Sometimes, there's just no comic relief.

Of course, that was to be expected when chemical attacks in Syria were at the heart of NCIS: Los Angeles Season 10 Episode 13.

Nope, this one was sad pretty much from beginning to end. And that's alright, occasionally.

Like on NCIS: Los Angeles Season 9 Episode 7, when radical service members took over missile silos in hopes of blowing up Muslim nations. Kensi was at the forefront of that one as well, in part because she was the only one skinny enough to slip inside the silo to retake the command center.

Daniela Ruah is great in these serious episodes because she can emote effectively when needed. The rest tend to take the stiff upper lip approach.

Those seeking escapist TV needn't have switched on here.

The fact that the Assad government used chemical weapons on its own people, including many children, was a crime against humanity.

This episode mirrored the same sense of futility at the conflict. Eighteen months after the U.S. pounded a Syrian airfield in retaliation for the chemical attack, American service members are pulling out of the country, ceding it to the butcher Assad.

In this one, David sought to get some justice for his son who killed in the chemical attack, only to be killed by one of Assad's generals for an incriminatory flash drive that he smuggled out of the country.

Through his talks with Kensi, we did find out what drove David to take such huge risks in order to expose the Assad regime's crimes against the Syrian citizens, so that by the time his end came, it was as much a gut punch for viewers as it was for the team, especially Kensi.

They then spent the whole episode trying to recover the flash drive to make David's sacrifice worthwhile, failing in that effort. At least David found peace in the end, but I doubt anyone else did.

At least we got some more insight into Turk this episode.

Turk this episode was more like Max Martini's character on The Unit, all kick-ass and take no prisoners. It was nice to see him cut loose.

Turk had been a fun addition this season, although there was always the question of why he worked alone. We found out why ... that Nasar had had Turk's longtime NCIS partner killed in the most gruesome of ways.

Obviously, Turk had been keeping his ears open for any opportunity to get to Nasar, even if it got in the way of what the OSP was trying to accomplish. Also, they were bound to obstruct his whole killing-Nasar plan.

This is what happens when Hetty's not around. Being the intelligence ninja she is, she would have picked up on what Turk was planning and headed it off.

Instead, it was the locals and Turk working against each other rather than together, with the expected results. I'm just glad the outnumbered Deeks knew to stay undercover until Sam and Callen's timely rescue.

It was good that in the end Turk settled for beating the crap out of Nasar. I doubt there will be much blowback because of Turk's actions. Nasar will undoubtedly again be turned over to the Lebanese, who will make a weak protest before he's spirited back to Syria.

That's why this whole episode felt like a waste. A good man was dead, and an evil man was allowed to walk, as no evidence was found. Kensi got put through the emotional wringer, and for what?

This was a good day to own a bar so that it was easy for the team to get a stiff drink. Maybe Roberta will be there to dispense some timely wisdom for these battered souls.

I suppose the message was that one man can't make much of a difference when it comes to geopolitics, especially in a morass such as Syria.

Hopefully, when NCIS: Los Angeles returns, the topic will be a little more upbeat with something like a threatened terrorist attack.

The only frivolity came early when Eric was using his best Renaissance Fair voice to show Deeks how to deliver his wedding vows. Kudos to Nell for keeping a straight face when she came in at the end of that performance.