No surprises were to be found here.
It was a paint-by-numbers season finale on NCIS: Los Angeles Season 13 Episode 22.
That didn't mean it was disappointing. Instead, it was eminently predictable.
Didn't everyone have "Kensi and Deeks become parents" and "Callen and Anna take the next step in their relationship" on their season-ending game card?
There even was a bit of a case of the week that could be dispatched in the middle half-hour of the episode because, you know, it is a procedural at heart.
So let's first quickly dispatch with that just like the team did.
First, let's examine the robbery itself. The guards docilely loaded the bags of cash into the UTV. They decided to do their jobs and start firing at it as it was driving away.
Because, obviously, the big gun on it didn't have any firing range. Nor did the UTV have a reverse gear. Idiots.
Here's another baffling plot point: the gunfire took out the surveillance cameras. But wouldn't the feed from those cameras go to some backup system, if only it's the Cloud?
But no. Instead, Sam and Callen had to find out it was some weaponized drone UTV from an underappreciated server who witnessed the attack.
So the OSP discovered they were seeking some homemade contraption cobbled together from heavy-duty weapons.
Kudos to Rountree for extrapolating that the UTV was being transported, Knight Rider-style, in a tractor-trailer. It's great to see that the classics endure.
That led to the squad taking a two-pronged approach, with Sam and Callen seeking the truck and Kilbride bringing in a secret weapon who owed him a favor: Nina Barnes.
Nina, played by Lesley Boone (Ed), was an enjoyable character who should go into the series' recurring character rotation. It never hurts to have another informant with connections on the dark side.
Having an arms dealer whose day job was operating a cake shop was fun. Also, it was remarkable how she took pleasure knowing how miserable Kilbride would be living in L.A.
It took her no time to work her old contacts and come up with the buyers' names. She also bonded nicely with Kensi and Deeks.
Sam and Callen also tracked down Sang, part of a Korean gang that Switch clashed with on NCIS: Los Angeles Season 13 Episode 14.
As Switch, Sam forced Sang, an arms transporter himself, to help them locate the truck carrying around the UTV. Sang was suspicious of Callen, who claimed to be Switch's life coach.
To get out from under Switch, Sang delivered not just the name of the transporter but also the transponder number of his truck.
All that was needed was for the driver to take out his truck again, and in no time flat, the transporter was dead, and one of the UTVs recovered. Pesky case dismissed.
Maybe the other one will turn up next year. Probably not since it would require an engineer to run it.
It was case solved, which left lots of time to wrap up loose ends from the season/series.
In case you missed any episode on which it was mentioned, Kensi and Deeks wanted to become parents.
After they had jumped through sufficient hoops, that finally happened as they were approved to become foster parents to Rosa.
Whatever happened to Rosa's friend Pilar? Wasn't she in the mix to be fostered by the couple as well? Ah, well, maybe next season.
This arrangement is a pairing that should work out well. Kensi and Deeks get a nearly fully grown girl, so they don't have to deal with those messy growing pains. Rosa wants to stay in this country and having a foster father who's a lawyer, and a cop can't hurt her chances.
Also, any time Kensi and Deeks need to be written out of an episode, Rosa will provide a ready excuse: sick, immigration hearing, well, you get the picture. Or maybe Deeks finally retires outright.
The Rosa celebration at the beach was a lovely montage moment as she got to meet all the people who are part of her foster parents' work life.
There. We can check off that very extended storyline after a couple of seasons.
Talking about very extended storylines, Callen finally made his move after Katya nearly blew up him and Anna on NCIS: Los Angeles Season 13 Episode 21. It's about time.
His earlier tender moment with Anna naturally got interrupted by Arkady, who blew in to check on his baby girl three days after she had texted him. Better late than never, I guess.
Then, with all the joy spreading around at the celebration, Callen was finally inspired to pop the question after Anna convinced him that their "normal lives" would always be different from everyone else's. They stepped on Kensi and Deeks' moment but so what?
This episode was no cliffhanger, but there remain plenty of ongoing storylines. Pembroke is still out there somewhere. How will Sam and Raymond work out? Hetty is MIA, but she still could pop up to officiate Callen and Anna's wedding, which likely won't happen until next season's finale.
To follow Kensi and Deeks' parenting journey, watch NCIS: Los Angeles online.
Are you glad the parent quest is over?
Were you surprised Callen finally proposed?
How did you like the old guys' table?
Comment below.
