What I’m Watching: NCIS: Los Angeles

NCIS: Los Angeles: Season 1, Episode 21 “Found”

It’s been eight episodes since we last saw Dom, and while it didn’t seem to make sense that he would just have been gone with no explanation, now all of a sudden he’s back. It’s quite surprising that he doesn’t survive the episode, especially considering the fact that he never left Los Angeles, managed to escape the terrorists without any help from NCIS, and was even with Sam when he took fatal fire. It’s now achieving a “24” level of tragedy, where the characters will likely be serious for the next episode or two and really work hard to commemorate the memory of their fallen teammate. It worked wonders for the two-part third season premiere of the original “NCIS,” when the death of a member of the team made for great drama. We knew that character well, though, which wasn’t the case here. Is it perhaps a ploy to get a new cast member for season two? I’d be happy having Deeks come back full-time, but maybe someone else new and exciting could be fun too. In the search for Dom, Hetty makes quite an impression both on the powerful people she was trying to influence and in yelling at Eric to motivate him to get the computer working. Callen actually spelling out what NCIS stands for makes a lot of sense, and it would probably be better if they did that more often. Sam just shaking his head when the guy pulls out a knife was pretty funny. Carlo Rota was a fun guest star, playing a simply seedy character after playing the seedy but ultimately likeable Morris O’Brian on “24.” In the midst of all the action, it’s the stellar music which really makes this show great.