You can never go wrong with having a small local law-enforcement team invade a foreign country with which it's largely unfamiliar to accomplish a near-impossible goal.

No wonder Pride and company didn't complete their mission on NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 23.

The good news is that since this clash-with-Apollyon storyline is already going to be two parts, maybe it won't spill over into next season.

Maybe.

I mean, Dwayne was in peril at the end of last season. To have another cliffhanger with a similar storyline would be so redundant.

Kind of like having a local team in over its head in a foreign country, where they don't speak the language (sorry, Chris) or know the players.

That tired trope never gets old.

A contact of Hannah's estranged husband Ryan came up with actionable intel on Apollyon, as first mentioned on NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 21.

Related: NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 22 Review: Chaos Theory

It must have been a hot tip since Isler woke up Pride from his prophetic dream to tell him about it.

Walker and company were holing up in South Ossetia, which frankly sounds like a town in the southern U.S. rather than a region near Russian Georgia.

But of course, such choice intel led directly into an ambush, with only Isler left alive. Why? Mainly to propel the narrative, since he was the only person involved of whom viewers had heard.

Notice I didn't say "whom viewers would like to have spared." There's been way too much Isler over the past three seasons, although he did finally get that stick out of his ass.

So Pride launched one of his make-it-up-as-he-goes-along schemes to rescue Isler, mainly because he felt guilty that he could only watch the ambush as it took place.

Why does Pride think he's ever going to get an opportunity to undertake a solo mission? When has going rogue ever worked out well for him?

Pride read in Hannah on NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 21. because he didn't want to go behind her back while working with Ryan and his contact, Luka Osman.

Then Lasalle used his superpower of telling when someone was sneaking around to confront Hannah. And since clock master Sebastian was there at the time, he got to find out as well about Pride's secret mission.

Before long, everyone knew what was going on concerning Apollyon. Which was good, since Pride truly needed all of their help.

That's because there were two problems that needed solving.

Heading up the foreign delegation going to rescue Isler was Pride and Lasalle, who conveniently had visited Georgia (the one not near Alabama) on an NCIS training mission.

Chris's grasp of the local language was tenuous and kept gettng guns pointed at them (must have been the accent).

Related: Watch NCIS: New Orleans Online: Season 5 Episode 22

Meanwhile, the rest of the team had to smoke out the Apollyon mole who was seemingly a step ahead of them at all times.

There was a good deal of stumbling around by both units, as Apollyon was ahead of them all the way through.

While all the good guys were dabbling in hunting terrorists and more reactive, Walker and Apollyon were proactive, seeking to trap Pride and kill off his squad.

So Isler was left alive to draw Pride onto unfamiliar turf. Meanwhile, Hannah and company were drawn into a trap by a false lead.

Luka was a good addition, a real philosopher. While he was certainly opportunistic, it was better to think of him as an entrepreneur.

Despite coming off as more than a little slimy, I believe he was working to help Pride and Lasalle because they needed it.

But his first priority was, no doubt, survival.

Apollyon had set up Pride well. One of their choppers attacked as soon as Pride had completed the negotiations for Isler's release. So the musclebound militia leader concluded that Pride was setting him up.

That meant the three of them were trying to escape not only Apollyon but the pissed-off militia as well.

The home squad was doing slightly better.

CBS Announces Fate of NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans

After they escaped the shootout, Loretta was able to find a microchip in the body of an Apollyon soldier. This chip turned on one of the cell phones, and Patton was able to crack Apollyon communications, at least for a short while.

It was long enough for Hannah to determine what Pride was up to enough to send for some help, in this case, Luka again.

But they were no closer to finding the actual mole, who will likely prove crucial to rescuing Pride.

Unfortunately, even the militia was able to dope out Pride's plan to escape by the river, and Lasalle and Isler both ended up getting shot.

Pride did the noble thing, serving as a distraction to allow the other two to return to Georgia where they could get medical help.

Whether it's in time for Isler is hard to say. But I can't believe they'd put all that time into developing the character just for a gratuitous death.

Related: Get CBS All Access via Amazon Channels for Hit Shows, Exclusive Originals & Live TV!

Of course, he soon faced a scene where he got surrounded, and it looked like his nightmare was going to come true. Up until the time that Walker "rescued" him.

So let's set up the finale.

The home team will need to find the mole, who will help them locate Apollyon and Pride. I can't believe all of them are going to invade a foreign country uninvited, but in for a penny ...

To brush up on Apollyon before the finale, watch NCIS: New Orleans online.

How did you like Luka?

Should Isler survive or not?

Did Pride overplay his hand once again?

Comment below.

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