ScreenWorm Watches!- NCIS: LA: The Frozen Lake

ScreenWorm Watches!

NCIS: Los Angeles

“The Frozen Lake”

****

Warning! This Review may contain minor spoilers. 

The Frozen Lake is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the NCIS spinoff, NCIS: Los Angeles. 

The Story: “A contractor, possessing the sole memory stick containing he emergency plan in case Pakistan's nuclear arms must be prevented from falling in the wrong hands, is murdered in Bahrein. Chasing the presumed killers, found murdered themselves one by one, the team must deal with diplomatic restraints, the Pakistani military intelligence ICI and an Indian Gurkha. Deeks gets anything but gratitude from Kensi, whom he protects more then professionally fits.”

(From imdb.com)

The Good: While this episode can be seen as more of a setup for a story arc that begins at the conclusion of the episode, it also sets up good story buy shaking up the paradigm that had been set up between the characters, which many say is where the true strength of the writers is revealed. One of the most entertaining aspects of NCIS: LA is the interaction between Deeks and Kensi. The verbal sparring is just humorous and sounds like how real friends of and family would trade barbs. The actress who plays Kensi is married the brother and stunt double for Deeks, so their relationship in real life is probably much closer than merely coworkers (when you marry someone, you marry their whole family after all) and adds another layer of authenticity to their performance. 

It is implied by the conclusion of the previous episode and the opening of this, is that Kensi and Deeks have been intimate for the first time, as far as the Worm knows. Suddenly, their sibling like banter has taken on a new level and both of them are visually shaken up by what this means for their relationship. After years of beating around the bush romantically, Kensi and Deeks are faced with the real possibility that they are in love and have a relationship beyond partners. This creates a tremendous shift in their dynamic that neither is sure how to respond to. This creates friction between the two as both of them are navigating unfamiliar waters or crossing a frozen lake, hence the title, where one misstep could send them plummeting to the darkness and the cold and the prospect frightens them considerably. This dynamic feels very realistic and makes the audience eager to see how it will all play out and makes the setup worthwhile. 

The action angle is pulled off rightly. The knife fight between Callen and Sam and Thapa is extremely impressive and really the most impressive stunt of the whole episode and perhaps even the whole season. 

One last detail: Its pretty impressive how they were able to pull off a severed human head on network television. 

The Flaws: As stated above, the whole episode could be seen as a filler episode, a way to set up the next story arc involving Kensi. A lot of these episodes are very self contained so this is not a deviation from the norm, still it is not the best form to keep too. 

Thapa is not a bad character and the hope left from this episode is that he will be seen again. That being said, he is not a very three dimensional character. This can be explained, in that as a secondary character full exploration is not really necessary but it can be distracting. Also, the Worm’s interaction with the genuine article is basically nil, it is not entirely certain how accurate the actor’s portrayal of ghurka’s are. Part’s of the actors voice could come off as racist or stereotypical. Ultimately, the character’s good traits, like his sense of humor, pull him through the episode, but it would be interesting to see the responses to this character. 

Final Verdict: The Frozen Lake, while not the greatest episode of NCIS: LA, is a fun, action-packed ride with the coolest fight scene in the show and an intriguing plot twist and genuine character development.  

Four out Five Stars

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