NCIS: New Orleans - Welcome to the Jungle - Review: “New Agent?”
4.18 - “Treasure Hunt”
Directed by James Whitmore Jr.
Written by Christopher Silber and Austin Badgett
Reviewed by Kelly Anne Blount
“Welcome to the Jungle” opens with a late night phone call. Pride picks up the phone and learns that a lieutenant commander was killed. Pride is instructed to leave for Belle Chasse immediately for transport to South America. He was personally requested, but it’s classified. He’s allowed to bring two of his team members with him. He needs to leave in 90 minutes. Pride calls Sebastian and asks him and Percy to join him. Pride is surprised when Gregorio shows up to the airport in Percy’s place. Gregorio says that Percy had a “prior engagement” for the next day and that she couldn’t make it. She tells Pride that she can’t tell him anything else. He’s not happy, but they don’t have any time, so he, Sebastian, and Gregorio take off. While I’m still disappointed that Percy is leaving the show, I love Gregorio and Sebastian together in the field! This is shaping up to be a great episode!
The team shows up to a top-secret base called “The Triple Frontier.” Per their guide, it’s a lawless and extremely dangerous place. They are hunting Sergio Rivera, a drug lord. He disappeared over two years ago when one of the people working for him staged a coup d'état. Sergio only recently resurfaced in the frontier. The people working at the undercover military base were given instructions to bring him in, alive if possible. During the extraction, they were ambushed. Sergio was wounded and the unit leader was killed in action. Pride is confused as to why they are there. The deceased officer is Lieutenant Commander Daryl Watkins. It turns out that Pride and Watkins know each other a long time ago and before he died, Watkins recorded a tape asking Pride to investigate if anything happened to him.
Percy show up late to HQ. She says, “I had a meeting, it couldn’t be helped.” LaSalle wants to know more, but she isn’t willing to share. Ugh. Why does she have to leave?
Pride video chats the team. He shares that Watkins thought there was a mole in the operation. He also tells them that Sebastian found encrypted files on Watkins laptop. Pride tells them, “time is of the essence,” and, “If there is a mole, the entire operation is at risk.” He ends the call by telling Sonja that they are going to talk as soon as he gets back. Uh oh.
Pride learns that Sergio had evidence against the cartel on a hard drive. That, as well as Watkins’ body, are still at the scene. They are keeping the cartel at bay for now, but they need to retrieve Watkins’ body as well as the hard drive. Unfortunately, they can’t do that until they figure out who the mole is, otherwise they are as good as dead the moment they leave the base.
Pride and his team want to question everyone involved. Sergio is in rough shape. It’s unlikely that Pride will be able to speak to him anytime soon. Gregorio has more luck and interviews two of the men that were a part of the mission. The guys go over the details of the night with Gregorio. They share that they lost the ability to communicate and the drones went down. They tell her everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Sebastian and Gregorio move on to another solider who was part of the operation. He says, “It seemed less like an attack and more like a hit.” He also tells them to speak to Sargent Sydney Halliday, who somehow only ended up with a bullet wound to the arm. He thinks this is odd, as they were under a heavy gunfire.
Sargent Halliday was the only person near Watkins at the time of his death. She is supposed to be in sick bay, but Pride reports the only person back there is Sergio.
Pride, Sebastian, and Gregorio head outside to find Sargent Halliday in a sling and beating up, Benecio, a Navy Seal. Pride tells her to stand down. She finally complies and tells the team that the person she just attacked, killed Watkins. She thinks Benicio, who is a solider from South America, is working for the cartel, but she didn’t see him pull the trigger. She found a cell phone in Benicio’s room and gives it to Pride. Pride tells her that he can’t prove where she got that phone. He asks her to trust him.
Gregorio and Sebastian interrogate Benicio. They want to know why the cell phone was hidden under his mattress. They also throw all of the info Halliday shared with them at Benicio. He says that she’s wrong. Benicio tells Gregorio and Sebastian that he has the phone to stay in contact with his family, who are in hiding because of threats from the cartel.
Looks like Benicio and the other two soldiers who were a part of the operation to retrieve Sergio have clean backgrounds. Halliday, who is one tough Green Beret, has served all over the world. She was personally requested by Watkins.
Percy tells LaSalle that she feels restless. She says, “… and then an opportunity came up.” Turns out she went to a job interview for a position with the FBI International Operations. Isler recommended her. She admits that she hasn’t told Pride, and besides LaSalle, the only other person that knows is Gregorio. LaSalle wants to know if she wants to leave. The question goes unanswered.
Patton has information from the decrypted files on Watkins’ computer. Turns out he had orders to send Halliday home immediately. He also has an image of Halliday with Sergio.
Gregorio and Pride are arguing about what to do next. Sebastian interrupts and tells them that Sergio just woke up. Uh oh! Gunfire rings out at the base. Pride rushes to his side as they are under intense fire. The cartel is attacking and they need to get to Sergio immediately.
Oh my gosh! Halliday is standing over Sergio’s bloody body. There’s a knife on his chest. She says, “If I move, he dies!” Gregorio knocks her out of the way. Sergio is already dead.
Gregorio and others think Halliday is the mole and that she killed Sergio. Pride doesn’t believe the investigation is closed. The commander in charge of the base gives him until six o’clock the following morning to figure it out.
The team interrogates Halliday. She says that she was trying to save Sergio, not kill him. Gregorio shows Halliday the image of her with Sergio. Pride asks Gregorio to leave. Looks like it’s time for some good cop, bad cop.
Pride tells Halliday that everything thinks she’s guilty. Pride tells her about his backstory with Watkins. Turns out that Pride saved Watkins from being charged with a crime he didn’t commit. It appears that Watkins knew the same thing would happen with Halliday, which is why he asked for Pride to investigate the case.
Halliday admits that she talked to Sergio independently. She was going to give him safe passage to a US prison in exchange for information. Halliday reports that she broke regulations, which is why she was being transferred, but only after they brought Sergio in. Now, he’s dead and so is Watkins.
Gregorio and Pride get into it. She’s pissed that he isn’t doing anything to stop Percy from leaving. Pride asks Sebastian if he feels the same way. He says, “I don’t have any idea of what’s happening right now.” Pride asks Sebastian to contact Loretta at the morgue to set up a virtual autopsy. Meanwhile, Pride tells Gregorio that the reason he wanted Percy on the mission was due to the fact that they could talk during the 13-hour plane ride to South America. Gregorio tells Pride that it might to be too late for talking.
Loretta and Percy at the morgue. Sebastian is showing Loretta the wounds via the camera on his phone. Percy is spacing out. Loretta calls her out. Percy admits, “I had a job interview for something really exciting, that I didn’t even know I was interested in until it presents itself.” Loretta tells Percy if she’s offered the job, she needs to do what’s best for her, not Pride or anyone else.
Poor Sebastian! Loretta wants him to help “look inside” of Sergio. His reaction is pure perfection. I love Sebastian.
Loretta video conferences Pride and Gregorio. Turns out that Halliday was telling the truth. She did not kill Sergio. Also, the image of Halliday and Sergio on Watkins’ computer was put there after Watkins was killed. Someone planted it. They are running out of time and they need to figure out who killed both Watkins and Sergio.
Pride tells the commander in charge that he needs to see the scene of the crime. The commander doesn’t want to let NCIS go because there is a war still raging. Pride tells him they have to go. He also adds that Benicio and Halliday need to come too, both are currently under arrest with the suspicion of murdering Watkins and Sergio, respectively.
Patton has a drone set up to watch the mission. LaSalle is impressed. Patton wants to know how LaSalle is doing. LaSalle is wondering if Percy is leaving because of the “complications” they had over the past several months. Patton reassures him that they are family and family have complications. Percy is going to do what’s best for her and it doesn’t have anything to do with LaSalle.
Sebastian, Pride, and Gregorio are on the way into the warzone. They are all geared up. Gregorio lets it’s slip that Percy had a job interview with the FBI. Pride tells her that he already knows. Isler gave him a heads up. Both of them should have spoken to one another about it before leaving. Sebastian misses the entire conversation. Poor guy, he’s going to be devastated.
On the ground, one of the soldiers in the group tries to take the intel (hard drive) from Watkins’ body. Pride stops him. Sebastian gets it instead and tells the team that they will upload the information directly to Patton at NCIS HQ in New Orleans. Connelly, the solider who isn’t happy about this, is watching Sebastian’s every move.
The team on the ground in South America is communicating via drone with team in NCIS HQ. Connelly is looking increasingly guilty with every passing moment. The cartel is closing in, but the information is conflicting. This is exactly what happened last time they were hit.
Percy found something! The hard drive has data that shows payments to an information going back at least five years. They have a photo of the information, but it doesn’t come through, due to a lost signal. At the same time, there are explosions at the scene of the crime.
Connelly stands up and holds up a signal blocking device. He tells them not to move and points his gun at them. Looks like we finally know who’s the mole.
Connelly wants the hard drive. Pride asks him, “What’s the end game?” Connelly tells the team that he is going to use the info in exchange for a new start and presumably a lot of money, from his contact. He said that he’s trained for years and knows how to disappear.
Halliday pops up and breaks out of her handcuffs. She points her gun at Connelly. He shoots, but hits Benicio, who throws his body in front of Halliday. She returns fire and hits Connelly.
Sebastian gets the signal back up. They are drawing heavy fire and they need a way out. Patton helps them escape with the help of the drone. The team makes it to the extraction point safely with Halliday in the lead.
Pride approaches Halliday as Watkins’ casket is being prepared to return home. Pride is proud of Sargent Halliday. She tells Pride that she’s being discharged. She tells Pride that she follows orders, even when she doesn’t agree. Pride admits that he has the same problem.
WAIT! She says that she’s out of military and she doesn’t know what she’ll do next. Pride mentions law enforcement. IS SHE TAKING PERCY’S PLACE?
Pride and Halliday have a touching moment before Pride takes off and Lieutenant Commander Daryl Watkins’ body is placed on a helicopter to come home.
Back in the States, Percy meets Pride at the bar. She thinks everyone is going to be there, but they are coming later. Percy admits that she should have told Pride about the interview. He admits that he knows it’s complicated. She says, “I’m just trying to sort out where I belong.” Pride says, “As far as I’m concerned, you belong here. Not just as an agent, but as a friend too.” Percy admits that the FBI offered her the job. Pride is the first person she’s telling. He asks her what she’s going to do. The episode ends as she says, “Honestly, I have no idea.”
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My Thoughts:
This episode was incredible! Hats off to Christopher Silber and Austin Badgett. I really enjoyed the setting, storyline, and the acting was on point!
Sebastian was a standout, again. I mentioned it during my recap above, but he and Gregorio working together are some of my favorite scenes during each episode.
I hate that Percy is leaving. She was such a good fit on the team. If the rumors are true, appears that Halliday is going to be joining the cast. We’ll see if that holds true.
What did you think of the episode? Leave me a comment below with your thoughts!
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Favorite Quotes:
“No need to call me ma’am.” -Gregorio
“If leaving is what you want, I’d be happy for you.” -LaSalle to Percy
“I’m just trying to sort out where I belong.” -Percy
“I don’t have any idea of what’s happening right now.” -Sebastian
“Sebastian, hold that spot right there.” -Loretta
“Good call. It’s extra disgusting.” -Sebastian
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