Chris O’Donnell directs LL Cool J in a scene from Wanted.
Wanted (4X17)
WRITTEN BY: R. Scott Gemmill
DIRECTED BY: Chris O’Donnell
Season Four is definitely the year of Sam Hanna. We have had the opportunity to peek inside the doors of casa Hanna to discover the moments that define him as a family man and husband. In Wanted the revelations continue with the return of Sam’s wife Quinn or Michelle depending on which role in life she is currently playing. At this time it looks like Mrs. Hanna wants to return to her former CIA undercover work and Sam doesn’t approve. He’s worried about his family and who can blame him? Getting involved again with a psychopath killer like Sidorov can lead to no good. But why should she give up a career she loves? The problem is when you have children, someone has to be responsible for their upbringing if the other dies. In this lethal mission, they both could be leaving behind orphans.
It’s great to see Chris O’Donnell adding directing credits to his resume and who better to interpret the character of Sam Hanna than the man who plays his alter ego, G. Callen. O’Donnell knows his character’s partner very well and should bring some new insight into the problems that Sam will face as he deals with stopping Sidorov and keeping his family safe. Sam Hanna wears his heart on his sleeve most of the time and I think O’Donnell will be able to find ways to exploit the positive and negative traits and turn it into a captivating episode.
Sidorov is up to his old tricks, killing off a would-be assassin and leaving behind clues and video of the murder for his rival, Kirkin. The team needs answers…so where do you go to get all the Russian gossip on the streets of LA? Arkady Kolcheck of course! (Do we all look alike?) He has his suspicions why Sidorov would want to kill his rival but this also means Sidorov has returned to sell the stolen nukes and Sam’s wife is back in the game. And so is CIA Officer Michael Snyder…who Kensi and Deeks are trying to keep out of the way while Sam and Callen continue the investigation on their own. Snyder’s interaction with Densi throughout the episode was definitely the highlight of the show for me.
Now that Sidorov is back, Sam is afraid that he and his partner, Greshnev know exactly where his family lives and has been watching Michelle the whole time. If she was made…she is in extreme danger. Fake Roger from season three’s The Watchers is back and we find out he was really a CIA officer (now working with Snyder)…and he has returned this time to help Michelle. Sam has no other choice than to go undercover again as David Forman and Michelle must return as Quinn. I enjoyed the conversation between Sam and Michelle addressing the nature of their work together. (At least no one is trying to kill us on date night.). You can tell it’s a conversation they have had many times before. It’s a dangerous life for both of them and I don’t know how you work out that conundrum. The bad guys will always keep coming and your family will always be in harm’s way. Sidorov is forcing her to kill Kirkin within 24 hours or she’s dead too.
Callen is now responsible for Michelle life after Sidorov finds a way to get rid of Sam and the weight of that assignment doesn’t fall so easily on his shoulders. Despite having to adjust and adapt (Hetty’s orders), he doesn’t want to ever face Sam, if he fails. In the meantime, Kensi has her own plan to go after Sidorov and it looks like it includes Deeks going undercover in a spa to romance Kirkin. I thought Deeks was a goner when he came right out and introduced himself as LAPD, but in his inimitable way our favorite detective is able to convince Kirkin to go along with the plan…. despite a few tense moments underwater.
The scene in Venice beach was a challenge to film according to O’Donnell but it was an exciting end to the episode with Sam saving the day. Synder may have been the CIA officer you loved to hate, but I was really sad to see one of the best Densi antagonists gone. In the end, Sidorov and the nukes are still missing….and as Hetty says…this is far from over.
O’Donnell did an admirable job as a first time director and from all the behind the scenes pictures and videos, it looks like he had a great time. I look forward to seeing him return behind the camera again soon.
Show Highlights:
-Every scene with Deeks, Kensi and Snyder. Magic.
-Nice to see even Sam and his wife have their little tiffs and domestic misunderstandings like any other married couple. Forget it Sam…you’re not going to win. (What are you two doing sneaking up in here like the damn Hardy boys?)
-Did Snyder just call Hetty a garden gnome? Oh no he didn’t…..oh yes, he did! He is going to wish he watched Deeks dislocate his wrist instead!
Best Lines in the Show:
Kensi: I’m so alone.
Deeks: Does this mean we’re not looking for a German nail spa? Kensi? Liebchen? (Add that to your list of Kensi kicknames!)
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Callen: It means it’s only a matter of time.
Snyder: When he does, we need to be there…preferably without Sonny and Cher here.
Callen: Yeah, that’s not going to happen.
Deeks: I got you babe.
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Deeks: Ok, this is going to be hard to believe, but I’m not exactly following the Kensi logic train. Apparently it doesn’t make stops in my neighborhood.
Bromance Moments:
Kolcheck: You two, still together? That’s nice. You’ve lasted longer than any of my marriages. What is secret?
Sam: We don’t go to bed angry.
Callen: I let him drive.
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Sam: Thanks for having my back in there partner.
Callen: I will take a bullet for you but wives are a whole other thing.
Sam: I’ll remember that.
Callen: I don’t have a wife so….
Sam: Stop talking.
Callen:….so I’m not talking from experience.
Sam: So you should really stop talking. But you won’t.
©ericcolsen
Densi Moments:
I loved seeing Kensi and Deeks open up the episode with their classic Densi banter:
Kensi: How would you describe how we settle arguments?
Deeks: I apologize even when it’s not my fault…typical male, female dynamic. Why?
Kensi: What’s your greatest fear?
Deeks: Quicksand…no headhunters…headhunters and being buried up to my neck in an ant hill which headhunters do.
Kensi: So basically anything in a Tarzan movie.
Deeks: Pretty much.
Kensi: Do you have any reoccurring nightmares?
Deeks: Just the one with Hetty and the burning monkey.
Kensi: What?
Deeks: I thought everybody had that. I know Eric does. That’s awkward.
Kensi: What other job would you be doing if you weren’t in law enforcement?
Deeks: Gigolo.
Kensi: Seriously?
Deeks: School teacher.
Kensi: Really?
Deeks: Who lives a double life as a Gigolo. Why are you asking me all these questions?
OMG…bridal magazines, biological chocks and baby making? I’m still trying to process all that! What has gotten into Kensi?
—-
Snyder: You two really think you can stall and keep me here all day?
Deeks: I don’t know, can we?
Kensi: How we doing so far?
What follows is one of the best head to head banter sessions that ECO and Daniela have ever put forth on an episode. Supersillious? Plain brilliant!
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Sobatino thinks there is something between Kensi and Deeks! As much as Kensi denies it….the chemistry between her and Deeks is there. Come on Kens!
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Synder is also getting his chance to pull Deeks strings too, dissecting his partnership with Kensi. I don’t think Deeks is too happy that Synder thinks she is only his partner. Look at his face! Yep, Snyder has touched a chord. I think this is the first time I’ve seen out and out jealousy in Deeks. Oh, one of these days….
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Deeks… naked… in…. a… spa. I really don’t need to say anything else, do I ladies?
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Yes, like a dog, he’s leaving his smell on Kensi….oh and the look he gives Sobatino! You are way out of your league, Sobatin, baby…and you are playing with the master now!
—-
BEST DENSI EPISODE EVER! I think I’m tearing up along with Kensi! Finally! Thank you Shane Brennan for moving the relationship a little bit further along! YES!
And I’ll leave you with this:
Deeks: You smell like sunshine ….and gun powder. Two of my favorite things.
Now I’m crying….
Check out our interview today with Marcus Giamatti. What a memorable guest star performance! He was a delight to speak with and get to know! We are taking a break next week with a replay of Recruit. In two weeks, it’s the highly anticipated debut of the new NCIS franchise…NCIS:Red. Callen and company will join the new undercover team in a two part crossover. Join us back here at NCIS Magazine for my next review.
Follow me on twitter at @phillydi.
You said it perfectly Best Densi episode ever. Eric and Daniela were firing on all cylinders in that scene in the boatshed with Snyder. I was laughing so hard!! Kudos to R Scott Gemmill who wrote the epside. Every part of the episode was excellent. From all the Densi moments to Sam and Michelle dealing with her going back undercover to be Quinn to Hetty keeping Sam in jail for his own good. Much like Callen, I wasn’t sure what Hetty was up to either, but than again does anyone ever know what Hetty is up to? And finally, Chris did an excellent job as a 1st time director. Hopefully he’ll do it again soon.
This was pretty much the best episode ever. The Densi scenes were the clear highlight of the episode. I re-watched some scenes straight away over and over again and laughed my head off. Those two really know how to pull off the best banter on TV.
But I wanted to kindly point out that I believe Deeks was calling Kensi “Liebchen” which means sweetheart in German. And I do wonder why Deeks refers so often of German/pulls a German accent.
And you forgot to mention the absolutely wonderful Nell and Eric scene. These two were not only adorable but managed to squeeze in a Shakespeare reference and British accent and yet again confirm how well they know each other. I personally adored their scene. And I totally agree with Eric that artificial intelligence possibly one day taking over the world is a terrifying thought.
And what about the nightmare with Hetty and the burning monkey? What on earth happened to Deeks and Eric?
I think that this episode could be the my favourite of the forth season. It is not easy for an actor to direct and act at the same time but with the quality of the writer this is made to look easy. I would like to see how Chris O’Donnell deals with some of the other writers scripts as a director in the future.
The hilarity of Deeks and Kensi is outstanding this week. He just seems to know what will drive her crazy. I really liked it when Deeks gave the magazine to Nell and I am really curious about the ‘Hetty and the burning monkey’ dream.
I also liked that they remembered the cryogenic suspension for Deeks and the ninja assasins for Kensi’s future kids. I was a little sorry not to see any bullet hole scars on Deeks, it could have been the way he was holding the towel though.
While I was a little sorry to see the end of Snyder, no one really likes to die from bullets, I was pleased that Michelle lives to fight another day, part of me wonders if she was to come up against Sidorov at a later time.
I do wonder if one of the buyers will be Khaled (Series 3 Betrayal and Exit Strategy) as this part of the story line has not been completed. Last we heard was Khaled was in Spain and making his way to the US. The combination of Sidorov and Khaled could be a very entertaining final or provide a crossover point early in the next season for NCISLA or the spin off NCIS Redteam.
I enjoyed every moment of this episode. Lots of fun, silliness and drama. It was nice to see more of Sam’s wife personality,she is more than a match for the big guy. The Densi moments were some of the best ever and didn’t overshadow the real plot of the show as they sometimes do. Eric and Nell’s banter over the quiz was quite funnny as well and it shows what good friends they are. Even the guest stars stepped up and knocked it out of the park. Arkady is one of my favorite guest stars and it was nice to see him, he gets right into the Callen/Sam bromance.
Chris directed a great episode and it was a happy bonus that there was more of Callen in the show than I had thought there would be.
One of the best episodes ever.
Okay, maybe we can agree that this was a good episode for all Densi/Keeks fans and Sam Hannah fans.
Well, if you are not one of them (like me), it was just another episode in season 4 with nothing to rave about. Yeah it was fun, but NCIS LA is not a comedy show. Fun parts are great and a good part of this show but the romance thing shouldn’t be in it. Sorry.
And I hope this is one of the last Sam episodes for this season. There were just too many this season. We now know more about Sam than any other character.
And Hetty’s decision was wrong leaving Sam in jail. He was the one that saved his wife. Not Callen! How would Hetty feel if Sam wasn’t there and Callen failed to save Sam’s wife (not even think about how Callen would feel about it).
Sorry, but I missed the action scenes in this episode. I hope the NCIS LA will not have too many of these ones.
I really enjoyed last episode. All scenes with Deeks and Kensi were awesome!!! This chemistry between them – amazing! The dialog and the whole action – just perfect! WANTED is from now one of my favorite episode! Chris made a fantastic director job!! Hope he will be back behind the camera someday! The entire crew (EVERYBODY) who works on this episode DONE FANTASTIC JOB! Thank You!
OMGGGGGG it was perfect i love DENSIE Forever, they have to stay together!!!!!!!!! I wait all week just to see them!!!thanks for the episode, i loved!!!!
Hands down, best episode ever! And that’s tough for this Densi-lover to say considering Neighborhood Watch. (It was also nice to see Callen be more light-hearted and humorous vs. the typical stoic nature.)
This summary touched on everything:
– the questionnaire
– the high-speed banter
– the spa
– the “partnership” conversations with the CIA agents
Yet the icing on the cake was the final Densi scene regarding death, her emotion, him trying to lighten the mood yet not push her. (Oh how I wanted him to hug her!) And then his final declaration at the end, which can only be interpreted as their version of love. I didn’t blink or breathe during that entire scene, which really never happens to me ever.
Huge kudos to R. Scott Gemmill for that script and of course the actors expression of it. Simply brilliant! And PLEASE have this be the episode ECO & DR does commentary for the DVD!!!
Ok – Whenever this episode posts to iTunes, I’m there because I just can’t wait for the DVDs, don’t want to copy the TV version with commercials, and can’t go on my WiFi-less cruise without it!
This epispode was better than I expected COD did a good job on his first directing attempt, I hope he does more.
I do like Arkady, he adds some thing, whe the Russians are involved, and the banter here was good.
Some very nice Densie moments giving tham both something to think about.
Loved Sam and Callen at Sam’s house, very true and amusing.
Both CIA agents were good.
I do think Hetty could have explained more fully why she was not bailing Sam out, naturally he would go frantic about the safety of his wife, even knowing Callen had it in hand.
And the srory is not finished…. could the turn into the season end cliff hanger?
Thanks for all your comments everyone! Keep them coming! There was a little something for everybody in this episode and I wish I could have put in everything that I loved like the scene with Nell and Eric, but mostly I was very impressed by Chris O’Donnell’s way of adding softness and emotion to a lot of the scenes. You could really feel his touch and although he knows Sam’s character very well, he also did a spectacular job with all the actors. Let’s not forget Scott Gemmill, our wordsmith, who wrote some incredible dialogue. It was definitely a tour de force! Yes, I agree this show is an action, drama show but for me it’s the characters and their moments that keep me coming back. But no matter what reason you watch the show, all of which are valid…it’s great that it can bring so many fans together.
Have to agree the best episode ever and the best Densi scene ever! Not too much Eric and Nell which I am afraid I am not a fan of those to sorry so that was a plus! Had everything bromance between G and Sam, Romance between Sam and Michelle, and hilerity and chemistry between Kensi and Deeks. Eric and Daniela have the best on screen chemistry and it just shined through. Loved it and kept watching the Densi scenes over and over!
Not all action packed episodes have to include explosions. The action in this one came in the form of character interaction and the back and forth banter between them. There were a lot of parallel story lines contrasting all the couples. Sam and Michelle have gone where we all hope Kensi and Deeks will go, and showing the difficult decisions the partners might possibly have to make if they follow their hearts. Then we got the creepy CIA guy hitting on Kensi and she seemed to fall for his pitch, which I thought was a little out of character, to be honest. That she got flustered when Deeks shows up to see what the hell was going on, was very revealing. She seemed embarrassed after just having tried to convince the creep that there was could not possibly be anything between her and Deeks.
Deeks naked…no more need be said…except thank you to Mr. Grimmell for writing that scene.
Deeks jealousy was really showing last night and I wished he could have just punched that creepy CIA in his smirking face, but the grin and wink when he hugged Kensi was almost as good. Possessive and cute at the same time. That final scene between Kensi and Deeks was the best one since “The Debt” and “Blye, K”. Daniela did such a beautiful job showing Kensi’s feelings, that it surprised me. I wasn’t expecting that scene. I think Kensi’s emotion surprised Deeks and made him realize she wasn’t “stone cold” like he said she was earlier. “You smell like sunshine and gunpowder.” What a stunning line and ECO played it so expressively, his face saying it all. He knows he’s in deep trouble now.
All in all a very emotional episode…even Callen was more emotional in this episode, showing his fear that he might let Sam down and Sam afraid for his wife’s life. This is one of my all time favorites. Great job by Chris O’Donnell.
One of the best episodes this season. I thought everyone was was in character and it showed some character development: Sam and his wife and Deeks and Kensi.
Love Arcady everytime he comes back for an episode.
I actually liked Schneider and would have liked him to be a recurring character. He had great chemistry with the team. I liked him better than his partner.
Really… Expectations were high. And I must say, the Season4 episodes get better and better. Again, this one was a bit more Sam-centered but it makes the bromance and teamwork fit in better and better!
There was enough Callen in it [lucky me, had some worries] and even the Densi/Keeks thing worked out so well this time, witty, but at the same time strong.
Well done, simply loved it! It’ll be difficult to make even better episodes, but I keep looking forward to what’s next.
Go for it!
Just read all the comments and noticed one by Trytofindme that mentioned there were no bullet wound scars on Deeks in the spa scene. I just re-watched the episode and when he is talking to Kierkin, the Russian guy you can see a small scar on his upper chest…it’s faint but it is there.
Wow after seeing the fan reaction on social media and your review it would seem that all Shane should do is put these two together and his two new shows would be a hit.
So I had a bud burn me a disc and watched the episode. You were right best Densi ever. However 2 very bad things happened.
Kensi is looking for a relationship with a guy and was checking out Deeks with the questions in the opening scene and while agent Sobatino is hitting on Kensi she quickly points out that Deeks means nothing to her and is barely a good partner and he goes on and tells her why they couldn’t be partners by saying the things that Deeks has been doing for the last 3 years and Kensi hasn’t noticed. Kensi seems either very gullible or easy or both, and when a jealous Deeks interrupts them she looks annoyed and again the same way in the closing scene. Kensi seems to discount Deeks very quickly almost like she is embarrassed to know him and is taken with Sobatino and he is coming back, so look for a smarmier ci ray relationship for Kensi.
But Deeks gets the chance to come out on top at the end when Kensi turns to him with glistening eyes and unshed tears and says “ I’m not kidding “ all he has to do is hold out his arms and comfort her by holding her close and acting like a grown up……. BUT NO. Another stupid joke out of Deeks. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.
You would think that Shane the Creator and his son Lucifer Dave could see that Kensi & Deeks were money and if they were together they would only need a couple lines of dialog week about that and spend the rest of their lines on solving the crime or banter.
I know if anything good happens I’ll read it here first, and then watch it. So thanks for that
Boy this episode has brought out a lot a great comments and observations. I agree Ron, I would have loved for Deeks to have reached out but that would have been a HUGH step forward in the relationship and that would never happen. So I was really happy to have our first little bit of movement since Neighborhood Watch.. That’s all I want to see every so often and it will keep me happy. I think they know that and yes, if anything big happens (or small) you’ll see it here first!!
I just re-watched and it git even beter the second time around, I think this is going to be one of m season fav’s.
There really were some good momenets, seeing Sam as a husband careing about Quinns safety, Callen and Sam sparing then /callen querying with Hetty the wisdome of keeping Sam locked up, and her giving him the responibity for Quinns safety, and those very good Kensie and Deeks moments.