Review of NCIS:Los Angeles 1X08 Ambush by Zabby and Carina
Dear NCIS,
Though I enjoy the NCIS franchise as a whole, I have to be honest that my interest in the spinoff of the original NCIS had not yet been grabbed by the episodes so far. That is, until I watched this latest episode. I have enjoyed the interactions of the characters, but they seemed to really hit their stride as a cohesive unit in Ambush. The plot, though without as many twists as in past episodes, was still rich and provided the viewer with a more in-depth look at the team as it works.
Carina says:
I’ve loved the show from the first episode of the season, though I wasn’t sure that would be the case after the pilot. I’ve enjoyed the season thus far, but I really loved this episode. Ambush really captured why they work so well together as a team, while giving more insight into the murky background of G Callen.
Sam and Callen continue their “bromance” in their first scene, complete with color-coded tabs and hazing. Having grown up with guys and having guy roommates in college, I appreciate and enjoy those kinds of interactions. With so many crime procedural shows on television, the relationships between the characters are what make NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles stand out. Aside from the constant ribbing, the friendship and camaraderie of the two main characters, along with the rest of the cast, has finally hit a stride that makes this a show has finally hooked me as a fan. In fact, this episode focused more on their role as the main interaction with the rest of the cast supporting their movements.
Carina says:
I have to agree. The “bromance” is really what made me decide to watch NCIS: Los Angeles. I wasn’t sold on the show from the pilot episodes, but I did love the interaction between Sam and G Since that is sorely missing in most procedural dramas these days, it was a refreshing and incentive enough for me to tune in during the first season. I’m happy I did. But it’s more than just the relationship between Callen and Sam. I love the interactions between the team as a whole. The banter and camaraderie between the teammates has become a trademark of the NCIS brand, and NCIS: Los Angeles doesn’t disappoint.
Ambush opens up with the murder of Marine Lance Corporeal Edward Mackaye, a Reservist working at the armory at Camp Pendleton. The audience witnesses his garroting on “fish cam” at an aquarium. I was a little surprised that the man didn’t fight his attacker off at all. As a Marine, Reservist or no, the man should have known some moves to at least give himself a chance. Though normally a death of a reservist would be under the jurisdiction of the local police, Mackaye was actually an informant for another NCIS agent, Mike Renko. Normally, Hetty would be in charge, handing out assignments. But Director Vance had called her to Washington D.C., so her presence was still felt via speakerphone.
Carina says:
It bothered me as well that there wasn’t any real resistance. Sure, he seemed to be struggling a bit, but it seemed pretty halfhearted. I think he would’ve gotten a few punches in. He’s a Marine after all.
Renko explains that he is in the midst of a weapons investigation into a militant group, named E.L.E. Six Dragon anti-missiles had gone missing from Camp Pendleton, and the main suspect into that theft was Marine Private Scott Riley, who had a long connection with E.L.E. and its founder, Malcolm Tallridge, and the second in command, John Bordinay.
Going back to the scene of the crime, Kensi, Sam and G talk out the facts and evidence, working through what the victim and suspect had done, questioning the angles. Through their questions, Callen asks Sam if a Dragon missile could fit inside of a sail bag. I loved how through this scene Kensi gives a run down of the location as a bad place to stage a terrorist act. The look on Sam and G’s faces were hilarious. You almost don’t expect her to be so cut and dried with the explanation.
Carina says:
I love Kensi. In the pilot episodes, I feared she’d just be window dressing. But here, she proves once again that she’s more than just a pretty face. And it’s also evident that the rest of the team really values her as an agent.
Sam and G go back to headquarters to review the footage Dom and Eric pull up, while Kensi stays behind with Renko. On the video, they see Riley take his sail bag out six times over the last six months, the MPs never checking his sailing gear.
While talking on phone with the rest of the team, Kensi decides to test Riley’s equipment to see if there is any explosive residue on his bag. Riley sneaks up behind her and tries to garrote her like he had done to Mackaye. What follows is a pretty cool fight scene, Kensi kicking all kinds of butt. And while I enjoyed her moves and how she was able to fight the bigger man off (I was actually cheering out loud for her), I was a little surprised neither she, nor Riley, had any marks— bruises, cuts, or otherwise—after the fight was over. Slamming your face against a hard surface, like a car, would leave a mark. In the end, Renko comes in with a gun before Riley can escape (though Kensi was doing fine on her own).
Carina says:
Yep, Kensi was so kicking butt just fine on her own. And as she said, she didn’t really need Renko stepping in to ‘save’ her. However, I wasn’t disappointed about the lack of bruising immediately. More about the lack of bruising appearing later. In fact, later the only evidence of her having been involved in an altercation is the fact that she’s pissed off and her hair is slightly in disarray.
They bring Riley to interrogation— Kensi does the interrogation—but he doesn’t admit to anything. However, it does appear that he is afraid of something, more than likely the men he works for in E.L.E. Because he is obviously not going to betray the people he works for, the team sets up Callen going undercover, with Sam as the MP escorting them.
Carina says:
When Nate points out that maybe Kensi shouldn’t be doing the interrogation alone because Riley’s so much bigger, I loved Renko’s response. “Riley’s bigger and stronger but….she’s meaner.” Lol! I love that even though they step in on occasion to “save” her and maybe even fear for her safety at times, they still respect her enough not to undermine her abilities so much as to step in when it isn’t warranted.
As they’re traveling in the armored truck, Callen is cuffed as a fellow prisoner, trying to gain Riley’s trust. However, when Hetty back in D.C. finds out what the team has set into motion, she becomes infuriated. We learn from her reaction that Hetty lost an agent several years before in an undercover operation. I am a bit worried that the writers are trying to give too much angsty background for the characters too soon. The development of the team and their histories in the original show was more organic in their growth, and I would hate to see the characters overdeveloped simply because the writers think we need that. There doesn’t always have to be a dramatic back-story behind each person’s reactions.
Carina says:
I agree that there is no need for EVERY character to have such a dramatic background. But we only have this one incident in Hetty’s past and small tidbits about Callen’s past to go on at this point. I don’t think it’s fair to say that every character does have an angst-filled background. Only time will tell. And I don’t think we’ve been given too much information about the characters thus far. We know that Callen’s history is pretty much a mystery, but as for the rest of the team we don’t know much. And considering Hetty’s reaction, a little background was a nice touch. I also don’t think that Hetty losing an agent in the past necessarily falls into the category of ‘angst for angst sake’. The realities and pitfalls of her profession are that at one time or another, maybe more than once, she might lose an agent. And if she did, and we now know she has, her reaction would be understandable.
Even though Hetty orders the team to stop the mission, they tell her it is too late. In her frustration, she hangs up the phone, and then Dom discovers that Riley searched two hundred and forty seven federal buildings, immigration processing centers. What Dom in fact discovers is a list of possible targets for the Dragon missiles.
The mission proceeds with a truck overtaking the military vehicle. Shots are fired and Callen and Riley escape, leaving everyone else dead in their wake, including the “friends” who had come to free Callen. Callen and Riley escape in the truck, Riley ‘convincing’ G to free him because he knows someone who could keep them safe, someone who could help them disappear. Almost reluctantly, Callen frees the other man and they take off, leaving bodies in their wake. Only when Kensi and Renko pull up behind the crime scene do the dead men jump up from their “corpse” positions. Quickly, the two agents follow the escapees, adding Sam to their numbers.
Riley directs Callen to the base of the E.L.E. group, all while Callen is shooting off caustic comments, like “Are we going camping? I hate camping.” It was funny seeing this almost bratty side of the character, though as a part of his undercover persona. As the truck gets farther along the path, a young man starts shooting at them, a line of defense of the militia group. When the boy gets in the truck with them, he and Callen exchange verbal barbs at each other in fun. Though it would seem out of place in such a high-risk situation, the conversation brings a more human element to the circumstances.
Carina says:
Callen’s undercover attitude made me wonder if this is why Sam is always mock-threatening him. Even as a part of his undercover personality, it still seemed like it was more real than acting. The barbs exchanged between Callen and the boy seemed to fit Callen’s real personality, as we’ve often seen that he uses jokes and humor in his everyday life. It seems likely that he’d fall back on this in a high stress situation.
Callen is led to what ends up being the base of the militia’s operations. To me, the camp and members seemed rather small for an organization that was proving to be such a big threat. When the three get out of the truck, Malcolm shoots Riley because of the numerous ways he put the militia at risk. Though sudden and violent, this reaction brought me back to the fact that they were a dangerous group. The resulting skirmish has Callen, armed with a gun, in a stand off with the rest of the militia, the boy from earlier as his hostage. What was almost touching at this point, and served as a continuation through the rest, was G’s constant efforts to make the boy realize his mistake at being a part of that group.
Carina says:
I think the fact that the militia group was relatively small touched on a major misconception about bigger being better. If a person, or group of people, have the right connections, their impact, good or bad, can be major. I mean, computer viruses are relatively small, but they can do major damage. However, the fact that the militia group was so small made them easier to fool, as later events proved.
At this point, Sam drives in, pretending to be an ATF agent, trying to save Callen. They both end up chained in a cabin, as the militia gets ready to move. They are waiting to see if Sam was telling the truth at their being surrounded. The rest of the NCIS team is scrambling for backup and a plan to free their agents. I thought it was hilarious when Kensi starts doing Morris Code on Callen’s forehead with the laser from her weapon. Callen’s face had me cracking up as he tried to stay still while at the same time picking the lock of his handcuffs with a bobby pin.
Through subterfuge, smoke and mirrors, the team ends up convincing the militia they are under attack from a squad of agents, Callen even convincing the boy to switch sides. The whole working of the team together, from Sam and G on the ground to Hetty in D.C. getting two jets to buzz the camp, is what finally hooked me into the show completely. The team has finally started to work cohesively which makes it far more enjoyable for me. Also, the little moments within the team shows how fond they are of each other, from Hetty’s dedication to the safety of her team and constant input of knowledge – she reminds me of Ducky in this manner though without his long stories – to Erik’s “Hetty, it’s all of us. Please don’t yell.”
Carina says:
For me the cohesiveness of the unit and the overall fondness they have for each other was evident from Identity. But it was nice seeing that further expanded and captured in this episode. And Eric is fast becoming one of my favorite characters because he seems like the ‘little brother’ to the whole group.
One problem I have had with the show was Macy’s sudden disappearance, which was finally explained in this episode by Hetty. I was glad the writers were finally able to explain that plot hole to me. Her interactions with Director Vance were also amusing, as they showed she may be small but she’s still a force in the agency.
Carina says:
Yes, Hetty is small, but she’s her personality is larger than life. I love that someone so small easily stands toe to toe with men twice her height; even if the man in question happens to be the Director of NCIS.
I was also happy to have Macy’s disappearance explained. It bugged me that Louise Lombard was let go, because I actually liked Macy, so it was nice to have some closure on that mater.
Overall, Ambush was a great episode, showing the different aspects of the team that makes it such a cohesive unit. I look forward to many more, exciting episodes.
All in all, Ambush was another great episode. Not that I expected anything less. I find myself enjoying it more than NCIS these days, which may or may not be a good thing, and I look forward to the next episode.
Lots of love,
Zabby and Carina