Without her we wouldn't care for Callen or Hanna as it's her feelings about them that motivate us. It's her support of Deeks that reluctantly made us wait and see with him. It's her knowledge of Callen and her willingness to go after his enemies that carried us through procedural plot. Anyone sent to take her place is seen as our enemy and we long to see them eliminated. We wait for the little sounds bits from this diminutive character squirreling them away like precious nuts. Actually the two information analysts add to Hetty's character in a remarkable way. I was a little shocked when they added Nell as I thought Eric did a fine job without her but Hetty really made the addition work.
A funny thing happened along our journey with Hetty Callen and Hanna won us over. Normally with chemistry we're worried more between a woman and a man but it's also important between partners, or rather actors portraying partners. Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J have chemistry. It was a great starting point because until we got to know more about this duo it's really all we had to go on. As we watched we found their characters balanced each other out nicely as well.
Callen is really the central character, before or after Hetty, depending how you look at it, whoever you love more. He doesn't know much about who he or his parents are, what his first name is beyond G or why people tend to try to kill him. O'Donnell plays the chameleon well even though he never really changes. I thinks this is so because it's about embodying the type of man you would imagine a chameleon would be rather than actively being a quick-change artist. His character arc was incorporated from the beginning, and you can tell, as it is worked very fluidly into the regular cases. I believe this is key to the popularity of the show as anything that shakes up the typical procedural format is looked upon favorably by television audiences.
Hanna is a straight shooter, a perfect foil for the silent Callen, and a strong, moral character in his own right. You can believe his background as a former U.S. Navy SEAL and yet delight in the fact his story arcs tend to be about doing the right thing. It adds a lot of depth that it's his ability to speak an Arabic dialect and his affiliation as a Muslim that leads him to these story lines. By taking this character another direction, having him have a rather typical background, as compared to Callen, we can explore how his skills take him places you wouldn't expect. O'Donnell and LL Cool J take turns as to whose story arc will take precedent and I really like the unexpectedness of this. You as a viewer aren't always sure where the story will take you as far as the personal stories are concerned.
At first, Kensi Blye was just the token female for me. She was hot, badass and skillful with guns what's not to like? It wasn't until one of her fellow secondary characters was killed that she really came into her own. Her development really kept you watching during the first couple years of the show as you could see her character come into her personality. I especially enjoyed her recent character arc while she dealt with her father's past and his death, working on her trust issues. Many times it's not until you are much older that you really see your parents for what they were/are. In my opinion it was smart to link her to the Hawaii Five-O crossover as of all the characters we knew the least about her and it immediately added depth to her character. Especially as Terry O'Quinn was the connection point, as her father being a friend of his makes total sense. Daniela Ruah does Kensi justice in all the right places.
I have to admit I hated Marty Deeks, though I wasn't sad to see the back of Nate Getz either. Eric Christian Olsen gradually won me over as his partnership with Kensi developed in tandem to the flourishing of her character. Deeks' personality is such that he's a great foil for the distrustful Kensi, he can wear her down and teach her intimacy. Do I want Deeks and Kensi to get together no, to be honest. As soon as they do I feel like it's the death keel of the show. They like each other, they even love each other as partners do, but as of now I like that they are motivated for each others' well being and otherwise keeping it on a professional level. Now Deeks is simply part of 'Kensi and Deeks the partnership' and I no longer wish for his sudden irreversible death.
The producers and writers are making good choices for this show as far as killing off characters, eliminating dead weight and developing the areas of back story and character that we love or have come to love. The one flaw of the show rears it's ugly head quite often when I'm watching this show it's a procedural with all the procedural faults. Yes, NCIS: LA has the characters to back the story up. The audience enjoys watching them no matter the current difficulties, whether it's just a threat to national security or literally saving the world. It's also repetitive and non-threatening since when has Hetty, Callen, Hanna, Kensi or Deeks not come through? And that's a problem.
To read my review: http://yaykisspurr.wordpress.com/
A funny thing happened along our journey with Hetty Callen and Hanna won us over. Normally with chemistry we're worried more between a woman and a man but it's also important between partners, or rather actors portraying partners. Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J have chemistry. It was a great starting point because until we got to know more about this duo it's really all we had to go on. As we watched we found their characters balanced each other out nicely as well.
Callen is really the central character, before or after Hetty, depending how you look at it, whoever you love more. He doesn't know much about who he or his parents are, what his first name is beyond G or why people tend to try to kill him. O'Donnell plays the chameleon well even though he never really changes. I thinks this is so because it's about embodying the type of man you would imagine a chameleon would be rather than actively being a quick-change artist. His character arc was incorporated from the beginning, and you can tell, as it is worked very fluidly into the regular cases. I believe this is key to the popularity of the show as anything that shakes up the typical procedural format is looked upon favorably by television audiences.
Hanna is a straight shooter, a perfect foil for the silent Callen, and a strong, moral character in his own right. You can believe his background as a former U.S. Navy SEAL and yet delight in the fact his story arcs tend to be about doing the right thing. It adds a lot of depth that it's his ability to speak an Arabic dialect and his affiliation as a Muslim that leads him to these story lines. By taking this character another direction, having him have a rather typical background, as compared to Callen, we can explore how his skills take him places you wouldn't expect. O'Donnell and LL Cool J take turns as to whose story arc will take precedent and I really like the unexpectedness of this. You as a viewer aren't always sure where the story will take you as far as the personal stories are concerned.
At first, Kensi Blye was just the token female for me. She was hot, badass and skillful with guns what's not to like? It wasn't until one of her fellow secondary characters was killed that she really came into her own. Her development really kept you watching during the first couple years of the show as you could see her character come into her personality. I especially enjoyed her recent character arc while she dealt with her father's past and his death, working on her trust issues. Many times it's not until you are much older that you really see your parents for what they were/are. In my opinion it was smart to link her to the Hawaii Five-O crossover as of all the characters we knew the least about her and it immediately added depth to her character. Especially as Terry O'Quinn was the connection point, as her father being a friend of his makes total sense. Daniela Ruah does Kensi justice in all the right places.
I have to admit I hated Marty Deeks, though I wasn't sad to see the back of Nate Getz either. Eric Christian Olsen gradually won me over as his partnership with Kensi developed in tandem to the flourishing of her character. Deeks' personality is such that he's a great foil for the distrustful Kensi, he can wear her down and teach her intimacy. Do I want Deeks and Kensi to get together no, to be honest. As soon as they do I feel like it's the death keel of the show. They like each other, they even love each other as partners do, but as of now I like that they are motivated for each others' well being and otherwise keeping it on a professional level. Now Deeks is simply part of 'Kensi and Deeks the partnership' and I no longer wish for his sudden irreversible death.
The producers and writers are making good choices for this show as far as killing off characters, eliminating dead weight and developing the areas of back story and character that we love or have come to love. The one flaw of the show rears it's ugly head quite often when I'm watching this show it's a procedural with all the procedural faults. Yes, NCIS: LA has the characters to back the story up. The audience enjoys watching them no matter the current difficulties, whether it's just a threat to national security or literally saving the world. It's also repetitive and non-threatening since when has Hetty, Callen, Hanna, Kensi or Deeks not come through? And that's a problem.
To read my review: http://yaykisspurr.wordpress.com/