Finally, we got a Patton episode!

Yeah, that's right. Everyone's favorite hacker was at the center of NCIS: New Orleans Season 4 Episode 7.

We even got to meet Anna, one of his ex-wives.

His most recent ex-wife, Dr. Anna Yoon, was the director of a clinical trial which comes under fire as the result of veterans going wild.

Anna's idea was to help veterans with PTSS deal with their anger by implanting a device that would relay signals to the regions of their brain that would calm them. It was meant to be an alternative to pills.

The problem is that someone had hacked into the project's network and amplified the sailors' anger, turning them into killers.

This, of course, sparked all kinds of debate about mucking with people's brains, especially if the solution ends up just as hackable as any other computerized device.

Pride correctly pointed out that people used to say the same thing about heart surgery, which is now commonplace. What used to be science fiction is rapidly becoming a reality.

Obviously, the study had validity if other companies were seeking to buy out Anna's firm.

Anna had the altruistic goal of helping sailors that were suffering. Too bad those around her were more interested in sabotaging the project so they could steal the technology for themselves.

Apparently, things between Patton and Anna ended so badly that he didn't want any part of the investigation into the hack, at least not until Pride was able to get through to him.

This case would have been impossible to solve without Patton. While Sebastian and Gregorio can hold their own when it comes to digital investigation, they're not Patton.

We found out that Patton is in the chair because, after a fight with Anna, he drove a boat too fast and ended up getting paralyzed in the resulting accident. He blamed her for it.

It took him all this time to finally be able to admit, both to himself and to Anna, that he was ultimately to blame for his present condition. It was good to see them hash out everything, which was necessary for both to heal. Patton has never lacked for confidence or clever words, except when it comes to talking about what counts most.

His teammates all tried to get him to open up. Gregorio relayed her experiences of how not dealing with her ex resulted in many years of unhappiness. Pride also was able to reach Patton, because he was there at Patton's worst of times.

Was having adrenaline junkie Patton roll off the second floor onto the creepy doctor a little over the top? Sure. But it made for a nice action sequence, with Pride arriving just in time to save Patton from his ill-conceived takedown effort.

There's still plenty to learn about Patton. In broad strokes, we know that he was a hacker on the wrong side of the law who now uses his powers for good. But what he used to do has really only been hinted at.

Patton also mentioned two other ex-wives, so there are two more possible characters for the future.

As for the case itself, I expected a big biotech corporation to be behind it. But an inside job, planned by two crucial members of Anna's staff, worked well instead.

I'm not sure how Anna plans to blow the stink off her study. Although it wasn't her fault, having two of her subjects go berserk wasn't much of a selling point.

There's definitely a role for Patton in that effort. If anyone could plug the security holes in a computer network, it would be him. After all, he's exploited enough of them.

This case was a good opportunity for Sebastian to shine, using his science skills to read brain scans and to discover crucial trace evidence. I expect more of Sebastian in the lab and less in the field as the season progresses. And I'm quite OK with that.

It was another week without Percy, and the team was worse off for it. LaSalle tends to be more involved when she's around to bounce ideas off of. Percy is also the best partner for Gregorio as well. Short straw gets Pride or monitors Sebastian.

Gregorio continues to shed her hard edges, as she was able to commiserate both with Patton and Anna. She's been there, and she's in touch with her feelings and willing to share.

19 Blunders and Triumphs of the Season So Far!

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SPOILER ALERT: It's Loretta's turn on NCIS: New Orleans Season 4 Episode 8, as her son Danny is at the heart of the case after being attacked. Also, for those concerned about Pride's professional resurrection, he's required to meet with a therapist to discuss his process. He's not as closemouthed as Gibbs, but that promises to be torture, for both Pride and the therapist.

To catch up on any missed episodes, such as after a power outage, watch NCIS: New Orleans online.

How did you enjoy the Patton spotlight? Would you like to see more of Anna? Who would you like to see featured next? Comment below.

Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.