This can also be called as The White Ghost Classified Mission over which Owen Granger and Kensi Blye have been assigned to eliminate the mysterious and elusive Target known as White Ghost (Safed Pari in local language). The White Ghost is supposed to be a westerner who is now supporting the local Taliban. The team has come to this conclusion because The locals have surprisingly been using improved combatant techniques.
However in reality it is a Ghost Story created by CIA to eliminate Jack Simon, a CIA Asset who chose to stay in Afghanistan after having got to know the identity of other CIA Assets. The CIA fearing Jack's capture by Taliban and possible reveal of the Assets under Coercion and Torture, altogether wants the risk to be eliminated and hence the execution mission created for Jack Simon. Granger and Sabatino are assigned by CIA to complete this mission. On the other hand, even Hetty gets an SOS call from Jack Simon to help him out from his predicament at the hands of CIA. Yes, Hetty and Jack had been friends from their CIA days when Jack was working as an asset for CIA. Hetty then arranges for Kensi to be enlisted for the White Ghost Mission to show her as assisting Granger. However, Hetty asks explicitly Kensi, to be believe no one and trust no one. Kensi trusting her Boss Hetty's word, keeps a suspect eye on everyone around her during the mission. And when chance reveals for her to shoot the White Ghost, Kensi gets to see his face and is aghast to see that it is her ex-fiance Jack Simon. Kensi saves him my losing the shot. She even follows Jack to Taliban's hideout to find out the truth behind him and the mission. She gets captured by Taliban and likewise sees Jack captured too.
After this, pretty much the mission is all compromised, losing the plot focus and Hetty (through the writers assistance) has to send Search and Rescue team from her office to get back Kensi safe. Her Agents Sam, Callen and Deeks join Granger's team of three others under him. Everyone except Deeks and Translator Sergeant Rabee Makar march ahead on the ground to find out Kensi before she is taken to Pakistan. Deeks and Makar are left behind to interrogate a blind man to get information. It then becomes a commentary on Futility of War that gives rise to Rage finding its place in Torturing of the captured. War Cries become War Crimes. Bruised soul from those war crimes is what we can see as Spoils of War.
This story arc ran for 10 episodes from Episode 510 to 519. This story arc has been specially created for supporting Actor Daniela Ruah's pregnancy. The story aired from December 10th until April 1st 2014. Shooting for this story was done in parallel with regular episodes from Sep 13th until December 2nd 2013. Enjoy looking at the production photograph, the twitter ones and also the Instagram links. Read episode wise story development below.
However in reality it is a Ghost Story created by CIA to eliminate Jack Simon, a CIA Asset who chose to stay in Afghanistan after having got to know the identity of other CIA Assets. The CIA fearing Jack's capture by Taliban and possible reveal of the Assets under Coercion and Torture, altogether wants the risk to be eliminated and hence the execution mission created for Jack Simon. Granger and Sabatino are assigned by CIA to complete this mission. On the other hand, even Hetty gets an SOS call from Jack Simon to help him out from his predicament at the hands of CIA. Yes, Hetty and Jack had been friends from their CIA days when Jack was working as an asset for CIA. Hetty then arranges for Kensi to be enlisted for the White Ghost Mission to show her as assisting Granger. However, Hetty asks explicitly Kensi, to be believe no one and trust no one. Kensi trusting her Boss Hetty's word, keeps a suspect eye on everyone around her during the mission. And when chance reveals for her to shoot the White Ghost, Kensi gets to see his face and is aghast to see that it is her ex-fiance Jack Simon. Kensi saves him my losing the shot. She even follows Jack to Taliban's hideout to find out the truth behind him and the mission. She gets captured by Taliban and likewise sees Jack captured too.
After this, pretty much the mission is all compromised, losing the plot focus and Hetty (through the writers assistance) has to send Search and Rescue team from her office to get back Kensi safe. Her Agents Sam, Callen and Deeks join Granger's team of three others under him. Everyone except Deeks and Translator Sergeant Rabee Makar march ahead on the ground to find out Kensi before she is taken to Pakistan. Deeks and Makar are left behind to interrogate a blind man to get information. It then becomes a commentary on Futility of War that gives rise to Rage finding its place in Torturing of the captured. War Cries become War Crimes. Bruised soul from those war crimes is what we can see as Spoils of War.
This story arc ran for 10 episodes from Episode 510 to 519. This story arc has been specially created for supporting Actor Daniela Ruah's pregnancy. The story aired from December 10th until April 1st 2014. Shooting for this story was done in parallel with regular episodes from Sep 13th until December 2nd 2013. Enjoy looking at the production photograph, the twitter ones and also the Instagram links. Read episode wise story development below.
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Credits:
Writer - R Scott Gemmill
Director - John Peter Kousakis
Assistant Directors - Eric Pot and Julie Cummings
Credits:
Writer - R Scott Gemmill
Director - John Peter Kousakis
Assistant Directors - Eric Pot and Julie Cummings
The Afghanistan story prepping started in September (between 13th and 23rd). Shooting started on 23rd September and happened intermittently while shooting for 506 to 511 episodes. On and off on saturdays and in between.
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Episode 510 - The White Ghost -Classified Mission and Kensi's assignation to the Mission
Granger and Hetty are exchanging notes about the case in parallel while the rest of the team works on retrieving the Thumb Drive in EP 510. Hetty assesses that Granger will need support from Hetty's team and assigns her Best Sniper member Kensi in order for Granger to complete his mission successfully of eliminating the White Ghost.
And we have the first pic from Episode 511 released by CBS - Aired on 10th December.
Episode 511 - Reporting to Duty
Kensi and Granger are in Afghanistan. Well..we should watch the episode. The costumes and the sets looked fantastic to me. Granger and Kensi with those scarves and the military uniforms, loved it. And the Afghanistan crew, stationed there at that base camp...wow, they have a full team there. No wonder John Peter Kousakis called it a Desert Strategy.
Kensi checks into her base camp and no one seems to know that she was to join them. She meets new characters. Rachel Harris (Actor-Rebecca McFarland) and Booker (Andrew Leeds). Kensi is instructed by Granger, that she is not in Afghanistan as far as paper records show. She is as much as the Ghost as White Ghost(safed pari) that she is to take down. She is briefed of to take down White Ghost after the Task force locates him. The White Ghost is suspected of being a Westerner/American helping the Taliban.
Kensi does not like being talked to and being looked at like the outsider. Granger takes care of her in his own way. He calls her Miss Congeniality and asks her to focus on her mission. She is missing her LA office, the team and especially Deeks. That was a wonderful syncing between the two directors for showing Deeks and Kensi looking at the same picture end of the same episode. Kensi, looking at Deeks Laurence of Arabia picture that she was so tired of..and saying Good Night to him before going to Bed...aaww girl!!
Granger has sent Agent Harris to Athens and rest of others to Istanbul for the holidays. Granger also informs Kensi that Hawala money was coming into Pakistan which is usually a precursor to an organized act of terrorism. Kensi meets up with Agent Sabatino (Eric Palladino). She gets to know from him that she is replacing the earlier sniper Sanders who was found dead and decapitated. Kensi confronts Granger when he was going to warn her about the dangerous mission she is in. Granger answers her that he does not expect her to be asking him what to expect when working in a war-zone. Sabatino puts up the Christmas tree and Christmas Dinner.
As for gifts, Hetty from the LA OSP sends a Christmas gift to Kensi; an only true lifeline support in the form of satellite phone with two secure lines. One to herself and another one to her Partner Marty Deeks in LA OSP. Hetty asks Kensi to provide her assessment on the Task Force assigned to spot The White Ghost. Kensi informs her that she finds the team competent but distant. Hetty instructs Kensi to keep looking for outliers within her Task Force team and smoke out the leaks as most certainly they have a leak in the team who is sabotaging their mission. It would be incomplete if I was not to report about Kensi's placement to the other secure number in her phone and finds that its her partner-boyfriend Deeks. I guess like Kensi and Deeks, even we have to get used to the fact that Deeks and Kensi are now official. The spontaneous chatter conveys how Kensi is missing home and how for Deeks it is not a home without Kensi there. And they cheer up each other asking what kind of Christmas plans they were planning.
A FINCEN Agent is killed in Los Angeles. Tracing him leads to FINCEN Agents working in Kabul, in deep undercover as Hawala Broker Agents. Hawala is an ancient Money Transfer system where the anonymity of the sender and recipient is maintained with Agents involved in transferring the money through Code words. Granger has already said in previous episode that there is an increasing activity on the Hawala racket in Pakistan which could mean something big is being planned. Kensi and Granger tracked down the LA FINCEN Agents working in Kabul. With the Source of Money confirmed by the NCIS LA OSP team with one of the recipient as the Tuberculosis Hospital in Kabul, Granger and Kensi take down that base and confiscate the C4 explosives, cell Phones that are used as trigger bombs on US-Afghani Military Personnel targets.
Episode 514 - War Crimes by D7 and War Cries for White Ghost Mission get connected by writer R S Gemmill.
Who is in the combat and what is the war-cry? It seems Gemmill is making his case against War Crimes in Afghanistan with reference to one Private Contractor Company D7 and the Coercive Techniques used by CIA Agents for Interrogation. His war-cry against war crimes like that of rape, pillage and murder, like that of the elusive man called White Ghost, who beheads Marines. Gemmill's Afghanistan Story has rolled out. Hence see a lot of action happening on Afghanistan front with Kensi, Granger, Sabatino and Booker, all set at same base, working together, but none trusting any of his team partners. Each man is for himself.
Episode 515 - Tuhon - Hot Confrontations
The suspense grows thicker for the White Ghost Mission. After 5 episodes, we still do not have a clue who is the White Ghost.
Nate once again studies Deeks and Hetty. Though his observations, questions and statements to Deeks and Hetty, Nate is able to show us that Deeks is always thinking of Kensi, is concerned about her, likewise, Hetty is worried about the Mission in Afghanistan. It would be fair for us to believe that Nate is aware of White Ghost mission just as much as Hetty knows about it.
5x16-Fish Out of the Water - The White Ghost has a face that shocks Kensi.
What happened to Kensi there? Why did she not take the shot? Who was that White Ghost? Does Kensi know him? And there goes Kensi off the radar for Deeks and Densi….She is not online when she is supposed to meet up with Deeks.
5x17-Between the Lines - Kensi walks into Taliban den to meet the White Ghost.
The Episode begins with ominous tone as Hetty’s voice recaps the White Ghost Story with last episode’s Kensi’s abstinence from shooting the White Ghost. Whenever Hetty narrates the recap, the story tends to get serious with ominous tones.
In this episode Kensi takes it upon herself to go and meet the White Ghost. She goes unarmed and is taken as captive by the Taliban men. Kensi asks them that she wants to talk to the White Ghost. We do not yet see White Ghost in today’s episode. Back at the base camp, as everyone admits unawareness about Kensi’s whereabouts, Granger becomes anxious about Kensi’s disappearance and that too without her sniper rifle. He asks Booker to find if any vehicle or mode of transport is missing. Kensi had gone on horseback to meet the White Ghost.
5x18-Zero Days - Kensi meets Jack and the revelation about missing Jack's wherewithals
The White Ghost that Kensi saw in 5x16-Fish Out of Water, turns out to be Jack, Kensi’s fiance from 2x11-Disorder, who had disappeared on Christmas Day 9 years ago. Kensi meets Jack in the cave. It is surprising for the viewers that the White Ghost who is supposed to be helping Taliban are hitting him. Anyways, when Jack is tied and thrown along with Kensi, she emotionally talks to Jack and reminds him of their days together as Fiance -Fiancee, people in love, ready to get married.. (Somehow it doesn't touch my heart as emotional, but completely dramatic development. It was not convincing enough. For me emotional would have been showing anger with questions like..."Where have you been? Why did you leave me? Why didn't you think of contacting me again? And then Jack's answers would have made sense to me..) But Jack tells her that man is gone and is no more. The man in front of her is a different man and now follows Islam, sees the futility of war, is married to a local woman and has a child. His wife is now dead. He asks Kensi why is she here. Kensi, tells him the truth that she is there to kill him as he is the White Ghost and that no one ones that she came alone this far to see him. The Taliban come and take him away after Kensi reveals that information. [Seemed to me that Jack had no further use for Kensi and had the Taliban take him away].
Clearly Kensi broke all rules. She just cannot reveal classified mission’s information and that too her target. Where is her sense of integrity for the mission? Even if she knew Jack personally and trusts him, if she had planned to come to meet him all alone without any weapon, then she must have thought of what to tell Jack inspite of her total trust on him.
And going by her emotions, Kensi is not yet over with Jack. I am really surprised, how she thought she could have something with Deeks and why all that possessiveness. This is not a shocker to me for the Densi arc. This is like a show-stopper and mental rewind for all that Densi was ever. Its not that people cannot feel for their past loves. But there is that sense of distance of time expressed in mannerism and language. And that is missing. Kensi’s reaction shows as if she was frozen in that one moment of Jack disappearing on her. Then question is she is frozen on one point, was she ever responding warmly to Deeks ? What was her possessiveness about?
Granger leads a search and rescue team on trail of Kensi. He sees that she ditched her lifeline, the satellite phone. Granger in the evening calls up Hetty and asks her to come clean about Kensi’s role in the White Ghost Mission.
5x19-Spoils of War - End of White Ghost Mission
1) A perspective on War and Torture in Afghanistan, with the War between Taliban, US Army and CIA running the operations and missions.
2) A way forward to deal with Densi story after their kiss in 4x24-Descent last season. Its puts a brake on Densi Love story’s accelerated drive.
Deeks and Sergeant Rabee Makar's partnership was the crucial partnership to the story. While the dramatic action and story telling was on the side of the rest of the characters, the partnership of these two is what gives us the crux of Spoils of War. Their partnership is a commentary of what War, Torture and Casualties does to us. Both Gemmill and Frank Military show us the emotional rage and angst one goes through at helpless situations at hand when our fellow brothers die before us, or when we are caught in the grip of power. Its like Heart of Darkness revealed to us through Deeks’s sense of pain, anguish, extreme stress he lives through from the time he gets to know of Kensi’s MIA and losing it at the news of Kensi’s supposed death.
Their partnership is like debate that starts with proclamation of presence of ethics and morals in Americans represented by Deeks and going through a cycle of helplessness stranding, repressed emotions bursting through dehumanizing rage as depicted in justification of questioning techniques being used on a blind old man, who is a priest; and finally coming to the edge of his conscience where Deeks recognizes the human values that he was ready to debase. Had he not stopped himself, Deeks case could easily have become a war crime and violation of human rights.
Deeks means of questioning are questioned by Sergeant Rabee Makar. Its 48 hours for Deeks to be staying out of action, aside from SCallen and Granger and having no news about Kensi being found. For 48 hours he has been questioning Mulla Muhammed to give any information that leads him to Kensi’s whereabouts. By the end of 48 hours, Deeks starts to lose the point of his questioning as he too knows like Sergeant Makar that the priest is not going to give away any kind of information. But he keeps passing his time to kill his thoughts racing through his mind about Kensi. And the moment he gets the picture of Kensi’s lying in a pool of blood, Deeks just funnels his emotional suffering into uncontrollable and irrational rage where he starts suffocating the old man with wet cloth and further smothers him with cold water, making him totally breathless. Sergeant Makar is terrified of Deeks having tried several times to stop him losing it.
After showing us what War and Torture is all about, the rest of the partnership is devoted for the two partners to talk intelligently...they discuss strategically what the old man might have wanted to mean and could not. Towards the plot’s resolution, Makar and Deeks figure out and plan the rest of search and rescue mission, take a chopper, go to the Taliban leaders who are fighting Scallen, Granger and Sabatino, accomplish the Prisoner Exchange - the Priest for the Americans (Jack and Kensi).
I liked Makar’s character….very much and for the obvious reasons. :) Nicholas Guilak acted the role of Sergeant Makar.
For more read here
=========================================================================================Who is in the combat and what is the war-cry? It seems Gemmill is making his case against War Crimes in Afghanistan with reference to one Private Contractor Company D7 and the Coercive Techniques used by CIA Agents for Interrogation. His war-cry against war crimes like that of rape, pillage and murder, like that of the elusive man called White Ghost, who beheads Marines. Gemmill's Afghanistan Story has rolled out. Hence see a lot of action happening on Afghanistan front with Kensi, Granger, Sabatino and Booker, all set at same base, working together, but none trusting any of his team partners. Each man is for himself.
War Crimes from 5x02 -Impact becomes War Cries in 5x14. Gemmill continues with D7 story arc, the story of Private Contractors hired by the US Army in War against Terror in Afghanistan, that he started in 5x02 Impact. D7 was responsible for the murder of Vice Admiral William Gardner and Journalist Jason Carter, who were working on writing the memoirs of the Admiral on War Crimes in Afghanistan. D7, having access to technology and might of trained people, wiped all the material that the Military Officer and the Journalist had written down for public review. That same story of wiping evidence continues even in this episode. D7 shut down its operations on the ground of *** and has opened a new company by name of D*** Securities. It is killing all its ex-employees who are continuing with their psychotic behaviour over Los Angeles soil. If they are caught by the Enforcement Authorities, the secrets of D7’s work culture would have been out and hence those men are killed to keep their image clean.
Granger suspects that Kensi’s classified mission is no longer a classified mission for NCIS LA Office of Special Projects and that everyone might be privy to Kensi’s doings. And that is his motive behind coming back to NCIS LA, to check on everybody. He nudges Hetty, Nell&Eric and finally he takes the offer of Deeks to serve as his partner for the case, just so that he can ascertain whether Kensi is in touch with Deeks. Each of them, gives a negative answer to Granger. Because, we know Kensi is touch with all of them. Hetty is her manager setting the Mission Agenda for her, Deeks and her keep in touch for obvious reasons and now Kensi is in touch with Nell and Eric to have Intel on her case.
On the other hand, Kensi, as asked by Hetty is trusting no one at her base camp. She starts with Sabatino, who was the partner to Sanders, who was the earlier Sniper for White Ghost mission and is now dead. Kensi is planting bugs for GPS location about Sabatino’s movements and is running her own surveillance through Drone technology. She solicits Nell’s help in gathering Sabatino’s background. Nell involves Eric and so now it is a team of three for Kensi including her and if we include Hetty, it would be four of them involved in this mission and all resolute in not letting Granger know anything about it.
Sabatino, we see him working alone, refusing to take Kensi along with him. He is tracked by Kensi to be meeting up with Afghani locals. Eric, in danger of getting exposed, keeps the Drone away from sight and so they cannot see the faces of the men that Sabatino is meeting up with. Booker is back at the base and Kensi prods him in friendly manner to find something more about Sabatino. Kensi is able to know from him that Sanders and Sabatino were thick buddies and after Sanders was killed, Sabatino is working alone. I personally believe that even Sabatino does not know anymore whom to trust, especially after he has seen two of his partners getting killed in the line of Duty, Schneider in Siderov Case and Sanders in White Ghost Case. The Afghanistan story became deeper in this episode.
Episode 515 - Tuhon - Hot Confrontations
The suspense grows thicker for the White Ghost Mission. After 5 episodes, we still do not have a clue who is the White Ghost.
Kensi is distraught with being unable to trust anyone. Her distrust on Sabatino, her Drone surveillance on Sabatino is questioned by Sabatino when he takes her out to the woods and asks her what mission she is on and why is she tracking him. Kensi is caught unawares, but then, it also becomes a venting opportunity for her to tell Sabatino and Granger that she doesn’t trust anyone and thinks that Sabatino could be the White Ghost as he was the one who was with Sanders before Sanders got executed by the White Ghost. Granger tells her in resolute tones that he trusts Sabatino and her job is to shoot the White Ghost when the Task Force finds him. Question that seems to linger is , “Will Kensi be able to shoot the White Ghost when told who is the White Ghost?”
Back in LA, it seemed quite strange to me that Deeks was now able to talk to Nate in a fully knowing manner of Kensi’s situation, as if she no longer was on a classified mission. He says,”She's not lonely, Got Granger, Sabatino and whole Crew, except that she doesn't trust anyone.” It speaks volumes with showing us that Nell and Eric shared this information with Deeks and Hetty can’t be knowing it. After all Granger’s visit gave some privy information to Hetty. And the way Nate and Hetty talked together was foreboding that The White Ghost Mission can only end badly.
Hetty: No one can be a Tribe of One, Not even Me
Nate: You are worried about how this ends.
Hetty: It can only end one way. How we get there is the question.
Nate once again studies Deeks and Hetty. Though his observations, questions and statements to Deeks and Hetty, Nate is able to show us that Deeks is always thinking of Kensi, is concerned about her, likewise, Hetty is worried about the Mission in Afghanistan. It would be fair for us to believe that Nate is aware of White Ghost mission just as much as Hetty knows about it.
5x16-Fish Out of the Water - The White Ghost has a face that shocks Kensi.
Granger and Kensi investigate a helicopter crash that could be tied to their ongoing search for the infamous white ghost. After 6 episodes since 5x10, we finally have seen how the White Ghost looks like. And when Kensi had the chance to take him, she did not take the shot. It seemed to us that Kensi was astonished to see who The White Ghost was. Her disbelief of the sight before her cost her mission. And not only that Kensi continues the “not really” style of reporting to Granger whether she saw The White Ghost or why she did not take the shot. Her answers are evasive and aggressive, suggesting us that we should ring the alarm bells.
This is the 2nd episode where after 5x11-The Iron Curtain Rising, where none of the NCIS LA members are involved in the Afghan story in any capacity. Otherwise, in every other episode, or or the other team member has been in touch with each other in mutual information exchange or taking help.5x17-Between the Lines - Kensi walks into Taliban den to meet the White Ghost.
The Episode begins with ominous tone as Hetty’s voice recaps the White Ghost Story with last episode’s Kensi’s abstinence from shooting the White Ghost. Whenever Hetty narrates the recap, the story tends to get serious with ominous tones.
In this episode Kensi takes it upon herself to go and meet the White Ghost. She goes unarmed and is taken as captive by the Taliban men. Kensi asks them that she wants to talk to the White Ghost. We do not yet see White Ghost in today’s episode. Back at the base camp, as everyone admits unawareness about Kensi’s whereabouts, Granger becomes anxious about Kensi’s disappearance and that too without her sniper rifle. He asks Booker to find if any vehicle or mode of transport is missing. Kensi had gone on horseback to meet the White Ghost.
5x18-Zero Days - Kensi meets Jack and the revelation about missing Jack's wherewithals
The White Ghost that Kensi saw in 5x16-Fish Out of Water, turns out to be Jack, Kensi’s fiance from 2x11-Disorder, who had disappeared on Christmas Day 9 years ago. Kensi meets Jack in the cave. It is surprising for the viewers that the White Ghost who is supposed to be helping Taliban are hitting him. Anyways, when Jack is tied and thrown along with Kensi, she emotionally talks to Jack and reminds him of their days together as Fiance -Fiancee, people in love, ready to get married.. (Somehow it doesn't touch my heart as emotional, but completely dramatic development. It was not convincing enough. For me emotional would have been showing anger with questions like..."Where have you been? Why did you leave me? Why didn't you think of contacting me again? And then Jack's answers would have made sense to me..) But Jack tells her that man is gone and is no more. The man in front of her is a different man and now follows Islam, sees the futility of war, is married to a local woman and has a child. His wife is now dead. He asks Kensi why is she here. Kensi, tells him the truth that she is there to kill him as he is the White Ghost and that no one ones that she came alone this far to see him. The Taliban come and take him away after Kensi reveals that information. [Seemed to me that Jack had no further use for Kensi and had the Taliban take him away].
Clearly Kensi broke all rules. She just cannot reveal classified mission’s information and that too her target. Where is her sense of integrity for the mission? Even if she knew Jack personally and trusts him, if she had planned to come to meet him all alone without any weapon, then she must have thought of what to tell Jack inspite of her total trust on him.
And going by her emotions, Kensi is not yet over with Jack. I am really surprised, how she thought she could have something with Deeks and why all that possessiveness. This is not a shocker to me for the Densi arc. This is like a show-stopper and mental rewind for all that Densi was ever. Its not that people cannot feel for their past loves. But there is that sense of distance of time expressed in mannerism and language. And that is missing. Kensi’s reaction shows as if she was frozen in that one moment of Jack disappearing on her. Then question is she is frozen on one point, was she ever responding warmly to Deeks ? What was her possessiveness about?
Granger leads a search and rescue team on trail of Kensi. He sees that she ditched her lifeline, the satellite phone. Granger in the evening calls up Hetty and asks her to come clean about Kensi’s role in the White Ghost Mission.
5x19-Spoils of War - End of White Ghost Mission
- The White Ghost Mission concludes.
- In Kensi’s words, she was sent by CIA on White Ghost Mission to execute Jack Simon, who she knew him as a Good man. And she went dark, to find out the truth.
- In Granger’s words, The White Ghost story is not what it seems as per Intelligence reports and that much of it was falsified information. He like Sabatino also had gone dark to find out the truth and get away from CIA’s misleading Intel Reports.
- In Sabatino’s words, there is no White Ghost. It was all made-up. Jack worked for the US & CIA. His only mistake was he ended up knowing the identities of half a dozen of CIA assets. Jack wanted to stay in Afghanistan and only problem was CIA could not have Jack live in some hut, knowing their names and faces. Sabatino wanted to get to Jack first and convince him to leave for US so that this execution could be avoided.
- Jack Simon was the best...not telling us anything about what is the White Ghost Mission for him. Apparently, in Hetty’s words, Jack reached out to Hetty, his friend; to help him as he found that CIA wanted to execute him.
1) A perspective on War and Torture in Afghanistan, with the War between Taliban, US Army and CIA running the operations and missions.
2) A way forward to deal with Densi story after their kiss in 4x24-Descent last season. Its puts a brake on Densi Love story’s accelerated drive.
Deeks and Sergeant Rabee Makar's partnership was the crucial partnership to the story. While the dramatic action and story telling was on the side of the rest of the characters, the partnership of these two is what gives us the crux of Spoils of War. Their partnership is a commentary of what War, Torture and Casualties does to us. Both Gemmill and Frank Military show us the emotional rage and angst one goes through at helpless situations at hand when our fellow brothers die before us, or when we are caught in the grip of power. Its like Heart of Darkness revealed to us through Deeks’s sense of pain, anguish, extreme stress he lives through from the time he gets to know of Kensi’s MIA and losing it at the news of Kensi’s supposed death.
Their partnership is like debate that starts with proclamation of presence of ethics and morals in Americans represented by Deeks and going through a cycle of helplessness stranding, repressed emotions bursting through dehumanizing rage as depicted in justification of questioning techniques being used on a blind old man, who is a priest; and finally coming to the edge of his conscience where Deeks recognizes the human values that he was ready to debase. Had he not stopped himself, Deeks case could easily have become a war crime and violation of human rights.
Deeks means of questioning are questioned by Sergeant Rabee Makar. Its 48 hours for Deeks to be staying out of action, aside from SCallen and Granger and having no news about Kensi being found. For 48 hours he has been questioning Mulla Muhammed to give any information that leads him to Kensi’s whereabouts. By the end of 48 hours, Deeks starts to lose the point of his questioning as he too knows like Sergeant Makar that the priest is not going to give away any kind of information. But he keeps passing his time to kill his thoughts racing through his mind about Kensi. And the moment he gets the picture of Kensi’s lying in a pool of blood, Deeks just funnels his emotional suffering into uncontrollable and irrational rage where he starts suffocating the old man with wet cloth and further smothers him with cold water, making him totally breathless. Sergeant Makar is terrified of Deeks having tried several times to stop him losing it.
After showing us what War and Torture is all about, the rest of the partnership is devoted for the two partners to talk intelligently...they discuss strategically what the old man might have wanted to mean and could not. Towards the plot’s resolution, Makar and Deeks figure out and plan the rest of search and rescue mission, take a chopper, go to the Taliban leaders who are fighting Scallen, Granger and Sabatino, accomplish the Prisoner Exchange - the Priest for the Americans (Jack and Kensi).
I liked Makar’s character….very much and for the obvious reasons. :) Nicholas Guilak acted the role of Sergeant Makar.
For more read here
Twitter News
@TheWilsonian Were the Afghan arc "bits of eps" all edited at the end of the filming or does each Editor edit "his" scenes? #please
@Cashkend_o we edited the scenes for our respective episodes as the footage came in, and made tweaks as we saw how they fit in the full show
@Cashkend_o we knew which scenes were going in which episodes so we divided them accordingly :D
Erik was awesome! RT @NCISLAOnline: Killer scenes by @DanielaRuah & @ErikPalladino tonight! (cont) http://tl.gd/n83j6p
The Palladino/Ferrer laughs were strictly off-camera.
Last day in Afghanistan with Eric Palidino. pic.twitter.com/DGNLMJP1v3
2Kmm lens..,longest we've ever used on our series #NCISLA Afghan morning shoot. The story unfolds soon.#staytuned pic.twitter.com/LyxhcusBO0
3 episodes of #NCISLA shooting in "Afghanistan" today. Feels epic! #bestcrewinhollywood #bestcrewinafghanistan
Daniela Ruah @DanielaRuah
Was supposed to post this yesterday! #almostbacktowork http://instagram.com/p/kD4PWRx38m/
Daniela Ruah @DanielaRuah
Taking over in Afghanistan... I'll film myself thank you very much. Wait whaaah? #ncisla http://instagram.com/p/jZ2wIhx3y1/
What's got #Kensi smiling? Find out w/ CBS Sync & get backstage extras from 2nite's #NCISLA http://bit.ly/Z1Khw6 pic.twitter.com/I1QHMN6zNf
Merry Christmas! @jpkouz @Ladydi2000 @jacqniv @johnscottmills @reneefsmith @Harimoto @davekalstein #ncisla pic.twitter.com/0TOO64XuY5
NCIS: LOS ANGELES Boss: Daniela Ruah's Pregnancy Gave Birth to a 'Great Arc' for Kensi http://tvline.com/2013/12/17/ncis-los-angeles-season-5-kensi-deeks-afghanistan/ …
http://tvline.com/2013/12/17/ncis-los-angeles-season-5-kensi-deeks-afghanistan/
Tuesday Spoiler2: Granger is even more mysterious. Kensi tries to determine his intentions. Plus: will they eat the Xmas bird? #NCISLA
#NCISLA Tuesday spoiler: Kensi receives a gift that will make her and fans smile. #staytuned #happyholidays
NCIS LA @NCISLA_CBS10 Dec
Why is #Kensi in Afghanistan? Weigh in with the CBS App and get #NCISLA extras when you Sync http://bit.ly/Z1Khw6 pic.twitter.com/0z96pysWmp
A lot of you seem to like the bearded Granger. Write JPK. It's up to the big boys.
By now you know that next week starts Afghanistan. Down and dirty great stuff. Stellar work from Daniela and JPK.
Thanks for all the Granger love the last few days. Get ready for Mr. Warmth as you've never seen him before.
@FanMiguelFerrer Miguel is the real thing! He does some of his best work ever in the coming months. #bestcastever @Miguel_J_Ferrer #NCISLA
JPK @jpkouz
@FanMiguelFerrer Spoiler: Granger behaves suspiciously. It's need to know basis w/Kensi. She doubts his actions in upcoming Eps. #NCISLA
Okay...spoiler/tease! Kensi is alive and well. She is on special assignment. #staytuned for an exciting arc with many twists. #NCISLA100
@rtunell @lnapoli06 @writemoss Thank you for all your dedication & hard work. Kudos to all. URTHE BEST #IMHumbled #bestproductionteamever
@DanielaRuah @Miguel_J_Ferrer Your hard work&dedication was greatly appreciated. Many many thx. U never let me down. #NCISLA #bestcastever
JPK @jpkouz10 Nov
Animals one might find at Paramount studios... #kevinthefemaleemu http://instagram.com/p/gwS3sVx34I/
@Miguel_J_Ferrer You rocked it yesterday! Hp!!!
#NCISLA100
Yep, steals my phone RIGHT in front of me... I don't realize this until I get home. Amazing. nicholasrini http://instagram.com/p/gqU4hbR3z1/
JPK @jpkouz10 Nov
@Miguel_J_Ferrer My hero! One of the greatest humans on this planet! #muchlove
Happy Veteran's Day! #NCISLA pic.twitter.com/7JqUDFymbG
Saturday workout complete! Resting up for last chapter of Afghan storyline. #NCISLA100 #bestcrewinhollywood #HappySaturday
@RonTreger It's no longer a splinter unit, it's first unit on Monday. I can't reveal what happens in the cave.
JPK used an old Tony Scott directing technique on me today with much success.
Worked Saturday, (very unusual), with JPK at the helm. Got a lot of great stuff. Can't tell you more, but you're going to love it.
Rick Tunell @rtunell20 Oct
Saturday work! Saturday! ADs Eric Pot and Julie Cummings. #ncisla @jpkouz pic.twitter.com/2IOHlF9WKZ
Rick Tunell 
I would like to say that this blog really convinced me to do it! Thanks, very good post.
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