'NCIS Hawai'i' Episodes 12 and 13 Review: Chinese spies and an unpleasant surprise
Spoilers for 'NCIS Hawai'i' Episode 12 and 13 'Spies'
It was a great way to start the week for fans of 'NCIS Hawai'i' when CBS announced that the latest episode of the police procedural drama would air in two parts. Many of them could not contain their curiosity, given how things ended last week, and expressed their excitement through their social media handles.
Part 1 of 'Spies' begins with trouble at a US Navy laboratory. An officer, who appears to be slacking at work, collapses during a somewhat pressing argument and the NCIS is called in to take a look at the mysterious death. Tennant and the team find out that the victim, Lt Commander Joseph Chan, wasn't his usual self for a while. They also find out that Chan was involved in a project that aimed to map rising sea levels. Autopsy reports confirm that Chan was poisoned and Agent in Charge Tennant launches a full-blown investigation.
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While Ernie scans Chan's phone for evidence, the device receives encrypted messages. This makes Ernie and Tennant realize that the sender is unaware of Chan's death. They set up a meeting as Tennant orders a decoy operation. The decoy, however, is apprehended by David Sola, an intelligence officer from New Zealand. Upon questioning, Sola reveals that he has been looking into Chan for a while now. In the meantime, Ernie reveals that one of the last people to talk to Chan was Maggie Shaw, an old associate, and a mentor of Tennant's. As Tennant visits Maggie, she finds out that Chan was being coerced into working against the US by an anonymous group from China. The group, the Ministry of State Security, threatened to take out Chan's entire family if he didn't cooperate. This makes Tennant bring in Kate and they go about collecting data on Chinese operatives working in the US. A detainee, who was arrested for espionage, discloses that Chinese operatives were sent to the US as a part of 'Operation Dark Moon.' She adds that the operation also forced Chinese nationals living in other countries to do their dirty work.
As the NCIS looks for potential suspects, Maggie points Tennant towards Bao, a Chinese spy involved in various high-profile operations. Probing into Bao and how he got into the US leads them to a law firm instrumental in bringing Chinese nationals to the US. What follows are moments of trickery, action, and joy as the team shuts down a Chinese spy ring. However, as the team rejoices, Sola expresses his concerns over the ease with which the whole issue was handled. The episode ends with Tennant doubting that Maggie might be the "Bao" that they are looking for.
Part 2 begins with the team looking into Maggie Shaw. The episode moves back and forth as it looks into the bond that Shaw and Tennant share. It also highlights some of the operations they worked on. The NCIS breaks into Maggie's house and wiretaps the entire place. The team monitors Maggie's activities and it brings them in close quarters with Bao. However, Maggie's onto the team and helps him in getting away. She is arrested and brought in for interrogation but refuses to disclose any information. Tennant, using her excellent memory powers, deciphers that Bao is Maggie's son. The flashbacks reveal that Maggie fell for someone when she was posted in China and fate would have it that she would be separated from her family. She finds out many years later that her child survived and that he's working for the Ministry of State Security. He uses his relationship with Maggie to get information from her and Maggie could never deny any of his demands. Maggie convinces Tennant into letting her son go in exchange for sharing everything she knows about the MSS as she finally agrees that she is Bao. The episode ends with Maggie being taken into FBI custody and Tennant visibly hurt over the way things turned out.
'NCIS: Hawai'i' airs Mondays at 10 pm ET on CBS.
