1x01 Identity along with Legend Part-1 and 2

It follows Legend Part-1 and Part-2 of NCIS in Season 6. My Introductory review is done for all the three Introductory episodes of NCIS LA. Legend from NCIS and Identity from NCIS LA.

Directorial focus is more on Callen than on anyone else. Director is James Whitmore Jr. We can sense that as Shane Brennan's wish.

Episode	1X01 - Identity	Identity - what is it ? The Episode keeps going about identities. The back-stopped identities of the Agents as provided by Ops Manager Hetty to her Agents, the False Identity of Emma’s kidnapper, a father who also works for a Cartel, loves his daughter and yet kidnaps his daughter for his selfish reasons; and finally about G Callen. What is G Callen’s Identity. What does his G stand for? Why doesn’t he have a first name? Why he never received any Birthday Card ever ? And why does he carry a sleeping bag?
Writer	Shane Brennan	Creator of NCIS Los Angeles - the Spin Off of NCIS. He is the introducer of NCIS LA Characters.  The NCIS LA works mostly through Undercover Ops. Its Office location is hidden and its agents cannot reveal themselves as true selves when they are out, cannot build friendships around neighbourhood and have to have different daily routines. Through this story, Shane Brennan planted identities and stories for Callen, Kensi, Sam and Hetty. And we do have Dave Kalstein as the Story Editor.
Director	James Whitmore Jr	Directorial focus is more on Callen than on anyone else. Director is James Whitmore Jr. We can sense that as Shane Brennan's wish.
Episode Summary	A Naval Officer is found dead by LAPD in a shootout with Mexican Drug Cartel member. He seems to have been kidnapped and was killed in crossfire between LAPD and the Mexican Kidnappers.	Story continues from where Legend left off. Callen survives the gun shots to his back and joins work one month earlier. Director Vance asks the team to investigate Officer Frank McGuire’s death and if the Mission DCoto was compromised, over which McGuire was working on. The Operation DCoto is at the Mexico border to take down Mexican Drug Cartel of Manny Cortez.  The NCIS Investigation leads to the finding that Officer McGuire was forced to provide Satellite Intelligence about Operation Dcoto by kidnapping his niece Emma. He was everyday being taken to the Cartel house, work there for 3 hours and finally head back to work. On the day of his death, the LAPD had intel about the cartel movement and hence the ambush. As the investigation leads the NCIS team to Emma’s mother, Bobby Jenlow, Officer McGuire’s friend, the NCIS team finally finds that it was Emma’s father who kidnapped her and was making his brother in law work for him. He was working for Manny Cortez for 8 years. The teamwork from the entire team made it enjoyable.
NCIS Personnel Highlights	Introductions of NCIS LA operations from their NEW OFFICE. It is Hiding in Plain Sight and used to be a Water Plan Administration Building now condemned as Unsafe from Outside	Proper Introductions. And we have our first clues into character traits for our Agents.  Callen - Has problem with all his accommodations. Sleeps from his sleeping bag. He has Insomnia, pains, Gunshots etc always in his mind. Nothing new for him. He doesn’t have a first name and never got a Birthday Card.  Kensi - Speaks Latino and drives every weekend to Camp Pendleton being a Marine’s daughter. On emotional side, Kensi feels emotional watching Emma’s reunion with her mother. Dave Kalstein- now I know how you closed this back-stopping in Season 3 Kensi Blye story.  Sam - Late with his accounting of incidental expenses to his Ops Manager. Sam loves Callen for his partner, cares about him and he has been in Middle East Operations. Hetty Lange - Tough, efficient and creates all the back-stopping profile of her agents. Efficient Ops Manager.  Eric - Whistles to call everyone to Ops room.  Nate - Makes a field visit along with Kensi to talk to Emma’s mother and all he is excited about is carrying a gun.  Dom - New Joinee - being trained by Callen. He reads a lot. He just goes on the topic of San**Naval Base. The team welcomes him and accepts him as one of theirs.
Ops Manager	Hetty Lange Director Vance	Director Vance gets the case, because he needs to know whether Operation Dacoto is still good. Linda Hunt as Hetty Lange impressed me totally. Her efficiency as Ops Manager was wonderful to observe. She is tough with her team and takes good care of them. She is shown covering Callen with the blanket at the end of the episode.  Hetty seems to be surprised when Callen tells her that no one told him what his first name was. But does she actually not know that she knows that already about Callen and hence calls him Mr.Callen. Was she pretending ? There’s no knowing as Linda Hunt was booked as Guest Star in this episode. Once she became a Series Regular, Shane Brennan must have thought lets make Hetty as Knowing All. Hetty knows Everything.
Bull Pen Partnership -1	Callen/Sam	Bromance :) They have a lovely banter. We will enjoy watching all their scenes together. Every moment of it. Sam picks up Callen for work and even invites him to his house for sleep. They are really close. That line about drowning Callen in a jacuzzi of was truly there was really good one.
Bull Pen Partnership -2	Kensi Renko	Kensi is playing the role of Intelligence Analyst alongside Eric in Ops room. In future in Season 2 Nell takes this role.  Dom being the new one, he is not taken to field and instead Nate is asked to join Kensi in the field.
Ops Room  Partnership	Eric - Tech Operator Nate - Psychologist	Did not see a lot of Eric. But we get it without him the agents will have no Intel at all.
Others/GK	-

Episode	6X11 -  Legend Part-1 and Part-2	I did not get exactly who was the legend here if it was to be interpreted by the way of being a first person. But if was to be understood as story sense of legend telling, then there were several Legends. One between Gibbs and Ops head ** of NCIS LA, another was G Callen of NCIS Los Angeles Team, the third Legend being Ziva’s Mossad boy friend who is on American soil to kill the Muslims preparing for war against Israel. Apparently per legend, it is okay for Israel military to kill such elements.
Writer	Shane Brennan	Creator of NCIS Los Angeles - the Spin Off of NCIS. He is the introducer of NCIS LA Characters. The NCIS LA works mostly through Undercover Ops. Its Office location is hidden and its agents cannot reveal themselves as true selves when they are out, cannot build friendships around neighbourhood and have to have different daily routines.
Director	-
Episode Summary	Someone is found dead in Washington	Gibbs-Mace story, Callen’s story along side episode story involving Ziva’s Israeli-Mossad boy friend. Gibbs joins NCIS LA team in Los Angeles to investigate the murder of *** in Washington as NCIS LA has a lead on the case. Introductions of NCIS LA operations. Sam, Renko, Kensi, Callen all work undercover. Gibbs and Renko are in a team later to catch the Mossad Agent, while Sam, Kensi and Callen are in the team to find the killer of Muslim men willing to buy arms  The episode is action based and more into fun banter unlike the Parent NCIS which is serious and they need not be in Undercover Ops. The technology the NCIS LA team uses, the Intelligence collection techniques they go for are envied by Sean Murray Callen is shot by the end of the story. Suspense is who shot him and why ? And that is Shane Brennan’s love for Callen G character.
NCIS Personnel Highlights	Their Office Location and Elevator was a highlight to me	The NCIS LA Team is definitely more into fun and has lesser control from their Boss. Callen is played by Chris O Donnell, Sam played by LL Cool J. Pete Cambor from Lost fame is seen as Psychologist Nate.
Ops Manager	Mace co shared by Gibbs	They share a history together, where Mace was investigating Gibbs for suspected murder. Her investigation caused damage to Gibbs family, but her full investigative findings made her withhold revelations to some extent when she concluded that Gibbs did honor killing. She saved his career. Nate tells all of this info to Gibbs and in the end Gibbs forgives Mace and shows his gratitude to her.
Bull Pen Partnership -1	Callen/Sam	Callen is team-lead. He is shown to be a suave Operative. He is ex-CIA. Callen knows Gibbs. Sam is a Navy Seal and also ex-CIA. He is revealed as self-made man, who came from rough neighbourhood and yet became the Navy Seal that he is.
Bull Pen Partnership -2	Kensi Renko	There is per se partnership for Kensi or Renko. Both go undercover independently, but they are joined in the missions by other people. For ex: Kensi assists Sam in 1st Undercover OP, then Kensi and Renko are independently working in the restaurant when Callen shows up in undercover. Renko when watching the Mossad operative is joined by Gibbs.
Ops Room  Partnership	Eric - Tech Operator Nate - Psychologist	Eric is the Ops Room Tech Operator. Sean Murray simply loves his job. He is with computers, big screens, Nate
Others/GK	Mossad	Need to read on that.

	Crew for Season 1
Writers	Shane Brennan
Writer's Assistant	Gregory Weidman
Directors	James Whitmore Jr
First Asst Director	Eric Pot
Second Asst Director	Ellie Smith
Story Editor	Dave Kalstein
Executive Story Editor	Speed Weed
Consultant	Tim Clemente
Associate Producer	Eric Whitmyre
Consulting Producer :	Matt Pyken, Gil Grant
Supervising Producer :	Lindsay Sturman
Co-Executive Producer :	John Peter Kousakis
Executive Producer :	R Scott Jemmill
Assistants to Executive Producer :	Erin Boradhurst, Chad Mazero and Dana Scanlon
Production Designer:
Director of Photography :
Editing :
Music :
Unit Production Manager :	Rick Tunell
Casting :	Suzanne Bluestein. CSA and Jason Kennedy CSA
Casting Associates :	Anthony J Kraus and Meredith Forney
Costume Designer:	Darry Levine
Art Director :	Mathew Jacobs
Set Decorator :	Peter Gurski
Property Master :	Steven B Melton
Make-up Artist :	Trefor Proud
Hair Stylist :	Brooks Stenstrom
Production Coordinator :	Russell Dague
Assistant Prod Coordinator :	Laura Starks
Production Accountant :	Mathew Klipper
1st Assistant Accountant :	Dana Micahaelsen
Location Manager :	Tony Salome
Stunt Coordinator :	R A Rondell
Special Effects Supervisor :	Don Frazee
Production Sounds Mixer :	Mark Weingarten
Construction Coordinator:	Mike Brooks
Transportation Coordinator :	Dave Bassett
Script Supervisor :	Diana Valentine
Script Coordinator :	Jimmy Donchey
A Camera Operator :	Russell McEllhatton
B Camera Operator :	Fred Iannone
Post Production Supervisor :	Christopher J Molnar
Assistant Editor :	Eric J Lucas
Post Production Coordinator	Chris Tracy
Music Editor	Mark Wiki
Theme by :	James S Levine
Multi Media Coordination :	Justin Maradiegue
Specialized Imagery, Software and Promotional Consideration :	Lockheed Martin Corporation and Pictometry International Corporation
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