'NCIS: New Orleans' Season 6 Episode 9 sees Pride lose control as Barrett escapes. Will he be able to master his impulses?
The murder of special agent Christopher Lasalle (Lucas Black) on ‘NCIS: New Orleans’ had an obvious and terrible effect on the team of federal agents. While some became reckless, others dealt with it by burying it deep inside. But emotions have a way of coming out in the open in the worst of ways when one is under stress and that is exactly what happened to Dwayne Pride (Scott Bakula) on the ninth episode of season six.
In the pretrial, Eddie Barrett (Eddie Cahill), who was accused of shooting Lasalle, suddenly came up with an alibi. An eyewitness was willing to testify that they saw him out on the water, in a boat during the assault on Lasalle. With the risk of charges on Barrett being dropped, the team began getting a little frustrated thinking that within days, Barrett could walk. But none more than Pride.
Before his death, Lasalle, hot in pursuit of his brother Cade’s killer(s), was at the mercy of his demons. He was regularly frustrated, impatient and even unprofessional. He had a one-track mission and that was avenging his brother’s death -- very different from bringing his killers to justice. But back then, he had Pride by his side to stop him from going astray.
Even with the support of his team, Pride now stands alone. The idea of Lasalle’s killer getting away with the crime infuriated Pride so much that he couldn’t sleep and eat. Usually sharp, this mental strain caused him to encounter problems while on duty. But what really got his goat was that Barrett managed to outsmart him and his team every step of the way. His alibis were watertight and all loose ends on the case kept getting tied up neatly (or not so neatly).
At the end of the episode, the NCIS team and Barrett and his cult were at a standoff. With everyone armed to the teeth, this situation would require careful and calm handling. But is Pride up to the task for something like that? He's not usually a hothead. But the idea of Barrett escaping may just be the push that Pride does not need. And apart from Pride being particularly vulnerable at the moment, one also has to factor in that Barrett being a narcissistic cult leader could easily push his buttons and manipulate him.
Viewers will have to wait till next week to find out if Barrett will get the better of Pride, or if Pride manages to master his impulses. 'NCIS: New Orleans' season 6 airs on Tuesdays at 9 pm only on CBS.