Ncis: Sydney Spoilers Deshawn And Evie Save A Model

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NCIS: Sydney Season 2, Episode 6 is an incredibly formulaic installment of the CBS spinoff. Viewers will be able to figure out the characters, the case of the week and even the emotional story beats well ahead of time. But fans of Evie Cooper and DeShawn Jackson, or anyone hoping that Evie and DeShawn become a couple, will at least find some value in the back and forth between the two agents.

“Hell Weak” opens with the death of Navy SEAL candidate Victor Austin, then jumps ahead four years later, when the now-former SEALS who trained him are at a wellness retreat. A sudden death among them opens up the past again, and what follows is an example of why some people think TV crime shows are all the same. It never deviates from expectations, but at least actors Sean Sagar and Tuuli Narkle are doing their best to make it entertaining.

NCIS: Sydney Season 2, Episode 6 Is Full of Stereotypical Characters

No One Stands Out in a Straightforward Case of the Week

As the title somewhat implies, “Hell Weak” is another story about military toughness taken too far. The core guest characters all fit the archetype of toxic masculinity. They’re overly tough guys who talk with bravado, go by nicknames of “Axeman” and “Scalpel,” and they’re quick to sneer at and denigrate anyone who doesn’t fit their mold. Once the audience meets the other three former Navy SEALS, it’s not hard to deduce that they’re involved in Pete Levinson’s murder. They’re caricatures who espouse all the same tired negative ideas, and that’s incredibly disappointing in a franchise that specifically tells stories connected to the military.

But it’s not just that that characterization is poor; the plot twists are easy to predict, too. The underlying story is fairly basic: the former SEALs covered up Austin’s death and are now trying to keep a nosy journalist from exposing them, even if it means killing their own. The big twist is that Finn McKay, who owns the retreat, decides to break rank with his team and help DeShawn and Evie. But that is heavily foreshadowed before the opening credits; the scene right after Austin’s death shows that Finn has a wife and they’re expecting a baby, essentially earmarking him as the sympathetic character within the villain group.

Even the smaller twists are either fairly obvious or repetitive. When the bad guys give Evie and DeShawn guns in order to hunt them down like prey, Evie confesses that she’s never aimed a firearm at a live target, which feels like a redux of NCIS: Sydney Season 2, Episode 2, “Fire in the Hole,” where Evie revealed she couldn’t swim and did it anyway. “Hell Weak” never stops feeling like the writers are spinning their wheels, and what keeps the episode from being skippable is the two actors at its core.

NCIS: Sydney Deepens Evie and DeShawn’s Relationship

Tuuli Narkle and Sean Sagar Are the Best Reasons to Watch

NCIS: Sydney Season 2, Episode 6 is a DeShawn and Evie story, similar to “Fire in the Hole,” but this one is focused primarily on DeShawn. The duo are once again put into a survival situation and have to figure a way out, with plenty of banter along the way. In fact, sometimes the banter gets distracting, but at least it’s fun because Tuuli Narkle and Sean Sagar have gotten their rhythm down pat. The one thing this episode does well is illustrate how strong the chemistry between Evie and DeShawn is, and how much they care about each other — even if the plot lets them down.

Evie Cooper (to DeShawn): I hope you’ve got a plan, because this is going to seriously suck.

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Audiences learn — along with Evie — that DeShawn was a SEAL candidate and quit right near the end of his training. The emotional storyline is supposed to be about how he’s still “good enough” despite that, especially since he comes out on top over the former SEALs. The execution of this is a bit heavy-handed, but that’s because the characters DeShawn is playing against are so one-dimensional. Sagar does his part to show DeShawn’s insecurity, and even does his best to sell the moment when DeShawn tries to convince Evie that these couldn’t possibly be the bad guys, despite it falling flat because the audience is ahead of him. Sagar has a great fight scene near the end, too, although it’s slightly spoiled by the fact that it takes place in a partially dark room, so viewers can’t always see what’s happening.

Evie has a smaller arc, because once she says she’s never aimed a weapon at a live person, NCIS: Sydney fans know that means she’ll have to shoot someone. Evie’s reaction when she thinks DeShawn is possibly dead and rushes to his side is very touching. However, there’s also a sense of deja vu because Evie also had to step out of her comfort zone to save DeShawn in “Fire in the Hole.” Furthermore, some fans may be underwhelmed by the fact that she intentionally shoots “Axeman” in the leg, instead of aiming for center mass like DeShawn told her to. This is obviously Evie’s choice not to take a life, but from a storytelling standpoint, it’s odd to have a scene where DeShawn gives her advice and then have her not follow it. Still, you can’t help but root for the two of them throughout, and not just because they’re the heroes.

NCIS: Sydney Still Can’t Quite Figure Out Comic Relief

Season 2, Episode 6 Stumbles Whenever It Detours

“Hell Weak” struggles whenever it pulls away from the main storyline. There’s a brief nod to the Colonel Rankin story that’s been ongoing all season, when Michelle Mackey and JD Dempsey get into Rankin’s daughter’s teddy bear and find a drive full of encrypted data. But other than that, everything else is awkward. A scene in which Blue doesn’t want to call Austin’s parents is likely meant to convey her social anxiety, yet it still comes off as unintentionally frustrating, since — as Doc Roy points out — this is concerning people who’ve lost their child. None of this adds anything to the episode, either, so it could have been left out.

The episode’s comic relief comes from an ongoing discussion between the American agents and the Australian officers about what each of their respective countries has given the world. However, these jokes get old fast. One or two would’ve been fine (the Gallipoli references actually are plot-relevant to a certain extent). And for anyone who’s a fan of the Anita Ward hit “Ring My Bell,” this episode does temper any love of the song by making it a sort of psuedo-anthem for the bad guys, plus throwing in a corny use of it at the end. NCIS:

Sydney Season 2, Episode 6 is not one of the show’s best efforts. Viewers who love DeShawn and Evie will love their scenes together, and fans will definitely appreciate the effort of Sean Sagar and Tuuli Narkle, but this is an hour best forgotten.

NCIS: Sydney airs Fridays at 8:00 p.m. on CBS.

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