Review of NCIS 7X07 Endgame by Sandy and Carina

Dear NCIS,

Anyone can achieve their fullest potential. Who we are might be predetermined, but the path we follow is always of our own choosing. We should never allow our fears or the expectations of others to set the frontiers of our destiny. Your destiny can’t be changed, but it can be challenged. Every man is born as many men and dies as a single one.

The closing monologue in the last scene of NCIS Endgame perfectly sums up this phenomenal episode. It was one of those stories that develops not only on a crime investigation plot line, but develops the characters as well. Specifically, Endgame exposes this season’s changes in some of our familiar characters.

Carina says:

Tim’s closing monologue really did capture the significance of this episode. We’ve seen subtle changes in all the characters over the years, both good and bad, and this episode finally focused on those changes.

For example, NCIS Director Leon Vance has been painted as hard, mysterious, hiding a secret, and one not to be trusted.  In Truth or Consequences Tony says, “Leon Vance. Some people don’t like him. Some people don’t trust him. Wish someone else were in his place.” That assessment perfectly describes the audience reaction to Vance. This episode in particular finally endears him to the audience.

Carina says:

I’ve always been skeptical and wary when it comes to Vance. Much of his past, even now, is a big mystery so it was hard to really get a read on what makes him tick. And because of that, I could never fully relate to him in any minute way. Endgame has changed that. While much of him still remains a mystery, after this episode he seems more human. I’ve never seen him as inhuman or anything like that, but I never really got an emotional connection with him either. That is no longer the case.

Last week on NCIS: Los Angeles, we were introduced to Lee Wuan Kai with the idea that she was Vance’s nemesis—his Ari or Rene—and that he was as consumed with finding her as Gibbs or Shepard were to finding the former and latter.  When the body of the doctor is found in DC, Vance recognizes the handiwork of Kai and shows up at the crime scene. We expect him to take matters into his own hands, as he did in Los Angeles. Instead, he trusts Gibbs with the case and shares with him his history with Kai, including the fact that she killed his partner and might have killed him, but for some reason let him go. For the first time, we see Vance looking vulnerable.

Carina says:

The scene between Leon and Gibbs was one of the best this season, and will remain a favorite, and memorable scene for the entire series as far as I’m concerned. I too, fully expected Vance to barge in and take over, so it was a pleasant surprise when he did the exact opposite. The tension between Vance and Gibbs has been there since day one, but there has always been respect as well, however hard won. This episode, and really this season, has shown them moving, slowly but surely, past that. I wouldn’t say they are friends, but I think they’re more than mere colleagues now. Vance openly showing his own vulnerability when sharing his story with Gibbs proves that.

Later, when Kai shows up outside his home, Vance is clearly shaken. He’s hesitant about going into a safe house or putting his agents in harm’s way for him. He instead decides to send his family away. It is his wife, Jackie, who has the strength to stand up to him and insist that she is his partner and that she is not going anywhere.

Carina says:

I loved this scene. While NCIS has had several female characters, when it comes to strength and conviction, sometimes the characters are sorely lacking. Jackie’s insistence that she wasn’t leaving her husband, that they were in this together, was rather refreshing. And it spoke volumes of the love they share that he didn’t balk or try to dissuade her. He knew there was no point.

Finally, when Kai confronts Vance and practically begs for suicide by cop, Vance cannot bring himself to do it. The pain that he has endured for 17 years has been supplanted by an understanding of the circumstances that created Kai, the assassin, and recognition that she has also changed.  It also speaks to his character, compared to Gibbs and Shepard, that when it comes right down to it, Vance could not pull the trigger on his nemesis. It is his wife who has the strength to shoot Kai.

Carina says:

The differences between Vance, Shepard, and Gibbs are very apparent in how they each dealt with their nemeses in the end. That Jackie was the one to ultimately pull the trigger, thus ending the danger to her family and this seemingly never-ending chapter in their lives, was very telling, once again, of her strength and determination to protect her family and show her fierce love for her husband, at all costs.

In this episode Vance connects with the audience by showing that he is neither as obsessed as Jenny Shepard was nor as steely as he has been portrayed. The writers continue developing a relationship of trust between Gibbs and Vance and one of respect between Vance and McGee.

Carina says:

That is exactly what sold me on this episode, and on Leon Vance as a character. He has every reason to be as obsessed, if not more so, than Jenny Shepard ever was; yet he isn’t. The fact that he can even attempt to understand why Kai became what she became, no matter what it cost him personally, shows that he’s a better man than I might’ve assumed otherwise.

While the episode signals a change in Vance’s character, there is significance in the fact that it is McGee’s voice that narrates the voice over at the end of the episode, because his character has taken a major turn this season. Timothy McGee has been many men: the geek, the probie, the gamer, the novelist, the protective big brother, the friend, the partner, the hero. McGee has challenged the destiny of his character’s development, and although how his character is written is predetermined, he is taking control of his destiny.

Carina says:

Tim McGee has always been one of my favorite characters on the show; I’ve often been able to relate to him so there is a kinship there. But this season has pushed him to the top of my list. Not only has this season shown how he has grown as an agent, it’s also emphasized how he’s changed as a man. Sean Murray has been wonderful in his portrayal of McGee from the start. And this season seems to be his time to shine.

After the obligatory murder to investigate in the teaser, we find Tony digging through McGee’s desk to find his motivational CDs. We know that Tim has listened to these types of programs before (”Becoming an Alpha Male” comes to mind), and it has been always the butt of a joke.  This time, the snippet of motivational lecture is used to foreshadow the emphasis of the growth in McGee’s character.

Carina says:

True. But it also shows in stark contrast, the lack of growth and the regression of the other characters around Tim.

While Tony pillages McGee’s desk, McGee meets a beautiful woman at the coffee shop.  We see his new confidence in action—asking her to take his cell phone out of his pocket. He even makes a Freudian slip and refers to the phone as a ring. Cute!  McGee is obviously taken with the woman and asks her out. For the third time this season, we see a McGee who isn’t insecure about dealing with a flirtatious female.

Carina says:

I was afraid that he’d be shown as the insecure “probie” that we’ve grown to love over the years, instead of the confident man we’ve seen this year. It was a nice scene and I really enjoyed it.

In the squad room, McGee confronts Tony about listening to his CD, and Tony is at a loss as how to respond. McGee mentions that that maybe the CDs are working—that he’s becoming more assertive.  Clearly, something is working. Tim is much more able either to let things Tony does slide off his back or to confront him about such offenses. Matter of fact, Tony later comments on the change in McGee and compares himself to him. He recognizes McGee as the new stud and that middle-aged Tony is feeling as though he’s been put out to pasture.

Carina says:

Yep! I liked that rather than take the cheap shot, or even really acknowledge any of the jibes Tony tried to get in, Tim simply let them slide like water off an alligator’s back. And the comparison was rather telling as well, not only of the changes between Tony and McGee age-wise, but also that Tony seemed to be taking it in stride. Sure, he needled Tim a bit, but it was in fun, not derision. And that, for once, was a nice change.

On a visit to Abby’s lab, Abby convinces McGee to admit that he is seeing someone and she appears to be genuinely happy for him. McGee exudes the confidence of a man in love and Abby appears to hoping for that same sort of relationship with Eric from NCIS in Los Angeles. This scene also marks a transition point where the McAbby romance is clearly over (which I have believed for several seasons) and where they can be friends without benefits.  McGee and Abby are clearly looking at one another through different eyes.

Carina says:

When I heard rumors that Tim would have a romance, I feared we’d get a jealous or resentful Abby. I’m so happy that didn’t happen. The relationship between Tim and Abby is one I’ve enjoyed over the years, but there have been instances of interaction between them that made me cringe. It was nice to see her so genuinely happy for Tim. And it was cute that she refrained from blurting out that she knew he was seeing someone, hoping that he’d tell her himself. I don’t know that the possibility of McGee and Abby getting together is completely over, but I think any romantic relationship between them will be a lot different than before.

Years of experience have trained McGee to know when something is wrong. He knows he didn’t tell Amanda where he works and when he confronts Amanda at the coffee shop about her showing up at NCIS headquarters, we still see shades of the old McGee in his expressions and hear him in his voice, but it is the new McGee who knows what he must do. Even when he

later reports to Vance and Gibbs, he is shaken, but composed at the betrayal by the woman to whom he was attracted.

Carina says:

I wasn’t really surprised that Amanda turned out to be who she did. But I was pleasantly surprised that Tim not only knew something was up, but was confident enough to confront her about her slip. Again, more proof of his growth as an agent and a man.

Once upon a time, McGee would have seen himself as a failure. Now, McGee is disappointed to have been used and saddened by the loss of Amanda, but he doesn’t berate himself over it. The closest that he comes to it is saying, “I’m gonna join a monastery,” not so much an indictment of his abilities, but of the women who throw themselves at him.  Our little Timmy has grown up.

Carina says:

I was glad that he didn’t see this as a failure. He seems to understand it could’ve happened to any of them. Furthermore, I liked that Tony didn’t really comment on it either. I didn’t expect that, as often Tony goes for the cheap shot. This, again, was a nice change.

Both these revelations of character growth in Vance and McGee are juxtaposed with the story of Kai, who was brainwashed as a child and forced to become a killing machine. Like Vance and McGee, Kai has taken control of her destiny. She is no longer a hired assassin, she realizes that there are people who don’t deserve to die (such as McGee) and she realizes that in order to bring her life to complete closure the one person who should bring her down would be the one person she let go 17 years before.

This is the reason the unusual voice over narration hits home. “Anyone can achieve their fullest potential.”  Leon Vance, Tim McGee, and Kai all are great examples of not allowing others to “set the frontiers of [their] destiny.” Even as characters drawn on paper, they must grow and change.

Carina says:

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Season seven bring changes for most of the characters. The one constant has been Gibbs.  For this reason, I believe the final line of the monologue is over Gibbs’s hood.  “Every man is born as many men and dies as a single one.” Gibbs has been through the firing process and, at this point, appears to be refined to who he is. It will be interesting to discover if there is another side of Gibbs yet to be seen, or if he will be the anchor for the season. Stay tuned.

Carina says:

Gibbs has very much been the anchor for this team. Even when he left back in season four, he was still the one constant in their life, and when it got rough, he was who they turned to for help. But it’s nice to see some of the changes of the other characters being explored.

I’ve been on the fence about NCIS since season five, and though I’m still there to a degree, I still have hope for this show. The tone of Endgame is what I would like to see in future episodes. Maybe not so much that they investigate cases that involve them personally, but more in the vein of personal growth and character development. If that happens, I’ll definitely be staying tuned.

With love,

Sandy and Carina

Dear NCIS:

Rip open that bag of confetti because the NCIS I’ve known & loved is finally back!  Loved, loved, loved this episode and the whole crux of the reason why can be summarized in three words – Leroy Jethro Gibbs.  The bossman is finally back from whatever funk he sank into at the start of this whole debacle that was the eight episode Ziva arc.  Last night Gibbs was back with his looks, his small smirks and even tinier smiles, and the chemistry he has with so many on that cast that make this show the best.  Highlighting just two of those interactions from last night here and those are Gibbs and Franks and Gibbs and Vance.

Tejas says:

Amen, sistah! This was head and shoulders above every other episode this season and most of last season, as well. Still not up to the standards set by the beginning of the series, but a definite improvement over the hole the show fell into of late.

Now first off, I’ve got to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of former NCIS Agent Mike Franks.  Love the idea of the character, the way he’s written and especially the way he’s portrayed by Muse Watson.  Not exactly very fond of the way Gibbs either reverts back to a probie or goes off on his own whenever Franks comes to town.  Since the spoilers had led me to believe that Franks was going to be accused of murder and that it also involved Gibbs’ boat, I was fairly certain going in that our silver fox was going to go rogue to restore rightness to his world.  However, I was very surprised to see Vance tagging along with him but we’ll get to that later.

Tejas says:

I adore Muse Watson, and generally like Mike Franks, or at least the idea of him. Anna summed up most of my problems with his appearances, though.  His last one, Deliverance left such a bad taste in my mouth, I’d've been just as happy to never see him again. Not only was it not a great episode on its own, but there was simply no reason for Franks to be there. However, Outlaws and In-Laws was an excellent use of the character. Good job, guys.

Gibbs and Franks had their normal repartee going for most of the episode.  But in this Gibbs wasn’t as deferential as he sometimes is to his former boss.  This Gibbs was on target, in the moment and had more expression on his face than we’ve seen in a long time.  He was clearly enjoying himself and not just going through the motions.

Tejas says:

It was a beautiful sight.  This is the first time Gibbs has felt like Gibbs in a long time.

And Vance has returned to the character that we first met in Internal Affairs finally.  This is the Vance that I was intrigued by instead of disgusted with.  This is the Vance who paid Gibbs back the money he owed from nearly a decade prior.  This was the Vance who poked Gibbs and responded to the slight smirk that he got in response with something other than a nasty comment or a power play remark.  This is the Vance that I expected to see upon realizing that Rocky Carroll and Mark Harmon had a history together and both seemed to share a sense of humor.  The Vance/Gibbs dynamic has been developing so comfortably this season.  I hope TPTB don’t take advantage of the good will they’ve fostered for the director and suddenly rip the foundation out from under us by returning to the sneakiness we saw him exhibit throughout most of season 6.

Tejas says:

I’ve come to really like Vance and this episode demonstrates why.  Vance and Gibbs have professional history. They don’t necessarily like each other, but there’s a core of mutual respect, something we didn’t see when Jenny was Director. It’s not the same relationship Gibbs had with Morrow, but it’s a good one. Gibbs will push Vance, but only so far and Vance knows when to give and when to stonewall. Best yet, so far, he hasn’t stonewalled for personal reasons. Their relationship is nicely professional and I love it.

Moving on to the storyline itself, I will admit that it was a bit weak.  From the onset, there was no way I expected the show to end with Mike Franks being responsible for the deaths of the mercenaries.  Not that he isn’t capable of it.  He killed the Russian and was with Jenny in Judgment Day but because of his history with the show and Gibbs particularly, it just seemed highly unlikely.  That left the daughter-in-law so it was just a matter of waiting to see how the team figured out what the viewer already had.  But the weak case was really not a bad thing because this episode wasn’t about that.  No, this episode was about seeing what many NCIS fans and certainly all of Gibbs’ fans have been dying to see for *so* long.  The inside of Gibbs’ house and an answer to the question of what happened to the Kelly.

Tejas says:

I wasn’t sure Mike hadn’t killed them, but I knew it would end up being self-defense or something. Once Abby found the mangled slugs, I knew that the daughter-in-law had killed them, which was even better.

Gibbs’ living room surprised me.  I guess in some ways we all have mental pictures of what the house would look like.  Honestly, it wasn’t the room’s size or shape that got me.  I expected that since we’d seen a glimpse of the house’s exterior in that one episode where Franks hits Tony over the head to get to the Russian.  What surprised me were the furnishings!!  I expected Spartan and a lot of wood.  What I did not expect was that the furniture would look like it came from a big sale at Goodwill.  However, I don’t want to trash talk the furnishings a lot because I’ve heard that Mark Harmon was consulted when they designed the look of the room.

Tejas says:

I loved his house. The décor fits him to a T. Gibbs has always struck me as someone who buys when and what he has to and replaces it as rarely as possible. All I have to do is look at my sofa, that I bought used and have had for 25 years, and I get it. “Nothing wrong with that sofa. Why should I replace it? I can still sit on it.” I doubt Gibbs ever replaces anything until it’s past the point where he can’t fix it or can’t live with it.

The other big episode topic was obviously Gibbs’ boat.  Many fans have felt that this boat was special once they saw the name that Gibbs had etched into it – Kelly.  Named for his daughter, it was doubtful that this boat would see the same fate as the others, which were tagged with the names of his ex-wives.  I’m still perplexed by why he’d given the boat to Franks.  That in and of itself makes little sense.  Especially since it seemed to be a permanent thing and not a short term loan.  Perhaps though that is just my fixing more significance onto the object because of its name.  Seeing Abby preparing to take a chainsaw to the vessel in NCIS’ lab appeared to be a bit of a sacrilege.  Obviously, Gibbs knew it was a necessity but it seem more overkill than anything else.  More like it was a way for the writers to permanently deal with the constant questions about the boat and open the door to having Gibbs start building another boat or something new.

Tejas says:

Gibbs didn’t give the boat to Franks. He gave it to his goddaughter. I think he saw it as a fitting gift; the boat he built to honor his dead child given to this new child in his life. He’ll have to build The Amira, now. As to Abby needing to take it apart to find the slugs, Gibbs doesn’t get overly attached to things. Yes, he has some pictures of Kelly and a recording of her songs, but he’s just not terribly materialistic. Strike that. The man is positively Zen.

Two other points regarding this episode have been targeted for much discussion.  Both points are prevalent in the first scene and have to do with Ziva and Tony.  As Tony and McGee arrive, Ziva has obviously been there a long time.  When she wakes and informs the two that Gibbs is doing his own brand of probie hazing, it is explained why she is reading the thick stack of papers before her.  Tony goes into a soliloquy concerning citizenship and the American dream while Tim gives his usual benign supportive statement.

Too much has already been said about Tony’s speech concerning RL and the American dream.  It appears, unfortunately, that there are too many fans who expect the characters to reflect either their own political views or the current political climate.  In as much as we do not know the basis behind Tony’s speech, I think comments should be limited on the topic.  It’s been obvious now for almost two seasons that the writers are seriously struggling with how to develop the character.  Hopefully they get it figured out soon and develop him in a way that grows the character as well as continues to keep the vast acting skills of his portrayer stimulated.

Tejas says:

For me it’s less that I expect characters to mirror my own political stances and more that I find RL so incredibly repugnant, not to mention divisive, that it struck me as a very bizarre choice by the writers, and an unnecessary one, at that. This is especially true given that we’ve never seen anything from Tony that would lead one to believe he’d listen to RL, much less quote him. In fact, much of what we’ve heard from Tony over the years seems to indicate he’d be less than interested in RL at all. It struck me as out of character, unless it was a way for Tony to try to put another barrier between himself and Ziva. That, I can understand.

The other area of concern involves why in the world Gibbs would choose to call Ziva not once but twice within the episode.  I can buy the probie hazing for the first phone call that brought her to the office just after midnight.  I’m completely convinced that there is a sadistic side to Gibbs and also a very dry but wicked sense of humor that doesn’t come out near often enough.  I could see him thinking that bringing her in so early was definitely the price to pay for being the “rookie” and also another way of showing her what her place currently is on the team.  The second phone call, which occurred at the beginning of the episode’s climax, is a source for concern.  The pattern for NCIS is for the lead agent to call the senior field agent if they were not partnered on an op.  It is a habit that Gibbs has rarely broken.  Having him call Ziva at this juncture of the episode smacks of, yet again, more shoving of the character and her place on the team into the faces of those who no longer or never did like her.  It also pushes Tony further towards the back of the team and diminishes his role and presence.

Tejas says:

I agree completely.  I kept wondering what was wrong with Tony’s phone that Gibbs couldn’t reach him. Enough with Ziva. Please. We’ve already had more than enough.

The entire “siege” at Gibbs’ house was rather funny yet sad.  Obviously, these guys didn’t know a thing about the place they were entering or else they wouldn’t have blown the door.  However watching Ziva act like she was in charge of the scene and having Tony lying helpless on the floor was a bit idiotic.  It also again smacks of how much the show I’ve loved has evolved to focus on a character that I’ve come to not be able to stand over the last season and a half.  The only good part of the whole scene was the return of Damon Werth from the episode Corporal Punishment.  His recognition of Ziva and assistance to the team in achieving the resolution was interesting and fit with what we knew of the character.  The character’s spark with Ziva was also apparent.  This might be a good way to go if the PTB are insistent on pursuing a romance for Ziva.  There was chemistry and familiarity there.  Their brief exchange hinted that they had somehow stayed in touch with each other after his case.

Tejas says:

Tony was definitely underused in this one. Yes, he did catch, and credit, McGee’s off-hand remark about the two gunmen not being associated with Franks, but that had little impact, over all. Probably his best part of the episode was his exchange with Franks in Gibbs’ house. I get the impression that he hasn’t forgotten Franks’ cold-cocking him the last time they were at Gibbs’ place. If they feel they have to give Ziva a love interest, Damon Werth would be a lovely choice. There’s terrific chemistry between the two of them. I think they’d be good for each other.

The final comical yet fitting scene was Gibbs waxing philosophical and story-telling, a bit out of character but it was also a perfect way to conclude this rather unusual episode.  The music setting was perfect for a return to Mexico with Franks, his DIL and granddaughter along with the Iraqi mother in law.  Dialogue for this scene would simply have not been appropriate.  Music alone with just the looks and actions of/between the characters would have left the scene open to too much interpretation and speculation.  Having Gibbs tell the story which paced the scene on the beach to the exact detail was an excellent way of conveying the resolution to Franks’ ‘in-law issue’.

Tejas says:

My only comment is that the generations Gibbs mentioned seemed off to me. But then, I’m roughly Gibbs’ age and two of my great-grandfathers fought in the Civil War. Maybe the Gibbs family just has “shorter” generations than my family.

All in all, this was, arguably, my favorite episode of the season.  Ziva is back to minimal focus where she belongs and Gibbs is returning to normal with a few changes.

Tejas says:

Agreed. Still needed less Ziva (and they still haven’t told us how they have her working there at all without being Mossad or a citizen—that still sticks in my craw) and to stop putting her ahead of Tony on the team.  He’s Gibbs’ second, not her.

Anna and Tejas

Dear NCIS,

I found Code of Conduct to be a combination of trick and treat. I was very ready to get back to domestic cases that didn’t focus heavily on one character, and this episode more than delivered. I think it stands up fairly well to past NCIS Halloween episodes (Witch Hunt and Chimera).

Zabby says:

I also was looking forward to the episode returning back to what made us fall in love with it in the first place (the chemistry between characters and the cases worked) and less of the soap opera style drama.  While I enjoyed the episode (I can’t say I’ve ever hated any episode NCIS has aired), it wasn’t one of my top favorites.  It was a decent enough episode, but even in comparison to Witch Hunt (which happens to be one of my favorite episodes), I found it lacking in the overall humor of past episodes, as well as the characterizations of the team members, which lacked the substance and individuality from before.

The show opens with what appears to be an average neighborhood teenage Halloween prank, but when the kids find a body in a car, everything gets significantly more sinister.

The victim is Lance Corporal James Korby and the initial feeling is that it may be suicide. Korby just returned from Afghanistan very recently and had a penchant for playing practical jokes. When NCIS arrives, they quickly determine that this was not a suicide. Korby’s body is crackling and snapping and when Ducky retrieves some evidence, he learns that Korby was frozen from the inside out.

I have to give credit to the special effects department on NCIS. The sounds of Korby’s body being stretched out were absolutely creepy and very evocative. This show rarely creeps me out this much and they did it so well!

Zabby says:

The sound effects were incredible at this part.  You could almost feel the crackling happening under Ducky’s hands.  And I have to give props to the man playing Korby for not laughing while being “positioned.”  Personally, I don’t know if I could have kept a straight face.

The team quickly realizes that someone gave Korby some liquid nitrogen to drink and that froze his organs immediately. The hunt is on for a suspect and first on the list is his wife. The wife has been married to three Marines who have died and this makes Tony’s gut start churning.

It soon becomes clear that Korby’s history as a prankster earned him more than a few enemies. He was poisoned and beaten by his squad mates while in Afghanistan. While neither attack killed him, they were very clear warnings. The plot thickens when the squad leader reluctantly admits that he poisoned Korby with a small amount of paint thinner for his own good, to protect him from the escalating tensions within the squad.

Meanwhile, Sara’s alibi seems to check out. Korby’s wife was hours away in Virginia Beach. This makes Tony’s gut churn even more. Korby had just come back from a deployment. It is soon explained that since Halloween is Korby’s special holiday, they spend a little time apart so that he can make his pranks while uninterrupted.  Their stepdaughter Rachel was spending time with friends. Neither can offer any suspects or ideas, insisting that most everyone liked James.

There is a neighbor, the aptly named Mr. Rogers, complete with sweater, who didn’t seem to “get” Korby’s sense of humor, but he has a fairly firm alibi. Various members of Korby’s squad are examined as possible suspects, but the case seems to be building against his wife.

Zabby says:

I loved the little addition of Mr. Rogers.  It’s moments like these that made me fall in love with this show in the first place.  The tongue-in-cheek humor gives great respites within the show, almost breaking the audience out of their television show hypnosis to remind them that life is rarely ever so dramatic all of the time and that there’s always humor to be found.

At the moment DiNozzo is arresting Sara, Gibbs figures everything out and he and DiNozzo head out to arrest the real guilty party—stepdaughter Rachel. She was the recipient of a trust fund and if her stepfather and stepmother were gone, she could control it right away rather than waiting years to access the funds. She killed her stepfather and then moved the car and staged him in it as a suicide.

One of the issues I had with the episode was the logic of the murder itself. We’re told that liquid nitrogen freezes things immediately on contact. So how then did Korby manage to drink and swallow liquid nitrogen through a frozen solid mouth and throat? Furthermore, why would he drink something so incredibly cold? The steam and vapor rising from the pumpkin that Palmer used for the demonstration would have been there when Korby opened the thermos, wouldn’t it?

I understand that holding liquid nitrogen in your mouth for very short times is possible, but this was never discussed or presented effectively to the audience. Wouldn’t someone (Gibbs or DiNozzo maybe) want to know more details about how he could effectively swallow the liquid nitrogen?

Another area that didn’t work for me was the use of the car to give DiNozzo and Gibbs the final clue that it was the stepdaughter. How could this tiny slip of a girl have manhandled Korby into the driver’s seat while he was dead and frozen? Why would she manhandle him into a seat that was pulled upward for someone her size and height and not push it back to more easily get her stepfather inside with the most ease? Why even pull the car out and risk exposure that much sooner?

Zabby says:

Other than the guilty party being a little…obvious, the case seemed to be put together rather randomly.  The casework wasn’t particularly effective and didn’t seem as in depth as past episodes.  Though it was creative in the initial cause of death and sounds from the body frozen by liquid nitrogen, nothing else seemed to be investigated.  Why hadn’t the team looked into the wife’s alibi?  It appeared to have only consisted of a phone call.  In the past, this would not have been satisfactory.  The team has always produced a more thorough investigation.  Why hadn’t they interviewed the stepdaughter’s friend about that night?  Wouldn’t she have gone missing at some point?  Wouldn’t someone have noticed?  Also, why hadn’t anyone on the street noticed a girl hauling a body into a car?  In a neighborhood like that, it would have been noticed.  Especially considering all the pranks happening that evening.

I was a bit disappointed in the characters and characterization, particularly with Gibbs. From him getting the cider for the team, to him allowing Ziva to drive, to letting Tony lead the “Mobile Campfire” it just wasn’t the Gibbs I’ve grown to love. One thing might have been quirky and showed a slightly different Gibbs, but given all of the differences to Gibbs’ character, I found myself wondering if the biggest prank wasn’t a Pod Gibbs. Or if, as many are postulating, Gibbs is stepping back and Tony will soon be team leader. Gibbs has been written very inconsistently since early Season 6 and I miss the Gibbs of old.

Zabby says:

Gibbs’ behavior was disappointing to me as well.  When he brought cider for the team, at first I was confused, expecting a point or a joke in the making.  The drink turned out to be just a kind gesture, albeit confusing though sweet in a non-Gibbs sort of way.  But with the repetition of non-Gibbs-like behavior, my confusion grew.  I can only hope that BJ’s conclusion of Gibbs stepping back won’t come true.  If that is what’s happening, I don’t have good hopes for the future of the show.  Not that I won’t think Michael Weatherly won’t do a good job with Tony in the leadership position.  But the chemistry with Gibbs in the lead is what draws many of us to the show.  Granted, if a changing of the guard does happen, I will probably still watch, but in the end it will be a different show.

Only two scenes really highlighted his character for me. The scene where he head slaps Palmer in Abby’s lab completely worked for me, and his scene with Abby when the motion activated Halloween decorations were going off. Those were the highlights for me. Gibbs’ personality felt very off for the remainder of the episode.

Zabby says:

I always love the interactions of Gibbs and Abby.  The characters are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum: the rigid, controlled, to the point of obsession, Marine verses the free-spirited, spontaneous, impulsive Goth.  But their scenes are always the highlight of the show.  And as always, their scene together was lovely.  Gibbs walking through the motion-activated decorations had me giggling.

I was, however, disappointed in regards to the costumes for Halloween.  Abby’s costumes are always something to look forward to.  In fact, Witch Hunt is one of my favorite episodes, something I love to watch over and over.  But having costumes ‘banned’ because of the Jones’ brothers instance from the year before seemed like cop out, a way to quickly explain away what they didn’t want to think too hard about.  I was looking forward to seeing what creative way Abby was going to present herself this time. But to have nothing, it was very disappointing.

I found Tony to be a bit out of character as well. He’s never been quite that in-your-face to a grieving spouse before. It seemed Tony was channeling a little of McGee’s brittleness from last year, and it wasn’t something I found Tony wore well.

Zabby says:

Or that stuck on a theory.  It took him longer than normal to give up on his ‘gut’ instinct, or at least his initial assumption that it’s always the spouse.

Having said that, a genuine team atmosphere with Palmer involved in solving the case was the biggest and best treat of this episode. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy seeing Palmer. He’s been missed and underutilized in the last season or so.

Zabby says:

As a character, I adore Palmer and his character development in the past seasons, even if he was underused season six.  He adds a nice innocence to the team dynamic, even with his bad sense of humor.  Personally, I enjoy bad humor.  It’s a family trait. 

The show needs to back off a bit on Ziva the probie. We got it last week, we don’t need to continue to be hit over the head with it this week and in future episodes. One mention an episode rather than the nearly dozen or so that we got would have sufficed. The NCIS audience is really astute and doesn’t need to be consistently reminded of Ziva’s status.

Zabby says:

I agree with the hammering of Ziva as the probie into the ground.  I don’t see why she’s making such a big deal about being called probie.  Tony calls her that.  Gibbs calls her that.  And personally, I think it’s cute, since she has more experience than many NCIS agents as Mossad, though not as an investigator.  Besides, Gibbs has made a point in past episodes about how Mike Franks still calls him “probie.”

I really loved the fact that DiNozzo gave his winnings to a charity. That was a nice character development. And Ziva’s tricks were well done.

Zabby says:

Tony’s donation was really sweet, and I laughed incredibly hard at DiNozzo’s blue teeth.  Way to go Ziva for a well played prank.
All in all, this was an average to slightly above average episode for me. Highlights were the return of Palmer in a significant manner, and Gibbs and Abby in her lab.

Zabby says:

So, in conclusion, more Gibbs and Abby together, more cases, more Palmer, less removing the uniqueness of the characters and the quirks we’ve come to adore, and less Pod Gibbs.  Thanks!

With Love,

BJ and Zabby

Dear NCIS,

So, first and foremost, I have to admit that I had my reservations about this episode. The idea of a show, spin-off or not, resorting to the “crossover” cliché in the first season didn’t appeal to me. Surprisingly it was handled better than I expected.

The episode starts off with a couple enjoying the sun in style; on a jet ski with a camcorder to record their exploits. Out of nowhere this guy appears on a jet ski and seems bound and determined to ruin everyone’s fun as he practically plows through the crowd. It soon becomes evident that he’s not a jerk; he’s simply lost control of the jet ski. Or so we are lead to think. Until he crashes into the beach and is catapulted from the jet ski. A couple standing by on the beach rush over to help and that’s when we see the blood covering his chest, proving that he wasn’t simply “asleep at the wheel.” Now we have our victim of the week.

The next scene shows Sam and Callen arriving at work, and I really enjoyed this scene. I love the relationship these guys have, and they have such an “Old Married Couple” vibe to their friendship that the bromance just jumps off the screen. But more than just Sam and Callen is the camaraderie between the entire team. Dom is quickly becoming my favorite character, and this scene made me enjoy him that much more. Adam Jamal Craig is great at switching from confident and self-aware to insecure and slightly paranoid without pause. And I never tire of the team’s obvious fear of all things Hetty. She’s such a tiny little thing, so it’s hilarious seeing her instill such fear in guys as huge and manly as Sam and Nate.

Sandy says:

I do love how the relationship between Sam and Callen is developing, and Dom continues to be one of my favorite characters. There is so much to explore with a green probie. But Hetty is also going to be a joy to learn about. She’s a costumer with a special-ops past. As someone who’s spent some time doing theatrical costuming, I relish her scenes and can’t wait to find out more about her.

So, the team is called to the Ops room to get their latest case. Turns out the victim is Daniel Su. He worked for a company that received funding from the Defense Advance Research Project Agency (DARPA). SecNav thinks the North Koreans killed him, as he defected from there years ago. So basically this scene sets up the case and gives background. I didn’t mind the scene much, but the touch screen annoyed me. What happened to point and click? I mean, I love technology as much as the next gal does, but only if it improves upon existing technology. Touch screen technology may look pretty, but it’s very tedious. And after one episode with it, it seems superfluous. And in this case it annoyed me so much I had to rewind the scene just to know what they’d discovered throughout all the maneuvering and whatnot.

Sandy says:

I have no problem with the touch screens, but, then again, I was right there with McGee when he first saw them in Legend. I think this is something we will get used to as the show progresses.

Nate explaining that he wasn’t reading a comic book, as Hetty called it, but a graphic novel was hilarious. As was the look on his face when Hetty implied she’d heard about his earlier comments. Sadly, once again, Peter Cambor was left with nothing to do in this episode. I love Nate, and I enjoy his character, but I really wish his existence seemed more necessary to the team. As it stands, he’s no more necessary to the team function than the touch-screens.

Sandy says:

I hadn’t noticed it until you mentioned it, but you are right. Nate didn’t have much to do this episode. I’ve noticed trend in other shows that are adding a psychologist to their teams. It can be a fascinating character, but it needs to have a purpose besides just reading the minds of the other team members, especially when Hetty already does it so well.

I wonder why the last three agents didn’t pass muster.

Moving on. So Sam and Callen go to the late Daniel Su’s house, only to discover that someone has been there already. They enter the house to find it trashed, with blood everywhere. Sam spots a bloody lamp which leads to them finding the blood spattered body of Sally Morris, Daniel’s business partner. With this new development, the team reevaluates the North Korean angle, realizing that Daniel’s and Sally’s deaths might have had nothing to do with Daniel’s past, but ultimately determine that it’s the most viable angle.

Sam and Callen debating about RVs is funny. Especially the fact that Callen is all for a houseboat, yet he can’t sail. As Sam points out, that could be a problem. After discussing the finer points of RV living, Sam and Callen try to determine the best shooting angle from the marina not far from where Daniel was killed. They discover a surveillance camera and have Eric access the feed from the time surrounding Daniel’s shooting. As they review the feed they discover that the shooter is an Asian woman. Director Vance enters and gives them a name: Lee Wuan Kai. Ok, we immediately know this is not a traditional case. The Director of NCIS does not just pop up for an “old fashioned” murder. So it’s also pretty much a given that whatever his connection to this case, it’s personal.

Sandy says:

I found it odd that Sam first mentioned the boat idea, then the RV, then later nixed the boat idea when Callen brought it up again. Also, I’m glad that Vance explained how he knew Kai was in the country, because it made his appearance believable knowing she was on a watch list.

With more input from Vance, we learn that Lee Wuan Kai is a fanatical North Korean activist. Vance sets Sam and Callen up with a meeting with a local DARPA analyst to brief them on the technical aspects of Daniel’s DARPA contract. Apparently Daniel was working on technology that the North Koreans desperately want and since they can’t have it, they killed Daniel and will likely kill anyone else they feel may know about his technology. This is where we learn that Daniel has a brother, Jimmy Su. And Sam and Callen realize, just as we all have, that this case is personal for the director.

Ok, so the case is just so-so at this point. Nothing too exciting, but it’s enough to keep my interest. I found that I enjoyed the interaction between Hetty and Vance more than the supposed “intrigue” of the case. The obvious rapport they have with each other speaks of their history. It’s nice to discover a little more about Hetty and her connection to NCIS.

Sandy says:

Vance’s back story could get dicey playing across two universes. We already know that Vance has a history that is intertwined with his friend, Tyler Owens. I’m hoping the writers on NCIS: Los Angeles can keep it straight with what’s been covered in NCIS. For example, in this episode, Vance mentions a mission in 1984. But we also know that he left Cincinnati for Chicago in 1981 with Owens and that someone named Leon Vance attended the Naval Academy at Annapolis. In 1984, he’d still have been in the Academy. Wonder how the mission in Prague fits into the timeline.

So we cut back to the Ops room and Vance wants to know how long it’ll be before the blood spatter can be analyzed. Kensi tells him a day at least. Enter Abby. Vance is too impatient to wait on the crime scene analysis, so he contacts Abby to look at the blood spatter from the scene. This seems a little clichéd as well, because considering he’s the director of NCIS, I’m sure he could’ve gotten any analyst (more to the point, a local analyst) to come in and analyze the spatter. I mean, it’s the Director of NCIS. If analyzing crime scenes for NCIS were your job would you refuse the director’s request? I think not.

Sandy says:

Personally, I’ve always wondered why there is only one Forensics Specialist. Surely there must be others. Having said that, I think it’s not unreasonable that he would contact someone that he trusts. That is how Vance operates.

Anyway, Abby is…. well, she’s very Abby. And I found it interesting that Abby calls the director by his first name because I don’t recall her doing that on NCIS. And it’s very Abby-like for her to know how to determine when the Director is in a bad mood. I laughed out loud at Eric’s slip of tongue when he called Director Vance by his first name. Rocky Carroll is the master at saying so much without speaking one word.

Sandy says:

I also was bothered by Abby calling Director Vance by his first name. She didn’t even do that with Director Shepard. I know there was a joke last season when she said, “Oh, Leon!” and then said, “Too early for that, huh?” Still don’t think the first name basis works for anyone other than Gibbs.

Next we meet Frank Davis, the DARPA analyst. We learn from Frank that Daniel kept key aspects of the technology he was creating to himself, but due to the changing terms of his DARPA contract that was about to change. However, he was killed before he could share any information about his technology. And according to Davis, neither Sally nor Daniel’s brother Jimmy, know anything about the technology. Too bad Kai doesn’t know that.

As they are relaying all this info to the director, they pull up at Jimmy’s place. Sam sees Jimmy and his wife exiting their house, and since Kai is still out there, he rushes to them to get them back inside. But he spots Kai on the roof (bionic vision or what?!), and she takes a few shots at them. No one is hurt, but Kai escapes before Sam can get to her.  I found this scene somewhat ludicrous. I mean, Lee Wuan Kai managed to kill a man on a jet ski in the middle of the ocean, but she can’t shoot two practically stationary targets? Yeah, so not buying it.

Sandy says:

She wasn’t under fire when she was shooting the jet ski. She had already been spotted by Sam before she fired. Different situation completely. I think it’s totally believable that a former Navy SEAL would be always scanning the area, especially rooftops, since the killer had already shot from a high perch.

Anyway, the team gets a location on Kai and Sam and G leave to check it out. Kensi and Nate are left alone with the couple, who happens to be arguing, and Kensi proceeds to read their lips to discover what they’re fighting about. And from their argument she surmises that Jimmy was lying and actually knows everything about his brother’s business. Now, it struck me as odd that Kensi would just know how to read lips. And considering we’ve been given background about so many other small things, I was expecting an explanation on how she learned to read lips. And I was disappointed when I didn’t get it.

Sandy says:

I seem to remember it took a bit to find out why Abby could sign. This new skill gives them a little something to build on with Kensi’s character. I’m sure we’ll find out why in the future.

Sam and Callen arrive at the hotel where Kai was spotted, and the director is already there. Vance goes up to the room they were told she was in, and while he’s there a phone rings. It’s Kai. She tells him that she didn’t kill Sally Morris. So, if we are to believe her, this means that there is another killer out there. But do we believe her? After all, she’s a murderer. It is extremely possible (and more likely) that she’s lying. But before we can think on this too much, Dom walks in with news. And we are once again subject to the touch screens of death as Dom takes us through Sally Morris’ last moments. I swear I needed an anti-emetic after watching this scene. Anyway, we discover that Sally more than likely knew her attacker because the person was there for about thirty minutes without incident prior to the murder.

Sandy says:

I had serious issues with Vance going to the hotel room alone after the fuss he made about DiNozzo going to question Ziva without back up in Aliyah. Now we have Vance doing exactly the same thing. At the same time, I don’t think it went outside the bounds of his character. We do know that he follows the rules until he finds the need to break them.

Eric does a trace on the three most called numbers for the home and we discover that Jimmy and Frank Davis where quite chatty. Vance decides they need to send someone in undercover to find out just how involved in this Jimmy is. Since Jimmy knows just about everyone on the team, it leaves it to Dom to go undercover to get the information. Again, as I said before, Adam Jamal Craig is perfect in his role as the insecure and green probie He did great in this scene and I loved that although we knew Dom was nervous, none of it showed in his scene with Jimmy. Also, he reacted perfectly when Kai shot at them. He didn’t panic; he just moved into action, got the witness out of the way and took cover.  However, it still bothered me that Kai didn’t so much as graze either of them considering she had perfect aim.

Sandy says:

I think we know that Dom isn’t going to wash out. He’s great under fire.

Anyway, Kai gets away, as I assumed she would (after all, isn’t there supposed to be a continuation on NCIS in a few weeks?). Abby calls and shares her findings. The director relays the info to Kensi, and as Kensi talks with Jimmy’s wife, Aimee, we learn that Aimee’s actually the one who killed Sally. Her reason for murdering Sally is just as convoluted as the rest of the case. And honestly, after all this, I would’ve preferred it if Kai had been responsible for both murders.

Sandy says:

I have no idea if this is to be continued, since I don’t read spoilers. But, I knew that the car was empty before they got to it. If Vance had been chasing her since 1983, she wouldn’t be so easy to catch.

One of the best scenes of the entire episode is the ending where Dom realizes he’s lost Hetty’s camera. I thought it was nice that rather than leaving him high and dry, they all stuck around to try and help him find it. It’s a small thing, but it demonstrates that they are in it together. Or maybe it’s just after having the last three agents wash out, they don’t want to lose Dom to Hetty’s wrath.

All in all, the episode was decent. If I were to give it a letter grade, I’d give it a B-. There wasn’t too much crossover, with Abby only being present for a few scenes. So that was refreshing. However, now that the crossover is out of the way, I do hope for more invigorating and interesting episodes.

Sandy says:

Ah, but the crossovers will continue. Rocky Carroll has been signed for multiple episodes, although I expect most of them to be talking-head appearances on the plasma, and Abby will be physically going to L.A.—she’ll finally meet Eric. We’re not done with the crossovers, but JAG crossed over to NCIS more than once in the first season as well.

I’d give the episode a B+. We’re getting more information on the troops and more camaraderie within the ranks. I didn’t find the story in the least convoluted, but there were things, like Kai’s disappearance, that I saw coming. The actors are settling into their characters. Fifth episode in and they keep delivering strong performances. Great job!

With Love,

Carina & Sandy

Dear NCIS,

Things are starting to come together on the character front and that’s very nice to see, though could we ease up on the angst anvils? The plotting? Not so much. In fact, the plot holes in Search and Destroy should get separate billing in the credits.

Carina says:

I agree with you as far as the character development goes. For me the best thing about a new show is discovering the new characters and what makes them tick. So these last episodes have been right up my alley. Sam and G are already my favorite characters on the show, and every scene between them is gold. I adore how they interact with each other (old married couple). The rest of the team is a joy as well, although Nate took a bit longer to grow on me. So it was nice to see more character development in this episode.

There were several plot holes, but they didn’t detract from the overall flow of the episode for me. I also felt the angst, and the lead up to it, were pretty well balanced. It didn’t feel too heavy-handed in my opinion, but then again NCIS: Los Angeles appeals to me because while it is character driven, there is a healthy dose of action and suspense.

In the fourth episode of NCIS: Los Angeles Director Vance charges the OSP office with apprehending a civilian contractor, Walter Flynn, fresh from Iraq who’s suspected of murdering the Iraqi businessman he’d been assigned to protect. To complicate matters, agents from Cedential Security, the contractor Flynn worked for, attempted, unsuccessfully, and with prejudice, to apprehend him at LAX.

Hum.  Okay, we’re not quite sure why such a specialized unit has been tasked with a simple man hunt, and one that doesn’t seem to have any connection to NCIS. The DOD’s issue with trying to save face when one of their contractors as decided to operate on US soil doesn’t quite cut it. I could see the DOD wanting to keep it in-house, so to speak. That makes sense. What I can’t see is why they’d go to the NCIS Office of Special Projects for something any of their various law enforcement units should be able to handle. It’s like calling in a master chef to cater a picnic for nine-year-olds. While it’s always nice to have the best, the nine-year-olds would be just as happy with Burger King. We’ll call this Plot Hole #1.  It won’t be alone long. And that’s just the first seven minutes. *headdesk*

Carina says:

Nope, we don’t know why they are hunting this man, but as you stated, it’s only the first seven minutes. I thought the DOD reasoning was pretty clear cut. Sure, they could have any one of their various agencies handle this case, but the OSP is very adept at keeping things under wraps and “in-house”. And because they are so adept at handling the higher profile cases, it would stand to reason that the DOD assumed they’d be able to easily handle this case quickly and with discretion. And considering that the man hunt was botched in such a public venue as LAX, it makes even more sense that the DOD would call in the Office of Special Projects. As the director said, having private contractors acting as judge, jury, and executioner on home ground wouldn’t likely go over well with the general public.

Sam and G go to Charise’s house, Flynn’s maybe-girlfriend, to see if they can find out if she knows where Flynn is. When she’s not home, they illegally enter her home, which, in and of itself isn’t too out there for the situation on a TV show. But… I do have to wonder if Facebook friending is now considered probable cause for a warrant allowing audio and video surveillance. (Note to self: steer clear of Facebook.) Given G’s reaction to the wine glass they found on her counter, I assume they hoped it had Flynn’s fingerprints. Given that it was acquired illegally, I don’t think a court would consider it “probable cause”.  This goes way beyond “it’s just a TV show” logic. And thus, Plot Hole #2  is born.

Carina says:

No argument with you here. Though I consider it Plot Hole #1.

Kensi’s meeting with Charise in the parking lot at Charise’s job was cute, but pointless. I know if someone claiming to be an old high school classmate were to accost me in the parking lot at work, I’d tell them nothing and shake them lose as fast as I could.  Much better would have been for Kensi to identify herself as law enforcement and ask if Charise had had any contact with Flynn. She could have used the “potential material witness” line to keep Charise from wanting to protect her maybe-boyfriend. How about a round of applause for Plot Hole #3.

Carina says:

I actually think this approach made more sense than approaching as a law enforcement officer. And as far as possibly getting more information from Charise, I think it’s the most practical option they have. At this point they don’t really know what Charise’s involvement is. G seems to think that Flynn is simply using her, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she isn’t involved with what’s going on. And if they approached her as law enforcement, and she is hiding something, she’d be more likely to clam up; not to mention that she’d likely alert Flynn that they are close to finding him. Going in as the slightly annoying, overly cheerful, unmemorable classmate from high school, not only assures that Charise is less guarded when Kensi finally mentions Flynn, allowing them to determine if she might know something, she’s also less likely to mention the encounter to Flynn when she talks to him next.

Watching G scam his way into the game tester’s job as a way to get close to Charise was, as above, cute, but unnecessary. They’d only been staking her house out for about a day. Within minutes of G taking her home after the power outage, Flynn showed up, as seen through their video feed. At this point, any team staking out her place could have moved in and apprehended him. Instead, he and G bond over “shared” service, though we don’t know if G ever served or not, and Flynn runs off when Cedential’s agents crash the party followed quickly by Sam. Had G and Sam simply arrested him, they’d've had him in the car before Cendential showed up. Hello, there, Plot Hole #4.

Carina says:

Again, I thought it made sense for G to try to get the job as a tester. Obviously he thought he had more skill with gaming than he did, thus Eric causing the power outage, but it made sense for him to try to get close to her. I don’t know why they didn’t go in immediately, other than the fact that G didn’t give them the signal. And I think he was going off of “gut” instinct by not calling them in when he was talking to Flynn. I think he was trying to get a better read on the man and had Cedential not busted in he might’ve had that chance.

Probably the best part of the story came at the end when the Cendential CEO’s goons stood down as soon as they discovered they were working for a murderer.

Carina says:

Yep, I enjoyed that part as well, though the vindictive darker part of me wanted the CEO to move so they’d have an excuse to shoot him. But that’s just me.

So, while the basic idea of the story had potential, the final product leaked like a sieve. As in, my fifteen-year-old kept pointing out the holes while she did her Chemistry homework. Her AP Chemistry homework. In general, plot holes I don’t notice while I’m watching get something of a pass. It means the show has sold me on the story despite any flaws, and that works for me. But when the storytelling is so weak that I (and my kid, who’s concentrating on Stoichiometry at the same time—(don’t ask) can’t avoid noticing them, well, at least the characters are coming together. The worst of it, though was that this story had no place in a show about a bunch of undercover agents. I do hope they start writing for the show’s actual premise before long. At the moment, it feels like they’re simply using story ideas that had been laying around in their MotherShow’s attic, waiting to be used. Not cool, folks.

Carina says:

Well, I guess we’ll agree to disagree. Overall I thought the episode was enjoyable. There were a few stops and starts along the way, but it made it to the finish line with a respectable finish time. Though, I’ll admit, I have been confused by some of the cases they’ve dealt with thus far, feeling they’ve been to “exposed” to be an undercover agency, but hopefully that will change.

I might be the only one who feels this show has nothing in common with the MotherShip, except for the name and the banter between the characters; but that’s how I feel. NCIS: Los Angeles feels fresher, livelier. And I find that I’m rather enjoying that.

Ultimately, Search and Destroy was about G. We’ve been given not so subtle hints that he’s led a hard life, which provides lovely opportunities for storytelling. The parallels drawn between him and Flynn were a touch over the top and I wish they’d been handled more deftly. We can learn about who the characters are now without getting their entire back stories in the first season. Some mystery is a good thing and is likely a huge reason why so many people stuck with NCIS for so long. We were drawn into the characters as they exist in the present and lapped up the little clues about their pasts that were dropped over the seasons. People didn’t start to really complain until we started getting huge info dumps about them in the latter seasons. We do not need to have every detail of a character’s past bagged and tagged and dropped in our laps. Slow is good, folks.
Carina says:

I enjoyed the tidbits we learned about G in this episode, and what we’ve learned so far. I think it makes perfect sense to be given more information about these characters in the first season than we learned about Team Gibbs in Season 1. I feel this way because on NCIS we really get to catch glimpses about the characters and what drives them in the way they approach the cases they work, but It’s not like that with the OSP unit. Yes, I think they are far too ‘exposed’ for an undercover agency. But I still feel that the characters and what truly drives them is a mystery. It’s hard to suss out that information when they work cases because they don’t go in as Sam, G, or Kensi. At the drop of a hat they might have to put on a different persona. So I think TPTB have to be a little less subtle about the character background they share with the audience than they were with early NCIS.

Sam quoted Spock. How can I not love that? Made this Trek fan very happy.

Carina says:

Not a Trekkie. Have no clue.

I love what they’re doing with Hettie. She bothered me at first, but she seems to be settling in nicely. She’s still being written as a touch heavy-handed, as with her rather transparent “damaged goods” comment. When “damaged goods” is applied to people, it covers a lot of territory and a good deal of that territory includes human “damaged goods” who are too unpredictable and or dangerous to “use”.

Carina says:

I actually liked her damaged goods comment. I think Hettie sees that G is struggling, and not just with his brush with death and subsequent return to the job. I think she is trying to impart words of wisdom to help him with his struggle. And I think G sees and appreciates the gesture. It’s all in the interpretation, I guess.

Eric is starting to take shape and I’m happy to see it. He’s still a touch stereotypical, but Foa’s light touch with him seems to offset the worst of it. I still get a chuckle over Vance being his 500th Facebook friend. But then, Vance on Facebook is a bit bizarre on its own. Bizarre can be good, though.

Carina says:

He is a tad stereotypical, but he’s fun. And I adore him. And I love his geek babble. Or more to the point, I love everyone’s reactions to it. The idea of Vance on Facebook is somewhat bizzare, but Vance is still a bit of an enigma to me.

Nate. Ah, Nate. They still don’t really know what to do with you, do they. Back when I was active in Star Trek: The Next Generation fandom, we had a nickname for Deanna Troi (ship’s “counselor”, half-alien empath; basically a shrink). We called her “Stater of the Blindingly Obvious”.  C’mon people, Nate’s got great potential. Don’t waste him.  He seems to have no real use at the moment except to wander in and say things everyone either knows already or doesn’t need to know at all.

Carina says:

Yeah, as a person, Nate is growing on me. As a forensic psychologist? Not so much. I’ve been saying it all along. He doesn’t really add anything pertinent to the show. He always states things that are pretty obvious, or easily sussed out. I’d really love to see him developed more, and I’d definitely love to see him use that degree and earn his salary. Because as it stands, he’s just an extra body.

All in all, Search and Destroy was a nice step forward for the characters, but a complete waste of space so far as storytelling goes. NCIS: Los Angeles, you can do better than this and I look forward to seeing it.
Carina says:

Overall, I enjoyed the episode. There were things that could have been done differently, things that were missing. But I think NCIS: Los Angeles is heading in the right direction. I’ll be along for the ride.

With Love,

Tejas and Carina

Dear NCIS,

I feel that I need to start this with an admission of sorts, just to be clear.  Ziva David is probably my least favorite character.  I don’t hate her by any means and I even believe she’s had some good moments.  I’ve just found her to be a character of inconsistencies that never seem to be reconciled.  I have been hoping that she would find some self-discovery and growth through the events of the last four episodes of Season 6 and the first four of Season 7.  Eight episodes is an enormous arc to devote to the development of a single character, so it does raise the expectations of the pay-off more than a bit.

Anna says:

Agreed here….I’d be, quite frankly, ecstatic if Ziva left or had stayed in Israel and the mere idea of focusing on her for 8 episodes has left me frustrated, annoyed and just generally upset especially since NCIS is the one show I make a point of watching each week as well as pretty much the only show I watch period.

Good Cop, Bad Cop feels like the culmination of that growth story.  In some ways it meets the pay off.  In others it falls far short.

Before I get into Ziva’s redemption story though, I want to discuss the other characters.  In the brief interactions that we get, we see that Tony and McGee have settled back into their routine of Tony playing McGee and McGee suffering the consequences.  Unfortunately, we also see the return of goofball Tony.

Anna says:

I love, love, love Michael Weatherly’s humor but honestly I cringed when I saw the goofy Tony in the previews.  He’s so good at playing all of the layers, why do we have to focus on the regressive silliness?

The early scene where Ziva startles Tony, drags out for far too long with his antics.  I love the comedy that Michael Weatherly brings to the screen with Tony, however when he’s presented as the butt of the joke (even of his own making) it feels like the character has regressed rather than progressed since the early seasons.  I do have to wonder though if at least some of the behavior is tied up in Tony not really knowing how to deal with Ziva after her betrayal last season.  I suppose we’ll have to see how that plays out.

The other interaction we saw was Gibbs and Vance.  The two of them working together rather than at odds made me extremely happy.  I’ve never been a fan of the “enemy within” storylines so the distrust of Vance that cropped up as far back as late Season 5 has always made me twitchy.  I love the two men working together both to find out what happened on the Damocles and seemingly having a much more relaxed atmosphere between the two of them.

They also provided my favorite exchange of the episode when they were in MTAC waiting for Agent Dunham to appear on screen.  Gibbs asks if Vance is out of toothpicks and Vance responds that he got a splinter from one and got a shaving cut and comments that things come in threes.  Gibbs asks Vance, “Are you superstitious?”  Without missing a beat Vance responds “I’m a little stitious.”  This really shows how much more comfortable the two men have become around each other.  I’m very much hoping this trend continues through the rest of the season.

Anna says:

Definitely agree with this.  I loved seeing a return to the Vance/Gibbs dynamic that first saw in Internal Affairs.  Rocky Carroll & Mark Harmon play off each other so well that it seemed almost a crime to throw the veil of suspicion onto Vance the way they did.  Not to mention – far too predictable.  How many directors can NCIS have who operate strictly on their own agenda before it’s more than a little ridiculous & unbelievable.

So, back to Ziva.  We quickly find out how the body found by the shrimp boat in the Indian Ocean tied back to NCIS.  The former Marine that was found had been spotted on the Damocles prior to his death; the same ship that Ziva had been on prior to her capture.  We find out that the Marine (Staff Sgt. Cryer) had been UA and dropped off the map.  He’d evidently gone into business for himself hiring out to the highest bidder.  Ziva and the Mossad team she was working with used Sgt. Cryer to gain access aboard the Damocles and passage to Somalia to hunt down Saleem.

Ziva’s initial resistance to Vance’s questioning is understandable.  Vance pinpoints it when he talks about the fact that she’s been serving two masters during her time at NCIS.  That’s also the crux of why Vance is interrogating Ziva instead of Gibbs.  It’s clear that Gibbs still feels a sense of betrayal from Ziva.  He wants to trust her again, but hasn’t quite reached that point.  Both Ducky and Abby point out in their own ways that Gibbs is opposing Ziva rather than openly supporting her.  He’s a man who takes trust very seriously.  Once that’s shaken, it’s not an easy thing to regain.

Anna says:

Nor should it be.  I’ve heard and read a lot where some were upset that Gibbs seemed cold to Ziva.  Considering that the very foundation of their relationship was built on one of her lies, I’m in the camp that thinks she should be grateful that Gibbs was even willing to give her another chance.

As the story progresses, Ziva’s tale on board the Damocles unfolds.  She makes a comment about a snake not being able to crawl back into it’s own shed skin.  It’s clear that she knew while she was on board the Damocles that she was no longer the Mossad assassin that she’d been trained to be.  Her time at NCIS had changed her.  Even so, she is still obstinate as Vance questions her.  He pointedly tells her that there are “crimes” or lies of omission.  That’s something that Ziva has apparently been an expert on since she first showed up at NCIS.

Anna says:

I snickered out loud over that remark.  Loved Vance questioning Ziva and it so fit.  As much as I adore watching Gibbs dissect a suspect in interrogation, having him question Ziva first would have simply been wrong.

Once Malachi shows up we have another layer added to the plot as well as Ziva’s issues.  Malachi (and Mossad) claim that NCIS is holding Ziva hostage.  Given the letter Ziva wrote, it should have been clear that Ziva wanted to stay with NCIS.  Whether through wounded pride on Eli’s part or a sense of wanting to get rid of a loose end, it’s clear that Malachi is there to set Ziva up and plant distrust between her and NCIS.  They try to pin the murder of Staff Sgt. Cryer on Ziva, while claiming at the same time they’re simply trying to help her get home.

Anna says:

Rolled my eyes when Malachi walked in.  This whole part of the plot was too over used and contrived for me.  I’ve come to expect better from NCIS.

We know that in the end Ziva will be believed and will have a place at NCIS.  Malachi is caught in his lie and he apologizes to Ziva for letting her down.  It’s a way for Ziva’s ties with Mossad to be broken and to help her move forward.  On the one hand, I’m happy that we’re finally able to move on from this story, at least for awhile.  On the other hand, I still feel there are some dangling issues out there.

The citizenship requirement that Tim mentioned; I’m wondering if Ziva will be a true probationary officer in the sense that she’s there contingent on her gaining citizenship.  It’s possible that that part of it could play out in the background for several episodes with Ziva having limited access to certain places, people, etc…

Anna says:

I, too was thrilled to see the whole Mossad angle come to an end.  It’s felt like a huge boulder weighing everything down.  However the whole citizenship issue is a major sticking point for me and one I just can’t let go of.  Ziva simply can not be an agent at this point in time.  No ifs, ands or buts.  However I don’t see the show dealing with any of these issues or even giving Ziva only partial clearance at first.  She seemed to have full clearance as part of Mossad so I don’t see a reason why the writers won’t simply assume that the audience will be so ecstatic to have Ziva fully back in the fold that they’ll forget about all the issues with their plotline and just accept it all.

The other dangling issue is the victim himself, Staff Sgt. Cryer.  By Tim and Tony’s account, he was an excellent Marine who was trained in counter-intelligence who suddenly went UA.  Now this may just be my long story-arc paranoia talking, but I’m guessing that he was actually on an undercover assignment for someone like the NSA or CIA.  There was the stash of weapons that he found on the Damocles, plus Malachi seemed a bit too eager to kill the man.  I predict his story will be cropping up again later in the season.

Anna says:

That bugged me as well.  If I recall correctly, we never learn who Cryer was going to call on that cell phone in the weapons room.  I’m almost hoping it turns out that he was on a mission or undercover in some way.

So, all in all, not a horrible episode and it definitely had some good moments (mostly between Vance and Gibbs).  I am thrilled though at the prospect that we can finally get back to stories with the team performing as a team and not as adversaries.

Anna says:

I can pretty much say that despite the Ziva focus, this was an episode that I actually enjoyed save for the last 10 minutes.  Had I not already been spoiled by the NY Post article a few days ago, I most likely would have thrown something at the television upon learning that Ziva was an agent.  Fortunately for me (and my tv), I’d already had time to work out my anger and become resigned to the idea.  Although, knowing that the last eight episodes have focused on Ziva, I’m hoping that TPTB will now return to their formula of having each character be the focal point of two episodes.  Going by that reasoning it should be almost 3 seasons before we see another Ziva-centric episode.

Sincerely,

Webbgirl  & Anna

Dear NCIS:

In the third episode of the series, Predator, I found myself finally getting the military feel of the show that I’d been hoping for since the first episode. This episode had a deep and enduring military feel.

When a Marine and Air Force joint training exercise with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) goes tragically wrong and a Marine is killed, the case seems pretty straightforward. The team will have to find out what went wrong. But when the UAV is lost, the case takes on a much more sinister feel. Could the drone be used to target military or civilian targets, either in Los Angeles itself or abroad? Thank goodness NCIS is on the case!

I’ll spare you a synopsis of the plot, but I will say that it completely held my attention, and I could really feel the urgency of the team as they relied on the technology in order to piece everything together. The latter scenes where Dom was trying to convince Briggs to try to fly the rogue drone were so well done! The case aspects weren’t simple enough to bore me, yet they weren’t so complex that they left me scratching my head.

The action based parts of this episode; the shootout at Kaleem’s house and Kaleem’s subsequent end, were very well done and didn’t overshadow the plot.

As in past episodes, the intriguing and engrossing case is just the backdrop to character development and strengthening bonds. From the opening moments where Kensi discusses being a great first date and a horrible second, right through to the amusing final scenes between Callen, Sam, and Hetty, and Dom and Kensi, the team is brilliantly showcased.

All of the main actors have really hit their stride in this episode. I love the newly showcased bonds between Dom and Nate. Adam Jamal Craig is really coming into his own. The scenes where Dom enters the bathroom only to find Hardy is already dead were both heart-wrenching and beautifully acted. I really felt Dom’s pain and regret. I enjoy the banter between the agents and Eric, and Nate’s insights felt note perfect.

When I first heard about the show, I expected the Sam character to be the leader. Perhaps it was that LL Cool J was the first main actor cast, perhaps it was just his presence. In this episode, I was delighted to see Callen emerging as a leader in his own right. His conversation about the team with Hetty was a great moment and really underscored his worry for his team. This character development completely worked for me, given that Sam seemed a little softer than Callen in The Only Easy Day, plus the fact that we know he has a professional history working with Gibbs.

I’m continuing to enjoy the little moments between Callen and Sam and I hope that recent casting news doesn’t ruin that. The mention of wiggling ears being adorable could have come off as cheesy, but it completely worked in the context of that scene.

Hetty is becoming an interesting enigma in her own right. I’d expected she was going to be the character we learned least about and had the least interest in getting to know further, but the offhand comments about Sinatra and George Hamilton and Nepal certainly had me chuckling and hoping for more insights. I really like that she brings different things out of the characters and that was showcased in this episode. She is a very multi-faceted character and someone completely unique.

With Predator NCIS: Los Angeles worked on multiple levels for me. I loved the team and character growth and the overall crime plot was a winner too. Great work, NCIS: Los Angeles!

With love,

BJ

Dear NCIS,

The third episode of NCIS’s seven season has me referring to it as “The Season of McGee”. I have been waiting for two seasons for McGee to finally come out of DiNozzo’s shadow and show us the capable agent that he is. In Ziva’s absence and the desk duty that follows her return, Special Agent Timothy McGee finally has a chance to show off his stuff.

Tejas says:

It has been very nice to see McGee out from behind his keyboard and out in the field.  Watching him mature as an agent, and as a person, since his introduction in Sub Rosa has been delightful. Sean Murray has done an excellent job. Seeing McGee’s and Tony’s relationship on an even keel after the discomfort of last season is even nicer.

To the delight of those who have longed for a straight up crime story, Inside Man fits the bill. An Internet blogger, who exposed a supposed NCIS cover-up in the death of a Navy officer accused of insider trading, takes a header off a bridge and into a construction site. Metro PD is on the case to prove there is a cover-up, along with finding the killer.

Tejas says:

I was definitely looking forward to this episode, but ended up being disappointed long before it was over. It had such potential, but that potential was never realized.

But to the delight of McGee fans, it is Tim who takes the lead on the case, when he comes up with the idea of hacking into the victim’s car’s navigation system to see where he’s been. Of course, the desk-bound Ziva had the idea that the blogger was not being completely honest, and the team had already discovered that the dead Navy officer’s body was not in his casket, but it was McGee who orchestrated the plan.

The caper involved breaking into the police impound lot to download the information from the in-dash nav unit of the blogger’s car. McGee’s hidden sniper talents came into play when he used his paint ball rifle to shoot a bullet made to simulate bird poop—his own concoction, made up of carpenter’s glue, oatmeal, and mayonnaise—to take out the security camera. After a hop over the fence, and DiNozzo’s assurance there were no dogs, McGee slips under the dash and downloads the information. Unfortunately, DiNozzo was mistaken about the dogs and Tony and Tim are chased through the lot by two German Shepherds. They are pinned, caught, arrested, and we’ve seen the mug shots to prove it.

Tejas says:

This was probably the best part of the entire episode, with one caveat: what was DC Metro doing investigating a federal agency?  That should have fallen under the purview of the FBI, I’d think.  It nagged at me the whole time while I waited for the FBI to swoop in and take it from everyone.

One of the best parts of an NCIS episode is the subplot. Often it’s something light to take the edge of the crime story. This week’s subplot was a continuation of one that started last week: ladies like McGee. In Reunion, McGee was asked out by the woman doing Ziva’s psychological profile. This week, McGee retook his polygraph only to discover that the agent administering the test (played by Jackie Geary) used her position to see him again. As much as I love the idea of McGee having a normal relationship—which has yet to happen to anyone besides Vance on NCIS—I do enjoy the idea of the woman of the week. McGee has some catching up to do.

It is in this subplot that McGee once again figures out how to solve the case. While talking with Agent Susan Grady during his polygraph test, he realizes how to connect the dots to the real perpetrator. In an uncharacteristic moment, DiNozzo gives McGee the lead in questioning the sandwich shop owner, who had benefited from inside knowledge of a Defense Department contract. In this moment, it is abundantly clear that McGee is a seasoned field agent who has come into his own, and even DiNozzo gives him his due.

Tejas says:

I wasn’t nearly as taken with the subplots.  While the polygraph agent’s interest in McGee was sweet, her method of seeing him again was on the creepy side, not to mention an abuse of her position.  Further, her tale about the others on her commute felt too contrived.  I was very disappointed that McGee, or anyone else on the team for that matter, hadn’t already looked into things like toll road passes and Metro passes.  McGee, especially, should have looked into that given that he’s known to have depended on mass transit in the past. In Trojan Horse, the team dug through every tiny detail of the lives of the people on the “hit” list, so it’s not like this is something new.  I felt like this was used for no other reason than to echo, for some bizarre reason, the moment in Ziva’s and Tony’s conversation in Reunion when she was talking about whatever she was talking about and Tony suddenly figured out how to track the burn phone.  It was clumsy and unnecessary.

I enjoyed the Abby and McGee’s conversation in the evidence garage where neither is listening to the other. It culminates with a unison, “You’re not listening to me.” Abby does nothing to bolster Tim’s confidence when the only example she can give of an NCIS agent retaking the polygraph resulted in the termination of that agent’s position.

Gibbs’ interrogation of Navy Lieutenant Jessica Summers was stellar, as was the Observation Room guessing of which technique Gibbs was going to use. It turned out to be a 1-2 combination that brought the suspect to tears. DiNozzo was so impressed by the “you-lie-to-me-I’ll-lie-to-you approach” that he used it himself later. But there is nothing like a good interrogation to get your blood pumping.

Tejas says:

This was another high point in an otherwise lackluster episode. It would have been far better, though, had there felt like anything was riding on Summers’ responses.  I never felt there was any real threat.

A potential new nemesis for Gibbs appeared as Metro Detective Danny Sportelli (played by Jack Conley), a man with an ax to grind. Sportelli has the potential of being a new thorn in Gibbs side. Few can stand up to Gibbs, but Sportelli had no problem standing up to and even intimidating Gibbs. Sportelli’s partner, Megan Hanley (played by Kelly Overton) certainly caught DiNozzo’s attention, but for the first time, I felt Tony was just a little too old to be making advances. His comments about newbie mistakes came across like the “weird uncle”, but his later comments about her striped sweater seemed inappropriate, even for Tony.

Tejas says:

I didn’t have any issues with his standard flirting with Hanley. She didn’t seem to, either. I found his later comments about her sweater just typical Tony. Sometimes he just doesn’t know when to quit while he’s ahead. I did think that Gibbs caved far too easily and far too quickly.  He, and just about everyone else, especially the writers, seemed to mostly sleepwalk through this episode.

Production-wise, we’ll ignore the glaring continuity error when DiNozzo runs away from interviewing the judge. First he jumps over the couple on the blanket, then he runs toward them. Oops. Instead we’ll mention that it is very clear that Director Tony Wharmby uses a different pacing than we are used to, but after the hectic pace of Truth or Consequences, it’s a relief to change it up. The score was wonderful, the new theme that I first noticed at the end of Reunion returned at the start of Inside Man. I like it; it fits the pacing well.

Tejas says:

Yes, that was a rare continuity error, but it seemed fitting to me for this episode. As to the pacing, it was one of the things I greatly disliked about Inside Man. There was no tension; no feeling that anything that was happening had any import whatsoever. I ended up having to watch it a second time for this review because it kept putting me to sleep the first time out. That’s a first for NCIS.

This episode was hampered by both the way the polygraph agent’s subplot was used as well as by the still ongoing, and still tedious, Ziva subplot. Both took time away from what should have been a terrific case-plot and the end result was too much telling, not enough showing and pacing that was more reminiscent of pouring molasses in January than an NCIS story.  As soon as they started to build up to something happening, we got slapped away to watch people talking about things other than the case at hand. Then, the most egregious point is when we weren’t even shown Arnett’s body being found.

Speaking of Arnett, I had been so excited to think they were going to be referring back to Leap of Faith. That was an excellent episode and I kept wondering what rabbits they were going to pull out of their hats. Had there been a cover up to cover Mrs. Arnett being a terrorist? Imagine my confusion when they kept talking about Arnett’s “accidental” death. Nothing accidental about being shot off a roof.

Finally, there’s the ending. I can’t help but wonder if the writers realized that at least some viewers would come away from that wondering just how stupid Ziva can be if she can’t even read the agency’s online FAQ to find out that she has to be a citizen in order to be an NCIS special agent. Further, by not having Gibbs deny her request out of hand, it diminishes his character, as well, since Gibbs should definitely know better. I can only hope they’re going somewhere interesting with that next week. I also hope that where they’re going can only be reached by taking this path.

My only complaint has to be that CBS continues to broadcast their #1 show in full-screen when the production is filmed for widescreen. There is no reason why we should be treated to a shot with only the back half of McGee’s head while he is interviewing a suspect. More than that, I was sure there was a different director of photography because the shots seemed so different. But after watching the program again on CBS.com in widescreen, I could easily see the familiar focus-pulled three shots, off-center close-ups, and exciting dollies that I have come to recognize as the work of Billy Webb. CBS needs to get up to speed and broadcast in widescreen format.

Having said the requisite negative, I return to the positive. By moving McGee to partner status with DiNozzo, the writers have given them a new level to explore. The frustration many people felt last season with McGee’s character can be explained by not allowing the character to develop, but trying to keep him in the Probie box. I’m grateful to writers Frank Cardea and George Schenck for giving us yet another side of McGee. Their collaboration on McGee episodes continues to bring me joy.

Tejas says:

McGee will always be Tony’s “Probie”, but it is very nice to see them working more often as semi-equals.  I’d like to see more of Tony out in the field with Gibbs for the same reason.

With Love,

Sandy and Tejas

Dear NCIS,

The second episode of NCIS: Los Angeles was a decent outing for a new show.  The story itself was of less interest than the further explorations of the characters.  Three Navy SEALs (one who’d been trained by Sam), apparently gone rogue; stealing millions from drug dealers, ended being on a mission to avenge the death of one of their own, who died at the hands of these same dealers while innocently leaving a grocery store (the money was to go to their team mate’s widow and son).  Throw in two undercover cops, one of whom was dirty and killed the other and that pretty much sums up the plot itself.  Not bad in and of itself, but not as solid as it could have been. Nor was it the important part of the episode.

On the other hand, we did get a better look at the characters, which is important in a new show. I’m saving the best for last.  The scenes between Kensi and Dom were lovely.  Dom is the newbie and Kensi, as the former newbie and lone woman, bonded well. There’s some excellent potential for growth from both of them.  I got the feeling Dom may be Kensi’s first “probie”.  We should be getting some interesting looks at the other characters, as well as the inside workings of the Special Operations group from Dom’s point of view. I look forward to that.

BJ says:

The way Kensi thinks on her feet really appeals to me. I loved the way she took advantage of the situation in the parking lot and calmly turned it into a tirade against a cheating boyfriend. I can easily believe that Kensi is good under pressure. This was shown briefly in Legend I & II and I am enjoying the way it is continued here.

The bathroom break in the back seat moment brought a smile to my face, especially since Dom was so outright shocked about it and Kensi was so matter of fact about the whole situation.

Dom’s relationship with Sam is also a nice one. Watching him being held at “stapler point” by Sam early in the episode was fun and useful.  G’s amusement as he watched them work, added to the lightness of the scene, though one has to wonder how Dom got to where he is without knowing at least the textbook move to deal with that.

BJ says:

I really enjoyed the fact that various members of the group are giving Dom pointers. I don’t remember seeing that on NCIS as much. Having a “probie” on the team gives an interesting point of view to the viewer, who, in effect, is also a “probie” to the series. This was a smart move and Adam Jamal Craig is fantastic in the role of Dom.

Nate, Nate, Nate.  I adored Nick in the NCIS episodes Legend I & II. He showed some excellent potential, but I’m not really seeing it exploited well. His contributions seem to be forced as if the writers don’t really know what to do with him.  I’m hoping this will settle out as the show’s “shake down cruise” continues.

Is this where I now profess my undying love for Linda Hunt? I had been wary about diving head first into this show until she signed on. At that point, it was inevitable. Hetty is a delightful character, too, however… can we please stop having her pop up like a dime store Yoda to deliver acerbic words of questionable wisdom and have her actually doing a job?  Seriously, folks.

BJ says:

I don’t mind the Hetty moments at all. They inject something unique into the show. While I see tejas’ point, I’m not bothered by them at all.  I’m the opposite actually; I really enjoy that the show gives us so many different layers, from sharp wit to full-on action.

The most well developed characters to this point are G and Sam and I couldn’t be happier. They were nicely drawn even in the spinoff episodes. Chris O’Donnell and LLCoolJ have lovely chemistry on screen and it shines through their characters’ interactions. One thing that struck me was how big-bad former SEAL Sam, came across as being far more… I hate to use the word “naïve”, perhaps “less jaded” is more appropriate, than civilian agent G.  Sam’s steadfast insistence that no SEAL would do what was done for simple monetary gain was a lovely echo of everyone’s favorite Gunny from NCIS.  NCIS: Los Angeles must be wary of letting itself forget its mission. It would be far too easy for it to devolve into “cop show standard” and that would be a bad move. Sam has been shown to be an excellent link to the military mindset and I hope he continues to be.

BJ says:

One thing that really struck me last night was Sam’s loyalty and his desire to trust. I hadn’t expected his character to have the softer outlook on people.

One thing that does concern me is that I hope we don’t fall into a pattern of seeing Sam and G consistently partner together. I’d like to see a heavier mix of the characters in undercover operations. Much as I enjoy the G and Sam moments, I want to see how they’ll mentor Dom in the field, for example.

Kudos to the writers on the nod to what happened to G at the end of Legend II with his comment about trying to break the “getting shot” habit.

There was a lot to love about this episode, a number of things that still need work (to be expected in the second episode of a series) and precious few real problems (we get that the big flashy computer screens are cool – enough already – look at bank statements on a desktop machine, thank you very much).

I can’t wait for next week.

BJ says:

Neither can I. Even after the NCIS Legend episodes, I was on the fence about watching this show. I didn’t want another hour of NCIS with a different Gibbs, DiNozzo, etc. This show is completely different and yet it ties in with the original in mission statement and guest characters.

With love,

tejas and BJ

Editor Note: To read Webbgirl’s initial NCIS: Los Angeles review, just go here: http://dearncis.com/?p=25

Dear NCIS: Los Angeles,

In my initial review of the opening episode Identity I focused on how the concept and characters worked as a whole. Now I’d like to talk specifically about the first episode, the plot and what we find out about the characters.

So we start off with a car chase on the 101. As an L.A. girl, nothing says home like an aerial view of a car speeding through traffic being chased by police. I do question the complete lack of cars on the 101 in the daytime, but I’ll let that slide. (Seriously though, I’ve been in traffic jams at 1 a.m. on the 101.) I give bonus points for the fact that it was actually shot on the 101 and Mulholland Drive.

Anyway, the cops chase the SUV up to one of the lookouts on Mulholland. A shoot out ensues and the bad guys are killed. It’s then revealed that there is a dead Navy Commander tied up in the back seat.

So, not the worst opening sequence ever. It does work to establish that we are definitely in L.A. (see car chase) and that this is a case that could connect to NCIS (dead Petty Officer Navy Commander).

This was the first time I’d seen the opening titles. The music is definitely reminiscent of the original show, but a bit more bouncy. I like that the montage focuses on G and Sam together rather than as individuals. It really does set the tone that they lead as a team.

As we swing into the episode itself, we find a recovered G staring out a window and thinking about his shooting and clearly getting restless. Once Sam shows up, we discover that this is a pattern with G. I see a combination of Gibbs’ loner quality and Tony’s wandering in G. It’s clear that we’ll be seeing more of this throughout the show.

We now get a peek at the team’s new digs. An old water plant that was condemned after the Northridge quake. My suspension of disbelief did have to kick in at this point. A building that was condemned in 1994 is still standing and wasn’t scooped up by a developer? I will say that I like the new digs though. They’re much less sterile looking.

We’re given a whirlwind intro to the other NCIS characters as G comes back. My love for Hetty and her digs at G’s wardrobe is still strong and true. We’re shown Dominic, the newbie. Kensi, the Marine brat, Eric, the tech and Nate, the shrink. Little bits and pieces are revealed during the walkthrough, (G was apparently with the FBI at one point and Kensi visits Camp Pendleton every weekend) but I’d still like to know more.

As the group goes up to their control room, the plot is finally laid out by Vance via video conference. The bad guys and dead Commander have a connection to an upcoming military operation at the Mexican border to go after some of the drug cartels. Okay, more than a bit clichéd. It’s Southern California, so it must involve Mexican drug lords, right?

G and Sam head off to the Commander’s apartment to find out what he knew and what may have been compromised and what may have happened to him. There’s an easy banter between the two men in the car, Sam talking about the case and G trying to figure out what movie it reminds him of.

The banter continues as they arrive at the apartment and G wants to set up their cover of why they’re there. Clearly Sam is more of a go-with-the-flow kind of guy with these things; G wants to plan out the details. There’s definitely a humor in the fact that they choose the realtor and client personas given G’s current living situation.

The walk through the apartment reveals the Commander’s niece and the fact that G has never gotten a birthday card. *sniff* It also leads G and Sam to the Commander’s friend, Bobby J. Jenlow, a Special Forces paratrooper. The Scooby gang works back at the hideout to get more information on the Commander and his associates. We get a brief glimpse into Dominic’s book smart side and into Eric’s computer skills.

Kensi and Nate go to meet the grieving sister. Nate profiles the sister and deduces that she’s hiding something, but I have to say that I was less than impressed with either him or Kensi. I think that those two characters will have to be fleshed out quite well for me to see them as more than exposition tools.

We discover that the niece was kidnapped to influence the Commander into giving them information about the joint operation. In true NCIS style, there’s an impossible timeline to find the girl and move forward with the operation. Sam and G move in to intercept/help Bobby Jenlow. They find that Bobby’s team has been taken out and the girl is no longer where they thought she was.

So through some sleuthing the gang finds a house in Malibu. Sam and G get into the house as a lawyer and client. Through the scene it’s revealed (to almost nobody’s surprise) the bad guy is actually the niece’s father. I know I, and a few other folks, called it as soon as the father called and Kensi told him about NCIS’s involvement.

The guys kick butt, save the girl, reunite her with her mother, yadda, yadda.

I’m really hoping that future plots on the show are a little more clear, but overall I still really like the show. Like the original, it’s the people who make the show for me; their relationships with each other, their personalities and finding out bits and pieces about their lives.

Thank you NCIS:LA. In spite of a couple of bumps, I would definitely say that we’re off to a good start with the show.

Webbgirl