Review: NCIS New Orleans ‘Something in the Air Part II’

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Warning: Post contains spoilers

“NCIS New Orleans” season 7 episode 2 “Something in the Air Part 2” picks up where “Something in the Air Part 1” left off. Navy Lieutenant Paula Cooke winds up dead under mysterious circumstances aboard NGO Eternal Hope’s humanitarian ship Good Hope. NOLA’s NCIS outfit is called in to investigate, and Resident Agent-in-Charge Dwayne “King” Pride (Scott Bakula) sends Special Agents Tammy Gregorio (Vanessa Ferlito) and Quentin Carter (Charles Michael Davis) to probe Lt. Cooke’s death.

Carrying medical supplies such as face masks and PPE, the Good Hope is nonetheless unable to dock. COVID-19 outbreak coupled with Lt. Cooke’s suspected murder earns the Good Hope the nickname of “ship of the damned” by one of its crew members. Indeed, when an explosion causes a fire that torches the onboard medical supplies, it does lend a post-apocalyptic vibe while seemingly confirming Gregorio and Carter’s speculation of foul play in Paula’s demise.

On land, Pride, Special Agent Hannah Khoury (Necar Zadegan), Agent Sebastian Lund (Rob Kerkovich), and investigative computer specialist (aka hacker extraordinaire) Patton “Triple P” Plame (Daryl Mitchell) focus their efforts on Eternal Hope. Strange financial records show instances of missing money. Presumably, Lt. Cooke uncovered evidence relating to misappropriated funds and was killed to silence her.

COVID-19 continues to plague the Big Easy. Jefferson Parrish Coroner Loretta Wade (CCH Pounder) is overwhelmed at the morgue, and she’s not the only one. Local hospitals are full of the sick and dead to the point where bodies turned up missing. When a distraught woman, Alyssa Martin (Andrea Laing) arrives at the morgue making a scene, Loretta calms her down. Alyssa elucidates that her brother Aaron passed away but his corpse has gone missing. Dr. Wade launches an investigation reaching out to hospitals and funeral homes. Eventually. Loretta tracks Aaron’s corpse to Dr. Larry Jones, a mortuary arts teacher single-handedly doing his part taking care of dead bodies that can’t be accommodated by hospitals.

Triple P continues to care for his niece and goddaughter Donna (Emani White) while her mother, a nurse, is in New York City fighting COVID-19. Though brilliant, Donna appears unmotivated. “I’m not in school, I’m definitely not learning. I’m on a computer with teachers who don’t want to be here any more than me.” Patton argues, “At least they show up!” Donna points out, “Because they get paid! What am I getting out of it?” This is a common sentiment that many students and even workers are battling. “You can’t give up. You gotta keep going. Even if it looks like a lost cause. You fight,” Plame offers encouragingly.

Pride’s girlfriend Rita Devereaux (Chelsea Field, and Scott Bakula’s real-life wife) travels to New Orleans to stay with Dwayne in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Upon Rita’s arrival at Pride’s bar, the Tru Tone, where Dwayne and his half-brother Jimmy Boyd (Jason Alan Carvell) are taking inventory of supplies, Devereaux takes no chances. “I got tested before I left but I don’t have the results yet,” Rita warns. “I’m sure you’re fine,” Pride dismisses. “No, you want me to be fine but you don’t know that and neither do I…I’ll be in the guest room until I get my results,” Devereaux counters. “Oooh guest room, tough break brother,” Jimmy quips.

The murder-of-the-week component of “NCIS NOLA” S07E02 “Something in the Air Part 2” stays mysterious until the final moments of the episode. It manifests as a juicy whodunit. Once again, the COVID-19 pandemic plays a key role in this episode as I suspect it will for the remainder of the season. It’s successful on several fronts. From a production standpoint, incorporating coronavirus precautions like masks into the story arc provides an excuse for using such preventative measures on set. Moreover, “NCIS New Orleans” offers a relateable subplot since everyone, regardless of whether they’ve contracted COVID or not, has been affected by its spread. Plus, “NCIS NOLA” uses its platform to spread awareness about the importance of social distancing, mask wearing, and the current healthcare crisis. In the morgue, Sebastian laments “They’re getting younger,” of a recently deceased coronavirus victim. “30 years old,” Loretta explains. “Unlucky enough to catch COVID and have asthma. Didn’t go to the hospital because he didn’t have insurance.

Despite its growing cast, “NCIS New Orleans” juggles multiple characters and storylines marvelously. “Something in the Air Part II” provides a pleasant mix of standalone investigation and concentration on its characters. The relationships developed over the course of the series are as strong as ever, and the impact of COVID-19 touches each of their lives in various ways. “Something in the Air Part II” satisfactorily wraps up the investigation into Lt. Cooke’s murder, continues personal character story arcs, and leaves me excited for the next episode. So far, “NCIS New Orleans” season 7 is one of its freshest seasons yet.