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NCIS Season 8 Episode 5 Dead Air : Talk radio, domestic terrorism, suburbia and baseball. All that was missing was apple pie and Chevrolet. Actually, it was all that and even a hint about what really happened five years ago between Ziva and Tony (Michael Weatherly) when they first crossed paths. That was tonight’s ‘NCIS,’ and for fans who have been hoping for an episode that focused more on Cote de Pablo, this was the show. For more on that, as well as Tony’s strained vocal chords, read on.
Many episodes of ‘NCIS’ deal with international terrorism and threats from outside the United States. However, as the Oklahoma City bombing proved, there are terrorists right here in America. In this episode’s take, the unlikely enclaves of disgruntled citizens were lodged in an upscale, gated community of wealthy suburbanites.
The group was called MAH, as in Military At Home. They wanted America to stop being the world’s policeman. The mailman, the businessman and Zach, the neighbor with the jaunty tennis sweater, were all in league to set off a bomb to send a message.
The start, however, was the talk radio angle. A rabble-rousing disk jockey was the key to finding the terrorist cell, but it cost him, an engineer and a Naval public affairs officer their lives. The DJ turned down the chance to be the voice of MAH and, therefore, was eliminated. Fortunately, the shooter had no brains when he came to forensics and the bullets revealed deer urine, of all things, as a telltale sign.
To track down the voice that approached the DJ about being MAH’s voice, Tony drew the short straw and had to collect the samples of everyone’s voice in the Royal Woods neighborhood. By the time he was done, DiNozzo had a severe case of laryngitis. Ducky’s prescription was the ultimate punishment for Tony … no talking for 24 hours.
As mentioned above, Ziva had a major part to play in the case. The team intercepted the bomb maker before he could complete the deal. Filling in as the mercenary’s competitor was Ziva … playing Ziva David. Her cover was no cover at all, just her Mossad background. She was convincing and compelling working undercover, prompting Tony to reminisce about the time when Ziva first joined the team.
When Tony recalled being in bed with Ziva back then, McGee (Sean Murray) tried to confirm that it had all been for show. Tony never let on. And McGee remained unsure.
As Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and company deciphered the plot, the target of the bomb was unexpected. Instead of a place, it was an event. But not something like a concert or a party. No, it was a local kids’ soccer game, and what made it a ripe target was that the parents of those little soccer players were all Washington big shots. The NCIS team showed up in time to clear the field, and Ziva made sure to tackle Tony so he was safe from the blast. Hmm …
There was one other thread that ran through the episode that was particularly topical, considering the time of year. McGee and Tony were waxing poetically about baseball from the opening of the show to the close. Tony even referenced Mr. October, New York Yankee great Reggie Jackson, as he and McGee sang the praises of America’s past time, baseball.
Of course, the irony of all the baseball references, including ‘Field of Dreams,’ Vin Scully and playing centerfield, came as TBS was showing Game 3 of the American League Championship Series while the ‘NCIS’ episode aired on the East Coast. Of course, since ‘NCIS’ rarely dips below 18 million total viewers, they probably felt safe reminding viewers that baseball is a great game even if it’s the competition in October.
‘NCIS‘ airs Tuesdays at 8PM ET on CBS.
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The ‘NCIS’ gang was finally back. As much as the reruns are enjoyable, there’s really nothing like a fresh episode. This was a fun episode because FBI agent Fornell was back, which means getting on Gibbs’ nerves and good banter between the two. And then there was the girl from Tim’s past. It’s not what you think, but if you want to know more, read on.
For a change, the murder had nothing to do with the larger crime that NCIS and the FBI had to investigate. The petty officer had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. After finding mob informant Stefano Delmar, Gibbs and Fornell started following the clues. The Judge was a least likely suspect, but it was logical that they wouldn’t have introduced her for just one scene.
The scene outside Cooper’s Hawk Security, with Gibbs and Fornell talking to the polygrapher Susan Grady, was well done. The explosion was completely unexpected and as the plot unfolded, it turned out that it wasn’t supposed to kill everyone; that was just a dumb accident. Fortunately, since she was with Gibbs and Fornell, Susan lived to tell them what she knew.
Susan was a strange one. She had a thing for McGee, which we knew, but when he finally asked her out, she said no. What was that all about? One minute she was playing the woe-is-me girl, all self-deprecating, but not really funny. Was she suddenly opting for the hard-to-get angle with McGee after throwing herself at him? Even Tony wouldn’t be able to figure her out.
Another angle that should be figured out one of these days is exactly what’s what with Abby and McGee. She was not welcoming of Susan into her lab, although that was probably not a wise move by Tim.
The best lie detector in the episode wasn’t the one Susan hooked up to Gibbs, it was Gibbs himself. He saw right through the janitor. But the very idea that Gibbs has never been polygraphed in eight years was amazing. How did he avoid it? It was telling that he refused to continue the test when she asked if he had ever committed a felony. In his mind, he flashed back to killing Ziva’s abductor, Saleem, with a high-powered sniper rifle. Rather than lie, he ended the session.
So the culprit was the judge, doling out vigilante justice from the bench. The idea that judges are being put through polygraphs as part of judicial confirmation is something that never occurred to me. What didn’t make sense to me was that Judge Wallace agreed to take a polygraph, that she was arrogant enough to do it in front of Gibbs and Fornell, and think she could get away with her actions. Rigging the machine to make noise was an extra touch of intimidation that worked to unnerve the redhead. Yep, another redhead.
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Holly Snow, the madame we met in a previous episode, was back for this episode when the corpse turned out to be a Navy journalist investigating call girls. Or the guys who use them. So we found Holly where Gibbs had left her; doing community service as penance for her criminal activity. She was the perfect source of expertise for Gibbs. More on Holly, Gibbs and Tony’s new undies after the jump.
It was telling that the moment Gibbs showed up at the seminar, Holly’s cool crumbled and she wasn’t so snowy. Just the sight of Jethro unnerved her. Interesting.
Tony found a kindred spirit in Phil McCadden, the local police detective who had a similar fanboy worship of classic movies. It was great to see how they finished each others’ thoughts. If we didn’t know how hetero Tony is, you might suspect a romance. By the way, Adam Kaufman played Phil; you might remember him from ‘Without A Trace.’
Meanwhile, Tony and Tim were at each others’ throats. Ziva recognized their mutual sniping as the ‘seven year bitch.’ She meant ‘seven year itch,’ but her malapropism was more accurate. Tony was ticked off about how Tim pulled the sprinkles off his doughnut, a sure sign that they’ve been hanging out together too much.
Abby saw that Tim was jealous. How hilarious! He really was green with envy that T-Cad were hitting it off – you like, Tony and McCadden, like Brangelina.
Holly was really good at her job. She pegged Tony as a novice when it came to paying for sex. Was it the smoking jacket out of a David Niven movie? No. It was more revealing than that. “You’re wearing underwear right out of the package.” She had to give Tony tips about how to act like a John.
The lady of the evening, Charlotte Cook, looked good for the murder of the Navy journalist, but she was too obvious. When another John turned up dead and she was in custody at the time, she was eliminated as a suspect, but not as a witness. Holly worked with Gibbs to get Charlotte to flip.
Holly looked like she might be more involved than just a facilitator, especially when she went off grid by disabling her ankle monitor. By this point, it seemed like the lawyer did it, and sure enough, it was Dwight. The slimey lawyer types are usually guilty of something; in this case, it was killing Johns. With not a second to spare, Jethro came through and used his sniper skills at close range to drill Dwight with bullets. Completely justified, too.
Dina Meyer is destined for her own show. She’s got star power galore. And she’s gorgeous. CBS will definitely find a spot for her in the near future – like a female Alex O’Loughlin or Skeet Ulrich.
Gibbs ended up taking Holly home for dinner, cooked her a steak. It looked like it might be more than friendship, but a call on Holly’s cell for a late date squelched that. Gibbs is nobody’s fool. Will he stay her friend? Yes, but don’t expect any more than that.
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The most important aspect of this ‘NCIS’ episode was the mystery. No, not the one about the Marine who may or may not have been MIA in Afghanistan, but the one involving Dr. Mallard and the ties. The clues had been laid out throughout the season, and tonight we learned that everything with Ducky was not as plucky as he was leading his friends to believe. More on that, the rain in D.C., and a handsome devil named Mortimer after the jump.
Unlike many other shows, ‘NCIS’ believes in subtlety. The Ducky story was a perfect example. The men were somewhat oblivious to the changes in Dr. Mallard, although Gibbs is too taciturn to reveal what he’s thinking. Ziva and Abby, however, knew that switching from bow ties to tie ties meant something. The fact that Ducky in no other way was exhibiting odd behavior made the reveal that his mother had died all the more effective.
Rather than being grief-stricken, Ducky was acting plucky and chipper. He wasn’t glad that his mother was gone; in fact, he missed her. Talking about going to ‘Madame Butterfly’ without her was a vivid image, and a believable one. But as a man who spends his life consumed with the dead, he accepted his 100-year-old mother had lived as long as she could. Her time had come. At the graveside, Abby shared a moment with Ducky, because she is the heart of the show. She made it a point to find out why Ducky was ducking her play date offer for Mortimer, her service puppy, and his mother’s Corgis. Later, Jethro parked himself in the morgue to make sure his old friend was all right.
The main plot was about John Mayne, missing Marine, who was also Christian Wells, his newly assumed identity. He not only had two women claiming to be his spouse, he also had a vast fortune.
Everyone in the team got to show off their special skills. DiNozzo worked the women because one of his pet theories is that the wife did it. The fact that one was implicated, but didn’t pull the trigger, made him partially right. McGee did the old ‘All The President’s Men’ routine — follow the money — using geek expertise like a homemade app that can break into a car. And Ziva’s skills as an observant investigator came through as she outdid the private eye.
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Interesting episode of ‘NCIS’ one that was somewhat fun, somewhat lighthearted, and even a little playful. Of course, there was still a dead body, and a chance for Gibbs to interact with an old adversary. We’re a few weeks out from the Paris trip, but Tony and Ziva remain as cagey as ever about what happened… if anything happened at all in that hotel room. More on that and the 1971 Plymouth Barricuda hemi after the jump.
Gibbs was still on the mend from getting hit by a car saving McGee’s life. And McGee was in dire need of rest from trying to keep up with the ‘boss.’ He even tried coffee with extra sugar, but caffeine only made McGee geekier.
There were a couple of strange connections on display, Jethro and Werth was one. Ducky suggested Gibbs felt responsible for Damon, like he owed him something. Perhaps it was more of an identification thing, with Gibbs seeing something of himself in the ex-Marine, Rambo type. Whatever, it put a potential dangerous animal — McGee compared him to a bear — in the midst. Damon Werth — super Marine who washed out as a psyched out steroid case. Was he going to explode or remain true to the mission?
The other weird relationship is Gibbs and Tobias. It was fun to watch the push-pull between the two, but clearly they can work well together. They like each other, but they don’t necessarily trust each other. Maybe a little. Joe Spano is always a welcomed return on ‘NCIS.’
The scene when they pretended to run into Werth and Ziva at the gas station was priceless. Gibbs and Fornell were squabbling about the car — a 1971 Dodge Charger that’s actually one of Jethro’s prized possessions — and the bitching made them sound like an old gay couple. A very butch gay couple.
The cross-country truck business wasn’t about contraband at all. It was transporting collectible cars as part of a wager between a couple of rich guys, and one was the killer. Abby, Gibbs and Fornell sussed out the truth, confirming it with the help of a magnet. Yes, old school forensics.
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As the title suggests, what we witnessed going on for much of this episode was not reality, but a ‘Masquerade.’ If you pay attention to titles, you can have an edge figuring out what’s what. Meanwhile, beyond the action, there was more character interaction as ‘NCIS’ continues to weave a few mystery threads, including M. Allison Hart’s fascination with Mr. Gibbs.
That’s right. She calls him Mr. Gibbs. Even after Jethro reminded her that he’s a Special Agent, Hart continues to give him the dig by calling him mister. She also continues to challenge him, and with Rena Sofer in the role, the sparks are flying between her and Mark Harmon. However, Gibbs’ history with women suggests that he’s going to need to be wary with Hart. He’s already on edge because she has seemingly put herself in his cross hairs. The question is why … and can she be trusted?
Questions about Tony and Ziva and what really happened in Paris remain unanswered, which is terribly frustrating. However, Tony did broach the subject of Ziva’s experience in Somalia when she was a prisoner. She didn’t say much, but clearly she was traumatized by the event. She also put forth the theory that a group of terrorists may be a real threat or they might be defenders of their way of life.
That kind of political objectivity is unexpected in a drama series, but ‘NCIS’ seems to enjoy not fitting into any spot on the spectrum. The politics cropped up with the whole dirty bomb plot and the supposed terrorist group from Peru. Vance mentioned more than once that he was meeting with the Joint Chiefs and testifying before Congress about a defense appropriations bill, which was suspicious. All the leaked stories on the ZNN cable news channel was also a tip off that the fear of the bombs were more real than the actual devices. Or at least bombs that actually were properly formulated.
Colonel Bell seems to be the puppet master behind a lot of this business, don’t you think? Private military … defense contracts … terror threats to keep people fearful. Now, if it turns out that Hart has been working with Bell to get to Gibbs, that will be a bad thing … for M. Allison Hart. You don’t do that to Jethro.
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So there they were in Paris — Tony and Ziva. The situation was ripe for romance, right? Was NCIS finally going to “go there” and let fans have a Moonlighting moment for their favorite characters?
Not so fast. Before you could say Champs Elysees, the two were boarding a jet at Charles de Gaulle airport to complete an assignment that turned into murder in the air. Fortunately, the mystery on the airliner trumped the one on the ground and made for a good episode.
It seemed way too coincidental that Gibbs and McGee were investigating a dead Marine who just happened to be a part time hit man and his next target was Tony and Ziva’s charge, the Pollyanna whistleblower do-gooder who was a hopeless romantic. Too bad she was not going to get a happy ending. But suppose the cleaning lady hadn’t found the dead Marine’s body? See, there would have been no connection and that was too contrived for me.
The mystery on the plane was a lot better. The reference to Murder on the Orient Express was apt, although there were too few suspects. Neeley was too obvious, so was the guy with the earphones who looked vaguely like a terrorist. I suspected the little woman with the knitting needles because if Ziva could be a killer, why not her? And — by the way — do airlines allow knitting needles on planes these days? No liquids allowed, but knitting needles are okay?
With Ziva and Tony watching everything, it seemed like Nora was safe, so the bit with a pillow laced with peanut dust causing an allergic reaction was very smart. I didn’t suspect the flight attendant, because the idea of her doing hits on the side was a stretch. Apparently the airlines don’t pay very well.
On the D.C. front, Gibbs had a good encounter with Holly Snow, the madame who was implicated in the killings. I liked the way Gibbs put the screws to her in his steely way that let her know he would lock her up and throw away the key. He might have felt different if she was a redhead.
But the most interesting part of the show wasn’t the peanut allergy or the stewardess killer or even the kitty litter to cover the smell of the body. It was Rule #12 — never date a co-worker. Have Tony and Ziva respected the rule, or have they crossed the line? They weren’t saying, were they?
Tony lied to McGee about using the couch, and Ziva lied to Nora about Tony using the bed, so what actually were the sleeping arrangements in the Paris hotel room?
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If you want to show the soft side of Jethro Gibbs, involve a kid. That would seem to be the logic behind this episode which was a bit of a reach, what with cornfields, a think tank for gifted children, government secrets, a tenuous link to gang activity, a dead Marine, and pink cupcakes … but still interesting.
There was also the whole connection to Thanksgiving at Ducky’s. Would our favorite NCIS team make it to dinner together or would they be setting out on separate paths? Would Abby master the cranberry sauce? Read more after the jump.
The body was found in the cornfield, but I still don’t understand why the body was stuck there. The killer wanted to pin the crime on gangs, so why go rural? That was a headscratcher, and the whole brilliant kids in the think tank was a bit of a stretch. I’m sure the U.S. government is probably doing something like that, having children play video games because they’re smarter than adults at puzzles and such. As DiNozzo suggested, it was all a bit too much The Bad Seed.
Angela was actually like a tin-type Abby, complete with braids. And she was brilliant, which was also like Abby. And Gibbs’ somewhat instant affinity to her was reminiscent of his relationship with Abs. Angela was smart enough to hide secrets in a painting that was, in fact, coded messages in an encryption of her own design. Very Abby.
While Angela was a smart cookie, the idea that Ziva and Duck would be so preoccupied brining a turkey that they would let her leave the room and escape out the front door was not believable. Ziva’s too good an agent to make that kind of error. It was a plot device, and a poor one at that.
But it did lead to the breadcrumbs she left for Gibbs to find her, just as the killer was going to kill her mother. The face-off in the courtyard wasn’t as dramatic as a John Woo movie, but did you have a doubt that Ziva was in position to take the shot? I didn’t. The sly smile on Jethro’s face said it all when he asked Angela to assess the probabilities. Ziva was going to down the killer with a single shot and Angela would be unscathed (at least physically).
Thanksgiving looked lovely at Ducky’s, but it would have been nice if Mr. Palmer had changed his plans. And exactly why had Gibbs not shown up the previous nine Thanksgivings? No answer to that mystery.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ former mentor, Mike Franks (Muse Watson), returns to NCIS this week, and not under the best of circumstances.
Even Ducky isn’t comfortable with the “psychological make-up” of Franks and thinks he’s lying. Lying about what? We’ll get to that.
Somehow, a boat drifts into a Navy yard in San Diego with two dead bodies on board. That would be Gibbs’ boat, which he gave to his goddaughter.
Mike Franks was in possession of the boat, which raises questions.
According to evidence, the bodies of two ex-military personnel have been dead for at least three days, the bodies may have been dragged on board Gibbs’ boat, and there are bullets lodged on bullets.
So there’s another shooter, right?
The people dragged into the accident include: the head of a private military company where the two worked for and possibly Mike Franks or even Vance.
Gibbs doesn’t tell Vance about a recent talk he had with his mentor, and he is incredulous about not being able to haunt “the fugitive.”
Outside the hearing range of the trio – Ziva, Tony and McGee – Vance tells Gibbs that he doesn’t have much finesse in his method.
He finally tells Vance that Franks and his family are in his house. Tony and Ziva then head to take over babysitting duties, while Franks sets off.
Gibbs doesn’t mince his words to the colonel and accuses him of hiring men to the paramilitary company with not-so-pleasant histories.
Then he tells the two – Vance and Gibbs – that the two dead dudes were in Mexico to carry out a “contract.”
Asked if it was for Franks, he says he doesn’t know who Franks is.
As it turns out, the two guys were hired by Franks’ daughter-in-law’s family to find her. Apparently, the prominent Iraqi family disowned Layla when Franks’ son Liam got her pregnant.
He in turn insists that it was all in self-defense.
However, archaeologist Abby successfully dissects the boat into many pieces. Evidence from the boat should confirm Franks’ claims.
But alas, negative, so there’s another shooter.
Ziva also has some heart-to-heart with the daughter-in-law, mostly about missing homelands and loves at first sight.
Abby and Ducky do an “intervention” because Gibbs is too attached to the case and can’t notice that Franks is lying through his teeth.
As they are about to lay it to him, though, Gibbs is the one who gives it to them, explains that Franks didn’t kill the two, but instead shot through the gunshot wounds to cover up the first ones – Franks’ daughter-in-law killed the dudes.
Fortunately, Franks doesn’t lie further once confronted.
So case solved right? Yes, only Mama Layla (the mother-in-law who hired the two military guys) flies to Washington, and it’s up to Franks to question her, and tell her that it’s her daughter herself who gunned down those she sent.
Oh, and the colonel is hell bent on carrying out the contract and getting the daughter back, leading to an altercation at Gibbs’ house, which Ziva and Tony are fortunately able to win.
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To be completely honest, I expected a way funnier NCIS
Halloween episode. Though “Code of Conduct” was light and had nice moments – for one, Tony and Gibbs repeatedly calling Ziva “probie” – it could’ve been funnier. Like Abby, for instance, yes, her lab was turned into a some sort of dumping ground for all of the victim’s prank paraphernalia (and she’s not wearing costumes because of Vance and McGee and skinny jeans), but other than, what? OK there’s one – Gibbs had to suddenly slow down impatiently because there were a lot of motion-sensitive stuff in the room.
The case this week on NCIS was the death/suicide/murder of a Marine who was notoriously known – in his own neighborhood and even while deployed in overseas combat – as a prankster. In a weird turn of events, his body was discovered by a bunch of young pranksters, his princes of pranks, while doing a prank of their own. It looked suicide at first glance, but after multiple examination of evidence, it turned out that it was something else other than the first clues pointed to.
Who did it? Not grumpy Mr. Rogers, not creepy muscle guy, not his wife with the history of dead Marine husbands. Abby, for instance, found other chemicals in the guy’s stomach, indicating that someone tried to poison him some time ago. But lo and behold, there were also injuries even before the poisoning incident, and it’s possible that an entire squad was responsible for it. “Code Red” Gibbs instantly called it, and we thought we had it. But nothing is what it seems on NCIS, and finally, it turned out that it was the step-daughter who did it to get her young hands on the trust fund.
What did you think of this episode of NCIS?
