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NCIS: Los Angeles Season Twelve Rewatch: “Overdue”

The basics: While the team is being interviewed for Deeks’s NCIS application, they are also investigating a murder and a kidnapping of two members of the Navy.

Written by: Chad Mazero co-wrote “Internal Affairs”, “Revenge Deferred” and “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” and wrote “Tidings We Bring”, “Can I Get a Witness”, “All Is Bright”, “Diamond in the Rough”, "High Society" and “Murder of Crows”.

Directed by: Terrence O’Hara directed “The Only Easy Day”, “Brimstone”, “The Bank Job”, “Borderline”, “Tin Soldiers”, “The Job”, “Backstopped”, “Crimeleon”, “Blye, K.” Part Two, “San Voir” Part Two, “End Game”, “Paper Soldiers”, “Descent”, “Ascension”, “Fish Out of Water”, “Blaze of Glory”, “Command and Control” (episode 150), “Matryoshka” Part Two, “Belly of the Beast”, “Payback”, “Mountebank”, “Asesinos”, "Searching", “Yellow Jack” and “Raising the Dead”.

Guest stars of note: Back from earlier in season 12 are Vyto Ruginis as Arkady Kolcheck and Kayla Smith as Kamran "Kam" Hanna. Other guest stars include Presciliana Esparolini as DCSA Agent Rosa Martinez, Kira Sternbach as Lisa, Jeremy Guskin as Peter "Rocket" Mooring, Steven J. Young as David Lao, Debbie Fan as Navy Lieutenant Commander Natalie Chan and Allen Theosky Rowe as Jimmy Fang.

Our heroes: Are likely keeping Deeks as they chase down a kidnapped doctor.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen: Ready to pop the question. Sam: Hated, no, despised Deeks when they met. Kensi: Thinks Deeks will be just fine in his interview. Deeks: The “A” in Martin A. Deeks is for Atticus. Eric: “That jumpy Urkel” Nell: Not ma’am, never ma’am. Fatima: Happy to be working with Eric today. Roundtree: Unfamiliar with a floppy disc. Hetty: Handed off a strict baton to Nell.

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen: Unwilling to push popping the question with Arkady. Sam: Paying for a spring break trip to Aspen. Kensi: Was sent a Contaminated Cherries album by Mama Deeks and it was wonderful. Deeks: Was in a college punk band called Contaminated Cherries. Eric: Bored. Nell: Practicing delivering hard truths. Fatima: Thinks Roundtree is full of himself. Roundtree: Thinks he (and Fatima) are young, attractive and elite. Hetty: Absent.

Who's down with OTP: Kensi is sure Deeks is going to do well with his interview. Nell lets a bored Eric help in Ops.

Who's down with BrOTP: Sam is really good to Deeks before Deeks’s interview for his NCIS position. Sam shares some family history with Roundtree and that goes badly for Sam.

Any pressing need for a cranky retired Admiral? I would imagine his thoughts on Deeks’s hair may not help.

Who is running the team this week? Sort of running itself though Nell is truly in charge.

Fashion review: Callen is wearing a red, white and blue plaid button down shirt. Sam starts the episode in medium grey running gear before changing into a dark red tee-shirt, black jacket and matching watch cap. Kensi has on black long-sleeve sweater with a black leather jacket. Deeks is in a blue suit, a pale blue dress shirt and a blue tie with real dress shoes. Nell is in a dark green dress with a floral pattern. Eric has on a thick grey turtleneck with his black coat and pants. Fatima has on a white turtleneck under an animal print sweater with gold trim. Roundtree is keeping warm with a thick, off-white hoodie under a tan herringbone jacket.

Music: No.

Any notable cut scene: Finally! Not cut scenes but extended ones. When Eric joins Fatima in Ops, he promises no more meltdowns. She’s unclear – Eric or the computers. He promises both. Later, when Sam and Roundtree are giving David Lao some time to think, the conversation about the kidnappings includes forced repatriation. China bought Bellamy’s list, saw Chan’s name and believes she’s still one of their citizens.

Quote: Deeks: “Agent Martinez, the world can be an ugly place. And you can trust me when I say that I have seen the absolute worst of it. And my greatest fear, the thing that scares me the most is not being able to fight to fix it. And I've thought a lot about this. I've thought a lot about NCIS over the last year, and I think it's true. I think sometimes you got to lose something to love it. But this is more than a job to me. This is more than an occupation. This is about purpose. 'Cause the world's always gonna have that dark side, but at least here, I get to get up every single day with a team that I love and respect and go out and do everything we can to shine some light in. So, if you need to write anything down, it's that I will do everything that I can to keep doing that.”

Anything else: A woman is leaving her job at public library in Vista View. She is learning Spanish for a Cancun vacation using an app on her phone. As she walks to her car, she’s caught in a shoot-out. She sees a security guard shot before the gunman hops in a van and drives off. The woman calls 911.

Sam and Kam walk into the boatshed after a 10-mile long run. Sam has an idea and Kam is a bit nervous about that. The last time Sam had an idea, she was dropped into Budapest on Thanksgiving with nothing but a headlamp and a roll of tape. Sam is so proud she’s been accepted to Annapolis. His idea is for the two of them to go to Annapolis during spring break and do a few dry runs in the area. Kam was more thinking more going to Aspen with her friends for spring break. Sam wants Kam to prepare but Kam thinks June is a long way away – she has plenty of time to prepare. She want to take things one step at a time. Sam reluctantly agrees.

In a park, smoking a cigar and doing the same chair lifts David Kessler was doing, Arkady is talking to Callen on his cell phone. They were supposed to meet but Arkady forgot about his standing Monday appointment. Not really standing either – Arkady meets Zola, who he thinks Callen would like. What Callen would like was to see Arkady. Seems Callen spent the holidays looking for an engagement ring – he has the little velvet box and a nice ring inside.

With Callen insisting on an in-person conversation, Arkady is worried the Russians “finally took that jumpy Urkel who mumbles in your ear.” Assuring Arkady that Eric is fine, Callen wants Arkady to weigh in on something. Arkady has no real schedule for the day – he’s just going to keep moving. Like a great white, if Arkady stops moving, he’ll die. Callen wants to see Arkady at 3PM. Arkady thinks keeping a schedule will kill Callen. Callen thinks the same of Arkady’s cigar smoking.

Also in a park are Kensi and Deeks. She’s buying them some fruit juices for the morning. He’s rattling off presidents or possible matching making options for Mindy, Mandy, Tiffany, Tiffany and Kat. Kensi, who has been through FLETC, says knowledge of presidents is not needed for Deeks’s interview. Kensi finished her interview in support of Deeks’s application. Deeks is nervous but banters along with Kensi for a little while.

Eric is in the boat shed interrogation room with Agent Martinez, who is investigating Deeks’s background for NCIS. Eric is wildly going on a tangent about being in a yurt. Martinez would have been fine with a Zoom call. Eric just keeps going.

Fatima and Roundtree are going through achieved NCIS files and floppy discs. Nell needs them all properly logged in before things are consolidated. Roundtree thinks this is busy work – he and Fatima and young, attractive and elite – they are in demand and Nell knows this. Or, Fatima tells Roundtree, Nell needs more room for a big shredder bin. Roundtree admits to watching a documentary about cult – it stuck with him. Fatima’s tablet beeps – she has a case. She wants Roundtree to check the floppy discs. He’d be happy to if she’d tell him what a floppy disc is. Fatima thinks Roundtree is kidding. He’s not.

With one of her nice tea cups, Nell is imitating Hetty in Hetty’s office. She has an audience of her work delivering hard truths – Fatima. The dead security guard is a Navy reservist Joel Bellamy, a Personnelman working at the Medical Operations Training Center in San Diego. The library security cameras were down so there is only one eyewitness. Nell knows Personnelmen have access to sensitive files of both officers and enlisted reservists. Bellamy may have been targeted.

Callen is interviewing the woman from the library. She doesn’t remember a lot of particulars, just the license plate holder saying “don’t take it personal.” Callen is grateful for her help. She mentions a grilled cheese food truck that is usually parked behind the library – it got her through some tough times. Callen asks about the truck, which parks at the library overnight.

Agent Martinez is honored to meet Sam, whose reputation precedes him. The two make some small talk including Kam getting into Annapolis. When the interview begins, Martinez wants to know about Sam’s first impression of Deeks. “I hated him so much, I had to punch him in the face. A few times.” Sam asks to change hate to despise. Martinez is shocked.

On his Segway One, Eric wheels into the office. He’s there to check if the new version of Kaleidoscope is working – part of his white glove service. Kensi asks him if he really is that bored – he is. Eric found the Deeks interview exhausting – “took longer than all seven season of The Gilmore Girls.”

Nell joins Kensi and Eric with news of Bellamy. He had a gambling problem, debts, was evicted for not paying his rent. Roundtree is looking to see where Bellamy was staying in recent weeks. Nell’s tablet beeps with bad news. Fatima found an encrypted file on Bellamy’s phone with the names of over 100 reservists. Selling those names would more than take care of Bellamy’s debts. Eric starts coming up with a plan to deal with the names when he remembers he no longer works at NCIS. Nell suggests if Eric is bored, he could always help.

In the main room of the boat shed, a nervous Deeks is trying to get the interrogation room feed on the monitor. No luck. Even less luck when Sam catches him. Agent Martinez had the cameras shut down.

Sam asks Deeks if he is OK. Deeks isn’t – they have a plan when the work every day. If the plan doesn’t work, there is a back-up plan. That’s how they survive. Right now, Deeks doesn’t have a back-up plan. All his eggs are in this basket and that’s why he is nervous – “this has to work out for me.” Sam tells Deeks he is going to tell him something and he’s going to tell him once, so listen carefully. Deeks is excited to be joining Sam’s Club (which is funny for a guy so nervous). “You’re good at what you do. You have instincts. You have the cuts to follow them. If you keep following your gut, you won’t need a back-up plan.” It is a lovely, heartfelt speech from Sam and Deeks is grateful.

Nell talks to Roundtree, who is back in the Armory with the files and floppies working through his 15-papercuts and a dust allergy. Bellamy was living in an RV since his eviction. The RV has been ticketed all over LA but was given a boot in a vacant lot in Burbank. Nell wants Sam and Roundtree to check out the RV and see if there is anything that would explain why Bellamy had the encrypted file on his phone.

The grilled cheese food truck by the library had security cameras – he’s been robbed three times in three months. Callen sends it to Fatima. While the quality isn’t great, she cleans it up enough to show Callen footage of Bellamy handing an envelope to someone. That person pulls a gun. Bellamy tries to knock it away and runs. They both know how that chase ends.

Bellamy had access to everything about the reservists – their assignments, their families, their non-Navy jobs. “The list goes on and on,” according to Fatima. With some reservists working in research at universities, think tanks and government contracting firms. They need to learn who has that information now.

Eric walks into Ops. Fatima is happy to have Eric help out – “at least I think so.” Eric still technically works for NCIS. He also works for his own firm. And the DoD. And his non-profit, but that’s just charity work. Fatima decides to catch Eric up on the case. Fatima found an ad on the dark web where Bellamy offers “Chest of gold from Lady Liberty’s Flotilla.”

In the lot with Bellamy’s RV, Roundtree shows up in the Range Rover. He’s been warned by Nell if he breaks it again, he buys it. Sam seems proud that Nell is keeping up Hetty’s tradition of watching NCIS’s money. Roundtree was going through some old receipts. If he knew NCIS was buying Tom Ford’s clothes, he would have joined sooner.

Iran, North Korea and Russia are constantly hacking the US databases for information about US service members. Roundtree saw some of that when he was working with the FBI. There was cases with millions of dollars stolen due to identity theft. Sam thinks this is a lot worse than identity theft.

Arkady calls Callen to cancel their 3PM appointment. Vladlena has a problem with her brother – her dead brother. Abram’s ex-wife Nadya, who is even more dangerous , also is dead. Nadya put a curse of Vladlena that her “bounty will not prosper.” Vladlena’s bar is failing – Arkady is going to help the bar prosper but promises to see Callen later that night. And if Callen needs a kidney, Arkady is happy to give Callen one – “no problem.” Callen thinks there would be plenty of problems with the kidney.

There isn’t anything useful inside the RV’s and with the boot, it wasn’t going anywhere. Roundtree asks if Sam ever rode in an RV. The Hanna family vacations when Sam was a kid were in an RV. Roundtree can’t see it. Sam explains that it was a different time. Roundtree isn’t talking about the RV, he’s talking about Sam as a kid. Sam explained that the Hannas had family in Ohio and they’d take the RV. His father believed that if “you want to serve this country, you need to appreciate every inch.” Roundtree liked the idea – but Sam brings up eating can beans and watching an old VHS tape of “Taps” every night for two-weeks.

Roundtree talks about the life lessons Sam must have learned on the road. Sam did: call your bed first. Opening a secret box under the RV’s storage area, Sam adds “always keep your valuables hidden.” In the secret storage area is a plastic bag with the military files of 20-or-so reservists. Roundtree reminds Sam that the file on the phone had over 100 names. The 20-files were all high ranking officers – people with the most value.

Martinez is sick of the interrogation room and wants to talk to Deeks in the main part of the boat shed. Deeks asks how does the interview work. “I put two minutes on the clock and you write down the name of every president and how they died.” Deeks is stunned until Martinez says she’s joking. He did not see that coming. Martinez explained that talking to the people around Deeks, she figured Deeks would appreciate some humor. He tells her he’s lucky to have them. Martinez suggests he should say that to his mother more often. He asks what Bertie had to say but figures it is all up on her YouTube Channel by now.

Martinez wants Deeks to relax. She wants to hear about Deeks in his own words. Deeks is Martin to his Mom, Atticus to nobody and Deeks to his friends. As one of the more seasoned applicants, Martinez wants to know about life before NCIS. Deeks talks about being a lawyer a lifetime ago. Martinez asks about becoming a lawyer and Deeks talks about growing up and seeing a lot of things that were not right. When Martinez notes that Deeks wanted to fix those wrong, he tells her there other questions on the bar exam.

Callen checks in with Kensi. Fatima and Eric ran down all the names on the files from Bellamy’s RV except Lt. Commander Natalie Chan. Chan is a Navy research psychologist, born in China and emigrated with her parents when she was five. When she’s not working for the Navy, she has a private practice in Van Nuys. Callen wonders if there is any connection between Bellamy and Chan. Kensi thinks they may have run into each other at Camp Pendleton. He could have also learned she was working with DARPA on defense research. Sam and Roundtree are on their way to her home.

Pulling up to Chan’s home, Roundtree tells Sam to write a book about life in the RV. Sam says that’s not going to happen. Roundtree suggests a podcast which also isn’t happening. Sam and Roundtree see two men leaving Chan’s house through the driveway. Roundtree yells federal agents and miracle of miracles, no shooting. Just running away.

Roundtree’s guy climbs over a fence which Roundtree just jumps with ease. When Roundtree’s runner throws a potted plant at Roundtree and misses, Roundtree does the same and doesn’t miss - “that was a bad idea.” Sam’s guy also runs through a door which Sam just breaks down like the Kool-Aid man. Sam’s runner tries to hit him with a rake. When Sam gets the rake away from the man, he makes quick work of his runner.

Neither of the runners are talking. The inside of Chan’s house has been ransacked even without a forced entry. Sam’s runner had Chan’s housekeys in his pocket. Worried that Chan was kidnapped, Sam has Chan’s laptop and hard drives – the runners dropped it when they took off. Since it is unlikely Chan had any of her Navy research at home, Sam wants to find Chan and find her quickly.

Talking to Deeks’s former LAPD colleagues, he’s not the most popular officer around. Martinez brings up Deeks’s IA file – dead partner, missing informant. It is a complicated file where Deeks does not look good in any of it. Deeks tells Martinez that isn’t a question. Rephrasing, she tells Deeks his LAPD files does not make him a team player. Does he have any regrets?

After speaking out against his partner, a significant part of LAPD that is rotten to the core retaliated against Deeks. So Deeks has regrets though not about the punishment or the backlash. He’s sorry he didn’t speak out against his partner earlier, louder and more often. Martinez seems satisfied but Deeks continues. The world can be an ugly place, Deeks tells her, and he’s seen a lot of it. His biggest fear is not being in the fight to fix things. He’s thought a lot about NCIS and how he had to lose what he had to understand how import it was. He doesn’t have a job at NCIS, he has a purpose. The world is still a dark place but working with the NCIS team he both loves and respects, he can bring a little light to world. Martinez wants a break.

Kensi meets with Dr. Mooring – nicknamed Rocket because you don’t want to mess with a guy name rocket and that’s what his degree is in. Mooring and Chan are working on neurotechnology, where a person can think of say sending an emoji and actually sending it with their thoughts. Mooring and Chan were using neurotechnology with soldiers struggling with PTSD. Asked if anyone else was working on similar technology, Mooring tells Kensi lots of people are – foreign governments, private contracts, universities are racing to understand the technology but Mooring and Chan and considered the leaders in the area. Explaining that Chan is at the center of DARPA’s work, Mooring calls her an immense talent and also his friend. He wants Kensi to find her.

Eric comes into Ops with Fatima saying “Don’t take it personal, take it home.” Eric is offended, calling Fatima a succinct, millennial mouse, until Fatima explains it is a slogan for a business, Fast Frank’s Used Cars. It was also what the librarian saw on the getaway van. There were six van sold by the dealership and Fatima is tracking them down.

At the same time, Eric tracked down the e-mails to Bellamy’s dark web ad. There were two college students in Germany who got cold feet followed by a rogue 10-year old on his mother’s computer. Finally, there was a woman named Kelsey Miller who rented an apartment to a Jimmy Fang who entered the country with one of Sam and Roundtree’s runners – David Lao. The two men are Chinese nationals who arrived in America just after Bellamy placed his ad.

Nell ask an arriving Callen for some news – she is being pressured by DARPA and the NMOTC (Navy Medical Operating Training Command). China is interested in Chan’s research which Nell doesn’t think will be used for the mental health of that country’s soldiers. The research could be brought to the battlefield in cyber warfare, intelligence gathering. The use of unmanned systems could change everything. Nell thinks it is like one of Eric’s preferred sci-fi movies. If China gets the research, it won’t be fiction for very long. David Lao may be the key to finding Chan.

Sam gets off the phone with the office and approaches Lao. Lao explains that he doesn’t have to talk to Sam. Sam agrees, Lao can call his lawyer. Lao doesn’t need a lawyer, his country will come for him. Sam laughs – Lao is just a cog in the machine. He served his purpose and now they’re finished with him. Lao’s next stop is life in an American prison.

Roundtree offers Lao an out but Lao’s allegiance is to his country. Besides, it is too late. Sam disagrees – if Lao gives up Chan’s location, he will be saving her life and his own. Sam and Roundtree give Lao a minute. As they step away from Lao, Roundtree talks about China kidnapping doctors, lawyers and professors. Chan will be forced back to China where she will disappear and be forced to work for her kidnappers.

When Nell asks Eric where the case is, he makes a joke and realizes she’s in charge. He apologizes, he’s not use to her in that position. Nell admits neither is she. Fatima found the van from the shooting – it is at Whiteman airport. They are going to try to get Chan out of the country. While a plane leaving Whiteman airport would be too limited to fly to China, it would be able to get to another plane that would fly to China. Nell wants Fatima to get the FAA and TSA to stall all flights out of Whiteman. Then she wants Eric to get the team to the airport. When Eric says “yes, ma’am” Nell makes it clear “not ma’am, never ma’am.” Eric admits it did feel weird from the get-go.

At the airport, Kensi sees an open hanger. Callen and Sam are about to breach the building when Callen jokes about Sam writing a book – “Sam and the Art of RV Maintenance”. Sam is going to destroy Roundtree, who swears he only told Eric. Kensi tells all of them that telling Eric was a mistake but a good start to Sam’s podcast.

Kensi sees the van but no Chan. There is an office in the hanger but no way to tell who is in the office or how many people there could be. If they go in shooting, Chan could be killed by her kidnappers. Sam wants to go in quickly, give them no time to react. Callen knocks on a door but hides under the window. When one of the kidnappers checks to see who knocked, Callen takes him out. A second kidnapper is loading items into the van. Sam loads the kidnapper into that van. Hearing some noise, one of the kidnappers leaves the office, getting a roundhouse kick from Kensi that Chuck Norris would love. Roundtree finds a frightened but alive Chan in the office.

While Chan is being attended to by EMTs, Callen notes how brave she was. Sam never had a doubt – Chan is US Navy. None of the three kidnappers were Jimmy Fang, who is in the wind. Sam decides he’s going to make Roundtree watch “Taps” on an old VHS as penance.

As the day ends, Deeks finishes his interview. Martinez tells Deeks she can’t tell him how things are going to work out which Deeks understands. She can tell him that not many people can take a bad first impression and wind up with the respect of one of the highest ranking members of the team. That same person invested in seven different companies of a friend. Deeks notes for the record it was eight. Finally, Martinez notes it is exceedingly rare to find someone who is willing to speak against what is wrong no matter the consequences. But it would be highly unethical for her to say how he did but “it was a pleasure meeting you, Deeks.”

Arkady arrives with vodka for Callen. Looking at Callen’s apartment, Arkady admires the communist block chic look to the place. Arkady hasn’t spoken to Anna lately because she’s so busy – “the world would be lost without her.” Callen thinks he would be too. Arkady thinks Callen has “become soft, old boy.” Callen needs to talk about just how much Anna means to him but Arkady feels no such need – “you hurt her, I hire someone to kill you.”

Asking if Anna is happy, Callen tells Arkady he’d like to think she is. Then Arkady is fine – “you, me, Anna, we’re all the same.” Callen disagrees. Since the relationship works, things are fine according to Arkady but when the relationship doesn’t work, it will be over. “No need to complicate things.” Arkady doesn’t see Callen or Anna as the marrying kind. Callen looks at the box holding the engagement ring while Arkady jokes about Callen calling him ‘papa’. Besides, Arkady is there to talk about something serious – whatever Callen thought was so important. Callen comes up with some business reason to talk to Arkady. They share some vodka.

What head canon can be formed from here: We got a little Hanna family history, which was nice. Not so nice was Arkady’s dismissal of Callen’s interest in Anna.

The Deeks interview was fine – some good acting there. Agent Martinez was exactly what you would want from an investigator. Tough, fair and a good listener.

Great Nell episode – practicing being Hetty and then recoiling at “ma’am” is her relationship with her current position in a nutshell.

Episode number: Episode seven of season 12. Episode 269 overall.

#NCIS: Los Angeles Rewatch #NCIS: Los Angeles #NCIS: LA #NCIS Los Angeles #ncis la

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