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Warning: Post contains spoilers
“NCIS: New Orleans” season 6 episode 18 “A Changed Woman” kicks off, quite literally, with a group of teenagers skateboarding. While the kids attempt to pull off their best Tony Hawk impersonations, one takes a tumble into a dumpster. And he finds more than dirty takeout containers inside, coming face to face with the corpse of a dead Navy sailor. Special Agent Dwayne “King” Pride (Scott Bakula) shows up at the crime scene with Jefferson Parish medical examiner Loretta Wade (CCH Pounder) in tow. New guy Special Agent Quentin Carter (Charles Michael Davis) walks up and receives a mission debrief from Pride and Loretta. “Those are some nice shoes,” Loretta quips noting Carter’s expensive footwear. “Shame if they got dirty,” Pride adds. Then, it dawns on Quentin that he’s being sent dumpster diving. “Look, at least have the decency both of you to pretend you’re not enjoying this.”
The murdered sailor case pulls Special Agent Hannah Khoury (Necar Zadegan) away from her daughter Naomi’s soccer game. Unfortunately, this means Khoury can’t accompany Naomi to the Mean Girls musical, so she gives the tickets to her ex-husband Ryan. Complicating the situation, Ryan’s new girlfriend Veronica begins spending more time with Naomi much to the chagrin of Hannah. Friend and co-worker Special Agent Tammy Gregorio (Vanessa Ferlito) continues to bond with Khoury, providing advice about how to handle the new woman in Ryan’s life, and the competitiveness she still feels even though Hannah and Ryan have been separated for some time now. Special Agent Sebastian Lund (Rob Kerkovich) receives an emergency phone call from his mother. Mrs. Lund is having surgery, and Sebastian visits her to help out.
Investigating the sailor’s murder leads the NCIS New Orleans team to Petty Officer Murphy’s wife Sarah who is living in New Orleans. It turns out the widowed Sarah is taking care of her father who suffered a major stroke. Her husband, Petty Officer Brayden Murphy, flew in on weekends to assist. Sarah’s brother got into trouble with New Orleans drug dealers as NCIS NOLA discovers when Sarah turns up in a park with a duffel bag of heroin. Probing the case, Pride pays crime kingpin Sasha Broussard a visit in prison. While Sasha professes to be a new woman, Pride remains understandably skeptical. Broussard provides intel for NCIS which leads the team to a drug lab.
Observations:
More than ever, the familial feel is evident for the “NCIS New Orleans” team. When Sebastian gets called away from his job to care for his mother, Pride sends him off without a second thought. Gregorio and Khoury discuss Hannah’s struggles with her ex-husband Ryan dating another woman. Season 6 has explored Tammy and Hannah’s friendship, as well as the bond between Gregorio and Sebastian. One hilarious scene finds Lund hiding in a closet and video chatting with Tammy.
In a touching moment, Investigative Computer Specialist Patton “Triple P” Plame (Daryl “Chill” Mitchell) reassures Sarah, “I know you’re scared. But, if there’s anybody I trust to take care of my family, it’s Dwayne Pride.” Ineed, the NCIS NOLA outfit is far more than a bunch of co-workers. It’s a family. With Sebastian gone for much of the action, Quentin Carter teams up with Pride. While initially brash, Carter is definitely beginning to mesh with his new co-workers. Many of the Dwayne and Quentin sequences on “A Changed Woman” are enjoyable, seeking to paint Carter as a more likable character. Although, his bold, against the grain while failing to initially win over Gregorio, Sebastian, Patton, or Hannah ushers in a fresh dynamic. Patton offers a comedic one-liner where he suggests using a bit of software. “Is it legal?” Hannah wonders. Pausing, Plame carefully answers, “It’s…proprietary.” Sasha emerging from the woodwork can’t be good for Pride. Presumably, we haven’t seen the last of her, and despite her current incarceration, I wouldn’t be shocked if Pride came face to face with Sasha or her cronies again soon.
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