The Positively Positive

Well they did it, they actually killed off Dom. I guess deep down I knew that was going to happen, but I was still sort of surprised when it actually happened. I figured that Adam Jamal Craig was still leaving the show but for a little while there, I wondered if the character might actually live through his ordeal.

The team gets a lead that Dom is being held by a group of terrorists threatening to execute him if their demands aren’t met. They then go about doing anything and everything they can to find him, including some scare tactics that were very effective, like threatening to throw a man into the ocean handcuffed to a brick. When everything leads to one man that they cannot take into custody by normal means, the team decides to take their threats to extreme measures, causing everyone to decide between saving Dom’s life and their careers.

Meanwhile Dom is trying on his own to escape, not content to just sit idly by when he knows his time is running out. An NCIS agent to the bone, he works every angle he can to get out of his prison – from using a broken mug handle to break out of his handcuffs to befriending one of his captors (who turns out to be Sam’s old friend Moe, the boy he took back from Somalia after killing his father).

In the end, it turns out that Dom is being held not in some faraway land, he’s right there in LA in an old theater. The team finally finds him, just as Dom has broken free and is looking for a way out of his prison.

The saddest part of this show is the fact that the team actually does find Dom and for all intents and purposes, does rescue him. But in the ensuing firefight, Dom gets in the line of fire while protecting Sam and is fatally wounded.

Watching Sam and Callen desperately try to bring Dom back while the rest of the team watches helplessly (most of them miles away and watching via cameras), I felt the first tears fall. Then as Callen had to pull Sam off, telling him that they had never given up on the younger man, even more came.

The closing song at the end was the final straw for me, I can’t think of anything more perfect for the sadness of that scene than Peter Gabriel’s “Grieve”

Overall a sad but extremely well done episode.

Farewell Dom.

Want to know every time I add a new NCIS LA review? Be sure to subscribe to The Positively Positive!

More NCIS: Los Angeles….
NCIS:LA – Season 1, episode 1 “Identity”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 2 “The Only Easy Day”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 3 “Predator”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 4 “Search and Destroy”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 5 “Killshot”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 6 “Keepin’ It Real”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 7 “Pushback”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 8 “Ambush”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 10 “Brimstone”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 11 “Breach”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 12 “Past Lives”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 13 “Missing”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 14 “LD50”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 15 “The Bank Job”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 20 “Fame”

Chris O’Donnell, Daniela Ruah and LL Cool J in NCIS: Los Angeles, season 1, episode 13 “Missing”

I’m a huge spoiler-phobe so I never usually read articles online about my favorite shows unless I know for sure that they are spoiler-free. This time I made an exception as I just had to know what is up with Adam Jamal Craig leaving the show. Well it turns out that he has been written off, which is too bad as I really liked Dom. But I still don’t know if they’re going to kill him off or not, which is good because I like surprises. At least now I know why we didn’t see him at all in last night’s ep.

If anyone is interested in learning more, you can read one article I found, HERE.

Okay so all that aside, I really liked this episode. I enjoyed the emotional aspect as everyone dealt with the abduction of one of their own. It’s a little early in the first season for it perhaps, but I still think it worked. We’ve only been with these characters a little while and it was nice to see them playing something like this.

Highlights….

The use of the music in the opening sequence while Dom is being taken.

Callen and Sam debating over who did the better karaoke the night before. Grrr…now I really wish they’d let us actually see that. Also I like that it showed us that this is taking place the morning after the end of the last episode.

Finding out that Nate sang the Backstreet Boys…and seeing him looking still drunk.

Finding out that Hetty sang “Wanted Dead or Alive”. Hmmm…any chance she’s a fan of Supernatural? Cuz that’s song been on my iPod since Dean sang it at the end of season 3. LOL.

Everyone switching from lighthearted ribbing to serious, the moment they find out that Dom might be in trouble.

Kensi admitting that she talks to her orchids. I totally talk to my plants, too.

Hetty telling Callen and Sam to do whatever they have to do to find Dom, by whatever means necessary.

Nate and Kensi sadly searching through Dom’s apartment and remarking that neither of them really knew him that well.

Callen and Sam arguing, showing just how stressed out they are and how much they are blaming themselves for Dom’s disappearance.

Callen and Sam realizing that Dom being taken may be about them and not him, and making them feel even worse. Ugh.

The team listening to the audio from Dom’s abduction and knowing how hard that was for all of them.

Callen going after Sam when they realize they can’t track him by the abductor’s phone. Loved the two of them walking along the beach talking it out together.

Eric guiding Sam into the building to protect Callen and Kensi, using nothing but heat signature images on a screen. I was on the edge of my seat during the whole thing.

The team racing to the van only to find it empty, that just broke my heart.

Watching as each member of the team dealt with not finding Dom in a different way. My favorite was Kensi doing his dishes and cleaning, as that’s something I would totally do too.

Overall a very heartwrenching episode that had the team working together to help one of their own.

More NCIS: Los Angeles….
NCIS:LA – Season 1, episode 1 “Identity”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 2 “The Only Easy Day”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 3 “Predator”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 4 “Search and Destroy”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 5 “Killshot”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 6 “Keepin’ It Real”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 7 “Pushback”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 8 “Ambush”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 10 “Brimstone”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 11 “Breach”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 12 “Past Lives”

As I watched one of the first scenes of this episode, I was struck by the similarities between NCIS LA and the original NCIS. In both shows, it usually starts with a brief scene that leads us into this week’s case, followed by a little character building time with the team. We weren’t getting that when it first came on the air, and I am glad they’ve started doing it now.

In the beginning, it felt like the show was concentrating most of its attention on the relationship between Callen and Sam. I like that they are giving more time to the rest of the team, not just individually, but with all of them interacting together as a group. It is these kinds of interactions that build the relationships that we all want to see; the ones that we will care about as the show continues.

Also I can’t of course discuss this episode without mentioning Callen and Hetty. As I’ve said before, these two have a mother/son relationship that I like a lot. It is similar in some ways to the father/son thing going with Gibbs and Tony on the original show, but different too, which is good. For one thing, Hetty is more verbose than Gibbs.

As the episode unfolds, Hetty and Sam see that Callen is going “lone wolf” and it worries them both. It’s not just that he’s good at going undercover, it’s because he likes it. It’s an escape from his true life, and a past that was less than warm and fuzzy. It’s also no surprise that he liked being Tedrow the best. That alter ego had friends, a girlfriend, for a moment there we even thought he had a son.

I found it poignant that while Callen paused to look back at the life that was almost his, he turned his back on it and left. Then he walked into the squadroom to meet up with the only family he knows. It felt like he was making a decision there, to stop living in fantasy and start living for real.

Overall an episode full of some good team bonding, though I was a little disappointed we didn’t actually get to see the karaoke. Callen singing Springsteen? Hetty singing Ella Fitzgerald? That would’ve been awesome.

More NCIS: Los Angeles….
NCIS:LA – Season 1, episode 1 “Identity”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 2 “The Only Easy Day”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 3 “Predator”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 4 “Search and Destroy”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 5 “Killshot”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 6 “Keepin’ It Real”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 7 “Pushback”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 8 “Ambush”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 10 “Brimstone”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 11 “Breach”

For me the storyline of this episode was almost secondary to the character development that was in it. First off I’m really enjoying the character of Callen more and more. He may be the team leader, but he’s not exactly perfect and that makes him really interesting to me.

We got to learn a little bit more about Sam this time as we found out that he helped a young Somali come to this country after Sam killed his father. Not only the tough Navy SEAL, we see that Sam has some heart too and treats the young man almost like a son.

Hetty is proving to be an interesting part of the team as well. Most of the time, she stands around in the background, complaining about budgets and seeming more like a mother hen than anything else. But when it is needed, she is not above a little subterfuge to help out her team. It turned out she was nagging the team this time in an effort to keep them all from turning into lonely workaholics like her lost friend…..and perhaps herself as well?

The ending was poignant – Callen quietly offers his shoulder to two of his teammates, helping them deal with their sadness each in a different way – an art exhibit for Hetty, a run with Sam.

Overall an episode with an interesting storyline intermixed with lots of character development.

More NCIS: Los Angeles….
NCIS:LA – Season 1, episode 1 “Identity”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 2 “The Only Easy Day”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 3 “Predator”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 4 “Search and Destroy”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 5 “Killshot”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 6 “Keepin’ It Real”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 7 “Pushback”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 8 “Ambush”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 10 “Brimstone”

Linda Hunt in NCIS: Los Angeles, season 1, episode 10 “Brimstone”. Image from www.daemonstv.com

What I liked most about the first Christmas episode of NCIS: Los Angeles; is that it didn’t try to become too sappy. As much as I loved that about this year’s NCIS Christmas episode, I don’t think it would work for this show. One of the reasons it works so well for the original NCIS, is because we know those characters so well. They are able to pull out our heart strings because we know a lot about them, their personal stories, drama, etc.

Not that I don’t feel for the characters of NCIS: Los Angeles. It’s just that, without a few seasons under their belt, I don’t know the characters as well. Without knowing them intimately, it’s hard to have a really poignant episode without it feeling a bit forced. So I think for its first Christmas episode, this one was handled perfectly.

We were given a bit of humor, with the boys helping to decorate the office for the holidays by bringing in a palm tree. As an LA native, I had to laugh at that. I also had to laugh at the girl in the bikini in the opening scene. I know everyone thinks we all go running around in bathing suits in the middle of December, but believe me, we don’t. It’s usually much too cold. Heck, last week I was looking at snow on the mountains I can see from my balcony. No it didn’t snow down here, but we did have some ice.

So yeah, a bikini? Not so much. I appreciate the humor in the idea though, especially to those folks out there living in super cold conditions. I know I couldn’t survive that weather for long.

Overall a good episode and a fine first effort as a Christmas ep. Just the right amount of heart and some laughs to keep me in the holiday spirit.

More NCIS: Los Angeles….
NCIS:LA – Season 1, episode 1 “Identity”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 2 “The Only Easy Day”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 3 “Predator”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 4 “Search and Destroy”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 5 “Killshot”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 6 “Keepin’ It Real”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 7 “Pushback”
NCIS: LA – Season 1, episode 8 “Ambush”