This week I followed my regular Tuesday night routine of letting out the dog, getting a glass of iced tea, curling up on the couch, opening up Hetty (my netbook) and logging on to Twitter, then switching on CBS and watching my favorite show, NCIS.  As you know, there was a lot of hype concerning the possibility of the return of Tiva—if it was ever really there to begin with. My take has always been that what people perceive as Tiva is in reality unresolved sexual tension. To each her own.  So, when I sat down to watch it wasn’t to squee like a fan girl over Tony and Ziva getting it on.  Nor was it to lament over the demise of my favorite show because the writers might have succumbed to the angst of Tiva fans everywhere. It was to sit back and enjoy an hour of escape called NCIS.

There were three seemingly divergent storylines in this week’s episode, Jet Lag. The first storyline was Ziva and Tony going to Paris to escort a whistle blower back to the states to testify. The second was the murder of a Marine in D.C. The third was what did Ziva and Tony do in Paris? Personally, I loved the way the stories were woven together.

Bethany says:

I have to agree with Sandy. I was pleased with the way these three storylines were woven together. It did not seem to me that one took  precedence over another, and I liked that.

It seemed at first that the much anticipated Parisian getaway was over in just the opening credit roll.  I wasn’t expecting there to be a trickle of information throughout the episode. But from the early in the episode, when Ziva tells Nora that she slept on the couch, to the end of the episode, when Tony tells McGee he slept on the couch, we get the idea that we don’t know the whole story. That, in a nutshell, also describes the Tiva relationship. We only have suspicion, innuendo, and wishful thinking.

Bethany says:

I have to say that I was afraid that the idea of Tiva would dominate and take over this episode. While, I believe that we as viewers still do not know the whole story, I think that we were given enough information to keep Tiva fans happy for awhile.

The character of Nora Williams (played by Lily Rains) was in essence the personification Tiva fans. She saw what she wanted to see between Ziva and Tony. She mentioned that she and her fiancé met at work. When she heard they shared a room, she assumed that they were intimate. She refused to take their excuses as truth.  Meanwhile Ziva and Tony were the voices of those who argue against the evidence of their relationship. They cite Gibbs’s rule 12, Ziva says she slept on the couch and denied that they’ve ever had sex, they point out that they don’t get along. It was as if the writers had been listening to both voices in the audience.

Bethany Says:

I have to agree with Sandy on this point. I thought the character of Lily personified what fans wanted to see happen between Tony and Ziva. I find it interesting that the writers can give fans a Tiva relationship without actually showing it on screen.

Part of the fun of watching an NCIS episode with ones friends on Twitter is reading their reactions—especially at the commercial breaks. There were several comments in my Twitter stream when they suspected the Air Marshall of being an assassin out to get Nora that he was too easily made. Finding him dead in the lavatory with a knitting needle in his neck quickly ended that lead. The next logical person had been behaving strangely and had been sitting behind the woman with the knitting needles. Some of my friends jumped on that idea pretty quickly as well, only to have their theories dashed by his coming to the rescue of the witness, who had succumbed to an allergic reaction to peanuts. That of course brought the flight attendants into question. My reaction was the assassin was the snarky male attendant who had put Tony on his list. But of course, it was the female attendant who Tony had tried to charm. For an investigation that took place in the confined space of an airplane, it had enough twists for the Gran Prix.

One of the bright spots of the episode was Ducky’s part in the case.  Of late, McGee has been the one who has pulled something out of thin air to find a lead or solve the case. In Flesh and Blood he traced the car’s GPS to figure how when the bomb was placed and by whom. In Ignition he was the jet pack expert who figured out that it was the parts of three jet packs they were looking at. In Jet Lag Ducky had the save when he identified the allergic reaction that Nora was having. He also joined the virtual Mile High Club, so to speak, with Tony in the mens’ room. For some reason, I had the idea that Ducky might already be a member. This of course followed the earlier conversation between Ducky and Gibbs about seeing a show together. I have to wonder if these comments weren’t an oblique nod to the slash fan fiction community.

Bethany says:

I loved the fact that Ducky solved the case this week, or at least contributed a large part to it. David McCallum, and thereby the character of Ducky, in my opinion has been sorely underused as of late. He is really an extraordinary actor and I was very happy to see him get some screen time. I was also pleased to see him banter with Mark Harmon. That has been an element that has been missing from the show as of late. I am glad to see a return to that easy exchange between the characters.

As much attention as the Paris trip got for the intimation of something going on between Tony and Ziva, the more interesting conversations were the ones between the Washington madam Holly Snow (played by Dina Meyer) and Gibbs. Who would have thought that Gibbs wouldn’t deny that he likes it rough or would deny that he likes roleplay. No CSI Grissom-esque friendship between Gibbs and Holly in the upcoming episodes, I’m sure. But there was definitely heat between them.

Bethany says:

I loved the scenes between Holly and Gibbs. I thought they were both smart and funny. I loved the fact that Gibbs did not deny he liked it rough (who knew) and that Holly could stand on her own against Gibbs. I enjoyed that both actors seemed to connect and that showed through in the scene.

Another surprise for me in the Holly Snow interrogation scenes was the realization that in some ways Leon Vance has replaced Tobias Fornell as Gibbs equal, or at least partner, in these sorts of situations. I still miss Fornell, but I’m feeling comfortable with Vance in that role.

Wrapping up the investigation was a fast-paced adventure that kept the audience guessing until the last few minutes. While some might have suspected the fiancé, getting the story to the point where the pieces fell into place in the end took some fancy footwork. Unfortunately, Gibbs was slower moving from in front of the moving car than he was following Daniel Sturgis (played by David de Lutour) to the parking garage.  Gibbs has taught McGee to stand his ground well, because Gibbs flinched first, pushing McGee out of harm’s way and getting hit by the car himself. The number of times we’ve seen Gibbs stand fast in the face of danger, it was a surprise to actually see him injured. This might be part of the reason that, when Tony harassed McGee about it later, Gibbs told him it was an accident. I believe from the way he left the building and the statement to Tony that Gibbs blames himself for getting injured.

Bethany says:

Gibbs did have a certain dejectedness about him as he was leaving the garage. It was almost as if he didn’t want to show McGee that he was in pain. He will never  stop being a Marine, so therefore he did not want to show any weakness in front of his agent.

I know that this is a controversial episode for many, but I firmly believe that we’ve started the return of Tiva only to the point where we had unresolved sexual tension in the past.  It’s possible that the powers that be might eventually take the story forward, but this episode wasn’t it.

Bethany says:

I have to admit that I was apprehensive going into this episode because of the Tiva spoilers that I read. I was afraid that the whole episode was going to center around the coupling, and was pleasantly surprised when this was not the case.

Love,

Sandy & Bethany

First off, I must get this out of my system.

EEEEEEEEEEEE!  ROBERT WAGNER!!!!  EEEEEEEEEEE!

When I was eight years old, back in the Jurassic, I fell madly in love with Alexander Mundy (It Takes a Thief). Mr. Spock remained my first TV love, but there was plenty of room in my pre-adolescent heart for Mr. Wagner’s delightful jewel thief turned spy. While I will always remember that role fondly (and WHOOP! Fred Astaire played Mundy’s father, Alistair. Could not get any better than that!), I think I’ve seen everything Mr. Wagner has done, or at least everything I could lay hands on. He’s always a treat to watch and having him take on the, hopefully recurring, role of Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. is like finding that lost box of treasures in the back of your closet that you thought you’d lost somewhere through the years. (Why yes, I am in the middle of a move, why do you ask? Shoulda seen me scrambling to find the power cord to my TV on Monday.)  Flesh and Blood is just that, a treasure.

So, on to the show.  I confess I was alternately excited beyond belief in anticipation of Flesh and Blood and deeply concerned about how this would be handled. Given the less than stellar quality of NCIS of late, I wasn’t certain they’d be able to pull off something palatable.  Frank Cardea and George Schenck rose to the occasion, though, and wrote an excellent episode. Good job to them… with some caveats, but I’ll get to those in a moment. Right now, I’m still basking in the warm glow of the best NCIS episode since Heartland. (Which is sad, especially given I fell for NCIS because watching Gibbs and Tony and the gang solving crimes was fun. These days the cases are little more than furniture for the characters to lounge on. Once in a while is great, but NCIS needs to get back to its roots or risk toppling over in the first high wind like a top-heavy tree.)

Anna says:

Kudos as well to a director I’m going to have to watch for more often—Arvin Brown.  Don’t have a clue who he is, but I do know that he’s been the director on the last three NCIS episodes that were worth watching for me:  Bounce, Faith and now Flesh & Blood.

The teaser introduces a Saudi prince who is undergoing flight training with the US Navy. He doesn’t seem to be taking it, or anything else, terribly seriously. When the prince’s driver goes off to get the car, the prince makes a comment to his flight instructor that indicates he’s not happy with his driver/aide and would like to be rid of him. Next, we see the driver approach the car, click the fob to unlock it, then stop to watch a jet zoom low overhead. When the camera pans back after following the jet, the driver turns back to the car just as it explodes. Huge points to director Arvin Brown on this section. What can I say, I like a good explosion as much as the next gal, and having the driver blown out of his shoes was pretty darned cool.

The first act opens with Tony at his desk and about at the end of his rope. It seems his bank in New York confused one of his accounts with one of his father’s accounts and now Tony can’t withdraw any money from it. Having once been through something similar (though the bank was local, only the last name was the same and the amounts were vastly smaller), I deeply sympathized. I suspect most of us know the pain of trying to get a problem solved over the phone and his “Are you in India?” is a definite sign of the times (though it was the Philippines the last time I was in phone customer service hell – nice guy, awful company). Gibbs sweeps in next and they’re all off to Pax River to investigate the explosion we saw in the teaser.

Anna says:

Loved, loved this scene.  From the point of Tony on the phone to Gibbs walking in, I found myself understanding his frustration.  There was both humor and empathy that the audience could tap into here since who hasn’t been in his shoes of late with all of the out-sourcing happening in the business world.  I even enjoyed the side exchange between McGee and Ziva which explained to the audience what Tony was so upset about as well as Tony’s reaction to Ziva.  ‘Grouchy.’  You think, Ziva?  Having been in Tony’s shoes (and talking to someone in India), I can so relate to his reactions and responses.  I also thought that the scene rather nicely set up what would be the entrance of DiNozzo Senior, much in the same way that the trip to Stillwater set up the obvious arrival of Jackson Gibbs.

This is a good time to introduce the first of my quibbles with this episode. When we started talking about wanting to meet Tony’s dad after Heartland last season, I’d said then that I really hoped they’d find a way to do it as part of a case. Given that we knew next to nothing about Senior, except that he was apparently wealthy, he could have easily been a defense contractor or, or, or. Flesh and Blood gave us at least a tenuous personal connection to the Saudi prince, but I wish Senior had been more well-integrated into the case beyond being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  I’ve never been fond of disjointed plotlines playing out in the same episode. I’d much rather have the richer storytelling required for a cohesive story that still explores multiple avenues. Multiple unrelated or only loosely related storylines are like having chocolate, butter, sugar, cream and a lovely liqueur or two in your kitchen. Useful as they are on their own, it’s not until you integrate them all into one cohesive unit that you get truffles to die for.

Anna says:

While I understand the thought and have been a huge supporter of NCIS getting back to what made it so good, I’ve got to disagree with the need to have had DiNozzo Senior more integrated into the case.  I’ve gone on record before (in the review of Faith) as, surprisingly enough, actually supporting the idea that having a big character backstory/reveal allows the show to back off on the case.  The tenuous connection that Daddy Dinozzo had to the case was enough for me.  It helped to explain the scene we saw in the preview of Tony pointing a gun on his father in the hotel business center and also helped to set up both the idea that Gibbs would bench Tony as well as the way the final scene between father and son played out.  Having DiNozzo Senior be more involved or closely tied to a case would have had the show running the risk of having a response much the same as what happened in the over-long Ziva arc from last season.  It would also have effectively killed the idea of bringing Robert Wagner back in for return visits a la Jackson Gibbs.  There is plenty of time in future episodes for Daddy DiNozzo to be involved more deeply in a case especially if, since the conman appears to be broke, he now turns to some type of legitimate business.

The plot, such as it is, moves on, but we hardly notice since, as has become far too common on NCIS, this episode wasn’t plot based. This was the major downside to Flesh and Blood. Finally getting some insight into Tony’s background after six and a half years makes it easy enough to overlook the simplistic background plot, but it’s becoming too much the norm for a show that used to have interesting mysteries, if not particularly deep ones. Like the song says, “you’re riding high in April, shot down in May”. Don’t get cocky.  Keep straying from the format that got you here (and don’t fool yourselves; soap opera story lines aren’t what got you here) and you may get to see the sights on the way down sooner than you’d like.

Anna says:

Except I think there was a plot in this one – just not a case related one.  Much like Faith, the central mystery of the episode revolved around a parent.  Robert Wagner exuded a smarmy sort of crooked character in DiNozzo Senior right from the start, which led me to see that all was not what we thought.  Like the ‘what’s wrong with Jackson’ storyline in Faith, the ‘what is Tony’s dad up to’ plotline in this episode worked as the primary storyline.  Although I do agree that now, with two major parental visits out of the way, it’s time for NCIS to shelve all of the woe and character drama and return to more solid cases with the relationships on the backburner.

That said, the good stuff in this one far outweighed the bad.  We got Gibbs working with Tony, treating him as his second, rather than the team whipping boy. There was that one moment, which I could have done without. There was simply no reason for Gibbs’ beating on Tony like that in the yoga scene. It was not only over the top it was out of character for Gibbs. Even if we accept that Tony was purposely acting out due to the stress of having his father invading his life, Gibbs would have been far more likely to drag him into private, slap the back of his head and then call him on his behavior. Slapping him around like that in front of not only other agents (as opposed to teammates), members of the Royal Guard, the prince, the prince’s brother who was an embassy official was not appropriate behavior. It wasn’t Gibbs-like behavior. It also wasn’t funny. It was the only cringe-worthy moment in the whole episode.  It’s a sad state of affairs when cringing only once is considered a good thing.

Anna says:

Wasn’t very happy with that scene myself.  I tried to understand and accept Gibbs’ behavior as being an over the top reaction to an over the top reaction from DiNozzo.  No doubt in my mind that it was that scene plus seeing Tony Senior with Prince Omar that led to Gibbs wondering if he needed to bench his senior field agent.

I’d been worried about what we’d learn about Tony’s Dad. Fandom has had a blast exploring that character for years now and while he’s often been considered a monster, I’d been hoping for something more complex; something that would at least give a nod to the complexities of parent/child relationships and how perceptions of events and people vary over the years, especially when looking back into childhood.

When we got the rumor that he’d show up and be broke, I was really worried it would end up being something trite like having lost it all in the market or the financial industry debacle. While I was still a little bummed to find out Senior was broke, his being, essentially, a conman more than made up for it.  That was an excellent choice.  Suddenly, much of what Tony’s let slip over the years about his childhood slots into place beautifully… and may I just say “thank you” for paying attention to the canon we already had! The only slip was his mother dressed him sailor suits until he was 10 (Frame Up), but according to Flesh and Blood she died when he was eight. How much did Tony’s mother’s death affect his father? How much did their life change when she died? Did she know about Senior’s ways?  The big question now is, did he “warehouse” Tony in boarding schools and summer camps because he cramped Senior’s style, or did he do that to keep Tony away from the life Senior was leading and perhaps protect him from some of the more unsavory aspects of it. Hopefully, it’ll be some sort of blend of the two and maybe Senior’s not even quite sure. (This would, naturally, mean we’d get to see Senior again. Right? He’s coming back? Right? Only next time, more plot? Please?)

Anna says:

Hope he comes back but I’m not sure I want all of those answers to Tony’s past.  Leaving a bit of mystery in the why things happened the way they did allows for more speculation by the fans and consistently bring them back to see the character whenever he is written in to an episode.  It will also allow both Michael Weatherly and Robert Wagner the freedom to explore the parental relationship in their own way and still allow Weatherly’s Tony the ability to spout off various tidbits about his childhood as is relevant without shoehorning the character into a backstory that just doesn’t not work with what we’ve previously learned.

One of the most fascinating things about meeting Senior was realizing that every word that came out of his mouth could have come right out of Tony’s mouth, too. (When Senior answered Tony’s phone, he even sounded like Tony – kudos to Mr. Wagner.) That was a beautiful creative choice, even if it flowed fairly obviously from his being a conman. His general manner, even his flash of steel in the conference room when he told Gibbs he’d keep it civil for Tony’s sake, showed that father and son are two peas in a pod.

Ultimately, Tony DiNozzo, Sr. strikes me as a very lonely man. At the end, when he told Tony he loved him, I think he truly meant it. I think he really did want to tell him the truth, but a combination of a lifetime of hiding, not wanting to lose face in his son’s eyes and needing to see if meeting Omar in Monte Carlo would be the big score that would make it all worthwhile. He just hasn’t gotten to the point where he realizes there will always be one more opportunity on the horizon and the big score will always be out of reach. I’m torn between him realizing Tony was the one who paid his hotel bill and bought the ticket and him having been fooled. I think he figured it out, Tony would have, but it’s going to be just one more of the little non-truths between them, at least until Senior finally realizes he can talk to his son and just maybe honesty would mean more to Tony than all the money in the world.

Anna says:

That end scene between father and son was the one scene that fell short for me.  There was something about the way that Robert Wagner delivered his lines that just seemed like it was fake, for lack of a better term.  He’d seemed to be so on for most of the episode that getting to the part where he said how much he enjoyed their talk (what talk?) and them doing it again appeared to be more of greeting card read than actual sentiment.  And I’m still not sure why he actually came down to see his son.  Was he there on ‘business’ and heard of Tony’s bank issues and looked him up because of them?  Or was he actually there to come clean?  I’m not particularly leaning towards one specific hypothesis at this point and I’ve watched the episode more than once.

Okay, it would mean almost as much. *g*

Then we have the last scene. Oh. My. That was lovely. We’ve known since season one that Tony has stayed with Gibbs from time to time. We’ve also seen him looking comfortable in Gibbs’ house before. It was so very nice to see them sharing a meal in what appears to be a fairly routine manner (almost ritualistic, to be honest). Maybe it’s a once a month thing or an after-a-bad-case thing or just a once in a while “I’ll cook the steak, you bring the beer” thing. Given that Tony has worked for Gibbs longer than anyone else ever has and given the relationship we’ve seen between them over the years, it makes sense that they’ve also developed a friendship of sorts that would include steak and beer. Gibbs and Tony fans of every conceivable variety were made very happy with that last scene.  Thank you. (PSST! By the way, that is how you do subtext.)

Anna says:

Ahhh yes, that subtext that was that last scene.  What a sight to behold!  And don’t a good many of us wish that the writers, directors and other technical people there would take a good long look at the ease with which that scene played off before forcing anything else on the screen.  Just the way that scene was shot and played out made it seem like it was a normal event.  But then going back to Inlaws and Outlaws, didn’t Tony seem fairly comfortable once he reached Casa Gibbs?  (can’t remember)  I’m not sure what my favorite part of that scene was.  It’s a toss-up between the jaunty way Tony entered, the shot of both their knives clicking open at the same time, the way Gibbs nailed Tony on his skirting the truth about his father to the end where they clinked beer bottles.

The delightful chemistry between these two characters just lights up the screen and this episode showed just what can be done with chemistry like this. There was nothing forced anywhere in their interactions (except the regrettable yoga scene). When I see what the writers can do with character interactions like this, it makes me seriously wonder if the clunky character bits we’ve had shoved down our throats in the past year or more are things that have been shoved down their throats from higher ups. If so, I hope someone’s paying attention and will consider removing Shane Brennan whoever’s sticking his nose into the creative side of things and get someone else who’ll let the writers write. Flesh and Blood shows they still can, if they’re allowed to.

Anna says:

Completely agree with everything here.  There’s no way I could have said it better than the middle two sentences said it.

With Love,

Tejas and Anna

So, after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holidays were over and the ringing in of a New Year complete, I couldn’t wait for the new episode of NCIS: Los Angeles. I set the timer on my TV, grabbed a cup of hot cocoa, and settled down to tune in.

Sandy says:

This one was a little tough for me coming hot on the heels of NCIS’s Ignition. But by the end of the teaser, it had my full attention.

The opening scene is, as expected, a set up for this week’s case. It opens in a Gentleman’s Club with a group of men enjoying the show. Immediately our attention is drawn to one of the men who seems to be more into the performance than others. We get a glimpse of the gyrations and such of the dance (which I actually could’ve done without) and then the show ends. The young man heads to the bar for beer refills for his friends, and as he’s waiting, he spots the dancer from before.

Sandy says:

I actually wondered if pole dancing was listed on her resume and on the audition sheet. I’m sure it was.

Seeing this as a golden opportunity to meet the woman he’d been staring at just moments ago, the young man goes over and asks for a dance. She declines, stating that she’s done for the night. As she’s walking off, another man walks up and accosts her. The young man steps in to defend her, and heated words are exchanged. Before they can come to blows, the club owner walks up and tells them to take it outside.

The other man glances from them to a friend who has just approached. The young black man nods at his friend, and both leave the club. The dancer thanks the young man for his help and turns to leave. Seeing his chance escaping, he runs after and catches up to her. He asks her out for coffee, she says no. He’s about to try again when a car bursts through the wall of the club. The young man sees this and pushes the woman out of the way, but is killed instantly by the impact of the car. The camera pans over to the driver, who’s dead as well and we see that it is the young black male friend from earlier.

At this point I’m intrigued about the motivations for this seemingly random attack. Sure, it seems that the dancer and the unidentified man from before have some sort of history, but it still doesn’t explain why his friend drove into the club. Yes, he could have been doing so to kill the young woman, but how could he possibly know that she would just happen to be standing there when he went through the wall? A question that, at this point, I’m hoping will be cleared up.

So, the opening credits roll. And is it just me or is this not the best theme music. Nothing you can hum or anything of the like, but catchy all the same.

The next scene opens with Hetty and Callen walking over to the bullpen area of the OSP office. No one else is there, which Callen notices. Apparently everyone else has gone upstairs to the briefing room, but Hetty wanted to speak with Callen about an expense report. Seems he spent $1400 on sushi and Hetty wants an explanation. Callen explains that his undercover alias, Tony Z, was a high roller and thus $1400 for sushi was understandable. Hetty informs him to try the soup next time. “Try ordering soup, playa!”

This scene was classic! Linda Hunt is perfection as Hetty, and I just adore her. And I was tickled pink at her “Try ordering soup, playa!” line. Golden.

Sandy says:

I agree. Linda Hunt is making the role her own and slipping into the vernacular here and later are perfect touches.

Callen joins the rest of his team upstairs and is briefed on the case. The young man from before is finally identified as Petty Officer Mostel Renny, a crypto-language technician for the Navy.

Callen wants to know why they are investigating an accident, but Hetty informs them that it’s a crime scene. She also lets them know that the female witness, the dancer from the nightclub, is awake and recovering at the hospital.

The team splits with Sam and Kensi going to the crime scene and Callen going to the hospital.

At the crime scene Sam and Kensi almost immediately confirm Hetty’s suspicions that this is indeed a crime scene. They note the lack of skid marks and the fact that in order to reach the speed need to cause so much damage, the driver had to be accelerating long before he reached the parking lot.

Again, begs the question as to how he knew that he’d kill the right person. I’m gonna assume that he didn’t care, but hopefully we’ll get more concrete facts later on in the episode.

Sandy says:

My brain was so busy working on how the guy left the parking lot and came back to drive into the building that I didn’t even wonder about who he was aiming at. The description here was confusing for me.

Callen arrives at the hospital to find the witness is awake. He goes to question her, but she avoids his questions and gives him roundabout answers. Callen discerns that she’s worried about possibly being deported, so he assures her that he isn’t from immigration.

That seems to settle her somewhat, and she recounts what happened at the club.

Sandy says:

I thought she opened up kind of quickly to someone with a fishy story about a pothole problem in a neighboring town.

Eric calls and informs him that while the black male driver is still unidentified, they did get a hit on a print they pulled from the car window. Cesar “Chi Chi” Vargas, s drug smuggler and human trafficker. He sends a photo to Callen, who shows it to Katya, but she doesn’t recognize him.

Back at the bar, Sam speaks with the club owner about the accident and asks if he knew who the driver or the other mystery man was. He asks if the mystery man used a credit card, but the club owner says no. As Sam walks off to meet Kensi he remarks to her that the man is hiding something.

At this point it’s pretty obvious that the club owner is up to his neck in this. What exactly ‘this’ is has yet to be discovered, but I knew from this point on, even without Sam’s confirmation, that the club owner was hiding something.

Callen, Sam, and Kensi meet up at Cesar Vargas’ home to question him. Callen knocks but no one answers, so they all break in and check the house for Cesar. They come up empty until Callen notices some refrigerator bins sitting on the floor and thinks to check the fridge. When he opens the door, Cesar’s body falls out.

This scene was fine, but as I live in an apartment with a sliding glass door onto my patio, when Callen so easily broke into Vargas’ apartment, all I could think was ‘is it really that easy?’ I certainly hope not. Another thing, did they really have just cause to enter the house? Sometimes I’m at home and I choose to ignore my door when someone knocks. I’d hate to think that gives them the right to just burst in. Also, they never identified themselves, so had Vargas been alive inside and chose not to answer, they still wouldn’t have had grounds to enter. But, creative license I guess. I can ignore the small hiccup.

Sandy says:

Sometimes it’s best not to get too technical.

The following scene in the coroner’s lab was hilarious. She obviously expected and wanted Nate to be the one to come down to her lab with questions. It’s also obvious that where Nate finds her humor somewhat charming, Sam and Callen simply find it strange and maybe a bit creepy. I have to agree with them here. But at least she finally gets the question out that they have both (she and Nate) been longing to ask one another since the start of the season. Is Nate seeing someone? Of course, neither Callen nor Sam answers. But I bet you that they won’t forget this. Probably hold it for Nate-teasing material later on in the season.

Sandy says:

We really need somebody macabre in this show and the ME is it. She’s a combination of early Ducky and Palmer on steroids. Wowzer. I do enjoy whenever she shows up, though.

From the coroner we learn that Cesar Vargas likely died as a result of blunt force trauma followed by suffocation. She also gives the results of her autopsy on the unidentified black male driver. He wasn’t drunk, didn’t even have alcohol in his system, and he still hasn’t been identified. She takes them over to the table holding the body and lifts him partially to show them the scars on his back. She doesn’t know were they come from, but states that the last time she saw anything like that she was in Rwanda.

Eric got a hit from the driver’s prints on an international database. It turns out the dude isn’t from America at all, he’s from Sudan and his name is Dang Oyatt. Sam identifies him as one of the ‘lost boys’ orphaned after the second Sudanese civil war, who became known as the Lost Boys of the Sudan. As they are discussing this, Dom gets a call that Katya checked herself out of the hospital. Callen suggest he and Sam go pay her a house visit, but Sam tells him to take Kensi because he needs to check something out. Callen asks if he’s gonna share the information, but Sam tells him only if it pans out.

To me, this scene is crucial to the episode as well as to the relationship between Callen and Sam. It’s obvious that Sam has secrets (who doesn’t), but even more so its obvious that he knows he can trust Callen not to pry until he’s ready to share. Callen may not like it, but he respects Sam enough to let him work this angle while keeping him in the dark, knowing that if anything pertinent turns up, he’ll be the first to know. I think this scene, more so than any between them so far this season, is a perfect example of why they work as friends and partners.

Sandy says:

I agree that this mutual trust is an important part of their relationship. There have been times already when they bicker like a married couple, but they also know that each has his secrets that he may or may not be willing to share and they respect one another for it.

Nate finally shows up in the episode, and he’s in Hetty’s sights. Apparently he has a lot of vacation time saved up and works overtime pretty much all the time. Hetty places him on holiday starting next Monday. Nate and Kensi walk up just as Hetty leaves and ask him what that was all about. He states that he thinks something is up with Hetty.

Yep, me too. Hetty has always been a bit high strung, but it seems even more so this time around. But still, seven weeks of vacation? I think Nate needs to take more than one week off. But then again, I never save that much vacation time on my job.

Sandy says:

By this point, the general consensus was that something was wrong with Hetty. It’s just a matter of finding out what.

Sam arrives at a recreation center where several young men are playing basketball. It’s obvious that the kids know him, one more so than others. Sam calls him Moe. But for some reason, the young man makes a run for it when he calls his name. Sam catches up with him, as expected, and the two leave to talk.

Callen and Kensi arrive at Katya’s home just as she’s leaving. Callen asks her if the name Dang Oyatt means anything to her. She says no and makes to leave, but a SUV full of armed men drives up the street at that moment. Callen pushes her and Kensi to the ground and dives for cover himself. He gets a few shots off, but the SUV manages to escape anyway.

Back at base, Callen and Nate interrogate Katya, with Nate doing most of the talking. Katya isn’t injured from the earlier gunplay, but it’s obvious she’s shaken. She tells them that she never saw the gunmen before. Callen shows her a photo of Oyatt, and she tells him that it might be the friend of the man who’d accosted her the night before.

Nate tries to assure her that it is okay, but Callen takes off the kid gloves and lays it on the line, telling her that the guys probably intended to kill her the night before, not the Petty Officer. Katya asks why would anyone want to kill her. Callen leaves her alone with Nate and goes into the other room, where Kensi has been watching the interrogation. Kensi states that Katya is hard to read. Callen states it’s a defense mechanism people build when they are used to being on their own.

Sandy says:

I think this line of Callen’s really spoke to his character more than Katya’s. He knows what it is like to be alone and he recognizes the same behavior in Katya that he, himself uses.

I like Nate, I really do. But I didn’t really understand the need for him in this scene. Maybe it was just so they could pull the good cop/bad cop routine. I don’t know. But he seemed like an unnecessary addition to this scene.

Sandy says:

I disagree. If you’re going to have a Forensic Psychologist on staff, they should be available for all the interrogations. I just don’t know why Kensi was the one to come up with the assessment. Kind of defeats the purpose of having Nate there at all if Kensi and Callen can make the assessment. Just what has he been doing to fill in 32 hours of overtime?  Would have made more sense for Callen and Nate to have the conversation and Kensi to watch the girl.

Sam and Moe are at the beach, and Sam asks him about his SAT scores. It’s obvious these two share a fondness for one another. Sam doesn’t like him being at the youth center because they have a rep for teaching radical views, but Moe states that he feels like he can be himself there and not judged by anyone else.

Sam shows him a photo of Oyatt, and according to him Moe isn’t the type of person to do something like this, even states he doesn’t have a driver’s license. He asks him about the other man, giving the description Katya gave earlier. Moe admits he knows him, and states his name is Zafar Juddalah, a religious fundamentalist.

While Dom searches for Zafar, Dom notifies Vance and homeland security.

I must say this. Adam Jamal Craig is one of my new favorite young actors, and I really wish he’d be put to more use on screen lately. It seems he’s been relegated to wallflower, just there for decoration. I hope that changes in the near future.

Sandy says:

Sometimes I wonder if the cast is too large, but don’t let the execs hear that, because I wouldn’t want to lose anyone in the cast. I agree, Dominic Vaile is not being used to his fullest potential, but when he is, he’s golden. I hope they will settle into a better balance as the series progresses.

Callen finally voices the question we’ve all been wondering when he asks Sam how he knows Moe. Sam states he bought him here from Sudan, after Moe’s father was killed during a firefight.

Nate runs up the stairs and informs Callen that Katya wants to go home to get clothes. Callen goes instead and as he’s leaving he notices two smoke detectors hanging side by side on the ceiling. Seeing that this is odd, he checks them and discovers hidden cameras aimed towards the bed as well as a dvd recording. He takes this back and shows Katya what he found. He asks her what is going on, and she tries to attack him. He gets her to settle down and tells her he will have her deported if she doesn’t talk to him.

Katya identifies her boss as Dallas, the club owner, and she confirms that they’d been blackmailing people that she’d had sex with. He shows her a photo of Zafar, and she confirms that he was one of the people Dallas was blackmailing. Using Katya as a decoy and Callen as a fake customer, the two go back to the club so that Callen can try to find the tapes so they can figure out who else was being blackmailed and exactly what it is that Dallas has on Zafar.

Sandy says:

Classic caper. I’m hoping to see more of this in the future. We’ve got an undercover operation going here. Let’s see them go undercover more. A little Mission Impossible would be really nice.

Things are going good until Dallas catches on that something is wrong. He catches both Katya and Callen, but Sam and Kensi burst in before things can get out of hand.

I love that Kensi brings down Dallas, a man who makes his living using women as sex toys. And I loved her line, “How’s that for a lap dance?” after kneeing him in the crotch.

Sandy says:

That really was a nice touch.

In interrogation, Dallas asks them if they had a warrant to search his place. Callen informs him that since it’s a terrorist investigation they don’t need a warrant. I don’t know how true that is, but if the point was to make Dallas believe it, then it works like a charm, though he does protest that he’s not a terrorist. They ask him about Zafar, but Dallas requests a lawyer.

Eric and Dom are reviewing the tapes from the club and it turns out that several of the men being blackmailed (they are only a third of the way through the tapes) are powerful and even some are in the upper echelon of the military ranks. Hetty comes in and tells them to cease all further investigation into the matter and to turn things over to the DOD and release Dallas immediately.

Callen, Kensi, and Sam all go after Hetty explaining that they must keep working this case and the ramifications if they stop. Hetty finally gives in and tells them that she will be back in an hour or so and they will shut the investigation down.

Sandy says:

But, I love how she did that covertly. You need to stop your investigation and hand over your files—in an hour. Yeah, she is in up her knickers.

Eric comes then and takes them aside to show them the Zafar tape. Hetty catches them still investigating, but she doesn’t shut them down. They discover that Zafar was indeed being blackmailed, but seeing as he’s a terrorist they don’t see why he’d care. Sam explains that its because he has a group of impressionable young men willing to kill and die for him, and that if the tape came out he they would lose respect for him and he would lose the power he’d gained over them.

Sam goes back to the recreation center and leaves a flash drive with the guys, telling them that a friend of his has information that Zafar will want to see. He doesn’t single out any one of the guys, knowing that the message will get back to Zafar somehow.

Callen is undercover as the mysterious friend with a message and Zafar meets him on a semi crowded pier. He demands the tape and threatens to kill to get it back. Callen calls his bluff, but Zafar states he doesn’t have to kill Callen, he could kill several of the innocent people nearby.

Kensi, undercover nearby as a woman with a stroller, sees him pull a gun and beans him with a stroller, Callen grabs the gun off of him with Sam finally taking him down and arresting him.

Sandy says:

I do have to say that I really enjoyed Sam taking Zafar down. Nicely filmed, nicely edited, nice subject. And the perfection of the costuming of Kensi with the boots (were those UGGS?) Looked like a mom on a stroll.

Zafar recognizes Sam and states that Sam is the one that killed Moe’s father. He also states that he gave Moe a new life. Sam goes to find Moe who is readying to go off with a group of people. Moe asks him if he killed his father, and Sam finally admits it. He leaves Sam and gets in the van.

My heart broke for Sam right here. He tried to do the right thing for the young man, but a few words and accusation from another was all it took to undo all his hard work.

Zafar is taken by the CIA to be used as an asset, while Sam and Eric search for Moe. Based on the hits on Moe’s passport, it looks like he’s heading back to the Sudan.

Sandy says:

This might be an interesting story down the road, Sam getting Moe back out. I don’t know that we’d be up for another rescue from a jail cell in Africa but it might be worth considering.

The final few scenes show G Callen at his finest: being a friend. He speaks with Sam about the situation with Moe, and he learns that Sam had killed the young man’s father because he was set to kill someone else. He also speaks with Hetty, who has been acting out of sorts for a large part of the episode. Hetty lost a friend and is working on his eulogy, which is why she’s been on everyone to take a break and appreciate life. Sam takes her words to heart and invites her out to a museum with him. He admits that he goes to meet chicks, but that she can be his wingman. She agrees, and asks him what he’s doing tonight. He looks back at Sam and tells her he’s going for a run (apparently something Sam does when he’s stressed). I love this scene. Again, it shows how great a friend Callen is. But it also solidifies, in my mind at least, his roles as the leader of the OSP team.

Sandy says:

Considering how often Hetty and G have words, it was good to see them having a moment like this one. When he asked if Hetty’s friend was a romantic one, I was surprised that he asked the question. Hetty’s frankness revealed just how comfortable they can be with one another and that the gruffness is mostly for show. I’ve loved Hetty from the start, but this one sealed it for me.

This episode was wonderful. I like the character background we got here for Sam as well as the growth we saw from Callen. The only thing that would’ve made this episode better would’ve been to see more of an active role from Dom. Other than that, I give this episode a solid A.

Sandy says:

I would also like to see them really get a handle on Nate’s character. The role of Forensic Psychologist is an interesting addition. They just need to figure out what to do with him. This was a solid episode over all. I, too, give it an A.

With love,

Carina & Sandy

I wasn’t sure what to expect from “Ignition” tonight.  It seemed to get a bit lost in the whole fandom excitement over the appearances of Papas Gibbs and DiNozzo.  While the episode wasn’t quite a “failure to launch”, but it wasn’t entirely a successful “lift off” either.  (Okay, McGee’s jet pack talk may have rubbed off a bit on me.)

Bethany says:

I agree with Webbgirl that this episode seems to have gotten lost in the hype of next week’s 150^th. I did enjoy the fact that McGee got to take the lead on an investigation, something he really hasn’t done since Cover Story.

So we have a pretty standard opening with the body discovery.  This segment has become somewhat formulaic for NCIS, but it still seems to work for them.  After the opening credits we come to the squad room where we find Ziva stumped yet again by common pop culture references.  I realize that the writers seem to find her malapropisms amusing, but after four years in the country and hanging out with Tony, Abby and McGee, you would think that she would be better at it.  I feel like every time they return to that well, the writers reset Ziva to being straight off the boat from some backwoods country with no modern technology.  She’s from Israel, not a Tibetan Monastery, folks!

Anyway, we finally get the team headed out to the crime scene.  I have to say that one of my favorite aspects of that whole scene was the sight of Ducky and Palmer arriving on an ATV.  The look on Palmer’s face when he talked about how Ducky wouldn’t let him drive was beyond priceless.

Bethany says:

I agree that the scene at the beginning seemed a bit out of place. I am still not sure what the point was. I agree with Webbgirl on the Ducky/Palmer scene; I laughed so hard. Poor Jimmy!

We got a couple of ‘goofy’ Tony moments during the search of the crime scene, but I have to say, it felt much less annoying than normal.  He did get to deliver Palmer’s “first autopsy subject” to him.

It was nice to see Gibbs trusting his agents enough to let McGee go with his gut and the lead on this case.  It was clear when they were looking around that McGee had already formulated a theory of what had happened to the victim.   It’s clear from the time that he announces that there was a jet pack involved with the Navy pilot’s death that this will be a somewhat McGee-focused episode.  We discover that not only is McGee familiar with jet pack technology, he’s more than a bit obsessed with it and not afraid to share that obsession with his co-workers.  He’s obviously subjected them all (with the probable exception of Gibbs) to his ramblings on the subject.  He even narrated and produced his own mini-documentary.  One has to wonder if that’s where all his royalty money went instead of the hit in the stock market he referred to in Season 6.

Bethany says:

I loved the fact that it was a McGee-centered episode. He is such a geek in this episode that it was funny. I especially liked Abby’s deadpan reaction to McGee’s ramblings in the lab. She was really funny for the short amount of time she was on screen. The “Thom E. Gemcity” was so classic McGee; it was one of the best scenes in the episode.

We find out through Jimmy’s autopsy of “Rocket J.” that the pilot was poisoned.  We also get a nice Ducky and Jimmy moment as Jimmy attempts to emulate his mentor in telling his tangentially related story about his squirrel baiting mother…or shark baiting if you’re French.  This was a nice moment with them and it was rather amusing to watch the exasperated look on Gibbs’ face as he suffered through the telling of the story.

Bethany says:

Gibbs in this scene is what made the scene. I enjoyed the bantering between Ducky and Jimmy, but Gibbs actually being silent while Jimmy was rambling was priceless. I almost felt bad for him having to listen to Palmer.

Since McGee is the lead on the case, Tony and Ziva get sent out to investigate the jet pack manufacturer, Tillman.  Once back at NCIS, McGee starts to interrogate Tillman (with Gibbs supervising him in the room).  This is when we are finally introduced to M. Allison Hart, Tillman’s attorney.  (From the law firm of Wolfram, Hart and Donowitz for all you Angel fans. *g*) Although, it’s fairly clear from Tillman’s reaction that he’s just as surprised as Gibbs and McGee are to see her there as his attorney.

It’s very obvious from the beginning that this character is there because of Gibbs.  Everything else is secondary.  She purposely trades barbs with him and works to get under his skin.  I have an issue however of Gibbs immediate comparison with her to his ex-wives.  I don’t see the underlying flirting that we’re told is there later in his discussion with Ducky.

I’ve been a fan of Rena Sofer since her days on General Hospital, but I have to say that this whole role felt forced.  There’s a difference between there being tension between characters (sexual or otherwise) and there being a clunky awkwardness.  This just felt much more like the latter.

Bethany says:

I would have to agree. I was so looking forward to Rena coming on, as I too have been a fan since her days on General Hospital. I thought she out Gibbs-ed Gibbs (if that makes sense *g*) She was abrasive, mean, and witch-like. She didn’t display any compassion that we sometimes see from Gibbs. I can only hope that she gets better, because I did not enjoy her scenes at all.

So we come to find out that the pilot’s CO is the one who killed him.  I’d love to have a much bigger build up to recounting this revelation, but we were handed one bad red herring after another.

This brings me back to Ms. Hart.  It was obvious that the plot-line was a by-product to introduce her.  I just wish the writers would have found a more graceful way to do it.  I’m one of those annoying people who, much like Gibbs, doesn’t believe in co-incidences.  In fact, I abhor the obvious ones in storytelling.  This is why I have more than a tiny issue with the fact that within the same week Tim randomly pulls up a news article about Colonel Bell (from “In-laws and Outlaws”) being released from Mexican prison, Ms. Hart, who is following Gibbs’ people, happens to follow them to a case involving one of her former/current clients and the article used a cropped photo that had her in it originally?

Bethany says:

I found the whole Bell thing at the end to be confusing. I was unsure of where it fit into the story. Maybe the writers will find time soon to explain it further. One can only hope.

Either Bell (and the writers) wanted to leave a neon, blinking sign that Bell is setting Gibbs up for something, or that’s just lazy writing and art department.  I’m not sure if I fear more that this story line will be dropped or picked up again.  *sigh*

To end on a good note though, I did enjoy the interaction between the team much more this week.  The end scene with Gibbs and Tony was wonderfully reminiscent of their relationship in Seasons 1 and 2; Gibbs talking to Tony instead of at him.

So, while not a stellar episode it was passable for the small moments we fans of the various characters got.  I just wish there were some subtlety courses for writers these days.

Bethany says:

While the episode wasn’t as great as I hoped it would be (Ms. Hart), I did enjoy the scene at the end between Gibbs and Tony. I have felt that the writers in recent seasons have moved away from their relationship, while concentrating on others. I am hope that their interaction and the team interaction as a whole is the direction that the writers are going in this season.

With Love,

Webbgirl & Bethany

All I want for Christmas is….

The writer really had a tall order to deliver this holiday in season when penning a Christmas themed episode for our favorite show especially with the warring factions of fans becoming more divided every time SB opens his mouth.  Faith delivered abundantly in some areas and not so much in others.  But overall, the episode had most of the NCIS zealously faithful cueing up a verse of ‘Joy to the World’ as the final credits rolled.

First off, let’s start with the bad news otherwise known as what didn’t work for me.

The case was, in my opinion, really unnecessary this time.  And now I’ll pause for a moment to let some pick themselves up off the floor in shock.  I’m not going to touch on the religious ramifications that have been knotting the fandom since the episode aired.  I could easily get on my soapbox and rant for days when it comes to how I feel about PC, the media push for it and the impression Hollywood gives regarding both PC and Islam.  Wouldn’t really do any good and I would much rather have had the episode to watch then have the network go to yet another re-run because they are too cheap to order more.

BJ says:

The case didn’t bother me and a part of me was happy that it was so predictable. I didn’t need to expend energy on the whodunit aspect of the show and could focus on the more personal aspects to the audience.

But anyway, there were many holes in this part of the plot and it seemed as if the writer was trying to cram too much in to one episode. In all honesty, outside of a Marine being killed because he converted to Islam, there isn’t much more I could tell you about the case because it just wasn’t memorable to me (except for Gibbs and Tony actually working together during the investigation).  It might have been better to let the case play as background noise and focus instead on the character plots.  Because for as much as this show is case and character driven, this episode should have been allowed to focus more on the characters.  But when has Shane Brennan ever really gotten it enough to know what he needed to do when.

BJ says:

The only time the case worked for me was the brilliant acted arrest scene. I was mildly disappointed that Joe Regalbuto had a relatively minor role, but I was impressed with his performance as well as that of Brando Eaton.

The other sub plot that just did not work for me was Abby, Carol and McGee.  When the news first leaked that we’d be meeting Abby’s BFF and college roommate, my initial thought was that it was about time.  Precious little has been shown about Abby’s life outside of the lab except for the nuns, her stalker ex-boyfriend and that brief glimpse of the possible boyfriend who was vertically-challenged.

Enter Carol, the roommate from college and still best friend.  Followed shortly by McGee, the former lover, who for some reason had never met the best friend?  This does not compute, SB.  Playing up to the idea that Abby and McGee had dated and had their own little fling a few seasons ago, he should have known Carol, at least recognized her from a picture if not having met her before.  Details and continuity will get you every time, Shane Brennan.  As the show runner, you should have been aware and caught that before a director was ever brought in and the script was read by the actors.

Was it a stroke a genius to hire Pauley Perrette’s real life BFF to play Carol?  Perhaps, but unless they bring her back and let us see more of their interaction, we’ll never know.  The glimpse that we got showed an easy bond between the characters that most likely stemmed from the bond between the actresses.  In that case, then it worked because I can’t see it being anything but awkward to ask Pauley to play such a close relationship with someone she barely knew.  It would be interesting if we get to see Carol again but I doubt that we will.  Chalk it up to Shane Brennan’s inability to tell us the story and let the relationships develop naturally instead of going for a big punch and the shock effect.

And the overall reason for Carol’s visit?  Her nephew was missing mom during the holiday season and mom was deployed on a ship.  Enter McGee as Abby’s knight in shining armor to save the day near the end of the episode as he pulled some strings to get them all into MTAC (as requested by Abby) so that the little boy could talk to his mom.  McGee’s reward was a kiss from Abs which helped put the smile on his face.  But honestly, the point of this whole plot was?

While I like the Abby we’ve been shown of late and feel that is probably due more to Pauley Perrette than anything else, this specific sub-plot was nothing more than a waste of time and film which could have been used developing any of the other storylines.  The idea that this was even possible stretched the bands of fictional story telling and was really nothing more than a cheap attempt to include all of the main characters somehow in the holiday episode.

BJ says:

I found myself mystified that McGee didn’t know or know of Carol. While I found the storyline cute, it did seem a bit shoehorned in. I would have rather have seem Abby and McGee integrated more to the Jackson Gibbs storyline and overall case. I don’t like when the team is split and McGee is kept apart from the rest of the team.

The other part of the episode that just didn’t work for me will come as no surprise to most – Ziva.  Or more specifically, Ziva’s role in Tony’s Secret Santa subplot.

It was quite clear from the beginning that the Secret Santa plot was going to be the comic relief of the episode.  Poor Michael Weatherly–when in the world will the writers quit using Tony as nothing more than the butt of the joke or the person on the other end of a romantic pairing and allow him to the complex character we all know he is.

While Tony’s obvious discomfort at whom he had drawn to get a gift for was mildly amusing, Ziva’s ire and description of the yet-to-be-seen character made me want to find something heavy and throw it at the television.  Honestly, who here was surprised at the penned description of the HR lady?  Single, middle-aged, lonely woman – could you get anymore stereotypical?  I can’t help but believe that Ziva’s description of Delores was nothing more than a dig at those fans who have expressed dislike for the character since that is how many fans and some articles have described them.

Fast forward to the end of this story and Tony presenting his gift to Delores.  Why in the world did Ziva need to be there?  Obviously, Tony was nervous but it just raised the buffoon meter a bit higher to have Ziva there pushing and pulling him closer to the closed office door.  (which I won’t even touch on at this point since it’s completely idiotic for an agency as big as NCIS to have a single office dedicated to HR)  Then we move to Delores opening the gift and honestly being touched – if a bit perplexed – by how Tony had come upon his knowledge and who do we see smiling benevolently over Delores right shoulder?  Nothing other than Ziva – unnecessary and nothing more than a blatant attempt to indicate that one character is needed for the other character to do anything good or worthwhile.  It’s time for Shane Brennan to stop destroying Tony by constantly putting Ziva behind, next to or near him.  Tony is a big boy, Shane and can definitely stand on his own two feet and carry about the same weight that Harmon’s Gibbs does where the show is concerned.

BJ says:

The only reason for Ziva to be there was because there was absolutely no place else for her. For much of this episode I was wondering where Ziva belonged. I didn’t find that she was integrated well into the crime either.

As for the Secret Santa storyline, there were parts I liked, and parts I didn’t. Firstly, can someone please explain to me why Tony was the only one who had a Secret Santa? Secondly, could they have gotten any more cliché with the female stereotype? Couldn’t it have been a middle-aged single father? Or a newly married knockout forty-something? Thirdly, we’re supposed to believe that the information about the doll was in the personnel file? Um…no. Fourth, McGee spilling the secret identity was not classy in the least.

And as for Ziva being there at the very ending, when Tony delivered the gift, there was simply no place at all for her to be. She didn’t belong in the Ducky scene, or the Abby scene, or the Gibbs scene, so she had to be pushed/forced into the Tony one.

I did like that Tony went to trouble to find the perfect gift. That struck me as such a “Tony” thing to do.

Now let’s hit on what worked –

As you’ve seen from above, I had some issues with the Secret Santa subplot.  Now that is not to say that I didn’t like it.  I didn’t like how it was used to yet again make Tony seem like a moron, as well as the use of Delores as a dig at those who criticize parts of the show by stereotyping them as I explained above.  However I loved the general idea of what they were doing no matter how idiotically unrealistic it was to think that a government agency would actually do a Secret Santa.

I also loved how Tony, for all of his bristle and meaningless catalogue shopping, ended up taking the time to find a truly perfect gift for Delores.  And I do believe that it was Tony who did it, completely on his own without any help from Ziva.  Checking a file to learn an unfulfilled childhood wish to then fulfill meshes with every tidbit we’ve been told about DiNozzo.  It was an interesting subplot minus all the buffoonery they’ve inflicted us and Tony with this season.  It would have been nice to see more of this story instead of being told at the gift giving what Tony had done.  (Are you listening, Shane?)

Now this is probably going to be a shock for some who read this since I’ve gone on record many a time stating that NCIS needs to move away from the character focus and develop their cases better.

This was one time when it made sense for the main storyline to be about the personal life of a main character.  Back in season 6, our first introduction to Jackson in Heartland, left the audience immediately screaming for a return appearance.  The tease in Silent Night with the phone call wasn’t nearly enough.  About a month prior, teasers, spoilers, pictures and their ilk were floated out to the fans, leaving behind them a wake of buzz.  I remember being amazed and thrilled that Jackson was going to be at NCIS.  The episode description though left an ominous feeling and bitter taste.  Now what was going to be revealed about Gibbs’ past?  Or his family?  Scuttlebutt rose quickly about what it could be.  The lingering thought was not a pleasant one for NCIS has a recent history of going more for the shock and awe than the substance.  It would not be a surprise if Ralph Waite’s Jackson Gibbs was coming to visit to die, say a final goodbye or slip into a nursing home due to dementia or Alzheimer’s like Ducky’s mother.  So for this plot point alone, the episode went to be a bit of a dread to watch.

The episode started out, after the opening scene, with Jackson arriving just as Gibbs was clearing the pickup, preparing to leave for the office.  From first glimpse, Ralph Waite seemed to be portraying Jackson with a hesitancy that was very unlike what we saw the previous season.  The warning bells started to clang inside my head as it really began to feel like they were going to head down a road with Jackson that I definitely didn’t like or wished to see.  I shot my first glare for the episode at the TV screen.

The rest of the storyline between the two had me waffling back and forth from liking to loving to hating and back to loving it again.  Liked seeing Gibbs flustered as he tried to get his dad settled and still get out of the house to get to work.  Loved, absolutely loved, Jackson ’s visit to the office and bringing the goodies.  The ‘making my team fat’ comment got me chuckling along with the bubble butt dig at DiNozzo.  (Must investigate that further to prove its validity I think.)  Nice to see Mark Harmon showing us a bit of Gibbs’ sense of humor again.

I loved seeing concerned Gibbs leaving an investigation to rush home.  Have to wonder if this is what he was like when Shannon and Kelly were alive.  Yet again though I had the warning bells clanging that we were being led down a dementia road with Jackson which would so not fit the character.  *growls at SB*  Moving on to Jackson’s reaction to Gibbs putting his gun away in the same room where his father was sleeping.  That scene should have been a hint that something was amiss, and it probably was to many.  I admit to missing the clues completely simply because I was already very vested in anger over what I was reading as a Jackson ill or losing his mind storyline.  Even knowing about the rifle in the store didn’t clue me in since some of the symptoms include forgetting about details like that and, at the time, I was not sure that they weren’t going to say it was already advanced past the initial stages.

In regards to Ducky paying Jackson a visit, I really wish we would have seen that meeting from the beginning since this was, ostensibly, the first time the two characters had met.  Ducky and Jackson I could see as instantly clicking – both love to tell stories and are essentially from the same generation.  Thinking watching them meet would have been one of the best scenes of the episode.  I was not surprised that Ducky was there to provide Gibbs a bit more of an expert opinion on his dad – although I do think it would have made much more sense had we seen the scene or some indication was made that Gibbs was talking to Ducky about it beforehand.  But that goes along with Shane Brennan’s complete inability to fully tell a story and just go for the big payoff and dropping bombs in the form of shocking scenes on us.  Anyway, I digress yet again.  Having Ducky there to check out Jackson without him knowing it makes perfect sense.  It’s how Gibbs has always dealt with issues in the past.  Ducky has been there to analyze villains, situations and even other team members to help Gibbs understand what was going on and to figure out what his next move should be.  I might have been more concerned as to the direction of the storyline if Gibbs had made a move regarding his dad without Ducky’s input.

BJ says:

I would have loved to have seen Jack meeting Ducky, but what we got was wonderful. I really appreciated that the show made Ducky and Jackson more contemporary, given that they do seem to be pushing Gibbs as the elder statesman of the show.  It was nice to see Gibbs viewed as a generation below Jackson and Ducky.

The culmination of the Gibbs/Jackson storyline began with the revelation that Jack had been forced to shoot and kill a young man who came into the store to rob him.  Once Gibbs revealed that he knew of the incident, Jackson’s unraveling occurred fairly rapidly.  Now at first considering that Jackson served in WW2 as a bomber pilot plus obviously fired the Winchester before while Jethro was growing up, it would appear that Jackson should not have been that disturbed by the act.  But that act of patriotism and bravery by a young man was performed many years ago and Jackson, as he aged, became a different person as do all of us.  This shooting of a young man, who might very well have been close in age to the grand daughter that he lost so many years ago, triggered not only grief over causing a death but also memories of the war and the realization that the bombs that he so innocently dropped from a plane fell on real people.  Nothing could have pulled at the heart strings more than Jackson asking his son how he’d gotten to a place where he wasn’t broken whenever he had to pull the trigger.  There was palpable emotion moving around both actors.  And I breathed a huge sigh of relief over the idea that Shane Brennan was not destroying the character and that we might have the opportunity to see him again.

Bj says:

Mark Harmon and Ralph Waite absolutely nailed every aspect of this episode. Both actors had me absolutely riveted throughout the episode. The final reveal was a relief as well as explaining so much about Jack’s personality and attitude since arriving in DC. The only thing I found a little bit “off” about the entire Jack and Gibbs story was that Gibbs let a much older man—his father no less—sleep on the couch. I could see Gibbs doing that if a team member stayed over, but his elderly father? That didn’t seem characteristic of the Gibbs I love.

This whole story line was made complete by the last scene of the episode.  While I definitely found it a bit surprising that Gibbs would replace the boat by making wooden toys for a children’s hospital (and that even kids in such a place would still want them), it was still a really neat thing to do and then to involve Jackson in.  Loved the end when Gibbs was going up the stairs with a sack of the toys and as Jackson comes up behind him, he made a comment about warming up the sleigh.  There isn’t a nicer way to end a holiday episode then with that and yet another end shot of Gibbs.

Kudos and holiday wishes to Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Sean Murray, Pauley Perrette, David McCallum, Cote de Pablo, and Ralph Waite.  As the Christmas season approaches and the cast, according to the NCIS-CBS group, goes off on a well-deserved break, the fans are left to sit back and wonder what is to come for the remainder of the season.  The big question now is will the current # 1 show be able to stand up to the pressure that is American Idol or will it buckle.  And if it does, will those who are so unhappy with the direction that Shane Brennan is apparently taking the show get the show back that they miss?  Or will Shane Brennan wield his mighty pen and produce something even more ludicrous rather than sticking to stories like the Gibbs/Jackson one that we were treated to with Faith?

With Love,

Anna and BJ

I was looking forward to this episode after seeing the previews, although I was a little bit puzzled over the whole Thanksgiving logic.  I mean, it has been seven seasons now and not once had they done anything previously.

Anyway, I’ll just dig right into this episode.  The first scene – with the children playing in the cornfield – made me think of a horror movie of some sort.  Some horror movie victims start off with young kids in a corn field just playing around.  But the fact that this was the beginning of an NCIS episode made me remember that they’d probably find the body.  They bump into a dripping scarecrow and, yep, find the body of a Marine hidden inside.

In the next scene, we see Tony being his humorous self, making little snickers towards McGee about losing weight.  I personally love the line where Tony says McGee is looking very Kate Moss-ish lately.  Then you have Ziva and her lack of slang terminology. She’s supposedly been in America for at least four years now!  You’d think she’d've learned already.  Give me a break!  It was cute the first season she was on the show but now it’s getting annoying.  We get even more Zivaness when she uses the words “blonde bombshell” describing Tony’s possible Thanksgiving plans.  Jealous much are we, hun?  Seems as if she’s chasing him AGAIN!  Or wait – did she ever stop?

All viewers and writers please note.  The actress that played Ducky’s mom (Nina Foch) unfortunately died some time last year.  Can we please give her character and storyline some closure already instead of playing it as if she’s acting up even more in the home she’s been in?

The scenery changes to the cornfield with the team’s arrival and we get a typical Ducky style of rambling off about random subjects.  In this case, it’s what to have for the Thanksgiving meal.  These are the moments that make me laugh, Ducky and his miscellaneous rambling.

Okay so Tiva fans all over would probably have been crowing over these next two parts of the scene: Ziva touching Tony with a feather and then her getting up on top of his shoulders.  Not quite sure that either part was really necessary for the episode.  But I do have one question: was the scalp and cheek massage to your liking, Tony?  Since Ziva couldn’t keep her hands off you!

Okay now we have a big scene jump to Angela’s room.  Angela is one of the kids at the center where the now-dead Marine was working.  Since when does Gibbs eat at a crime scene exactly?  Yes, I’m talking about the vanilla cupcake with pink frosting!  I know we see him practically inhaling coffee all the time but eating?  Not really sure on that one.  This next part, to me, is foreshadowing certain things (thanks to my senior writing teacher, Mrs. Burt).  But anyway, the fact that he leaves his number shows he thinks she’s hiding something.  Also, Gibbs glances out the window in her room to a fountain, again foreshadowing.

Just one quick question.  Is there anyone else out there who enjoys watching Gibbs eat?  I find it very…amusing!

Time for yet another scenery change.  In the interrogation room at NCIS, we meet the PC gang member, Eddy.  I can see Tony has taken a few lessons on interrogation techniques from Gibbs.  But at the same time he puts his own twist onto it.  I love it! That’s all I really need to say about it.  The scene is well thought out and well played.

Looks like Gibbs definitely knows his way around the kitchen.  He’s hot, smart, funny and now domesticated – the perfect man!  But seriously, the way he said that the cranberry sauce Abby was trying to duplicate needed more sugar was hilarious and amazing.

Now skip ahead a little bit and we have Gibbs and Angela in the elevator. Normally you’d see Gibbs turn the elevator off to “talk” to someone.  But the cards on the table are switched and it’s Angela who stops the elevator to talk to Gibbs.  I was shocked when I saw that, not only because stopping the elevator hasn’t been shown in a while, but also because it was actually someone other than Gibbs that did it.

Both Ducky and Abby are so resourceful.  Abby experimenting with her cranberry recipe using lab equipment and Ducky thawing his turkey in cold storage in autopsy shows quite a bit of ingenuity, although I don’t know that I’d want to eat a turkey thawed in the same place dead bodies are kept.  All these little character traits are one of the reasons why I can identify with the characters and I really feel like I “know” them.  Another reason why I can relate — Cousin Tetra’s lime Jell-O with yams, marshmellows and pecans.

Back into Abby’s lab I believe there is even more foreshadowing within the first collage.  The poem, Little Lady in the Fountain – hint, hint, maybe.  That’s just my idea though.  But hey, what happened to the Caf-Pows?  First Palmer isn’t around (again) and now Abby’s drink of choice is gone?

Ok, I have to comment on this.  All episode, well, actually all season, Tony has been being dumbed down.  Especially with him saying he has a combined SAT score of 950?  And please, we’re back to the 24/7 movie references!

Those two times I mentioned foreshadowing before lead to this next part.  Deborah Dalton is found near the fountain outside Angela’s room and is quite dead.  After she is found, Ducky and Ziva drop the ball and allow Angela to run away while they are supposed to be protecting her.  How Ziva manages to miss that with all of her “training”, I have no clue.  But she did, so bravo, hon!

I don’t blame Ducky so much, as it really wasn’t his job to guard and protect Angela; however, I guess he shouldn’t have relied on her help in preparing the holiday meal.  They could have found something for her to do when she asked if she could help.  There is ALWAYS something a child can do to help.

Back into the interrogation room and Gibbs reveals to Krista that her sister is dead.  Ummm, little bit harsh there, Gibbs, to be honest.  But then also, later on  could he possibly drive any faster than he did? I thought Tony was going to throw up by the time they reached the house.

The ending of the episode was just one big risk.  It was risky to let Angela go into the house by herself and it was risky for Ziva to take that shot.  I have to say, for some odd reason, I was on the edge of my seat praying for her to be okay.  I was really worried that Ziva would miss, with her being a changed woman and all.  Do not know why I was, just was.  The suspense of it all was literally killing me.

The very last scene with everyone at Ducky’s somehow for the Thanksgiving meal even though they all had plans beforehand – confusing, just a little.  But a nice way to end an episode, especially with Gibbs smiling as the final still frame.

All together the episode was fun and kept me on my toes.  Not once could I figure it out beforehand like I normally could.  Still some confusion though on why the team met for the holiday, but that’s probably just me.

Thanks for giving us another great holiday episode.  Can’t wait for Faith on December 15th!

With Love,

Candice

Random on Purpose was touted as the “Abby episode.” I have to admit that I read most of the spoilers and was excited to see what Shane Brennan had in store for us. I have had trouble in the past connecting with the show, but I figured with Abby in the episode, it would be great and I was not disappointed.

Sandy says:

I, on the other hand, have enjoyed the series from the beginning. I looked forward to the Abby crossover for the interaction with Eric, but I’m ready for NCIS: Los Angeles to stand on its own.

Eerie is how I would describe the opening scene of the show. A man is standing by a window, gazing out into the darkness stroking the ear of a rabbit reverently. A music box plays softly in the background. Suddenly there is a shadow and the man is killed. I thought that the use of music and the cut to the teddy bear at the end of the scene was brilliant. It gave the scene a Silence of the Lambs feel that carried throughout the entire episode.

The scene after the opening credits is a contrast to the first scene. It shows Callen and Sam walking into their office to find out that Hetty had cleaned up and rearranged their desks. Callen was unsure of what to make of this change. Hetty had a Gibbs-like quality in this scene as she sneaked up behind Callen. The only thing missing was the slap on the back of the head. It really was cute and charming.

The Callen/Hetty dynamic was explored a little more in this episode. I finally figured out that Callen was actually the team leader. I have to admit that I wasn’t sure whether Callen or Sam was leading the team up until this point. The analogy that Hetty used was excellent. She made Callen feel important even though everyone knows that Hetty is the one who is in charge.

Sandy says:

I enjoy the mystery that surrounds Hetty. She has a history and the very Gibbsian ability to know what is going on when she is not around. Defining the roles of the characters is something that needs to continue. While I knew that Callen was in charge of the team, not Sam, I also wasn’t exactly sure of the role that Hetty plays. This episode clarified that for the audience and for Callen.

The bickering between Callen and Sam throughout this episode shows both the bond between the characters and the chemistry that the actors share. It took awhile for them to find their way, but I think they have finally hit their stride. I look forward to watching many more scenes between the Bickersons. I also am enjoying the way that Kensi always seems to be the referee. It is very entertaining.

Sandy says:

Callen and Sam are very much brothers in arms at this point. Lots of teasing, but like brothers, willing to defend one another. Kensi is the one person whose character seems to have gone through fewer tweaks to get it right. Daniella Ruah seems to have known who Kensi was from the start.

When Leon Vance started on NCIS, I was bound and determined not to like him. He has grown on me over the last year. I really like the way that Shane Brennen is using him in NCIS: Los Angeles. It reminds the audience that both shows are indeed tied together. It also allows for characters to crossover. He was used in tonight’s episode to introduce us to our victim, Navy Chief Petty Officer Frank McEllen. He also was able to introduce Abby into the storyline quite flawlessly.

Sandy says:

As I’d suspected, NCIS Director Leon Vance was relegated to talking head this episode by filling in the team on his decision to send Abby to LA. I have to wonder who he was signaling to off camera in his office during his video conference. Click the red X when you’re done, Leon.

Abby is a force to be reckoned with. I had seen her first scene with the LA team, so I thought I knew what was coming. I was wrong. There is no preparing for what hurricane Abby will bring to a scene. Pauley Perrette is a brilliant actress and she really brings Abby to life. Abby brought an energy to the team that had been missing before. Her interaction with both Hetty and Eric in that first scene was priceless. She is a scene stealer.

I also enjoyed the use of interrogation in this episode. Callen’s technique differs from Gibbs, and it was refreshing to see. I thought the way that they cut from Callen to Kensi during that scene showcased the fast paced nature of the show. The rest of the team watching both interrogations on split screen was a cool technique.

Sandy says:

The editing of interrogation scene was classic NCIS. The quick cuts, the telling of two stories simultaneously, these are the things that have always been the hallmarks of NCIS that set it apart from other shows. I’m glad to see them employ some of these techniques on NCIS: Los Angeles. I don’t expect the shows to be exactly the same, but there should be similarities, like the updated phoofs. We know where they came from, but the series of quick shutter exposures are unique to NCIS: Los Angeles.

The crux of the show was really Abby’s kidnapping. I thought, again, she stole the scene at the bar, when she kept babbling about everything she wanted to do, typical Abby, a joy to watch.  The way that they used the rest of the team in that scene was awesome as well. The team figuring out that the Phantom was after Abby at the same time that she was getting kidnapped was really cool. I felt bad for Eric though, sitting clueless in the bar, as his crush gets snatched.

Sandy says:

This was a case of my understanding what had happened just as the realization was hitting the team as well. The Phantom was using info on Abby’s blog to set her up in order to silence her. I saw the pieces fitting in as they did. That’s good writing to be able to take the audience along with the characters.

I was afraid that when I read that Abby was going to get kidnapped that TPTB would forget about where she came from and just deal with the present. I was refreshed to see them pay homage to Gibbs and his team by saying that they were coming out there to assist the LA team.

Sandy says:

They even went as far as to mention Gibbs and McGee during the teleconference at the end—the two people who the fans expected to be most concerned.

Abby during the whole kidnapping was just classic. The fact that she wouldn’t stop insulting him, to spitting at him, just showed me that no matter what the circumstance, Abby is always Abby. The use of sign language to convey her whereabouts paid homage to her background and for that I was glad. My only beef was: when did Eric learn sign language?

Sandy says:

The sign language thing is something people need to get over. Really? Finger spelling? I knew how to do that in junior high and used to talk with friends in study hall with finger spelling. There is a lot of interest in learning American Sign Language and it is not uncommon to find people who know it. These are new characters who have all sorts of things to reveal. I say, let them.

I was more bothered by the comment that The Phantom made that he saved the spot for the white woman in her late 20s for Abby. Late 20s? Really? Ignoring the fact that Pauley Perrette is 40 years old, we know that Abby has a PhD and she’s been at NCIS for at least 10 years. Also, she’s not younger than McGee, who is 32. I would have enjoyed seeing Abby straighten him out in that regard.

The rescue was classic. The bickering between Callen and Sam lightened the tense situation, and as Abby said, I never knew that there were so many uses for a fire hose. I also thought that it was classic Abby and Callen that they kept using each other’s full names.

Sandy says:

I loved the “Abby Sciuto” “G Callen” business. They have a bit. It’s fun, and it brought us full circle from her first appearance in this episode to the ending of the story, giving a nice sense of closure to the case.

My favorite part of the show came at the end, when Callen pulled Hetty aside and told her that she rowed pretty good. I loved the boat imagery, which seems to resonate throughout both series. I also loved the sentiment. He further cemented his relationship with Hetty by paying her that small compliment.

Sandy says:

This scene also brought us full circle and brought closure. Having a bullpen with desks is a needed touch to the set, and gives them a more stable place to play in that space. People, besides Hetty and Eric, now have “their” spaces to develop. Could be fun.

It was by far my favorite NCIS: Los Angeles episode this season. I not only loved the Abby crossover, but I loved the way the team seemed to gel together. It was fantastic work by everyone involved.

With Love,

Bethany and Sandy

Though I enjoy the NCIS franchise as a whole, I have to be honest that my interest in the spinoff of the original NCIS had not yet been grabbed by the episodes so far.  That is, until I watched this latest episode.  I have enjoyed the interactions of the characters, but they seemed to really hit their stride as a cohesive unit in Ambush.  The plot, though without as many twists as in past episodes, was still rich and provided the viewer with a more in-depth look at the team as it works.

Carina says:

I’ve loved the show from the first episode of the season, though I wasn’t sure that would be the case after the pilot. I’ve enjoyed the season thus far, but I really loved this episode. Ambush really captured why they work so well together as a team, while giving more insight into the murky background of G Callen.

Sam and Callen continue their “bromance” in their first scene, complete with color-coded tabs and hazing.  Having grown up with guys and having guy roommates in college, I appreciate and enjoy those kinds of interactions. With so many crime procedural shows on television, the relationships between the characters are what make NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles stand out.  Aside from the constant ribbing, the friendship and camaraderie of the two main characters, along with the rest of the cast, has finally hit a stride that makes this a show has finally hooked me as a fan.  In fact, this episode focused more on their role as the main interaction with the rest of the cast supporting their movements.

Carina says:

I have to agree. The “bromance” is really what made me decide to watch NCIS: Los Angeles. I wasn’t sold on the show from the pilot episodes, but I did love the interaction between Sam and G Since that is sorely missing in most procedural dramas these days, it was a refreshing and incentive enough for me to tune in during the first season. I’m happy I did. But it’s more than just the relationship between Callen and Sam. I love the interactions between the team as a whole. The banter and camaraderie between the teammates has become a trademark of the NCIS brand, and NCIS: Los Angeles doesn’t disappoint.

Ambush opens up with the murder of Marine Lance Corporeal Edward Mackaye, a Reservist working at the armory at Camp Pendleton.  The audience witnesses his garroting on “fish cam” at an aquarium.  I was a little surprised that the man didn’t fight his attacker off at all.  As a Marine, Reservist or no, the man should have known some moves to at least give himself a chance.  Though normally a death of a reservist would be under the jurisdiction of the local police, Mackaye was actually an informant for another NCIS agent, Mike Renko.  Normally, Hetty would be in charge, handing out assignments.  But Director Vance had called her to Washington D.C., so her presence was still felt via speakerphone.

Carina says:

It bothered me as well that there wasn’t any real resistance. Sure, he seemed to be struggling a bit, but it seemed pretty halfhearted. I think he would’ve gotten a few punches in. He’s a Marine after all.

Renko explains that he is in the midst of a weapons investigation into a militant group, named E.L.E.  Six Dragon anti-missiles had gone missing from Camp Pendleton, and the main suspect into that theft was Marine Private Scott Riley, who had a long connection with E.L.E. and its founder, Malcolm Tallridge, and the second in command, John Bordinay.

Going back to the scene of the crime, Kensi, Sam and G talk out the facts and evidence, working through what the victim and suspect had done, questioning the angles.  Through their questions, Callen asks Sam if a Dragon missile could fit inside of a sail bag.  I loved how through this scene Kensi gives a run down of the location as a bad place to stage a terrorist act.  The look on Sam and G’s faces were hilarious.  You almost don’t expect her to be so cut and dried with the explanation.

Carina says:

I love Kensi. In the pilot episodes, I feared she’d just be window dressing. But here, she proves once again that she’s more than just a pretty face. And it’s also evident that the rest of the team really values her as an agent.

Sam and G go back to headquarters to review the footage Dom and Eric pull up, while Kensi stays behind with Renko.  On the video, they see Riley take his sail bag out six times over the last six months, the MPs never checking his sailing gear.

While talking on phone with the rest of the team, Kensi decides to test Riley’s equipment to see if there is any explosive residue on his bag.  Riley sneaks up behind her and tries to garrote her like he had done to Mackaye.  What follows is a pretty cool fight scene, Kensi kicking all kinds of butt.  And while I enjoyed her moves and how she was able to fight the bigger man off (I was actually cheering out loud for her), I was a little surprised neither she, nor Riley, had any marks— bruises, cuts, or otherwise—after the fight was over.  Slamming your face against a hard surface, like a car, would leave a mark.  In the end, Renko comes in with a gun before Riley can escape (though Kensi was doing fine on her own).

Carina says:

Yep, Kensi was so kicking butt just fine on her own. And as she said, she didn’t really need Renko stepping in to ‘save’ her. However, I wasn’t disappointed about the lack of bruising immediately. More about the lack of bruising appearing later. In fact, later the only evidence of her having been involved in an altercation is the fact that she’s pissed off and her hair is slightly in disarray.

They bring Riley to interrogation— Kensi does the interrogation—but he doesn’t admit to anything.  However, it does appear that he is afraid of something, more than likely the men he works for in E.L.E.  Because he is obviously not going to betray the people he works for, the team sets up Callen going undercover, with Sam as the MP escorting them.

Carina says:

When Nate points out that maybe Kensi shouldn’t be doing the interrogation alone because Riley’s so much bigger, I loved Renko’s response. “Riley’s bigger and stronger but….she’s meaner.” Lol! I love that even though they step in on occasion to “save” her and maybe even fear for her safety at times, they still respect her enough not to undermine her abilities so much as to step in when it isn’t warranted.

As they’re traveling in the armored truck, Callen is cuffed as a fellow prisoner, trying to gain Riley’s trust.  However, when Hetty back in D.C. finds out what the team has set into motion, she becomes infuriated.  We learn from her reaction that Hetty lost an agent several years before in an undercover operation. I am a bit worried that the writers are trying to give too much angsty background for the characters too soon.  The development of the team and their histories in the original show was more organic in their growth, and I would hate to see the characters overdeveloped simply because the writers think we need that.  There doesn’t always have to be a dramatic back-story behind each person’s reactions.

Carina says:

I agree that there is no need for EVERY character to have such a dramatic background. But we only have this one incident in Hetty’s past and small tidbits about Callen’s past to go on at this point. I don’t think it’s fair to say that every character does have an angst-filled background. Only time will tell. And I don’t think we’ve been given too much information about the characters thus far. We know that Callen’s history is pretty much a mystery, but as for the rest of the team we don’t know much. And considering Hetty’s reaction, a little background was a nice touch. I also don’t think that Hetty losing an agent in the past necessarily falls into the category of ‘angst for angst sake’. The realities and pitfalls of her profession are that at one time or another, maybe more than once, she might lose an agent. And if she did, and we now know she has, her reaction would be understandable.

Even though Hetty orders the team to stop the mission, they tell her it is too late.  In her frustration, she hangs up the phone, and then Dom discovers that Riley searched two hundred and forty seven federal buildings, immigration processing centers.  What Dom in fact discovers is a list of possible targets for the Dragon missiles.

The mission proceeds with a truck overtaking the military vehicle.  Shots are fired and Callen and Riley escape, leaving everyone else dead in their wake, including the “friends” who had come to free Callen.  Callen and Riley escape in the truck, Riley ‘convincing’ G to free him because he knows someone who could keep them safe, someone who could help them disappear.  Almost reluctantly, Callen frees the other man and they take off, leaving bodies in their wake.  Only when Kensi and Renko pull up behind the crime scene do the dead men jump up from their “corpse” positions.  Quickly, the two agents follow the escapees, adding Sam to their numbers.

Riley directs Callen to the base of the E.L.E. group, all while Callen is shooting off caustic comments, like “Are we going camping?  I hate camping.”  It was funny seeing this almost bratty side of the character, though as a part of his undercover persona.  As the truck gets farther along the path, a young man starts shooting at them, a line of defense of the militia group.  When the boy gets in the truck with them, he and Callen exchange verbal barbs at each other in fun.  Though it would seem out of place in such a high-risk situation, the conversation brings a more human element to the circumstances.

Carina says:

Callen’s undercover attitude made me wonder if this is why Sam is always mock-threatening him. Even as a part of his undercover personality, it still seemed like it was more real than acting. The barbs exchanged between Callen and the boy seemed to fit Callen’s real personality, as we’ve often seen that he uses jokes and humor in his everyday life. It seems likely that he’d fall back on this in a high stress situation.

Callen is led to what ends up being the base of the militia’s operations.  To me, the camp and members seemed rather small for an organization that was proving to be such a big threat.  When the three get out of the truck, Malcolm shoots Riley because of the numerous ways he put the militia at risk.  Though sudden and violent, this reaction brought me back to the fact that they were a dangerous group.  The resulting skirmish has Callen, armed with a gun, in a stand off with the rest of the militia, the boy from earlier as his hostage.  What was almost touching at this point, and served as a continuation through the rest, was G’s constant efforts to make the boy realize his mistake at being a part of that group.

Carina says:

I think the fact that the militia group was relatively small touched on a major misconception about bigger being better. If a person, or group of people, have the right connections, their impact, good or bad, can be major. I mean, computer viruses are relatively small, but they can do major damage. However, the fact that the militia group was so small made them easier to fool, as later events proved.

At this point, Sam drives in, pretending to be an ATF agent, trying to save Callen.  They both end up chained in a cabin, as the militia gets ready to move.  They are waiting to see if Sam was telling the truth at their being surrounded.  The rest of the NCIS team is scrambling for backup and a plan to free their agents.  I thought it was hilarious when Kensi starts doing Morris Code on Callen’s forehead with the laser from her weapon.  Callen’s face had me cracking up as he tried to stay still while at the same time picking the lock of his handcuffs with a bobby pin.

Through subterfuge, smoke and mirrors, the team ends up convincing the militia they are under attack from a squad of agents, Callen even convincing the boy to switch sides.  The whole working of the team together, from Sam and G on the ground to Hetty in D.C. getting two jets to buzz the camp, is what finally hooked me into the show completely.  The team has finally started to work cohesively which makes it far more enjoyable for me.  Also, the little moments within the team shows how fond they are of each other, from Hetty’s dedication to the safety of her team and constant input of knowledge – she reminds me of Ducky in this manner though without his long stories – to Erik’s “Hetty, it’s all of us.  Please don’t yell.”

Carina says:

For me the cohesiveness of the unit and the overall fondness they have for each other was evident from Identity. But it was nice seeing that further expanded and captured in this episode. And Eric is fast becoming one of my favorite characters because he seems like the ‘little brother’ to the whole group.

One problem I have had with the show was Macy’s sudden disappearance, which was finally explained in this episode by Hetty.  I was glad the writers were finally able to explain that plot hole to me.  Her interactions with Director Vance were also amusing, as they showed she may be small but she’s still a force in the agency.

Carina says:

Yes, Hetty is small, but she’s her personality is larger than life. I love that someone so small easily stands toe to toe with men  twice her height; even if the man in question happens to be the Director of NCIS.

I was also happy to have Macy’s disappearance explained. It bugged me that Louise Lombard was let go, because I actually liked Macy, so it was nice to have some closure on that mater.

Overall, Ambush was a great episode, showing the different aspects of the team that makes it such a cohesive unit.  I look forward to many more, exciting episodes.

All in all, Ambush was another great episode. Not that I expected anything less. I find myself enjoying it more than NCIS these days, which may or may not be a good thing, and I look forward to the next episode.

Lots of love,

Zabby and Carina

When I first heard about the premise of the episode, my initial reaction was one of pure trepidation. Having spoilers leaked regarding two team members stuck in an elevator solidified my resolve to watch the episode either while doing the dishes or by peaking through fingers covering my eyes. I honestly felt that the Mike Franks episode of a couple of weeks ago would be the tops for me this season. Consistently having Ziva and that dumb pairing tossed in my face either by the writers, her portrayer, her fans, or the media has really gotten on my last nerve to the point of dreading the show. Agreeing to do this review pretty much committed me to not only paying careful attention to the episode but also to taping it in case I needed to clarify a point afterwards. Boy was I glad I did!

Hilde says:

The last few episodes have, to some degree, restored my faith in the show. I’ve found the never-ending Ziva arc tedious and at times painful to watch. The show has always been about the team for me.

The episode started with a pop right from the opener. I know the writers wanted us focused on how the blackout happened, but honestly, I was more amused by the computer game. Roared with laughter at the “Mom” complaint and even more when I realized it was a grown person. Could easily come up with several people that the poor soul reminded me of. A fact that I thought was one of the intentions — an easy way to draw fans in so that they relate to the “topic” of the episode. This scene alone caused me to consider the idea that this episode was going to be an unbelievable ride.

Hilde says:

The opening sequence was hilarious and set the pace for the rest of the episode. We’ve all met a guy like this and it gave the opening a lightheartedness that continued throughout.

Cue the opening theme and then afterwards we finally see him. Jimmy’s back!  And we get an incredibly cute scene that starts with Tony giving Jimmy his requested “sit rep” after which Jimmy tells him exactly who was stuck in the elevator the entire night – Tim and Ziva. We get a brief scene between the two during which Ziva, in abject frustration, throws and breaks McGee’s watch. Wonder if this is part of the “changed woman” that’s been so touted this season and, with any luck, Ziva will draw Tim’s name or replace the watch during the upcoming holiday episodes.

Hilde says:

My first moment of relief this evening came when the elevator scene was so blissfully brief. I don’t think I could have stomached another episode focusing heavily on Ziva. My second moment of relief came when I discovered it was McGee she was trapped with. I whooped with joy when Palmer entered the screen, and I loved every scene he was in, especially the one with Tony and Jimmy! I wished we could se more of those two. Another thing that is still missing for me is more interaction between Tony and Gibbs.

Only Tony would give the stuck agents updates using an orange traffic cone. While definitely over the top, it didn’t have as high a rating on the “Juvenile DiNozzo Meter” as others have this season. Gotta love McGee though and his newly developed Gibbs sense clueing Tony into the man’s presence even while stuck in an elevator. The expression on his face lends more evidence to the fact that Gibbs is going to definitely be different throughout the episode. Yet how much truth was there to what Tony said. Only Gibbs would be quite comfortable within the confines of an episode like this as we were about to see.

At the scene, the investigation took on yet another comical tone when McGee realized that his digital camera’s battery had not charged over night because of the blackout. Here’s where the Gibbsonian method of investigation comes to the forefront with Gibbs’ magical black bag of goodies. He has not just one but several instamatic cameras in it and passes them out to his horrified team and, most likely, the delight of viewers.

The comedy continued throughout the investigation. We saw Tony using the remote on McGee as if he was the plasma screen they normally use, the team rushing to use normal methods of carrying out Gibbs’ directions and their impatience at realizing that the norm no longer worked. This led to one of the funnier moments of the episode — the abject horror on Tony’s, McGee’s and Ziva’s faces as they examined the mimeograph machine and the smirk on Gibbs’ as he watched them without their knowledge. Although I do think that Gibbs’ knowledge of the mimeograph might have been taking it a bit too far. Unless he encountered the machine in Stillwater when he was growing up, I found that one part a bit farfetched and there only for comedic purposes — even if I did still enjoy it. The smirk on Gibbs’ face…priceless!

Hilde says:

I absolutely loved Mark Harmon and David McCallum in this episode. Both of their characters were unfazed by the blackout, making do with what they had and watching their younger teammates flounder. I enjoyed watching the practical solutions they came up with for the numerous problems an investigation runs into without their usual gadgets at hand.

I thought Tim’s comment of needing a Brontosaurus to work the mimeograph was priceless, and one that clearly should have warranted a slap from Gibbs. Abby was back in form in this episode, trying to make her own Caf-Pow and using lemon to operate her CD player. She reverted briefly to Baby!Abby, complaining about Ducky getting power and not her. It does not take a scientist to understand why autopsy needs power.

Had to roll my eyes at yet another joke at Tony’s expense though.  The idea that it was him and not Ziva who overdosed on the cologne to cover not being able to shower was ridiculous and unneeded. Can we include pointless and just plain wrong since Ziva was the one in the elevator all night long? When is the show going to stop the digs at Tony’s expense? It’s overused and very old.

Hilde says:

So old! I wish the TBTB would focus on developing Tony as a character instead! I have such high hopes for the 150^th episode when we finally get to meet his father. I hope the writers have used this opportunity to reveal a bit more about Tony’s background.

And oh yeah, guess I should mention at least a little bit about the case itself.  Suspected the hubby more than once as the case developed.  There was just something about him that raised my suspect meter.  Was glad I was wrong in the end though.  Have heard several comments questioning NSA running an op without keeping NCIS in the know.  While that thought also disturbs me, I was able to chalk that up to possibly the director knowing and keeping the information as need to know.  Plus it could also be explained as NCIS as an agency being kept in the dark about some operations simply because they had/have a former Mossad officer now probationary agent in their ranks.  Pointing culpability to the security officer along with the other two and apprehending him via a setup and joint operation with NSA neatly wrapped up both investigations.

Hilde says: For once, this was a case that had me intrigued throughout the episode. I did not get bored, or just plain disinterested or disheartened. This was a well-constructed plot that took a proper investigation to solve. They all played a part in solving it and they kept me in suspense until the end.

This episode, though, for me at least, was all about the humor and getting in touch with the way NCIS used to be. The case was very team oriented as were all of the little humorous asides that are an NCIS trademark. From Abby trying to mix her own Caf-Pow to Ducky storing everyone’s food in autopsy to Tony and McGee trying to “remote control” each other to Abby creating battery power for her boom box to Tony running through a mass of old 70’s cop shows, there was a sense of spreading the scenes around so that the focus wasn’t on just one character in either a funny or a serious way.

This was definitely the thing that I loved most.

Hilde says:

I wholeheartedly agree! This is what has been missing for a long time for me. Let’s hope this continues

The best part of the entire episode came near the end though and it came in two different scenes. When they finally nailed the security guard, Gibbs spoke to Tony with what is the classic cop show line for me. Book ‘em, Danno-zo… Classic and made my jaw drop to the floor before I shrieked and cheered. This was followed by the ending of all endings. After returning to the Navy yard, the team is gathered in the bullpen as the power suddenly returns. As one they rush to their desks and immediately begin frantically typing on their computers — all except one. Gibbs looks around at his team and then calmly turns off his monitor before the episode ends with him smirking/smiling/grinning that MH does. It was the best!

With Love,

Anna and Hilde

I think one of the problems I’ve been having with NCIS: Los Angeles is that in an effort to, I suppose, distinguish the show from its parent, NCIS, it sometimes goes overboard in setting the scene. The opening of Keepin’ It Real showed us a clichéd “L.A.” party complete with slow motion, bouncing breasts followed by Valdivia’s rather surreal fall and subsequent death. I caught that someone passed Valdivia something in a handshake, but aside from that moment of interest, I was, pretty much, bored stiff by the teaser. That a Marine had the wherewithal to apparently host such a party should have sparked my interest, but even Valdivia’s genial conversation with the waitress wasn’t enough to make me care one way or another about him. This is not a good sign.

BJ says:

There are times that NCIS: Los Angeles reminds me of CSI:Miami. The opening scenes are one of these times. They seem to focus on the glamour of the location and as a result, I don’t often connect with the opening scene as much as I do the NCIS opening scenes.

Now, watching Callen and Sam’s argument as they came to work together the next morning was fun. Though, I thought it interesting that Sam apparently shifted his position on the nature vs. nurture debate when he later claimed to be a “natural operator” as they broke into Valdivia’s mysterious apartment.

I’m still somewhat puzzled by the chain of command and general work flow in the OSP office. Just who is in charge? Who is the team leader? Are all their cases assigned to them because someone has political clout? There are quite a few other agents or analysts or support personnel on site; who does everyone report to? I can’t tell if Hetty is officially in charge or if, because of her experience and personality, she’s simply someone who takes charge and people follow her. The organization feels far too nebulous to be real and that makes it difficult for viewers to have anything to latch onto. One of the things that helped anchor viewers in the NCIS universe was being given at least some of the structure of the organization in Ice Queen and Meltdown.  That we’re not getting that in NCIS: Los Angeles is maybe to show that it’s a more laid back environment than the Washington D.C. office. While that might be partly based in reality, the way it’s being done is, again, clichéd and not entirely believable.

BJ says:

I’m not even entirely sure who the senior agent is. Sometimes it appears to be Callen and other times it appears to be Sam. I’m not sure if Hetty’s function is more as a manager to the team or runs the entire office. It is confusing and sometimes causes confusion.

I’m also constantly amazed at how the various team members almost never have to show their id or even announce that they’re federal agents when dealing with local LEOs, witnesses or even suspects. When Callen and Sam arrived at the pier, one of the LAPD cops just raised the crime scene tape and let them in.

BJ says:

That is a bit of an issue and I hope the show runner and his writers will address that.

The counterfeiting storyline wasn’t bad, but I could have done without the extraneous flirting between Callen and Giordano.

Kensi continues to be a refreshing character and it was good to see Dom do a bit of undercover work.

BJ says:

While I do like the characters, I find myself wishing that there would be more of a shift in the characters in the field. One of the interesting points of NCIS is the differences in partnerships. In one episode we might see Gibbs with DiNozzo and then Gibbs with McGee. Seeing Sam and Callen investigating at someone’s house every time starts to feel a bit monotonous. I’d like to see Dom growing in the field and being mentored by the more senior agents as well as Kensi. The little bit of mixing of agents that I’ve seen I’ve liked, but it isn’t nearly enough for me.

It was nice to see them give the touch screen technology a rest. That got old during Legend.

I know it probably doesn’t seem like it, but I am seeing promise in NCIS: Los Angeles.  It’s gotten off to a much rockier start than its parent show, and there are still some issues that should have already been addressed, but the characters are beginning to solidify nicely.  Now, if only the rest of it could do the same.

BJ says:

The character interaction is a huge plus for me, but I’m finding myself mildly frustrated with some of the issues that Tejas has mentioned. I hope we’ll see these resolved soon.

With Love,

Tejas and BJ