I dare you.
I dare you to find G Callen laughing.
His undercover aliases may be free to laugh, but, for some reason, Callen, as himself, chooses not to.
Yes, he has other means of showing amusement.
There’s The Smirk. (Oh, Team Callen loves The Smirk. And, yes. The Smirk gets capitalized, because it’s like its own thing. So quirky and hott, The Smirk is. Maybe one day The Smirk will get its own post. Should we vote on that?)
Then, there’s the disbelieving scoff. The one that happens with an exhale of disgusted air and a turning of the head to the side. Yeah, that’s the one.
There’s also a quiet snort.
A simple “Ha!” (Usually to prove a point.)
A raised eyebrow.
And, my favorite: the sparkling, blue eyes that tease on top of a straight poker face, showing an inward amusement that can only be contained by Callen, himself. (You know the look.)
To my knowledge, the only true laugh that has come from Special Agent Callen was due to Hetty telling Sam she was getting him home in time for Christmas and Sam proceeding to jubilantly pick up Ms. Henrietta Lange. All masterful, petite, graceful, enigmatic four feet of her.
G laughed.
And that? That reaction was a real, genuine, G Callen laugh.
Besides that? Nada.
Prove me wrong.
Or, tell me why you think he doesn’t laugh.
#CallenLaugh
THE SMIRK!!!!!
I love it!
Thanks for the nice article, Keviana.
I think a smirk can tell more than a simple laugh. There’s amusement and happiness but also twitting and hidden thoughts. It fits the mysterious character. Whatever, this smirk is Callen.
Welcome. FYI: love the way you all-caps-ed The Smirk.
The thing is growing…
Oh my goodness, you are right, Callen doesn’t laugh. The Free Ride laugh is the only one I remember too. He hasn’t had much to laugh at but hopefully we will see another one soon 🙂 I love his facial expressions. He can look goofy and cute one moment and then serious and sexy the next. Good observation on the lack of laughing! As for The Smirk, yes please, that Sexy Smirk needs a post of it’s own. 🙂
Wow. Now that would make an interesting title…
The SMIRK???? You just had to bring that up, didn’t you. Are you trying to drive me crazy, Kevi?
I have also noticed the lack of laughter. Not that he doesn’t have a great sense of humor. We all know he does. And there have been a few more light-hearted episodes where he is more playful than others (like Season 4, second episode, I think.) But pure laugher is rare. So rare, that I think you may be right. I was thinking there was a laugh in one of the Christmas episodes, at the end, where G and Sam are hanging off the side of a building. But now that I think about it, it may have been more like just a toothy smile and throwing his head back.
But in any case, I agree that the absence of laughter is big part of our guy’s personality. And oh how I do love the amused looks, the eyebrow raises, the sparkly eyes, and the SMIRK!!!
All-caps on The Smirk here, too? Apparently, it’s catching. Contaigious. Sharable.
The SMIRK!!!!
Prett sure the laugh whilst hanging on the side of the building was actually a calculated, teasing, taunting, “Heh heh heh” directed at the big guy. Sam didn’t look too impressed.
I’m pretty sure he was laughing in another Christmas episode… The one where Hetty was re-gifting a bunch of stuff. For the life of me I can’t remember what the name of that episode is, but I’m pretty sure we got a small laugh out of him when he was talking about the ugly sweater that they all got Hetty one year.
Callen: Look, the good news is at least she didn’t re-gift that sweater from last Christmas. [laughing with Kensi] You remember that one with the reindeer… and the snowmen?
Sam: Hey. It came from me too. Okay? And maybe she didn’t re-gift it because she liked it.
Callen: Yeah… Or maybe because no one wears a size extra, extra, extra small but her.
Are you sure it was a full-fledged laugh? (;
Challenge accepted:
In the second season Christmas episode, where Hetty leaves regifted gifts for everyone, he actually cracks up about the ugly sweater Sam gave her.
His laugh is rare, though. Rare like a unicorn.
BWAHAHAHAA!!! “Rare like a unicorn.” That is excellently worded!! I love it!
And, I ask, again: sure it was an actual laugh? Or, was it just a few exhales of air mimicking a laugh?
Didnt Callen laugh in 3×15? During the op..
He might not laugh all the time, however he does do little hits to show he is amused. This character is to be closed and alone, he wouldnt show anything other than that.
Did he? (;
A new Callen’s Corner post – what a great way to start the weekend!
First of all – PLEASE dedicate a future post to The Smirk (definitely needs to be capitalized) – I’d love that (and I think I am not alone in that!) The Smirk is so Callen … *sigh*
I noticed the thing about Callen not laughing, too. And I, too, thought of the same episode as justdreaming. The Christmas episode in Season 3 just after Sam and G had jumped off the building. I thought I had noticed G laughing there… I gotta check that out again.
Ah, yes, the poker face and the sparkling blue eyes, one of my favorites, too – so little facial expression and yet so much said ☺
I think with a past like his G is bound not to display any kind of emotion much in public. It’s just another character trait that makes him „our“ Callen.
I’m seeing it’s a serious situation.
A post about The Smirk is direly needed. Aye-aye, 10-4, roger roger, and all that.
2×17: Hospital.
Martin asks to alert the nurse Debbie for the sponge bath.
On the DVD (original language and subtitles) is written: Callen Laughs.
The face of G do not see why he is back but it feels a laugh.
Gotcha!
Oh yes!
Hi from Roma
Monty
Was it a “Ha!” or a “Haha?” Because, if it was a single, it doesn’t count. (;
Good puppy. So fun to see your comments.
If my ears do not deceive me … I counted 5 ah!
Ahahahaha.
Maybe 6 … but I think 5.
A real laugh.
Hi Keviana, I’m going to make my evening walk.
Monty from Roma
P.S. please, can you explain to me the word SMIRK? Unfortunately, this word is not translated.
Sorry for my english
You’re English is just fine, sweet puppy!
5?? 5 ha’s definitely equal a laugh from Callen… Good detective work!!
A smirk is what Callen is doing with his face in the above picture. (In the green shirt.) It’s a self-assured, “I’m right, you’re wrong” look, one that shows a touch of mocking and a whole truckload of self-confidence. Does that help?
So it looks like it takes a special occasion to get our Callen to giggle! 😉 Seems like times like Christmas allow him to lighten up a little; unsurprising really – he has a pretty serious job and a life not many people could smile at, so far …
Maybe we’ll get a few more laughs out of him in season five, although after the finale of season 4, that’s not looking likely either 🙁
Oooo. That was an angsty thought, there, Jess. And, I wonder if you aren’t absolutely correct. The devestating nature of this last Season Finale bodes a new season of upset Callen.
Now you have me wondering if he will bounce back or be tormented by being the cause…
No more laughs? No more The Smirk??
I totally agree with you on the rarity of Callen laughing. When Chris O’Donnell was at Comic Con two years go laughing with LLCoolJ, I was like, “oh, they both look so happy, I wish we got to see Callen and Sam laugh like that sometimes on the show.” But we all know it has a lot to do with G Callen’s dark and mysterious past, so when he is amused we see his trademark smirk of his instead.
Agree with you there. Callen does not let loose and laugh. He doesn’t. And, I’ll be honest, when he does laugh or smile uncharacteristically big, I don’t see G Callen, anymore, I see Chris, which is trippy
well i’ve heard his laughing in 2×11 and in 4×10 but yeah, his laughs are rare. although, his sometimes chukle and he did it more often than laugh
well, his chuckling in 2×19 in the part where deeks wants to go home but hetty stopped him because they need to talk about their exam
Ya, that smirk is totally H.O.T
Check out Callen’s silent laugh in the beginning of The Gold Standard during Granger’s and Kensi’s exchange about him accompanying her into the field.