NCIS Los Angeles review: “Russia, Russia, Russia”

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Here’s my review of NCIS Los Angeles season twelve episode “Russia, Russia, Russia.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

Stories of undercover agents, spies, and moles are not unfamiliar to NCISLA viewers. Over the years, we’ve seen the team use undercover work to their advantage to get information, and there’s been plenty of plots featuring moles and spies within various government organizations. So the plot of “Russia, Russia, Russia” isn’t very unexpected: Callen gets suspected of being a Russian spy and then the team flips the tables to try to find the actual Russian spy. But it’s the execution of the story which makes this episode one of the most entertaining of the season so far. 

NCIS Los Angeles review: “The Frogman’s Daughter”

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Here’s my review of NCIS Los Angeles season twelve episode “The Frogman’s Daughter.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a Sam-centric episode. Often times, he plays the role of support as other characters’ personal storylines play out. Don’t get me wrong, LL Cool J plays wise, supportive Sam excellently. But every now and then, he deserves the spotlight as well. Unfortunately, “The Frogman’s Daughter” does not really live up to expectations.

NCIS Los Angeles review: “A Fait Accompli”

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Here’s my review of NCIS Los Angeles season twelve episode “A Fait Accompli.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

Usually I expect a two-part episode to feel like one long movie if I watched them back to back. But that’s not always how it goes, and that’s not really how it felt watching “A Fait Accompli” which was the conclusion to last week’s episode “Love Kills.” I didn’t dislike the episode, but it does suffer from some of the same problems other episodes have this season. But on the other hand, this week’s episodes again move forward several character storylines, even if only briefly.

NCIS Los Angeles review: “Love Kills”

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Here’s my review of NCIS Los Angeles season twelve episode “Love Kills.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

NCISLA likes to bring back random characters on occasion. Often they’re an ally arriving to provide help to the team (this show has a very nice selection of recurring guest characters), but every now and then, an old antagonist shows up. “Love Kills” brings back one such criminal and sets in motion what is a generally entertaining plot (even if the case is, like usual, not as exciting as the characters). 

NCIS Los Angeles review: “Overdue”

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Here’s my review of NCIS Los Angeles season twelve episode “Overdue.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

I feel like we were long overdue for a good character-focused NCISLA episode, so in my opinion, “Overdue” was exactly the episode to get that job done. Its case wasn’t all that engaging but the character storylines (which were planted in previous episodes) have finally started to sprout. And frankly, this episode had me laughing a lot more than any others so far in season 12. We’ve all got different expectations for the series, but for me, “Overdue” arrived right on time with what I wanted to see.

NCIS Los Angeles review: If the Fates Allow

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Here’s my review of NCIS Los Angeles season twelve episode “If the Fates Allow.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

I’m of the opinion that Christmas episodes should be fun. If we’re going to take a moment to celebrate a holiday, we might as well have a good time with it. I thought “If the Fates Allow” was a great example of a decent Christmas episode. It was mostly lighthearted and had a happy ending. That’s all I ask for in a momentary break from the regular episodes, and I wasn’t disappointed.

NCIS Los Angeles review: Raising the Dead

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Here’s my review of NCIS Los Angeles season twelve episode “Raising the Dead.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

While the previous episode “Cash Flow” may have been a lighthearted run-of-the-mill episode, “Raising the Dead” was a dark and dreary story, probably giving viewers whiplash after watching the two episodes back to back. But this episode finally gives us the most character-centric story so far this season, so that’s a point in its favor.

NCIS Los Angeles review: Cash Flow

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Here’s my review of NCIS Los Angeles season twelve episode “Cash Flow.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

“Cash Flow” was an uneventful episode. I don’t know how else to say it. The case was mediocre and the personal stories were mostly lacking. It wasn’t an awful episode but it certainly wasn’t very memorable either.

NCIS Los Angeles review: “Angry Karen”

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Here’s my review of NCIS Los Angeles season twelve episode “Angry Karen.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

When I heard the title “Angry Karen”, I envisioned a much different episode than what we actually got. But as it turns out, the episode title has nothing to do with the current colloquial meaning of the name at all. It’s simply the name of a secret missile… which doesn’t actually exist. But none of that is ultimately as important as the storyline seeds which are sown here in between the regular casework.

NCIS Los Angeles review: “War Crimes”

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Here’s my review of NCIS Los Angeles season twelve episode “War Crimes.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

“This was a big day.” Or so I was told, multiple times throughout this episode. “War Crimes” revisits the plotline from last season’s “Code of Conduct,” showing us the fate of the war criminal Chief Petty Officer Argento after the team helped put a stop to his heinous acts. But with all the emphasis on how important this case was, the episode itself was quite a disappointment.