NCIS: New Orleans - Stolen Valor - Review: "Vanishing into thin air"

The Christmas episode of NCIS: New Orleans started with a normal case of the week but ended with a rescue mission in Afghanistan. Also, we learned some very interesting about LaSalle's brother.

The case starts when a retired Navy SEAL is found dead at a Navy event, apparently being impaled. The dead man was known for trying to unmask Navy SEAL imposters, which naturally makes for many enemies. The NCIS team investigates the case, and comes across a suspect named Len Bowers. When they get to his house, the team finds him and his girlfriend burning evidence. They make a run for it and escape, but Len's girlfriend is later arrested. She is initially hesitant to tell the team where Len is, but Brody is able to break her. Len is caught and he admits to the murder, though he of course claims it was an accident. The case seems solved...

...except it isn't. At Len's house, the team found a jacket which belongs to a supposedly dead serviceman named Zach Chase. Zach supposedly died in an explosion in Afghanistan, but his body was never recovered. The team attempts to find out where the jacket came from so that they can hopefully find his body and give Zach's parents some closure. They track it down to a boy named Ahmed, who received the jacket from rebels in his village. Ahmed met a prisoner from the rebels who they put in a hole. The team deduces it's possible that Zach is still alive so Pride and LaSalle head to Afghanistan. It turns out Zach is indeed still alive and they manage to free him and bring him home to his parents after nine months in captivity.

Also, Brody is stunned when she learns LaSalle is not overly excited about Christmas. He later tells Navy Lieutenant Adele "Addie" Watkins, who helped the team with the case, that his brother had bipolar disorder and that he went missing right before meeting his family Christmas. Even though LaSalle is ready to give up on his brother, the case makes him realize he should still keep hoping.

This was a nice Christmas episode and I am very happy we learned some more things about LaSalle's brother. The characters on NCIS: New Orleans are the highlight of the show and I am glad we are getting little bits and pieces about their backstories as we get along.

The case of the week was a good one. It actually consisted of a two cases: the murder of the imposter hunter and the disappearance of Zach. While it did feel a bit rushed and they could have split it into a two-parter, I think it worked out fine. I was catching up on NCIS: Los Angeles the other day and they also did an episode about Navy SEAL imposters so it might have been a bit redundant if NCIS: New Orleans also had an entire episode built around that.

What did you think of this episode? How do you feel about the case of the week? Did it feel rushed or do you think it was fine? And how do you think LaSalle will continue the search for his brother? Sound off with your opinions and theories in the comments below.

The next NCIS: New Orleans episode airs Tuesday January 6th. In the episode, it turns out Pride is the intended target of a bombing at a Navy event. I'm excited for it! There is no promo yet, but here are two sneak peeks:

About the Author - Daniel van der Veer

Daniel van der Veer is a Dutch university student studying Psychology. On SpoilerTV he is a reviewer of NCIS, The 100, Stalker, Madam Secretary and the upcoming shows Battle Creek and Odyssey. He also enjoys LOST, Arrow, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Nikita, The Blacklist, Scorpion and How To Get Away With Murder.

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