A look at the finales for NCIS: LA by @JustDreaming83
The feeling I was left with at the end of this season’s finale was different than the ones in the past. I’m sure some viewers found it to be rather anti-climactic after last year’s super-charged ending. But for me, it just drew on another deep (no pun intended) emotion. Because this one “felt” different, I started looking at all the season endings, and jotted down what, IMO, is the overall emotion for each. (S-1 frustration and bewilderment; S-2 mystery; S-3 shock; S-4 gripping/haunting; S-5 dread.)
Season 1 – Callen, G
The writers gave us an emotional conclusion to season one, with Callen finding out that someone had been watching him all these years, logging every orphanage and foster home he stayed in, and then discovering he had a sister. Even though his sister, Amy, had died as a child, receiving this piece of the puzzle seemed to bring G a certain degree of comfort. But in the last scene, while visiting his sister’s grave, Callen spots a man taking pictures. He runs after the guy, losing him when the man jumps into a car that is waiting nearby. The episode ends with a frustrated and bewildered Callen.
Season 2 – Familia
The finale for the second season takes place on foreign soil. Attempting to save Callen from the Comescu’s quest to end his bloodline once and for all, Hetty secretly resigned and left the country. The episode ends with Callen on the beach in Romania, experiencing flashbacks from his childhood, and with Hetty showing the head of the Comescu family a tattoo on her forearm, proclaiming that they “are family.” This mysterious episode left us with our head’s swarming with more questions; not only questions pertaining to Callen’s past, but now Hetty’s.
Season 3 – Sans Voir 2
In the final episode for season three, the team had finally captured “the Crimeleon,” who had killed two of their fellow-agents in cold blood, right before their eyes. It seemed that this evil man had won the battle, and that the only option was to set him free, exchanging his life for that of another. But just as the exchange was taking place, we see Callen struggle with the overwhelming desire for revenge. He pulls out his gun and shoots the Crimeleion in the chest, causing shocked viewers to yell “NOOO!!!” at our televisions. Why would he do this? HOW could he do this?! The feeling we were left with was akin to being kicked in the gut.
Season 4 – Decent
And how can we forget the gripping ending to season four? Viewers held their breaths, watching helplessly as Sam’s wife dangled off the side of a high-rise building, while Sam was being electrocuted by the bad guys, and as Deeks’ mouth was pried open by a metal device, and his torturer was brutally drilling into the Detective’s teeth. We held our breaths all summer, while haunted by Deeks’ blood-curdling screams.
Season 5 – Deep Trouble
One word can sum up the emotion we were left with at the end of the fifth season – dread. Not only if Hetty facing repercussions from the “white ghost” ordeal, and preparing for the possibility that she may not return, but Callen and Sam’s lives are in danger. While investigating a small submarine that was constructed to transport drugs, Sam and G discover the drugs are no longer there, but that the vessel is now loaded with explosives. When the episode ends, Callen, and his partner, who has already admitted his dislike for confined spaced, have been trapped inside by the bad guys, and the submarine has been launched. We watch as they are propelled away from the shore, deeper and deeper into the ocean.
So, what are YOUR feelings about the NCIS Los Angeles Season Finales so far ?? Share with us in the comments !!
Just wanted to apologize for getting the Season 1 finale confused with the start of the next season. Realized after relooking at this that Callen did not chase the guy taking pictures of him until Season 2 began. End of Season 1, I would sum up Callen’s emotion as “bewildered.” The person who had been following him (Keelson) was dead, and he should have felt “safe” again. But then, while at the cemetery, he felt like someone was watching him. (Callen has a sense about these things. After all, he felt someone was watching him just before he was gunned down.) I remember a sort of creepy feeling when last scene of Season 1 ended with Callen’s face sited in someone’s camera lens.
An interesting look back and great to read, justdreaming! You captured every season finale’s overall feeling very well in just one single word.
As I started watching only mid Season 3, the Season finales 1 and 2 didn’t „affect“ me as much because I did not have to wait for weeks and months for story to continue, I just could keep on watching right away (which I did!!!).
It is true that each and every one of the finales had a different feeling about it – which makes it very difficult to compare in my opinion.
For me personally the Season 3 finale was one of the strongest so far, maybe because it was the first „real“ one I watched, maybe because I am a die-hard Callen fan or maybe because I found the storyline involving the Chameleon so highly intriguing (I still hope for Janvier to come back one day). Probably it was a little bit of everything…
It seems that many people are disappointed with this year’s season finale, but then – it would have been extremely difficult to top the fast-paced, shocking action of the Season 4 finale, so probably the decision to go for something completely different wasn’t so bad after all…
Thank you for the post. I was wondering myself why they effected my in different ways.
So season 1/2/3 I totally agree with you.
Season 4 it didn’t catch my at all. I don’t know why for sure, maybe because of some spoilers they leaked (they filmed one episode in advance so we could see them all very well and healthy), or maybe I am not a Densi-romance fan at all. Or I was used to a Callen centric finale and I was slightly disappointed.
More or less it is the same with this season finale. We know that all will be back due to the pictures we have seen for the FM episode (COD directing). So it is just a hiatus and nothing more for me. But as I mentioned in another post it fits in this season. Nothing to rave about, just average sometimes lame (or even worse).
I loved the season 3 finale the most due to the unexpected (I didn’t see that shooting coming at all). We didn’t know if Callen really shot Janvier and what the ramification would have been for him.
So I just hope that the next season will be back to the good crime, drama and humor they had in earlier seasons.
I think social media has ruined finales… because of all the spoilers that one gets throughout the hellatus.
We scream at our tv’s during the finales that shock us and then join the fandoms online to discuss what just happened. Then we scour for spoilers, which so many people working for the shows are happy to tease us with.
There was a time were we would sweat out those four months agonizingly waiting for the shows to come back.
I wasn’t overly impressed by the finale, it felt like an average middle of the season episode. But I think that is more my opinion because it seemed as this whole season TV wise was unspectacular… I mean the new shows like Blacklist and Agents of Shield shocked me, but the returning shows didn’t really wow me this year.
Maybe I watch too much tv! haha
At any rate I am looking forward to next season! We know our boys will make it out, maybe not safe, but they’ll make it. I am however concerned for Hetty’s welfare… I wonder if this season coming they will place more focus on Nell training to be hetty’s replacement. We all know she is a mini Hetty in training.
@snowglory