NCIS: Hawaiʻi 2×08 “Curtain Call” is a pretty dry episode, with some flashes of brilliance that are nowhere near enough to make it stand out. Lucy’s absence is felt — and Alan, who is less there to replace her as much as he is there to bring some lightness to the episode, does about as good a job at that as he does at solving the case. That is, he tries hard, but ultimately doesn’t even come close.
If there’s a standout in the episode it’s a Jane Tennant that has more often than not this season, taken a step back to the team. In this hour, however, she shines — at least as an NCIS agent, her family life is still as chaotic as always, and we continue to roll our eyes at Alex’s general everything, even while understanding that is precisely the point. He’s a teenager.
But Tennant doesn’t just get to flex her mom muscles in this episode, she gets to save the day, pretty much on her own. It’s kinda fun to see, particularly considering that when you bring in a character like Charlie One, all muscles and dimpled smile, the expectation is he will get to do some saving. Instead, he’s the damsel in distress to a Tennant who pretty much has chemistry with any other character you allow her to spend some time with.
Not that any of them are anywhere near worthy of her, or even an interesting storyline, at this point.
Otherwise, the episode is pretty much a slog, with Jesse playing the same role he always plays, pretend hardass who is actually a softie, and Kai reaching out to Kate for help with his ex-friend turned mob boss, something that is sure to set up a confrontation that will hopefully pay off later in the season — only to find out his dad also took blood money, and things are way worse than he even thought they could be.
It’s good setup, and good use of Kai’s family life, which the show hasn’t explored as much as it could have. It’s just not as interesting as what it is, setup. Even Ernie, who is usually good for a few moments of levity, seems much more serious in this hour. I mean, it’s probably because they’re all worried about Tennant (and rightfully so), but it brings the whole tone of the episode down, in a way NCIS: Hawaiʻi 2×08 “Curtain Call” never recovers from.
NCIS: Hawaiʻi 2×08 “Curtain Call” isn’t a horrible episode, it’s just not a great one, with nothing to make it stand out from other procedurals, much less other episodes of this very same show. We might not regret watching it, but we also don’t have much to say about it other than hey, at least we got some time with some of our favorite characters.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of NCIS: Hawaiʻi 2×08 “Curtain Call”? Share with us in the comments below!
NCIS: Hawaiʻi airs Mondays at 10/9c on CBS.
