NCIS: Los Angeles - Head of the Snake - Review: "Missing Elements"

Operational psychologist Nate Getz returns to “NCIS: Los Angeles” in “Head of the Snake.” In the midst of an undercover mission to link organized crime to terrorism, Nate has been out of touch for several months – and then turns up stealing assault rifles. When NCIS steps in to determine what’s happening, they begin to wonder if Nate has gone rogue and switched sides. He kidnaps Callen during the mission and even waterboards him. It turns out Nate was working the mission – but he got a little too caught up being deep undercover and ultimately put peoples’ lives at risk. In the end, though, the operation was a success. NCIS arrests several organized crime leaders linked to terrorism.

I didn’t love this episode and I didn’t hate it. For me it was average. Though we were supposed to believe the stakes were high, I didn’t feel it. I know we were supposed to wonder if Nate had flipped sides, but I never believed he had turned. Twice he saved an NCIS member from being killed – first Sam, then Callen. And Callen acted so flippant that it made me think, “If Callen isn’t worried, why should I be?” I also felt the episode lacked good character moments. Aside from Deeks finding out who was stealing his leftovers (which was great), we didn’t see a lot of fun team interaction. And I thought what happened with Nate was confusing. When he began apologizing for his actions, it was somewhat unclear what he was apologizing for. He mentions being out of control, but how? The writing didn’t leave things as clear as it should have. I also felt like Nate’s role was too central. The episode revolved around him when it should have revolved around our main four agents.

Sam and Callen and Nate

Callen may have been Nate’s hostage, but he sure didn’t act like it. His attitude totally amused me. He never expressed fear or anxiety. He acted like it was an everyday situation and he was just fine. “Easy, buddy – that’s my lucky jacket,” he first tells his hostage takers. He was surprised that Nate found out his real name. That part of their conversation was poignant as Nate cruelly twisted around something special to Callen and used it against him. Still, Callen was undeterred. When Nate kissed The Black Widow, I loved Callen’s response: “She hot. [But] I don’t know if she’s treason hot.” By the time they tell him they are going to waterboard him, Callen doesn’t even flinch. When they bring over the bucket he coolly jokes, “Time for my sponge bath, I guess?” He was calm under pressure. He was flippant and coy. You had to laugh when they’d just finished waterboarding him and he said, “Thank you. I was actually feeling a little dehydrated.” Then, when they try to pry him for information, all he can talk about is what kind of water they used. So funny!

It was interesting to note that Callen had no intention of giving the bad guys any information, even after being tortured. But that all changed once the thieves brought innocent people into the mix. Callen didn’t want anyone to get hurt so suddenly he was forced to help them steal explosives. But he made sure that whatever happened, there would be no casualties.

One thing I liked about Sam in this episode was how he tried to get information out of Hetty, even though he knew she may not give it to him. Sam demonstrated respect for her, acknowledging that she often operates secretly. But at the same time he prodded her for information that could help his partner. I love that he had the gall to ask Hetty if she was taking unnecessary risks with Callen. Sam always wants the best for his partner, and he wasn’t afraid to face Hetty and ask her pointed questions if it could help Callen. But in the end Sam had to trust Hetty’s approach.

Fortunately, though, Callen escapes. After he does I liked how Granger relied on him to find out where Nate’s head was. Callen’s assessment was astute: He said he couldn’t be sure, but he thinks Nate was playing along, knowing The Black Widow would kill him if she suspected anything. She usually kills her crew after a job, anyway, so Nate was truly in danger. Perhaps his commitment to the undercover role was more necessary than they realized. But still, he never gave them a heads up of where he was mentally. He was too deep in to give them clues.

That’s part of the reason they were so upset after the operation ended. Talking to Callen, Nate claimed he lost control. I found it hard to understand what he meant. Did he lose control and get sucked in by the criminals, wanting to join them? I don’t believe so. I believe he was saying he was unable to control the operation. It got out of his hands and he went too far in playing along. At first I didn’t understand what they meant when Callen told Nate he was trying to prove himself. But upon further reflection I realized Nate was trying to prove his undercover skills to NCIS. This was his biggest job yet and he didn’t want to fail. So he gave it everything he had. But as Callen emphasizes, Nate was already part of the team and didn’t need to prove anything to them. It was better that they learned to trust one another.

The issue comes up again with Sam and Hetty. When Nate apologizes to Sam, Sam acknowledges that Nate’s heart was in the right place but he endangered lives. Nate’s attitude – operating on his own – worked out in the end, but in other situations it might not have. This time he got lucky. But Sam knows they all get lucky sometimes. So he accepts Nate’s apology and leaves him with an encouraging pat on the back. Then Hetty emphasizes the same thing to Nate – that he needs to use the system they have in place to draw on his team. He can’t be a lone wolf. (The same advice Nate gave to Callen once.) But like the rest of her team, Hetty also encourages Nate, telling him he’s never been more ready for this kind of work.

Kensi and Deeks

I liked the Kensi and Deeks moments built around Deeks trying to find out who was stealing his leftovers. As they drove into work together, it was fun to see the outside of the NCIS offices. As Deeks complains about whoever was eating his leftovers, I also enjoyed their banter about Monty. After Deeks jokes that Kensi shouldn’t blame his best friend, Kensi was hilarious, pretending to put on a sad voice, pouting, “I thought I was your best friend.” And Deeks’ response was fun, too: “Don’t pull your switchcraft on me!”

But my favorite scene came at the end when Deeks accidentally sent Kensi the video of his web cam investigation. I loved how each of them didn’t want the other to know the truth or see their role in the food heist. Deeks had no idea he was sleepwalking, eating his leftovers in the middle of the night. When he sees the evidence on tape, he is not about to tell Kensi he was the real culprit. But Kensi also knew she’d eaten his food in the middle of the night. Yet she still tried to make him apologize when the video first pointed to him being the thief. And she didn’t want him watching any further to learn the truth. She doesn’t want him knowing that she ate the “leftovers of his sleepwalking leftovers,” as he put it. These two are hilarious. They were both at fault but didn’t want to admit it. It was more fun to blame the other. But in the end they were both caught. Even as they walked out of work, I loved how Deeks acted shocked and appalled, telling her he didn’t know who she was and that she was the cause of his stress. I love how they tease one another.

Other Thoughts

- Sam couldn’t have been happy that Nate shot out his tires! Nate knows better than to mess with Sam’s car.

- Was Nate really enamored with this woman? Hetty implied it but it seemed out of character.

- It was nice seeing Nell struggle with the idea of Nate switching sides. She and Nate always had a great bond.

- Deeks definitely understood the psyche of going deep undercover. It was interesting that he said when you go that deep, you have to convince yourself before you can convince anybody else – so you almost end up believing your lies. That helps explain why Nate had a hard time dropping the undercover act.

- How did Nate still have the tracker Callen gave him? It looked like Nate threw it out the window after showing it to the woman.

- The ending focused on Nate too much for me. Because he isn’t one of the major characters in the show, I wasn’t extremely invested in caring about his training. So the ending lacked a little luster.


How did you like "Head of the Snake?" What did you most enjoy about the episode? Did you believe Nate had flipped sides? Were you worried for Callen? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

About the Author - Tonya Papanikolas

Tonya Papanikolas is an online, print and broadcast journalist who loves covering entertainment and television. She spent more than 10 years as a broadcast news anchor/reporter and now does everything from hosting to writing. She loves covering NCIS: Los Angeles for SpoilerTV. (She's a big fan of Kensi and Deeks!) She also writes SpoilerTV articles on other great shows.