NCIS: Los Angeles Season 8 Episode 13 Review: Hot Water
Dale McGarrigle
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Finally, the mole is back...in a big way.
Everyone at NCIS is under fire on NCIS: Los Angeles Season 8 Episode 13.
It's kind of like Ten Little Indians, as one agent after another gets picked off framed for crimes they didn't commit.
Only NCIS is aware of the mole. So none of the arresting officers at several different agencies have any inclination to look past the slam-dunk cases which they've been handed by some anonymous source, no matter how unlikely.
All this time hunting for the mole, and now it seems as if the mole is headed straight at us.
Hetty [to Kensi]
Let's start with poor Granger.
He's looked and sounded like hell for months. He woke up drugged with the woman who had been targeting him beaten and tied up to a chair as LAPD went busting in. Then he got stabbed.
He wound up comatose and ventilated in a hospital bed. If the plan is to get rid of Granger, he's certainly set up for that.
I hope that's not the case, but it's hard not to predict the worst.
The mole slipped information to an IA detective who has been after Deeks for the better part of two seasons, so she has no reason for doubt.
You would think that Deeks, a combination cop/lawyer, could find his way out of an interrogation room, but no.
Sam and Callen were obviously set up, but again, the agents arresting them didn't see any flaws in their cases. And no one was comparing notes.
Callen: We're all being targeted by different agencies.
Kensi: Whoever is doing this has a lot of pull.
Callen: And a lot of connections.
Kensi fretted early in the hour that Hetty didn't think she wasn't ready.
Callen: Kens, you know I want you back in the field more than anyone.
Kensi: Not more than me.
Callen: And you seem ready. But it's not my decision.
Kensi: You can tell [Hetty] that you think I'm ready.
Callen: And she'll wait until she thinks you're ready.
Kensi: And I am.
But circumstances didn't allow Kensi to return at the perfect time. Instead, she was suddenly the only full-time agent available.
And that's OK. Kensi got the chance to prove she's ready, even if she's not back to 100 percent. This felt like an organic way to end the Kensi comeback storyline.
Leave it to philosophical Hetty to have the right pithy comment.
A friend and an early mentor always used to say, 'A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.'
Hetty
After working so hard to get out of the hospital, Kensi had to disguise herself as a nurse to go back inside to kidnap Heather so she could be questioned.
At least Eric got to see some action, staging a fake drive-by shooting with blanks.
It's fun to watch the few that remained having to piece together a plan on the fly, especially with their electronics compromised.
Nell: Does anyone else feel really off-balance here?
Kensi: I think that's the point.
Eric: It's like the worst round of Multiball ever.
Nell: My flippers are in overdrive.
Kensi: I'm sorry. What?
Eric: Pinball.
Kensi: People still play that?
Eric: Where have you been? In a coma? ... Too soon, Eric.
It's interesting to watch Hetty recruit an unlikely ally, Undersecretary Duggan.
It's good to find out that he isn't nearly the officious jerk that he seemed in early appearances. He seemed genuinely remorseful that he was the one who had to put Hetty out to pasture.
Hetty realized, probably too late in the game, that Duggan could be an asset rather than an obstacle.
Duggan: Henrietta, why didn't you tell me about anything of this sooner?
Hetty: Because I didn't realize what you have to gain until now. I thought my career depended on finding the mole. Now I realize yours does.
Duggan: I don't follow.
Hetty: Taking me down would be big for your career, but not as big as finding the mole.
Too bad he was shot and possibly dying a few scenes later.
If the sniper somehow didn't kill Duggan, I'm back to being suspicious of him being the mole. Although it's too obvious.
So who else is there? There have been a handful of CIA agents through NCIS: Los Angeles' seven seasons, but none that lingered. And the mole seems to be someone with inside access, if they're tied into the team's devices.
Let's hear it for an actual cliffhanger rather than a meandering storyline.
The mole storyline seemed to be coming to a head anyay, although the previews offered precious little guidance. They're in custody, then they're not in custody. I'm not sure how that happens.
My guess is that Hetty saves the day and is kept on. She's the linchpin of the series, after all, like Gibbs on NCIS and Pride on NCIS: New Orleans. The show is worse when she's not there.
I don't have a good feeling about Granger surviving, either with the squad or in general. That would create an opportunity for some new blood in the cast.
To catch up on the mole storyline, watch NCIS: Los Angeles online.
Who's the mole? Is Kensi back for good? What changes after this? Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
