A lot of people were left wondering what on Earth was going on with NCIS: New Orleans when last season came to an end. If the producers were looking for an episode that would shock fans and make sure that they tuned in for the next season premiere, they certainly didn’t hesitate to deliver.
In order to recap, remember that the last season saw Pride, played by Scott Bakula, actually kidnapping the mayor because he was fed up with his ability to get away with one illegal activity after another with little or no consequences on his part. As such, he decided to take things into his own hands and kidnapped him in an attempt to get him to either admit his wrongdoing or expose him in some other way. Obviously, this is not something that most law enforcement officers would normally do and it would be a mistake to think that he is going to get away with it without any consequences of his own.
The new season premiere basically has him being forced to deal with those consequences, whether he likes it or not. This means that he isn’t going to be able to carry out his duties as he normally would, as he is going to be suspended for an indefinite amount of time. What does this really mean for fans? Basically, it gave LaSalle, played by Lucas Black, an opportunity to shine. No longer in Pride’s shadow, the suspension gave LaSalle the opportunity to take the reins and lead the team as he saw fit as opposed to taking orders from someone else. Obviously, some fans probably loved this plot line while others weren’t too crazy about it, but it all comes down to the person each fan has decided is their favorite individual on the show. Those who have an allegiance with LaSalle are obviously going to be happy with the storyline, why all those that love Pride are probably seething.
In addition, LaSalle was not just dealing with professional issues. To further complicate matters, he had to deal with some personal issues too. Those issues involved Percy, someone that he has long considered to be a good friend. While both of them have obviously felt more than mere friendship as a mutual emotion, neither one of them has ever really acted on those emotions. The season two premiere sets up the general storyline that this is going to change. However, change often refuses to occur without pain and it looks like these two are going to have a fairly rocky road to follow before they finally get things ironed out and find their true place among each other. Again, only time will tell, but it is a promising storyline that provides multiple angles that showrunners can further examine throughout the remainder of the season.
At the end of the day, people that have been dedicated fans of the show are probably going to be wondering how all of these changes are going to affect the rest of the season. However, it is important to know that the stage has to be set for some type of storyline that can last and maintain the attention of the audience week after week. As such, the drama that plays out between Pride and LaSalle in the professional realm, as well as between LaSalle and Percy and the personal realm gives fans a lot to think about.
