Parts of NCISLA fandom were surprised with Callen’s revelation in episode “The Grey Man” that he “has a girlfriend”.

Due to the lack of references to her and the scoops we got regarding Callen and a “romantic arc” that’s in the store for him later in the season some fans were thinking Joelle is out of the game. There were already heavy speculations in place as to whom he might get involved with.

So let’s get our heads around this new information in a round table…

Mary: I am wondering if Joelle was just put in the storyline to make Callen seem “normal” in some sense. After all, over the past 5 years, he has turned down, or simply not pursued potential interests. And maybe there were some dates along the way. I agree that it is in his nature to keep his private life private. The most upset I was about the whole Joelle thing was when Sam was waaaaay to pushy, even discussing G’s personal life with other people. Just seemed out-of-character, and not cool. I tend to stand on the side that prefers Callen single and somewhat lonely. But I don’t want him to be sad and dark ALL of the time. As long as his love life doesn’t become the focus, I’ll just turn my head and “excuse” the writers. Lol.

Vicki: The storylines have been so intense so far in S6, there hasn’t been the time to mention his outside life. Like we don’t always hear about Sam’s family. We’ve been confused over the reference to kids and his daughter for a long time, and only now are we hearing about a son, Isaac and hearing his daughter talking to him on the cell.

ChrisDaisy: Even though I, like Mary, generally prefer Callen as single, I am ok with the fact that they gave Callen some love life in the form of Joelle, it makes the character more believable and „normal“, as Mary said. It just seemed a little inconsistent to not bring her up again all those months after they all „pushed“ him into dating her.
Anyway, I’ve said it before and I still stick to it: I don’t see Callen in a „happily ever after“ relationship. As much as he deserves to be happy, it just doesn’t fit, in my opinion.

He seems quite happy with Joelle, though, which is nice but I don’t think he is anywhere near committing himself entirely to a relationship even though he seems to be longing for it. But then, how can a relationship that is based on lies and secrets work out long-term? It is bound to fail at some point and Callen surely knows that. If this would be something serious he would have at least shown an interest in meeting her parents, I think. It’s a sweet, little romance which does him well (he is much lighter than he used to be) and that is fine – as long as they don’t make this a major part of the show.

B: “What I do know about it is the woman is related to someone that has a connection to Callen’s past, someone that we’ve seen before in episodes,” said actor Chris O’Donnell (Callen), according to TV Guide. “It’ll be fun to explore that part of Callen. He’s such a private guy and kind of a simple guy. … That personal relationship side of him we haven’t really explored that much.” (November 5, 2014)

So if it is Joelle (which it probably is since she’s going to be in the Christmas episode) who is she related to someone from Callen’s past? She could be related to Arkady or a Comescu? There’s also a possibility of Hetty since she was the one who has been watching over him and knew his Mother.

Vicki: Javier’s daughter would be too young – around 17 yo. It’s is someone we’ve seen on the show a few times – only one I can think of is Arkady. But Hetty is from Callen’s past and I wonder about Granger too. A relative of someone from his past does open up quite a puzzle to solve. A SURPRISE Romance, is probably a surprise, because he is still in the relationship with Joelle, although she’s referenced here and there, we don’t get to see her, like we didn’t for ages until the Sidorov case, Michelle. I doubt it would have anything to do with Kristin Donnelly, I noticed a few people brought that up on the comments to the recap. She told him he wasn’t the father, so I suppose everyone keeps wondering if that was true. Why didn’t Callen ask for a DNA test? Just to make sure. I think that Callen is holding back on his relationship with Joelle for many reasons. Who he is and his past. He’s not ready to commit, or perhaps there is no spark there. Which is why a romance will blossom somewhere down the track. Or things go bad with Joelle when she finds out the truth about him or something bad happens to her and Callen loses her. But then that still wouldn’t give him the time to get over her and be ready for a new romance.

Richtsje: Well… Having heard and seen what we have heard and seen, I think it might simply be another Comescu who’s after Joelle?
Or – I love all this guessing, I do admit – it IS about Callen going to find out more about his father and someone is unexpectedly coming to help. What if he goes lone wolf, all the way back to Russia, and finds another agent coming to assist him? Keep guessing…

ChrisDaisy: My first thought after having read all the spoilers was that it is somehow related to Arkady – maybe a daughter, a niece, or something. Arkady was involved in Callen’s past anyway, he also had some knowledge about his father so this would make sense, in my opinion (plus, I like Arkady, he is one of my favorite recurring characters).

One other thought that came to my mind was Ilena Vadim. She might not be connected to Callen’s past directly but her family is – and very dramatically so. We know that she distanced herself from her family but maybe something comes up, a remnant from Alexa Comescu, a connection to Callen’s past and she therefore makes contact with him. Alexa Comescu did have some details about Callen’s past and his name after all… Maybe this is a little to far-fetched but then, maybe not…

Of course there are numerous possibilities – and let’s be honest, it’s a lot of fun to speculate and then be surprised with whatever the writer’s come up with!

sindee: Yeah, I was surprised (read: shocked) to hear that Joelle was still in the game. It’s not that I don’t see Callen in a relationship or that I don’t like Joelle but, like Mary said, the ‘how’ just didn’t work for me in this case. But, OK, she’s still there… What does that mean for Callen’s upcoming romantic arc? At first I thought with her being in the Christmas episode there would be a big break-up coming up and Callen would be ‘free’ for someone else… but maybe it just means that Callen gets more serious WITH HER… oh, the suspense…

ChrisDaisy: Addendum to the Joelle topic: Not only did Callen not show much interest in meeting with Joelle’s parents (maybe I am interpreting too much into that scene but at least that’s how I perceive it) – but he did paperwork instead. PAPERWORK! I mean, we’re talking about Callen here – he NEVER does paperwork… So what do I make of this?

sindee: ROFL Good point !! 🙂

B: How come he didn’t meet her parents? After dealing with the Grayman case and telling Kevin Turner that Goodsell was his father had been watching over him and trying to help him who was now dead probably had more of an impact than he thought. Not knowing who his father is and wondering if anyone (besides Hetty) had been watching over him growing up or even now.

Why hasn’t he mentioned her? Like Sam, Callen keeps his work and personal life separate. Remember we didn’t know that Sam was married until Season 3. Granger, Kensi and Deeks didn’t even know that Sam was married until season 4.

ChrisDaisy: Having rewatched that last scene I am thinking that maybe he was just looking for some alone time to collect his thoughts and to get his head clear after this for him highly emotional case…

sindee: That’s a nice thought… fits his character perfectly IMO…

Note on the side:

ChrisDaisy: I am really racking my brain on how this relationship is working practically. I mean, do they always stay at Joelle’s place? If so, wouldn’t she want to see his home? And if she’s been to his place – what does she make of the fact that his house is practically empty? That should have struck her as being weird, shouldn’t it?
Anyway – too much into detail, I know…still curious, though…

 
So… we know you have been waiting long for a new “Callen’s Corner” and we dive right into it with such an ’emotional’ topic…
Let us know what you think. What are your thoughts about Joelle? Who will Callen have his “romantic arc” with? Could it be Elise? Kristen Donnelly? Someone related to his parents? Or someone related to Arkady? Tracy? Or maybe the real Ilena Vadim? Another Comescu who is still alive? Questions upon questions…

Redacted File 4,470: What are your thoughts concerning Callen’s mood over the past five seasons? Did it change? How so? How do you think this will influence Callen’s character in Season 6?

Vicki: Callen appears more open and content since Reznikov, N episode. He has proof that he was loved and bad situations arose to separate him from his family at such a young age. So he’s been able to accept it and move on. Like his words to the team at the end of S5E23.

ChrisDaisy: I agree, Vicki – I think especially this sentence in S5x23 shows that he has opened up and learned to gain trust at least to a certain extent. I believe that knowing he was once part of a loving family helped him get over some of his trust issues. Still, there are so many open questions left and he also got caught by Sam crashing in the gym various times instead of in his house (which is supposed to be his home) which means that a large part of him is still unsettled, in my opinion.
I also think that besides that sentence in S5x23 his reaction to the “love note” was quite light and not typical closed-up Callen. A sweet scene which I enjoyed watching a lot.

Richtsje: He seems more open nowadays and I like it… But I do confess that at the same time, I loved the darker side of Callen we saw in the first two seasons. Back in those days he was more mysterious to us, the viewers, than he is nowadays. I like both sides of him.
The opening up is okay, as long as, in the show, G. Callen will be a person that will not really settle down in a relationship like they tried in Season 5. That part may just as well be left out if you’d ask me when it comes to S6.

Richtsje: Now what I would love is to see a badass from the past who comes back, because so far it is from the past that we learned the most about Callen. Season 5 focused more on Deeks, on Kensi and even on Sam than it did on Callen and yes, I confess: there is so much more to find out about the complex character of Callen. Sometimes he seems to be unbeatable, which of course is not true…
To keep it short: it is okay to see Callen soften up a little, see more of those great smiles, as long as it goes with some vulnerability and a tiny bit of hurting as well. [Did I really say that?]]

ChrisDaisy: Yes, you did, Richtsje… *huge grin*… and right you are 🙂

ChrisDaisy: I totally agree, Richtsje – it was Callen’s mysterious, dark side that made me watch the show in the first place. I loved the episodes where he went lone wolf and I would love to see more of that. A little softening up is fine as long as it does not seem out of character. I always liked the little moments where his emotional side showed, but I love me some badass Callen as well.

Richtsje: Right you are ChrisDaisy, we might need some badass Callen every now & then, lone wolf Callen, too!

Justdreaming83: I couldn’t agree more with the previous comments. We watched Callen go through some intense stuff in the first few seasons. He’d been gunned down in broad daylight and didn’t know who, or why for a while. Then there was the Keelson case – someone who knew more about him than he knew himself. The whole Comesu blood-feud thing was pretty emotional. And then G had to deal with the evil Crimeleon on more than one ocassion. Now that he has filled in some missing pieces about his past, and with the Comescus wiped out and Janvier behind bars, Callen seemed to be in a much lighter mood in Season 5.

Fan GCallen: Callen does seem to be in a lighter mood, especially after the first few episodes of S5. But then again, most of S5 was about Densi. There wasn’t really much focus on Callen or his story, apart from the 100^th episode, and his romance with Joelle, and that little mention about his admirer, Elise. So I suppose we weren’t really given a chance to see much of badass/angst/emotional-filled Callen, which Chris O’Donnell plays perfectly.

Richtsje: Well said! Those are exactly my thoughts and you are so right. Never mind what Shane Brennan said in the interview, Chris O’Donnell is so good at showing Callen’s emotions!

 

Redacted File 4,471: Will Joelle be around for Season 6 and what do you think of that idea?

Vicki: She will be, but how much, I have no idea. They’re keeping her at a low profile just the same, which is nice seeing we like to see G focused on work.

Richtsje: Please no more Jo. I do agree with Sam [“I just want you to be happy and find a good girl.”] but in fact, I don’t see Callen with a woman he would have to lie to every day. She knows his name is Callen and he told her he works ‘in security’, but he’d never be able to tell her all about his job. Which – sadly – makes the agents‘ private lives very difficult!

Callen would never have to lie about his personal life if he had dated Paris (whoa), but no, I prefer Jo over Paris. Best match so far was Grace. So…
IF there has to be a love life, keep it out of the show unless it is essential for the storyline.

ChrisDaisy: Richtsje – you did it – you said the P… word…
I am guessing Joelle will be back but I wouldn’t mind if she wasn’t. I still don’t see G in a steady relationship, especially not one that is based on lies. In fact, I was surprised he told her his real name…
Of course he must have a love life somehow, I just don’t think a “happily-ever-after” relationship fits his character, more like a date here and there but nothing serious and nothing steady – no commitment.
So I’d rather see the focus on good cases, his unrivaled bromance with Sam and, of course, his past. If they have to bring a female character up again (not a long term love interest) I would like to see Elise resurface.

Justdreaming83: I think Joelle will be in and out of the picture. She’s pretty, and really sweet. Even though I’d rather see him stay the way he’s always been, I really didn’t mind Jo so much, until it felt like Sam was pushing too hard… and then discussing his partner’s personal life with other people. G is such a private person. (I think he would be even if he didn’t work as an undercover agent.) An occasional interest in someone just shows he is human. Like how impressed he was, and how he flirted just a bit with Giordano in S-1. So I hope that they don’t get carried away with the Jo thing.

Richtsje: ChrisDaisy and Justdreaming83, I am glad you reason like I reasoned. It is not that I did not like Jo, not at all. It is just that… Well, the show should focus on the action and it doesn’t fit right now that Callen gets carried away by a relationship. It’s not relevant…
And P? No, never. I just mentioned the name to point out that it would be easier to date someone in the same line of work, someone he would not have to lie to…
And ChrisDaisy, I must say I completely forgot about Elise. Hmm… Not too sure about her!

ChrisDaisy: It is not realistic to think that someone like Callen does not have a love life – but just as you said, Richtsje, it should not take over the focus of the show. I agree that Joelle is sweet, it just doesn’t fit. And as for Elise – I was a little disappointed that they did not make a little more of this “blogging neighbor story” – I don’t really need her back but that sidestory seemed like a good reason for fun banter among the team.

Fan GCallen: Personally, I’m not really a fan of romance in TV shows, especially in crime and action packed shows like NCISLA. It’s tolerable if it’s just in little doses here and there, but not if it takes over and becomes the focus of the show.

Since there was a fair bit of mention of Joelle in S5, I’m guessing the writers may revisit this bit in S6. But since the beginning of the show, I have always enjoyed Callen and Sam’s interactions and partnership. I think this is one of the strengths of the show. So I definitely hope the writers keep the romance to a minimum in exchange for more buddy scenes between Callen and Sam.

 

Redacted File 4,472: How in the world is Callen going to survive until the season opener, trapped in that sub with his huge partner, who has admitted his dislike for confined spaces?

Bee: Entertain the possibility that Sam might have to be conked on the head with a heavy object. Or break out the fertilizer bags and plump them into a beanbag-esque chair to relax in.

Justdreaming 83: Oh, I was thinking the opposite, Bee. I’m thinking Callen will end up being the one conked on the head with a pipe or something. He’ll start razzing Sam about his claustrophobia thing, and when he brings up the clown thing again? CONK!!!

Bee: Nah, Sam wouldn’t do that, he’d sit in a corner and mediate while visualizing exploding Callen’s head with his brain when the teasing gets to be too much.

Justdreaming 83: Yeah. You’re right, Bee. Sam’s all bark and no bite when it comes to G. He threatens to bounce him off rocks and drown him in Jacuzzis and stuff like that. But he’s a self-disciplined man. He’d only WANT to conk Callen in the head.

Vicki: Maybe Callen and Sam will work out how to kill the submarine with all those wires in their section of the sub. We’ve seen flash backs of Sam’s time being buried alive (Special Delivery 2×04), so we know how it has affected him before. Callen knows about this and I am sure he knows a thing or two to help his partner through it. They’ve been partners a long time now. Also, maybe Eric and Nell can come to their aid and track the sub for a rescue? It’s an interesting cliff hanger. Not just onboard with terrorists, but also with all that fertiliser. But G has been known to use some MacGyver tactics to get himself out of a bad situation. Am looking forward to seeing how the next season plays the remainder of this episode out.

Richtsje: It won’t be easy for the two of them, and all those things you mentioned came to my mind as well. Remember how Callen teased Sam about the loss of Charlene? And the clowns, and the claustrophobia-matter? That IS a lot indeed.
It is a small space they’re stuck in, and it will be just as uncomfortable for Callen. We are unaware where the submarine will be heading to and why; and an extra trigger is the fact that it is NOT filled with drugs but with a lot of stuff to make explosives with!

Justdreaming 83: Let’s just hope Callen doesn’t offer the “giant teddy bear” another hug. Sam‘s discipline and patience can only last so long.

ChrisDaisy: If there is anybody who can find a way out of this situation, it’s Callen and Sam (with the help of the team, of course). They will somehow manage to get rid of all the bad guys without being hurt themselves (or maybe just a little – Callen in hospital for a few days would sure be interesting) and I am certain that at least one of them is capable of steering a submarine 🙂

And yes, Callen might give Sam a hard time but only to the extent to keep him alert and in „agent mode“. He can be sensible with the big guy and he knows exactly how to handle him. It’ll be interesting to see what they are going to do!

Fan GCallen: Well, if those two actually have time to get on each other’s nerves… Callen can start by singing show tunes or hum some jazz music, or offer Sam a hug (after all, he did get one from Sam in S5!) if Sam were to start panicking and getting claustrophobic and annoying Callen to no end (now this would be fun to see, I’d imagine.)

But frankly, I think the action would be fast paced and they would be trying to figure out a way to outsmart the baddies. And maybe, just maybe (fingers crossed!) there might be some Callen-Sam bonding time at the end of the episode where they have some heart-to-heart talks with each other. Something similar to when Sam told Callen his fear of losing his partner.

 Richtsje: A good talk between friends, every now and then, would be very welcome indeed!

 

A very special thanks to Justdreaming83 for helping to make this post go live!