A surprise continuation of the highly anticipated "Found" that turned out a bit of a letdown, this one starts *very* promisingly with an intense action sequence. Though the User Rating (7.4 at the time of writing) is lower than that of "Found" and thus suggests that this will not turn out to be a winner like "Missing".
The appearance of Leon Vance is a boost (considering that in Season 7 of NCIS he is often absent), but when the dreaded Enhance Button trope once *again* appears roughly ten minutes into the episode (minus commercials), one feels that we are once more into the clichéd, well-trodden path of factual errors and not-so-compelling search of a person. Why is NCIS Los Angeles searching someone every other week? Can't we have clandestine operations, big illegal arms/explosives/drug smuggling, murders, conspiracies and politic power play? This show is too formulaic and not nearly as funny as it thinks it is. Also, WHY do the show-runners of every other TV show think CGI explosions and smoke (both of which require a lot of FX programming skill) work on a TV budget? There is a rule they should not forget: "Do NOT get over-ambitious. Stick to what you CAN pull of as realistic."
BUT! Thanks to Linda Hunt and Rocky Carroll, there is at least one scene of genuine character drama. On the action front, the pace is unforgivably sluggish. The "climactic" action sequence once again is unimaginative and full of clichés. At least the plot includes one attempt at a surprise, though an experienced viewer can see it coming way too soon... In the end, yet another 6/10 by-the-numbers episode. At least the show is consistent...
The appearance of Leon Vance is a boost (considering that in Season 7 of NCIS he is often absent), but when the dreaded Enhance Button trope once *again* appears roughly ten minutes into the episode (minus commercials), one feels that we are once more into the clichéd, well-trodden path of factual errors and not-so-compelling search of a person. Why is NCIS Los Angeles searching someone every other week? Can't we have clandestine operations, big illegal arms/explosives/drug smuggling, murders, conspiracies and politic power play? This show is too formulaic and not nearly as funny as it thinks it is. Also, WHY do the show-runners of every other TV show think CGI explosions and smoke (both of which require a lot of FX programming skill) work on a TV budget? There is a rule they should not forget: "Do NOT get over-ambitious. Stick to what you CAN pull of as realistic."
BUT! Thanks to Linda Hunt and Rocky Carroll, there is at least one scene of genuine character drama. On the action front, the pace is unforgivably sluggish. The "climactic" action sequence once again is unimaginative and full of clichés. At least the plot includes one attempt at a surprise, though an experienced viewer can see it coming way too soon... In the end, yet another 6/10 by-the-numbers episode. At least the show is consistent...
