What I’m Watching: NCIS: Los Angeles

NCIS: Los Angeles: Season 1, Episode 13 “Missing” (B+)

It’s interesting that the first team member to really find their life threatened on this show is the one who’s actually been least in the spotlight. We’ve hardly seen anything of Dominic, especially in comparison to the rest of the characters. It did seem weird that Dominic was missing in action last week when the whole team went out for their outing at a karaoke bar. He also seems the least well-equipped to defend himself in such a life-threatening and dangerous situation, therefore making his predicament all the more serious and not nearly as entertaining as the cases on this show usually are. It’s fascinating to see how his disappearance affects the rest of the team and how they all talk about how they should have trained and mentored Dominic better to prepare him for such a situation. It’s pretty crazy that they didn’t end up finding him, and ending the show on such a desolating note sets the tone as far more somber than it has been in the past. I wonder if they’ll end up finding him, because it’s not as if he’d be terribly missed, but that’s quite a dramatic and depressing plunge for the show to take so early on in its run. In any case, it was no surprise to see guest star Onahoua Rodriguez in a very similar part to her recurring role on “The Shield” as a good-natured girl caught in between some very dangerous people and the law. I also enjoyed Sam counting down the seconds to his diversion. I suppose it makes sense, but it was particularly entertaining.

I forgot to mention last week that “NCIS: Los Angeles” has been renewed for a second season, therefore we’ll have plenty more action-packed hours to look forward to in 2010 and 2011.