Review: NCIS New Orleans “Crab Mentality”

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Warning: Major spoilers ahead

“NCIS: New Orleans” season 5 episode 15 “Crab Mentality” opens with a man sneaking into a construction site. He’s hit over the head with a shovel, then buried alive. It turns out he’s Ensign Milo Blevins (Dother Sykes). This leads the team to Jax Inc., a mysterious company run by Aramenta Jax. NCIS Special Agents Hannah Khoury  (Necar Zadegan) and Tammy Gregorio (Vanessa Ferlito) arrive at a construction site run by Jax where they’re threatened by armed guards. Meanwhile, Special Agent Chris LaSalle (Lucas Black) and Senior Special Agent in Charge Dwayne Pride (Scott Bakula) interrupt a meeting between Jax and Norman Wong.
Initially, it seems as though Aramenta may be responsible for the deaths. However, suspicion falls on Norman Wong, a mysterious investor in Jax Inc. Aramenta reveals that her liquid polymer is poised to revolutionize seawalls. Rather than building new levies, Jax’s polymer allows a simple repair. Because that would disrupt the construction industry, the NCIS NOLA team believes Wong may be an economic hitman of sorts. Rather than presumed bad luck, Jax has been sabotaged the entire time.

Unfortunately, confronting Wong proves dangerous. Norman reveals leverage on Agent Khoury. During “NCIS New Orleans” season 5 episode 14 episode “Conspiracy Theories,” Hannah’s old colleague and friend Liam returned with a story that their CIA intel which led to a raid in Yemen resulted in the death of terrorist Victor Zelko. But according to Liam, Zelko’s entire family was killed in the botched raid. Wong sends a threatening envelope to Khoury with a picture of the massacred Zelko family within. Still, Pride insists that the NCIS New Orleans team can’t allow Wong to go free.

Observations:

The Victor Zelko subplot from “NCIS New Orleans” episode “Conspiracy Theories” returns. With a few earlier story arcs resolved, it’s refreshing to fill that void with a bit of recurring plot amidst the standalone “villain of the week” format. There’s an all-too-brief scene where NCIS Agent Sebastian Lund (Rob Kerkovich) joins medical examiner Loretta Wade (CCH Pounder) in the morgue. “Hey, I like it when I’m back here and it’s just the two of us,” Sebastian comments, mimicking the sentiments of the audience. Unfortunately, Loretta is noticeably absent during “Crab Mentality.” Hopefully, that’s a mere necessity for “NCIS NOLA” S05E15 which concentrates largely on Jax, as well as Khoury’s Yemen raid.

By the episode’s conclusion, Pride’s team wraps up the Wong case. Patton Plame (Daryl “Chill” Mitchell) plays a key role, partnering up with Sebastian to run an off-the-books hack on Wong. As always, it’s a pleasure having Plame onboard. The Jax storyline gets overshadowed by Wong blackmailing Hannah. The finale reveals that Zelko isn’t dead, and is actually alive and well. This proves an imminent threat for Khoury.

I appreciate the fresh storyline with the Yemen raid on Victor Zelko. It’s clear that subplot isn’t over, and on the contrary, is poised to return. While Wong is arrested by the FBI at the end of the show, I wouldn’t be surprised if he resurfaced. Loretta doesn’t get nearly enough screentime, a running issue during “NCIS New Orleans” season 5. Despite his new role as SAC, Dwayne Pride remains in the field with his team on a regular basis, thus maintaining the dynamic which “NCIS NOLA” first introduces. “Crab Mentality” introduces a chilling new villain in Norman Wong, while furthering the Zelko narrative. It’s a strong episode with a pleasing mix of one-off material and overarching NCIS lore.