NCIS Los Angeles Season 6 Episode 6 Review: Seal Hunter

at .  Updated at .

How many FBI agents does it take to arrest Sam Hanna? A lot!

Wow. Did they expect him to make a run for it? (They do always run, right?) I guess if he was guilty, he probably would have made a run for it. The Sam we know would never have murdered an innocent woman. He'd kill in combat, but a bookkeeper in her home? No way.

What I don't understand is why the show of force was necessary to make the arrest if Hetty was in the know. Why didn't they just let her negotiate Sam's surrender? While the big arrest hoopla didn't necessary make sense, the large scale and Sam's reaction were in line with the grave situation he was in.

While I never believed that Sam was guilty of killing Leyla Walden, there was a rough spot in the investigation when even his partner had to consider it was a possibility. The DNA evidence could have been altered. Given all they have seen over the years, that could easily be explained, until they independently confirmed that Sam's DNA was at the crime scene.

The DNA evidence, plus the surveillance video showing someone who looked like Sam, pushed his team to look even deeper for a plausible explanation. Was someone setting Sam up? Why would someone set him up? This investigation with all its twists and turns made NCIS: Los Angeles Season 6 Episode 6 the best hour of the season.

When Deeks and Kensi found the tie between the victim and Ray Turner, I expected him to be the killer. He was the right build to pretend to be Sam in the hoodie and it was plausible that he believed Sam was a fraud. Neither of those factors explained why he would have killed her though. After getting to know him, I'm glad he wasn't the killer. Wouldn't it be awesome to have him return to help with another case?

While the NCIS: LA team knows how to laugh, Turner provided a different type of humor. His best move was when he tricked Sam and Callen by going to the boat, swimming around them and then video calling from behind. Hilarious! As good as Sam and Callen are, Turner outwitted them. 

Turner wasn't the killer, but he knew who killed Leyla and the motive for her death. She knew her boss was a fraud and was about to expose him. She was going to cost him his business and a lot of money. In order to protect himself, he killed her. The situation was complicated when the killer was revealed to be Lee Stevens, who was in the Navy at the same time as Sam.

Stevens was as close to Sam's doppelganger as he'd probably find. Their resemblance was unsettling. Stevens took advantage of that and used Sam's stolen ID and hat to set up the Navy SEAL. He picked the wrong guy to go after. Sam and his NCIS brethren didn't hold back. 

As serious as the situation was for Sam, Callen and Granger provided a few laughs by stalking the FBI agents and using various means to force them to squeal about the evidence and then to let Sam out of custody. Between their actions and the addition of Turner, the lighthearted moments eased the concern and tension over Sam's situation.

In the end, Sam proved why he was worthy of being a SEAL and Stevens was not. When Heidi was threatened by a sniper, Sam took the shot to the chest. He had a vest on, but he had no way of knowing the shot would hit it or that the round wasn't armor-piercing. It was more important to him to save Heidi and apprehend the killers.

I have missed feelings about the final confrontation between Sam and Stevens. It was beneath Sam to fight Stevens, though I understand why he did it. It was his way of honoring true Navy SEALS and put Stevens in his place. The fake SEAL was not worthy and he needed to be taught a lesson.

Overall, "SEAL Hunter" was an intense hour that kept up the intrigue with the twists. The few moments of humor spread throughout the hour helped offset the serious tone that came with having one of their own threatened and wrongly accused of murder.

What was your favorite moment? Did you enjoy seeing a lighter side to Callen despite the danger Sam was in? Would you like to see Turner show up to help on another case?

Want to see it all over again? You can watch NCIS: Los Angeles online all day every day!

Seal Hunter Review

Editor Rating: 4.6 / 5.0
  • 4.6 / 5.0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
User Rating:

Rating: 2.6 / 5.0 (121 Votes)

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.

Show Comments
Tags: ,