Review of NCIS:Los Angeles 1X06 Keepin’ it Real by Tejas and BJ

Dear NCIS,

I think one of the problems I’ve been having with NCIS: Los Angeles is that in an effort to, I suppose, distinguish the show from its parent, NCIS, it sometimes goes overboard in setting the scene. The opening of Keepin’ It Real showed us a clichéd “L.A.” party complete with slow motion, bouncing breasts followed by Valdivia’s rather surreal fall and subsequent death. I caught that someone passed Valdivia something in a handshake, but aside from that moment of interest, I was, pretty much, bored stiff by the teaser. That a Marine had the wherewithal to apparently host such a party should have sparked my interest, but even Valdivia’s genial conversation with the waitress wasn’t enough to make me care one way or another about him. This is not a good sign.

BJ says:

There are times that NCIS: Los Angeles reminds me of CSI:Miami. The opening scenes are one of these times. They seem to focus on the glamour of the location and as a result, I don’t often connect with the opening scene as much as I do the NCIS opening scenes.

Now, watching Callen and Sam’s argument as they came to work together the next morning was fun. Though, I thought it interesting that Sam apparently shifted his position on the nature vs. nurture debate when he later claimed to be a “natural operator” as they broke into Valdivia’s mysterious apartment.

I’m still somewhat puzzled by the chain of command and general work flow in the OSP office. Just who is in charge? Who is the team leader? Are all their cases assigned to them because someone has political clout? There are quite a few other agents or analysts or support personnel on site; who does everyone report to? I can’t tell if Hetty is officially in charge or if, because of her experience and personality, she’s simply someone who takes charge and people follow her. The organization feels far too nebulous to be real and that makes it difficult for viewers to have anything to latch onto. One of the things that helped anchor viewers in the NCIS universe was being given at least some of the structure of the organization in Ice Queen and Meltdown.  That we’re not getting that in NCIS: Los Angeles is maybe to show that it’s a more laid back environment than the Washington D.C. office. While that might be partly based in reality, the way it’s being done is, again, clichéd and not entirely believable.

BJ says:

I’m not even entirely sure who the senior agent is. Sometimes it appears to be Callen and other times it appears to be Sam. I’m not sure if Hetty’s function is more as a manager to the team or runs the entire office. It is confusing and sometimes causes confusion.

I’m also constantly amazed at how the various team members almost never have to show their id or even announce that they’re federal agents when dealing with local LEOs, witnesses or even suspects. When Callen and Sam arrived at the pier, one of the LAPD cops just raised the crime scene tape and let them in.

BJ says:

That is a bit of an issue and I hope the show runner and his writers will address that.

The counterfeiting storyline wasn’t bad, but I could have done without the extraneous flirting between Callen and Giordano.

Kensi continues to be a refreshing character and it was good to see Dom do a bit of undercover work.

BJ says:

While I do like the characters, I find myself wishing that there would be more of a shift in the characters in the field. One of the interesting points of NCIS is the differences in partnerships. In one episode we might see Gibbs with DiNozzo and then Gibbs with McGee. Seeing Sam and Callen investigating at someone’s house every time starts to feel a bit monotonous. I’d like to see Dom growing in the field and being mentored by the more senior agents as well as Kensi. The little bit of mixing of agents that I’ve seen I’ve liked, but it isn’t nearly enough for me.

It was nice to see them give the touch screen technology a rest. That got old during Legend.

I know it probably doesn’t seem like it, but I am seeing promise in NCIS: Los Angeles.  It’s gotten off to a much rockier start than its parent show, and there are still some issues that should have already been addressed, but the characters are beginning to solidify nicely.  Now, if only the rest of it could do the same.

BJ says:

The character interaction is a huge plus for me, but I’m finding myself mildly frustrated with some of the issues that Tejas has mentioned. I hope we’ll see these resolved soon.

With Love,

Tejas and BJ