Golden Days picks up from last week and the agents are searching for Yaniv who has escaped with the gold bar he stole from Hetty’s former colleagues, AJ Chegwidden, Sterling Bridges and Charles Langston. When one of Yaniv’s men is kidnapped, the team renew their search, assisted and somewhat hindered by the older men.
Not all of the team are involved as Deeks has his own side line of a story with Whiting; she has called and wants to meet him. Since the mole trilogy of episodes, and in the knowledge that Whiting survived her shooting, D
eeks’ fate has hung in the balance. Will she remember his confession? Will she use it to arrest him or forget about it, as Deeks saved her life. He confides in Kensi during the opening scenes and takes strength from her, and her father’s words of wisdom. The love between them is so strong they seem unbreakable, although they may fall out about house flipping!
The scenes between the two show that Whiting is just as tenacious as ever as she draws out the inevitable conversation for as long as possible, making Deeks 
wonder at her end game. The upshot is that corruption is running high in LAPD and Lieutenant Bates is now in Whiting’s sights. She is willing to close Deeks’ IA investigation is he helps her when the time comes. For several seasons, the show runners have teased that Deeks would return to LAPD and this would provide the perfect reason, and with numerous storylines sown up recently (e.g. Callen’s father), it plants seeds to be harvested in future seasons.
This season of NCIS Los Angeles has regularly shaken up the partnerships and this time, in order to keep the old guys under control, Callen decides they will accompany each of the team members. Chegwidden gets a head start on Kensi and steals her car so she has to catch an Uber. 
Sam picks Sterling as his stakeout partner – maybe as he reminds him of Callen in the way he continually and seemingly deliberately annoys him. Callen is left with Langston whose idea of filling time on a stakeout is spitting out shells from the countless nuts he eats. The irony of how Callen winds Sam up on stakeouts (e.g. when eating tootsie pops and throwing the wrappers on the dashboard) does seem to be lost on him. One thing the agents do agree on is that they will both shoot each other, before they reach that old age, higher level of partner annoyance.
Whilst the scenes were amusing there was frustration in the way the three older men seemed to have no respect for the law and the NCIS team, although at times the hypocrisy of the agents was interesting. Chegwidden, Sterling and Langston put the word out that Yaniv was trying to move gold in order to restrict his movements and enable them to find him. In season six, Sam had a similar conversation with Callen, after Callen out the word out about Matthias, hoping to flush him out and capture (kill?) him before he could reach Hetty. This was conveniently forgotten, but to have reminded Callen of his actions would undermine their attempts to control the older guys. They comment that Sam and Callen are about as “subtle as a massive coronary” and later refer to them as flower children for wanting to protect their prisoner’s civil rights. Kensi does seem to come to an understanding with Chegwidden and the earlier tension does not reappear.
There were predictable set pieces for example when Sam allows Sterling out of the car for food during the stakeout and he subsequently tries to take down their suspect. Callen and Sam arrested the gang members of the 
Xionshou Song, discuss their next move openly then order Sterling and Langston to remain with the restrained gang until LAPD arrive, all with two motorbikes in shot. It was quite obvious it was the old chaps who rode to the rescue when Sam and Callen were pinned down under fire at Burbank airport.
The older generation again allow for memories of Granger to surface. He is now spoken about in the past tense despite no confirmation of his passing. During the stakeout, Langston tells Callen a wild story about Obi-Wan, who turns out to be Granger; Callen does not 
recognise him from the description of his antics. He is referenced again in the closing scene which sees Hetty, Chegwidden, Sterling and Langston raising a glass to their fallen colleague. They will continue to help the good guys and kill the bad guys, before they each pass away. The stage is set for these characters to re-appear in the future, and on a sombre note, to allow the older characters to pass.
Sterling: Gonna miss seeing that ugly old mug.
Hetty: If you can’t see him in every one of us, you’re not trying hard enough.
Chegwidden: To Owen
Hetty: To Owen
Langston: Gonna be more unattended glasses in the coming years.
Chegwidden: That’s why we gotta make the most of the time we have left above ground. A lot of vets that need help out there.
Langston: And then, there’s what Owen would have wanted us to do.
Sterling: Kill bad guys.
Hetty: Well gentlemen, we certainly have the means. There’s no reason we can’t do both.
What did you think about the old guard versus the new guard? Should anything sinister be read in to Hetty’s words? And how will Whiting ask Deeks’ to help take down Bates?
A Virtual Scrawl 
Nice review. I liked the Kensi-Deeks scenes, but does anybody else notice that although they love each other very much, they’re very different in a lot of ways? Maybe it’s nothing. I liked all three of the old vets but not their actions. They had a total disregard for the law, NCIS, and the civilians. After all, they were in a major US city not Vietnam. But some of the partnership banter was good (although the promise between Callen and Sam to shoot each other if they ever turned into those guys was my fav). I have to disagree with your comparison between what the vets did and what Callen did in season 6. Callen (and Sam) made it very clear that the gang members were to keep Mathias under surveillance–not even capture him and definitely not kill him. That’s not even close to putting the word “out on the street” that Yaniv has $40 million in gold–and then waiting to see what happens (knowing pretty much what would happen) Also, in what episode did Garrison explain to Callen why he was never a part of his life because I must have missed it? Without knowing the reasons (“the reasons matter”), I don’t think that particular story is wrapped up, and I sincerely hope these writers don’t plant any more “seeds” until they learn how to wrap them up because so far, they haven’t done a good job in wrapping up the seeds that Shane planted (the mole being the primary example). As for Whiting, I love her as an antagonist and hope to see more of her: she’s tough, no-nonsense, and immune to Deeks’ charm (“Deekness”) which is as it should be if she’s to be good at her job. She’s not likeable, but she seems to be a very good IA cop.
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Agree 100% with everything you said!
I still see/feel ZERO chemistry between Kensi & Deeks as a couple.
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Garrison told Callen his reasons at the end of Glasnost. Whether that satisfies all viewers is another matter.
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At the end of Glasnost Garrison tells G, “Grisha, I intend to keep my promise. You deserve to know the reasons I wasn’t a part of your life.” The conversation they have doesn’t go into these reasons in any detail, so no, Garrison hasn’t told G the reasons. He only tells G that the work he did spared no one and that he wasn’t able to save the people he loved; he doesn’t tell him any more than that. You think that is a satisfactory conclusion to this story arc? Sorry. I want an actual conversation between Garrison and G that lasts longer than 3+ minutes isn’t asking a lot (heck, some of the conversations between Kensi and Deeks that are about NOTHING last longer).
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Bliss, for some reason I cannot reply to your post. I did not say I was satisfied, just stating the facts as we have them as this is all the writers have given us. I try to refrain from stamping my personal opinion all over my reviews. My intention is for this to be reasonably impartial so fans of all characters can read, enjoy (if that is possible) and comment if they wish to.
So yes, Garrison did keep his promise at the end of Glasnost. He tells Callen that he chose to abandon his children to protect them and so he could keep saving refugees. It was short and blunt, just like both the characters. The fans that dislike Callen would have been satisfied but the Callen fans left frustrated at the lack of substance behind it, particular when Garrison had previously promised to Callen all of it (S7).
Personally I would love to have several episodes dedicated to explaining Callen’s past; how he arrived in America, why he and his sister were separated, why they were placed in foster homes when his father (and Arkady) clearly had many contacts in the States. Was it after his mother was murdered? Why were they on the Comescu beach? More about his father keeping tabs on him, leaving the note on his sister’s grave. More on Garasovic from Tin Soldiers, Hetty’s connections with his past (does she really have Romani connections)? And then episodes exploring his past careers with the FBI, CIA and DEA, his work with Gibbs, partnering Trent Kort in the CIA (possibly difficult now Kort is dead in the NCIS universe). There are a number of possibilities that I hope are visited in coming seasons, but I won’t hold my breath for them…
Garrison: Grisha, I intend to keep my promise. You deserve to know the reasons, why I wasn’t part of your life.
Callen: Or my sister’s life. If you had been a part of our lives or her’s she might still be here.
Garrison: I could not be there for you, not the way you needed me.
Callen: Did you even try?
Garrison: The work I did spared no one. Least of all, those closest to me. Better for everyone– for both of you– that I sever all ties. Disappear from the world. Grisha, I don’t expect you to understand, or to forgive me, but you had a better chance on your own.
Callen: Uh, you’re right. I don’t forgive you. And I don’t know that I ever will. But I understand.
I know the work you did with Arkady with Arkady and the refugees, you saved a lot of people.
Garrison: Not enough. Not the people I loved. Like your mother. And your sister. And Katerina.
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I appreciate your thoughtful response, and I try not to get personal in my comments, but if that is all the show’s writers are going to provide by way of explanation about why Garrison abandoned his children–not even explaining what Garrison actually did–then, for those of us who’ve followed the show since the beginning, that’s just pathetic. Seven years and a scene of less than 3 minutes? Why even bother bringing Garrison over? It’s just a waste of two terrific actors and some potentially outstanding scenes. There’s still the possibility Garrison will provide more details next season, and we know that Anna will be back, so that relationship will continue for awhile. Callen (and Sam) ONLY having a buddy relationship with each other is getting old and limiting them as far as character development. Although they are a great pair, they need variety. How things shake out at the beginning of season 9 will determine whether the show’s still worth watching.
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definetly this was a little better then many of there shows this season, I am having trouble understanding why Deeks has been in so much trouble with that horrible Whiting women and now she is blackmailing him, how come is it OK for a cop to shot another cop if the cop is dirty and if I recall Deeks shot that cop because he was going to kill a very young female, those are double stantards folks and should be put to rest, where are the writers heads they bring old everyone sick and tired off scenes and stories back but will not bring what everyone has been waiting for from when this show started, Callen and his immediate family, also when are Deeks and Kensi finally going to walk down the isle, If the writers think its going to keep its veiwers interest for much longer there mistaken.. were all tired of the childish way the last season or 2 has drug out, the mole!! the Callen and Anna thing!!! Callens famly!! exactly Heidis part in raising Callen,its been eluded but never made clear!! Sam and Michelle’s role in letting Sabatino get away!!! why keep bringing old stuff back over and over again such as the Deek situation, that had closure and was over with 2 seasons ago as it should have but the writers I guess want to stay on that same idiotic spin, must be easier then actually finishing up alot of stuff they should bring closure to, and were has Arkaty been this past many eposotes,,
the writers should take a page out of NCIS /Mark Harmon also Ncis New Orleans … those shows move and finish story lines not leave everything hanging for many eposotes/Seasons
poor poor writing ,
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Deeks is in so much trouble because he broke the law. There’s no double standard. When Deeks shot Boyle, Boyle was not, in that instance, actually threatening to kill the woman, so there was no legal justification for Deeks to shoot him (like getting a restraining order doesn’t give you the legal right to shoot someone until the person actually makes an attempt to harm you). Verbal threats in and of themselves are not sufficient cause to kill someone–to arrest someone, yes, but to kill someone, no. Deeks knows that because he’s not only a cop but an attorney. Whiting is doing her job as an IA officer.
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Thanks for your review. I would like to stick with this episode. I enjoyed it very much. I liked the change of partners and the use of the seniors against the juniors. There was action and humour and some poignant moments. The last scene among the seniors and Hetty was another respectful reference to Granger. I do hope they show up again in season 9. The scene with Deeks and Whiting leads us to more intrigue to come in future seasons. I have read the other comments and I want to say that maybe a lot of the answers they need would have come this season if they hadn’t had to again accommodate the Kensi storyline. I feel the writers did a good job this season of trying to balance everyone’s expectations.
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