot of *wet* cleavage. Not that there is anything wrong with that, as the famous line goes, but the writers could have been more subtle...
A man's life is in danger yet the investigation lacks any real sense of urgency. The pace is sluggish and even music is way off from creating the necessary sense of race against time. And the requisite "extreme situations demand extreme measures" discussion? As faulty as 24 became after the first two excellent seasons, at least they took the matter seriously, with consequences. Here, it's just briefly touched upon. Also, Jack Bauer never had the time for this kind of a drag. Plus, when Jack interrogates a suspect, they better talk - G would most likely get laughed at and mocked: "Make me talk? You? The Boy Wonder?"
There are redeeming features. It's always nice to see Carlo Rota, who, funnily enough, portrayed Morris O'Brien in 24, but as a whole, this episode is not different enough from any other to live up to the standards set by its excellent predecessor. Even the climax is predictable, by the numbers, every single element seen before elsewhere, done better. Sadly, a 6/10, the usual for most NCIS: Los Angeles episodes.
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