I don't usually watch crime dramas, but I need more reviews of James Dumont's work, and he stars in "Father's Day," Episode of 2.14 of
NCIS: New Orleans: "Pride and Mayor Douglas are abducted from their Mardi Gras events." Does Pride mean Gay Pride? Nope, it's the last name of Scott Bakula's character (left).
Scene 1: A big Mardi Gras party full of heterosexual couples, the men in fancy tuxedos. Sleazoid Mayor (Steve Weber) takes the stage and says a few words while eyeing a lady in a red dress. He congratulates his chief of staff, Tom (James Dumont), for being married to such an incredibly hot woman.
Pay attention to that necklace. It will become important later. He then follows the Lady in Red out into the hall, quoting Oscar Wilde: "I can resist anything except temptation." His staff groans: not another one! The hookup wants to have sex right there in the hallway.
Meanwhile, Pride is told that he must go out back for a liquor delivery (he must own the place). He goes, not at all suspicious, and gets tranquilizer darted.
Scene 2: They both wake up tied to chairs while a mysterious Masked Figure peers at them. Sleazoid Mayor wonders if his hookup was an accomplice (ya think?). But Figure ain't talking.
Meanwhile, out on the street, everyone is waiting for Sleazoid Mayor to shake the hand of the Mardi Gras Parade King. Where is he? Agent LaSalle (Lucas Black) points out that Mardi Gras began in Alabama, not New Orleans, and gets yelled at.
Uh-oh, there's a drugged security guard (Chris McKenna) and a dead Marine inside the party venue (a hotel, not a bar). The Security Guard saw the Sleazoid Mayor's Hookup running past after he was darted. And the dead Marine was darted, too.
(NCIS is the Naval Crime Investigation Service, they have to have a dead sailor or marine in there somewhere)
Eventually they figure out that the Mayor and Pride have both been kidnapped.
Scene 3: The victims try to bargain with the Masked Figure. Mayor: "I got a lot of rich friends. They can get you anything you want." Pride: "I'm a NCIS Agent!" (I thought he was a bar owner. Side gig?).
Mysterious Figure starts recording them, and tells them that they are here "To confess."
Scene 4: The tech guy found no terrorist chatter or threatening messages aimed at the Mayor or Pride. He starts working on a partial license plate number provided by an eyewitness. Meanwhile, the agents reason that it's Mardi Gras, the streets are clogged, so the kidnapper couldn't have gone far. They must be holding the guys near the party venue.
Left: Chris McKenna's backside.
Scene 5: Back at the party, rich white people are dancing ludicrously. The Agents grab the Mayor's Hookup (identifiable because she's the only Lady in Red). Why didn't she scram after hoodwinking the Mayor?
Her story: a guy said he was playing a prank on the Mayor, his old fraternity brother, and paid her $500 to get him alone. Wait -- how did she know for sure that the Mayor would choose her for his hookup? If he latched onto someone else, the whole plan would be ruined.
Scene 6: Masked Figure takes off his
mask (
then why did he wear it?). Pride recognizes him: Mike Spar (Lee Tergesen). His story: 25 years ago, his wife went to a frat party at this hotel, and the Mayor murdered her! Then Pride covered it up, telling Mike that Wife killed herself. And the Mayor's fraternity brothers, who testified that it was a suicide, have all gotten cushy jobs in his administration.
Aha! I knew it would be a Dead Wife! Oldest and most over-used motive in the book! .Pride claims that he just responded to a suicide call; he had nothing to do with any cover-up. Mayor claims that he was not at the party at all, but Mike has a picture of him there. Ulp! He's been lying about it, and paying off his frat brothers, for 25 years.
More dicks and butts after the break
