Redacted File 2,741: Did Hetty really think that Callen would fall for the “You go to Camp Pendleton while the others go on a case” trick?

Vicki: We all know Callen is a seasoned agent, one who doesn’t miss a trick. I think the arrival of the Comescus caught Hetty off guard, not giving her much time to organize a better reason to keep him away from the case. She watched him just as he was about to leave, knowing he knew something was up, when he looked up at her. I don’t think it was much of her thinking that she could get him out of the way, rather than hoping.

Mary: I agree, Vicki. I think Hetty “went through the motions” of getting him out of the way because that’s what Granger wanted. She may have actually hoped he would go, but I don’t think she expected it. She not only stood where he could see her, but she gave him one of those ominous looks. (Maybe not the best description for the look.) And, as far as the case, Callen was the bait. She had to have known that by the bloody writing on the wall. So, I’m not sure how determined she was to “stand him down” this time.

Serena: I think Hetty knows that she can’t keep Callen away from anything related to his past, which was why she didn’t really seem too forceful in standing him down, because (I think) she recognizes that he has a right to know. (Good thing, too, otherwise we may be seeing less of Callen in the situation!).

Bee: If Hetty had truly wanted Callen away from the case she would’ve crafted a much better way of getting rid of him. Or, she could’ve kept it away from the whole team and just worked it with Granger, Eric, Nell, and herself.

Richtsje: Oh, indeed, she must have known. I think she knows him better than anyone else, or, even further, I think she is one of the only ones that can see into his intentions and his thoughts. And yes, she did want to keep him safe but she should have tried harder.

Keviana: Did this not count as “trying hard”?

ChrisDaisy: Not for one second, no way!! If Hetty had really wanted to keep Callen from the case, she would have sent him to Washington or to Hawaii or whatever… The “ominous” look she gave him when he left (the very one, Mary) shows that she knew quite well that he was aware something was going on and that he was about to go lone wolf (which I love to watch, btw.) No matter how much Hetty wanted to protect Callen, she knew how important this case would be for G and that there was no way of keeping him from working on it. In my opinion, she just needed to keep up appearances by “trying” to keep him off the case. She was neither surprised nor angry at him when he showed up at the house. As Hetty stated – he IS the case!

———- END REDACTED FILE 2,741 ———-

 

Redacted File 2,742: Apparently, Hetty did not know about Reznikov… How do you think that Reznikov escaped Hetty’s notice? Or did he?

Keviana: What madness is this? Nothing EVER escapes Hetty’s notice!

Vicki: Remember when Nate was looking through the book that Callen had found in Keelson’s warehouse? Nate would have known if it was Hetty’s handwriting. We now know whose it was. Hetty would have tried hard to search out answers for Callen, but, I now believe, she had no idea about Reznikov. The information she provided Callen towards the end of the episode, was information she had acquired from Arkady Kolcheck. But, I wonder if Arkady knows more than he’s let on. He always seems concerned, when it comes to Callen.

Mary: I was one of those who believed that Hetty had written those addresses in the book. I even thought Nate was acting suspicious, like he knew. But I never could work it out in my head why no one else would recognize their boss’ handwriting. Now we know that she actually did watch him, but that it was NOT her writing. Where am I going with this? I’m not so sure Hetty knows about Callen’s father’s side of the family. But I think Arkady has some more information tucked away.

Serena: Maybe (like father, like son), Reznikov has been extremely good in going off-grid. But yes, nothing seems to escape Hetty’s keen eye so it is a mystery that she doesn’t seem to know about him.

Bee: Somebody’s going to get a mission to go find that body (dead or alive) or face the wrath of Hetty’s letter opener.

Richtsje: Reznikov… Well, Clara never told Hetty, and she had been out of everybody’s sight for some years, I remember. I think no one ever knew about Callen’s real father. This man, which the Comescus posed as Callen’s father, must have done great, too, to keep his identity safe. Still, I wonder who the secret driver/photographer was, and why the picture was taken. Anybody?

Keviana: The driver/photographer may be one more piece of the huge puzzle, Richtsje. We may never know.

ChrisDaisy: Hetty seemed genuine when she told Callen in the beginning that she knows nothing about his father. Could she have really kept another major revelation from him – again? For what reason?? Callen still trusts Hetty despite the things she kept from him in the past, but I am guessing there’s only so much more he can take in this respect… So it might be that Reznikov really escaped Hetty’s notice – as unbelievable as it seems. But then, Clara had disappeared for six years with apparently no one knowing where she was… As Serena said, G can become a ghost and no one – not even Hetty – can find him when he doesn’t want to be found – maybe his mother and father were just like that! Let’s hope for that because Hetty knowing about Reznikov without telling G would be another blow for him.

Vicki: Definitely, ChrisDaisy. It would have been a huge blow had Hetty lied to him when he asked her about his father. And I think you are spot on, with regards to Callen being so good at becoming a ghost. As she has said when he got burned during the Keelson case: “He’ll do what he does best. He’ll become a ghost.” He definitely inherited that trait from at least one of his parents.

———- END REDACTED FILE 2,742 ———-

 

Redacted File 2,744: If Reznikov owed Callen’s father such a debt, why do you think he didn’t take both children in after their parents died, instead of just watching from afar?

Vicki: Reznikov was the real name for Callen’s Father. The man Vasile Comescu had killed, was a German by the name of Hans Schreiber, who had his name changed to the name the house was listed under. That is a good question, though… Perhaps they had been separated to keep them safe. Listed under their mother’s family name, hoping it would keep them safe. This may explain why Callen doesn’t know his name. Perhaps it was too dangerous for this man to have the children in his care.

Mary: The same question could be asked of Hetty. She watched Callen all those years, yet didn’t take him in. It seemed like Grace (the female orphan-agent) had more of a relationship with Hetty early on. So, I, too, think it was a safety thing. If someone could, in any way, be linked to him, it would have put him in danger. (But it’s still heartbreaking.)

Serena: I, too, wondered the same thing but would assume that it’s because it’s safer for Callen hence the ‘keep-an-eye-from-afar’ thing.

Richtsje: Schriber could have kept both children safe if he, for example, would have taken both children and let them live with his surname instead of with the Callen-name. Sounds so simple i.m.o., so, to me it is also a question that should have been answered in this episode!

ChrisDaisy: I was wondering about that, too… Maybe it was too dangerous for some reason… Or maybe he had the order to just watch and not to act or interfere from Reznikov himself or any other person involved… Did he watch Amy, too? As far as I noticed there were only pictures of Callen in the box, right? I also wondered why Schreiber had the film of G and his family in his possession. I mean, this film was clearly taken during the “happy days” of the Callen family. How did Schreiber acquire it? Did Reznikov give it to him? (Just as a sidenote: Callen watching that film was one of the most touching scenes ever!) As expected this episode opened up a whole bunch of more questions about Callen’s past. I hope we don’t have to wait too long to get more answers (or more questions)!

Vicki: That is a very interesting point there, ChrisDaisy. Why did this man only have photos of Callen and not Amy? And who left the note and flowers on her grave? I bet there are so many more questions flowing through Callen’s mind now.

———- END REDACTED FILE 2,744 ———-

 

Redacted File 2,747: Obviously, Hetty and Arkady know each other, do you think they have agreed to keep secrets from Callen, for his protection, or perhaps the secrets have to do with them, also?

Vicki: I found that very interesting, that Hetty and Arkady knew each other. Hetty and Arkady are very good at hiding what they really know, so it’s hard to tell. Perhaps it’s a bit of both.

Mary: Hetty knows EVERYONE. Just sayin’. Arkady and Hetty are both “old school.” So their paths probably would have crossed even without G in the picture. But it does seem they have both watched out for him for a while. I agree with Vicki about their ability to hide things. These two have definitely perfected the art of secrecy. So I don’t think they each know what the other knows about Callen.

Serena: I’d say first & foremost for Callen’s protection because that seemed to come across a fair, but it could also be that they’re both somehow involved in those secrets, too.

Bee: I wonder if they were actively keeping the information they knew a secret, or if they didn’t realize it was all connected. How was Arkady to know that a man he smuggled in years earlier was connected to a CIA/NCIS agent he now knows? Or, did I miss something while trying to take everything in? I felt like when Arkady and Hetty sat down, they put all the pieces together with their pooled secrets.

Richtsje: I think they never liked each other and never felt like sharing anything of their own backgrounds. Though Arkady must know that Callen works for Hetty and Hetty obviously knows that Kolcheck is a friend of Callen’s. CIA and KGB never were friends, were they? I thought Arkady was quite shocked when Callen came and showed the picture of the younger Arkady with the other man, not knowing or not suspecting the man could be related to Callen’s real father ever?!

ChrisDaisy: I don’t really believe that Hetty and Arkady have shared secrets when it comes to Callen. They know each other which is not really a surprise in this business, I guess, but their relationship doesn’t seem that close. I think that Bee has a good point in stating that Arkady and Hetty maybe only were able to figure out the bigger picture when they sat together and shared their knowledge. They obviously both care for G, but they both also have kept things from him in the past. I am not sure about Hetty, but I am fairly certain that Arkady still knows more than he admits. And even though I like Arkady, he is definitely one to keep his knowledge to himself and use it to his advantage, if possible – all the more now that Callen owes him one. I like the Arkady-Callen relationship and he was definitely responsible for some of the lighter moments in this otherwise very intense situation – so I am looking forward to his next appearance!

Vicki: Spot on, ChrisDaisy. I totally agree with all you’ve just said.

———- END REDACTED FILE 2,747 ———-

 

Redacted File 2,750: Dracul and Vasile Comescu were the last two of the Comescu line that had the feud with Callen’s family. Do you think now that they’re dead, another Comescu will be coming for Callen to continue this blood feud, or do you believe that, as Reznikov said, “The debt has been paid”?

Vicki: There was no mention on whether Vasile was killed or just injured from that shot, unless I missed that. They are definitely running out of family members, that’s for sure. A lot of people forgot that there were still some still alive. It’s hard to say, but it’s a blood feud that’s been going on for a very long time, so, who knows, it would seem too easy for it to just go away like that. I think the words of the German were for Callen to pass onto to his father, when he finally meets him. Nothing to do with the Comescus.

Mary: Hmmm. Don’t know. But think we might be done with them. At least as far as the males in the family. I think the debt paid was the fact that Reznikov gave his life for Callen – paying the ultimate price while fulfilling the promise to look out for him. Do I want them all to be dead? Selfishly, not really. It makes for some good angst for our boy. Oh yeah, Vicki. I didn’t catch the name thing until I read your comments on another redacted file. That was the name he assumed to make the Comescu guys think he was Callen’s father.

Serena: It did seem to me a bit anti-climactic the way the Comescus were done away with (if indeed they’re gone for good). The scene where Callen confronted them was done very well, though. (Pulling the gun out from under the BMW was pure genius!) Yet, it just seemed a bit too *easy* the way Vasile was shot. However, if I’m not mistaken, there was no mention of any of the Comescus getting away so it would be a safe assumption that that’s the end of them.

Richtsje: Don’t forget… There is Ilena Vadim. Hunter posed as Ilena and said that she lived in South America and rejected her family for a reason I never got. “The debt has been paid”: I don’t know what Schreiber meant by that. Was he really in a good enough shape to notice that Callen shot all the nasty bad guys? I have not figured anything out about those words.

Bee: Good call, Richtsje, is she going to be relieved or angry that her family is dead? What about the fact that so many of them died by one team’s hand?

Vicki: It wouldn’t surprise me if the blood feud keeps running for longer. It keeps the Team on their toes. Who knows about Ilena Vadim, anything is possible.

ChrisDaisy: I, too, got the impression that that sentence did not refer to the Comescus, but to the fact that Schreiber’s debt to Callen’s father has now been paid. Is Vasile really dead? I think that wasn’t made clear, or was it? The Comescus are such a large family – there surely is someone still alive to continue the blood feud, a few more cousins, maybe… (Good thought with Ilena, Richtsje!) With the story line of Callen and the Comescus having been a central part of Callen’s story, this ending would be too rash in my opinion. There has to be more… And I agree, Serena, G really showed some awesome action in that scene with the Comescus – great fun to watch badass Callen.  Who knows, maybe some remaining Comescus will help Janvier escape from prison… Ok, maybe that last thought is a little too far-fetched – but then again… who knows???

———- END REDACTED FILE 2,750 ———-

 

Previous Redacted Files can be accessed here:
http://www.ncislamagazine.com/callens-corner-redacted-files-i/
http://www.ncislamagazine.com/callens-corner-redacted-files-ii/

#CCRedactedFile