NCIS Los Angeles review: “A Fait Accompli”

Photo credit: @NCISLA

Here’s my review of NCIS Los Angeles season twelve episode “A Fait Accompli.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

Usually I expect a two-part episode to feel like one long movie if I watched them back to back. But that’s not always how it goes, and that’s not really how it felt watching “A Fait Accompli” which was the conclusion to last week’s episode “Love Kills.” I didn’t dislike the episode, but it does suffer from some of the same problems other episodes have this season. But on the other hand, this week’s episodes again move forward several character storylines, even if only briefly.

The weirdest problem of this episode was that the case was not easy to follow (similar to other episodes this season where the cases are essentially just background noise). While twists and turns are welcomed, there were just too many characters to keep up with this time. The last episode ended on a tense note as Kensi and Sabatino were under fire, but that was resolved in the first five minutes of this episode. It made the rest of the episode feel like it lost its urgency and high stakes, especially as the case pivoted to centering on other suspects and accomplices and victims for a while.

I’d let stuff like this slide usually (as noted many times, I don’t watch this show for the cases), but after a couple episodes in a row like this, I’d like an easier, more interesting case to follow next time.

Thankfully, I had fun watching the main cast in this episode to balance out to stuff that was less enjoyable. Sabatino, while not as fun as the last episode, was still pretty entertaining when partnered up with Kensi. I also continue to enjoy watching Rountree and Fatima work together. The more conversations they have, the more they start to seem like more fleshed out, real characters. It’s been slow going, but I feel like I learn more about them each episode (which is really more than we ever got about Fatima in previous seasons really.)

This episode finally marks the end of Deeks’ mini-subplot as he goes through the process of becoming an official NCIS agent. Personally, I think the whole arc was a bit strange (especially the conclusion), but I’m just glad it’s over now. I’ve thought that Deeks’ hardships were a bit contrived (he’s basically been an agent for 12 years, training ought to have been a breeze), but conflict does make the story more engaging. Last week’s episode had Deeks feeling very down about the process, worrying over feeling too old. But this episode suddenly has him on track to graduate with no problems. Huh? Did I miss a scene? And then Hetty apparently pulls some strings to make him think he failed instead just so he can be presented his badge by her instead of strangers? It’s a very Hetty thing to do, but it felt so weird while watching the episode. Anyway, I’m just glad this arc is over now and Deeks can rejoin the team. Perhaps getting used to the agent life might be more fun to watch as the season continues.

The end of the episode might have been the most interesting of all, considering that it sets up future stories for both Callen and Sam.

For Callen, we get the reveal that Anna’s charity work has been… nonexistent. She’s been lying to him for reasons yet unknown, and now Callen will have to figure it out. The flashbacks to younger Callen really drive home how hard hitting this reveal really is. The audience is shown a scene of when Callen decides to go with Hetty and pursue answers about his family and name. She warns him that he’s leaving behind his best chance of a peaceful regular life. This season we’ve seen Callen contemplate having a more peaceful regular life with Anna, but just as he’s ready to settle down, the truth is revealed (at least partially for now.) I’m very curious to see how this relationship will continue to play out over the rest of the season. Was Hetty right? Did he sacrifice his chance at a regular life for personal answers? And more importantly, was it worth it?

Lastly, the more immediate cliffhanger involves Sam. Or more specifically, his daughter, who unfortunately gets kidnapped in a parking lot as the episode ends. I’m a bit wary to see this kind of storyline again for Sam considering what happened to his wife previously, but I suppose it’s too early to judge how this one will play out. We’ll just have to wait and see.

“A Fait Accompli” was sort of a mixed bag of an episode. Some parts were strong while others were head-scratching confusing. It definitely didn’t feel like a conclusion to the previous episode, but it definitely could have been worse.

Notes from the Boat Shed

• The episode title means: “a thing that has already happened or been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept it” which sounds like it’s definitely referencing the Callen flashback
• One thing I really like about Rountree are his facial expressions. He really brings a spark of fun and enthusiasm. (Also, the opening stunt once again reminded me he was previously a college football player lol)
• What was the point of having Adm. Kilbride back in this episode?? (It’s nice to see him though)
• The idea of Deeks on a roadtrip… I can imagine he’s the kind of guy who plays all the silly roadtrip games 😀
• It’s been a while since I’ve rewatched Fatima’s introduction episode, but doesn’t the actress background feel kinda contradictory to that? I’d really like an episode focused on her that would explain her character better.
• Eric and Sabatinooooooo geeking out over the Sasquatch show 🤣 got a good laugh out of me
• I know I’ve said this before but this show’s budget for cars must be astounding. They destroy like a minimum of three per episode!
• Just like Eric’s mustache from a few episodes ago, I refuse to acknowledge the existence of the young-looking Hetty. We will not speak of it

So what did you think? Like it or hate it? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments