NCIS: New Orleans is one of the rare shows I’ve seen that seems to capture real life pretty accurately, at least for this New Orleans native. Sadly, as a Hollywood show, it seems duty-bound to push the liberal narrative on some angles. This time, that includes the total acceptance of Syrian refugees.
On the February 6 episode “A New Dawn,” the team investigates the murder of an officer connected to a local Syrian refugee center. Looking into her case, they discover she was particularly close to a mother, Noora Saadi (Najla Said), and her adult son, Sharif (Joey Vahedi). Sharif appears to be connected to a terrorist group's plot to assassinate the liberal mayoral candidate Zahra Taylor (Amanda Warren).
But wait! That’s not the entire story. Sharif is being set up and, after further investigation, they soon discover the real culprit behind both the murder and Sharif’s supposed allegiance. Rather than suggest that a refugee could ever be radicalized (which is all too possible), the episode eventually pins the blame on the ambitious and corrupt campaign manager of the other candidate and his false flag operation to use a terrorist attack to turn voters against refugees and the pro-refugee Taylor.
Newswoman: We feel quite confident here to project Zahra Taylor as the winner of this election.
Pride: Ron.
Ron: Dwayne.
Pride: Didn't turn out the way you'd planned, did it? Did everything you could to keep it that way?
Ron: I don't know what you're talking about.
Pride: Sure, you do. Tried to make the refugees look like terrorists, scapegoats. Tried to use them to kill Mayor Taylor. Mayor Taylor. All so you could stay in control of the city.
Ron: Again... I don't know what the hell you're talking about.
LaSalle: That's all right. You can explain it to the U.S. Attorney, 'cause you're under arrest, Mr. Cook.
Gregorio: Conspiracy to commit murder. Oh. And add on election fraud and domestic terrorism charges.
Pride: Abbas turned State's evidence, threw you under the bus. We know you hired him to set up Sharif.
Gregorio: We really messed you up when we got on this case, didn't we? When you couldn't get Sharif to kill the mayor, you used him to force his mama to do it instead.
LaSalle: Yeah, you figured the mayor would go to her out of the goodness of her heart. Knew she would stand by the refugees. And even if she didn't, a suicide bomber blowing herself up at an election would sway voters.
Pride: Tried to make it look like terrorism when it was all just about you getting your candidate elected.
Ron: If you think you can bring me down like you did Hamilton, you got another thing coming. This doesn't change anything.
Pride: It changes who's in control of this city... finally, and it sure as hell isn't you.
Clearly, the episode suggests refugees are not the problem, and we’re just judgmental people to even consider it. Germany would probably beg to differ. Most refugees are obviously not radicalized terrorists, but blindly pretending there is no problem doesn’t make the issue go away. We’re smarter than that, and NCIS: New Orleans should be smarter, too.
