NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 11 Review: Vindicta
Dale McGarrigle
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That was a pretty well thought-out balancing act.
Pride and his team got a measure of justice for Cassius on NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 11.
But no one could conclude that Apollyon has been taken out of the picture altogether. Sure, the agency of rogue intelligence agents has gotten crippled, but let's not pretend it's gone.
Is it realistic to believe that a regional law-enforcement office would have more impact on Apollyon that the national intelligence agencies that have been chasing it for years?
Not really. Granted, Pride was more personally involved than those intelligence professionals, since Loretta had gotten abducted and his father ultimately killed. But was his trying harder actually enough to drive Apollyon's leader out of hiding? I wouldn't think so.
But let's set the feasibility of this storyline aside. It was still an enjoyable experience, which did a good job setting up what's to come in the immediate future.
Related: NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 10 Review: Tick Tock
Pride was a man off balance throughout the installment. He was trying to suppress his grief, take care of his family and find a mercenary spy agency, all at the same time. That's a lot for anyone to handle, let alone someone who was recuperating from a near-death experience.
Poor Dwayne. He took that Special Agent in Charge position mainly to be under less stress. But that hasn't worked out, and the blame for most of that falls at his own feet. He's not willing to take a step back.
This Apollyon mess isn't his fault, mind you. Its leader came after Pride, although for what reason isn't clear. Why pop your head up unnecessarily rather than stay hidden?
Walker and his team invaded NCIS headquarters back on NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 2, to find NCIS codes that would allow them to locate a CIA black site housing a high-value target. This elite spy group couldn't find a more subtle approach than the equivalent of a smash-and-grab?
Taking Cassius and Loretta to pressure Pride to use his newfound authority to free Parsons on NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 10 made a little more sense. But Parsons was such a loose cannon that it was predictable that that scheme would end badly for someone, in this case, Cassius and quite a few Apollyon agents.
Related: Watch NCIS: New Orleans Online: Season 5 Episode 10
Plus that enabled Pride to learn about Apollyon and put a pissed-off Dwayne on their tail. It sounds like a lose/lose situation to me.
Why did the Apollyon leader tell Pride where to find him? Possibly because he's another misdirection. Walker was still on the loose after escaping the prison in Slidell, so maybe he's more than a mercenary for hire.
That's why I don't think Apollyon is done for good. Not everything went together neatly in this episode.
A bonus of this spy hunt is that we got to learn a good deal more about Hannah's situation.
How convenient that Hannah's husband was at least spy adjacent. And that circumstances forced her back into her family's lives in a way, not of her choosing.
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So she sent away her husband and daughter to keep them safe, then cleaning up whatever was threatening them took longer than she thought. Then she moves to New Orleans to get back together with them, yet fails to visit in four months? She certainly had the time, since she wasn't closing down the Tru Tone like the rest of the team.
Don't these spy types have secure communication?
So now Hannah is going to take some time off to reconnect with her family. I wonder if Necar Zadegan is shooting a movie, or if this was the plan all along, to get Pride out of his new position and back where he belonged. It is cleaner than having him kicked back down for dereliction of duty.
Related: Get CBS All Access via Amazon Channels for Hit Shows, Exclusive Originals & Live TV!
It was good to have Rita and Laurel return, to provide Pride with a much-needed island of stability. Also, it's encouraging that Dwayne and Jimmy are getting closer, even though Jimmy is even more hotheaded than his brother. It's evident that Pride will be cleaning up after him for a good portion of the remaining episodes.
It was great that Cassius received a first-line procession, that most New Orleans of traditions. It never hurts to name drop Emeril either.
To catch up on Jimmy and Dwayne's relationship, watch NCIS: New Orleans online.
Will the Apollyon storyline continue? What did you think of the Hannah revelations? How are you liking Jimmy?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
