sholio | Last night's NCIS

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Last night's NCIS

I've been pretty lukewarm on this season of NCIS aside from the Gibbs'-father episode, but last night's? I loved it.

One of the things that's bugged me over the last couple of seasons is that it feels like they've been turning McGee back into the team joke that he was in the beginning. I don't mind my favorite characters being disrespected and made fun of -- actually I much prefer it to having them treated seriously all the time, but only if they get theirs back every once in a while. And McGee's been on Gibbs's team for five years now; surely he's a competent agent and not just the guy who faceplants in streams and gets mocked by Tony.

So, seriously, I loved this episode to bits. Smart, collected, take-charge McGee is awesome to see, and I loved the team worry too -- Gibbs in "one of my lambs is missing!" sheepdog mode, Abby's adorable freak-out ("You should all get safer jobs!"), Ziva offering to beat up anyone who hurt him. And the plot was fairly twisty, too; all my guesses about the killer were wrong, and I also liked how the ending left the validity of the second confession ambiguous -- the evidence seems to point to her having killed the original victim, but you don't know for sure.

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I agree - definitely one of the better episodes and nice to see the actress who played Dusty in 'Whsipers.' The whole hostage situation played to McGee's strengths (he was fairly respectful of the prisoners - Tony would have had problems, Ziva would have settled things by fighting).

OMG, that *was* her! I thought so, but hubby didn't recognize her. And, yeah, it was a good situation for McGee, as long as he kept his head ... which he did.

I liked it too! (Yes, I watch it online the next day as I can't possibly wait months for it to be aired over here! *g*) It was nice to see McGee take charge - not that I have the same problem as yourself, I kinda like the teasing, but it is nice to see that he is a competent agent and not just useful for his computer skills! And Abby's freak out was perfect, and now I have the image of sheepdog-Gibbs in my head!

I've been enjoying all of this season - the only bit that made me cringe a little is at the end of the Christmas one when Gibbs takes the man to his daughter's house and then phones his dad. Nice moment, but done with a bit too much 'sugaryness' for my taste!

Oh, and I could do without the Tony/Ziva UST that I'm desperately trying to ignore...but that's another bugbear of mine - that women and men can't just be friends, there has to be more to it (argh)! Bones does it with the two main characters, but not to the same extent as Tony/Ziva in NCIS! I don't mind a bit of canon ship here and there, I just hate the 'are they/'aren't they going to get together' situations that drag on and on and on...

...and can kill a programme if they ever finally do (like Moonlighting - um, yeah, I used to watch that as a teen! Should I be embarrassed to admit to that?!!).

Anyway, I'm so glad that a friend of mine kept mentioning NCIS to me (how good it was and that one of my old sweethearts from Man from UNCLE was in it) and that I finally caved and started watching it - I didn't know what wondeful goodness I was missing!!

Ha, yeah, the Christmas episode was way too sappy and predictable for me, and I'm not enjoying the Tony/Ziva UST at all -- as I wasn't in season 3. I can certainly deal with romance as a plot point -- Tony/Jeanne worked fine for me -- but the constant skirting the issue bothers me, especially since, as far as I know, as co-workers they're not permitted to date. If the show is going to deal with skirting regs and so forth (like it did with Palmer/Lee), then, yay. Otherwise, since it really can't go anywhere, it's just a drag on my enjoyment of the show, and unprofessional to boot.

oh drat. I knew I forgot to watch something last night!

Woops! Well, you can catch it on the ABC site, I think (or whatever channel it's on; I have a terrible memory for those things).

My favourite thing about NCIS is that the characters always get themselves out of their own scrapes... no one does the damsel-needs-saving routine. And Tim last night was a prime example! He's really come along as a fine agent, especially when you consider his previous solo episodes .-D

I hadn't really thought about that, but yeah, I like that too! I definitely have a kink for competence, especially when it's a character who doesn't get to be competent all that often.

Nods, last night was a very strong McGee episode.

It was nice to finally have a good one for him! (And, eeeee! Blue Beetle icon! *loves*)

McGee's one of my favorite characters on the show. (below Abby, before Ducky)So it was very nice to see him take the lead in an episode.

(I just got the icon for Fandom Stocking. Ted Kord: Coolest superhero ever.)

I *heart* Ted Kord like anything, and I will never not be bitter at DC for what they ultimately did to him (and certain other Giffen-era Justice League characters). Though you'd really think I'd be over it by now. :D

I don't think we'll ever get over it. Of course, my writing partner and I are 800 pages into a RoundRobin AU where nobody dies. Or goes evil (see new icon)

(cough, and if you get Cartoon Network, you might want to tune into Batman Brave And The Bold on January 23. There's a rumor we're getting Jaime Reyes origin story with flashbacks of Wil Wheaton voicing Ted.)

Maaaaax! *wails* Seriously, I think that's where DC *really* broke my heart; characters die all the time and come back (I hear Ice is back now...) but their total unmaking of Max, from the complex and likeably ruthless character he was, to a one-note retconned villain, was just unfair -- a total poke in the eye to JLI fans.

I'm liking the sound of that AU. :D And I'll have to check out the episode; I don't have cable, but I do have my ways ...

Oh seriously. They broke my heart by teasing us with Ted's ressurection twice. You *really want to get livid at DC's editorial over Max, you need to see the page my icon comes from:

(http://s201.photobucket.com/albums/aa257/Madripoor_Rose/?action=view&current=sadmax-2.jpg)

But now, Max was always evil and just using the League to destroy metahumans and nobody ever liked him anyway.

One of the reasons I could never get that upset about SGA and the way the writers waffled over making Rodney comic relief and a hero in his own way.

Our AU is silly and littered with marysuish OFCs and a lot more fun for us than anything the company's printed in a while. There's another bit setting things up but the main body of the AU is here: http://madripoor-rose.livejournal.com/514049.html#cutid1

Where we rolled our sleeves up and started rewriting the canon. Starting with L-Ron...Elle Rawn, in the new android body it's been off having built by the Cluster, showing up at a certain Swiss castle to rescue Ted from Max and Max from Brother Eye.

Oh, Max. Oh, DC. *bangs head against wall* Yeah, I have that issue; I loved that part. Oh Max, Max, so messed-up and sweet in his own way.

It's a shame, in a way, that mainstream comics at the time weren't really doing coherent, long character arcs -- because Max's character development, rather than being one solid story that's collected into a TPB somewhere that I can rec to people, is seeded in bits and pieces in between everything else, and there's like 80 issues that you need to get the whole picture, of which maybe 5% of that (or less) is Max's character arc. It's not really something that's easy to rec except as part of the whole thing -- which reminds me, I've actually been meaning to do a pimping post for the Giffen-DeMatties Justice League for awhile now (oh woe, I have to re-read all those issues, what a sacrifice ;D). And then you have to tell people how DC ended it, which, just ... AAAARGH.

I'll definitely take a peek at your AU when I have time. And, really, is it even possible to write the Giffen Justice League characters in a way that *isn't* kind of silly and cracked-out? :D

I only started watching it this year, or rather last year. I picked up all the dvd's and did a marathon to catch up. I was ambiguous about Tim at first but I really do like the character and find myself cheering for him more often than the others. I loved last nights ep because he really showed them that he was in fact a capable agent and I loved the bit over his car. LOL

It took me awhile to fall for Tim, but once I did, I fell like a ton of bricks. This is one fandom where I don't really go for the popular characters (Tony and Gibbs) but latched onto some of the peripherals instead.

I have to say that since Shane Brennan took over the show running it's come along in leaps and bounds. (BTW, Shane Brennan is an Aussie :D) I will probably watch this tomorrow night. Sounds like a good one :D

I just watched the episode. It was awesome! MCGEE was awesome! The end was awesome! And I was happy for Cecilia or whatever her name was to take the wrap. That poor Mum. Trimble was abusing her daughter after all they had survived.And the end where McGee got his car back, well you know :D AWESOME!

It was really fantastic! I've been wanting a good McGee episode for a while now.

I just finished watching it and opened up LJ to write a squeey post. And here you'd already written it!

I adored the ending, the ambiguous confession, McGee's new persona after time in the big house, Ziva's support...all very lovely!

Quick note, I LOVE your icon, cathexys! This is not my beautiful post... ^_^

I also really really loved this ep! While I'm all for a little McGee whump (maced by Sgt. Dusty FTW!) I was so happy they let him take control. One thing that gets on my nerves with SGA is the damsel in distress mode they tend to fall into a little too often for my taste. And I really like the "new" McGee, too! "Let me tell you what you're gonna do." He was like a little Gibbs :D

Totally! I mean,. yes, McGee's a nice guy, but as he said, he puts away killers for living :)

Thanks for recognizing David :) It's usually my notes from suburban hell icon, but hey...it fits almost everywhere!

Yeah, I've been really craving recognition on the show that McGee is a trained federal agent, f'r pete's sake, and he *is* competent in the field. It just doesn't make sense otherwise ...!

Yes! I've been wanting a good McGee episode for a while, and this was a very good episode, not just for McGee as a character but as a solid episode in general. I also liked that they did an episode set in a women's prison without being needlessly titillating or sensationalistic about it (except to the extent that the characters themselves would have those reactions).

Same brain. Seriously, you scare me sometimes.

I haven't been all that into the eps, except for the one you mentioned, partly because...okay, I'll admit it...the mysteries have sort of fallen flat for me.

But tonight's was fun! And, on top of that, we got a bunch of fabulously vivid characters (like the woman who trained the seeing-eye dog--I just loved her), and McGee being all competent and in-charge and looking good! (You've no idea how much I want to wash all the crap out of his hair. When it dries, comes loose and falls over his forehead...yeah, okay, I'm shallow. So sue me! I've always been a sucker for the floppy hair.)

...I would totally help you hold McGee down and scrub the goop out of his hair. Because yeah, so much cuter when it's floppy! ^^

Hee! The brain-sharing thing is totally scary sometimes, because floppy hair has always been a turn-on for me, and when McGee's hair gets all messy ... mmmmm. :D

Adding a bit more now that I'm no longer trying to write hasty comments before bed .... I agree with you on really liking the guest characters in the episode. (I started to type OCs ... fanfic has warped me! Help!) I also really liked that they didn't make the women's prison unpleasantly sensationalistic or voyeuristic-feeling -- at least I didn't think so. The whole episode could have taken place in a men's prison just the same.

This season has just felt very flat to me. I think the Gibbs episode was the only other I've really liked because it was the only one where we got some character development and learned something new about one of them. Otherwise, there's been some entertaining team banter but not much else. As you said, the mysteries have been fairly uninteresting; after six years, I think they're having trouble coming up with fresh new ideas.

I was very pleased with this episode. Was it just me, or did it seem as if they're gearing up to reintroduce the idea of Abby and McGee together? Part of me would love that, but the other part winces because then that would mean that all the dancing around Ziva and Tony have been doing will end up being just a big tease. I have never been fond of the "will they won't they" tug of war without the promise of an eventual happy outcome.

Best part of last night's show is the sense that McGee is no longer the kid brother. He handled himself well and I have to wonder, would it have come out with such little bloodshed if the others were there? People tend to trust McGee, with his all inherent sincerity.

I hadn't even thought they were pushing for Abby/McGee. The thing is, I've generally gotten the impression from the show that there are anti-fraternization rules in place, so any relationship between the main characters would have to be very clandestine (like Palmer/Lee). And while I think such a thing could be very interesting if they wanted to address the difficulties of co-workers dating, as a light flirtatious romance I don't think either pairing works for me on a canon level.

As you said, it's nice to see McGee grow up and not just be everybody's kid brother for a change. :D

That's amusing to me--seems like they're always flirting with the possibility of McGee/Abby, whereas I haven't seen much of the Tony/Ziva stuff people keep going on about. Especially not right now; they seem to have settled into a brother-sister mock-and-steal-toys sort of thing (which I approve of).

Or maybe that's just because I don't think I could see Tony/Ziva ever working, while McGee/Abby would be kinda cute.

Ah, I'm a newbie NCIS fan, what do I know? *g*

I've just started to get back into NCIS and I really enjoyed last night's ep. I knew the actress was familiar but didn't place her until it was mentioned here that she was Sgt. Dusty from sga. Cool It was a good ep for all the characters, but esp McGee.

Yeah, I *thought* that was her but my hubby didn't see it. Yay for random guest stars! :D

Hee, I've been liking this whole season, but yup, I especially enjoyed this ep! McGee was great, he was the right person to send in and he handled himself so well, and the team all worrying about him was wonderful. Gibbs has such confidence in Tim, even if he doesn't show it, and Abby is such a wonderful worrier (and hugger), and Ziva's offer, aww!

As far as feeling like McGee's been disrespected the last couple seasons - hmm, I wonder if that's just the show as a whole is less serious these days? Because I've never gotten that impression, though I have had moments myself of thinking that Tony's not been shown to the best advantage...so I wonder if it's just they're all played more for laughs now. I don't feel that McGee is the "team joke" these days any more than Tony is - Tim gets more of the physical falling-down humor, but he also gets a lot of chances to show up Tony and point out how idiotic he is (which I really enjoy; their banter is equal now, rather than just Tony picking on Tim...)

That being said, I certainly wouldn't say no to a bit more Tim-focused h/c ^^ (...or anyone-focused h/c; NCIS does some nice emotional stuff, but sometimes a gal just wants to see her chars get beat on!)

I never minded the McGee-teasing when I felt like he more or less was able to give back as good as he got, which was generally the case once he settled into the team, but the last season or two has felt, to me, like it's backslid to the season 1-2 era, where he gets mocked for being incompetent and doesn't get a chance to prove that he's not. But I laugh at people who think McKay gets unreasonably mocked on SGA, so, really, what do I know. :D

I enjoy NCIS, but I've pulled back from it a lot in the last couple of seasons, because I'm starting to realize that the show's just not going to deliver the kind of emotional punch that I want, at least not with the characters I want. This episode came much closer than most of the previous ones, though -- and Gibbs' unstated confidence in McGee was really fantastic to see!

Just finished watching the episode, and yay! I loved it too, both character-wise and plot-wise.

And hey, I saw your Ted Kord comment above - have you read any of the new Blue Beetle, with Jamie? Because wow, awesome.

(Yay, episode squee! *squees*)

I've heard good things about the new series, but, to be honest, I've been resistant to it because I *so* loved the old one (even though, intellectually, I know it wasn't all that great) and I was so upset about what DC did with the old character. So, it has nothing to do with the new book, and everything to do with me being a disgruntled fan who can't deal with change and doesn't want to see someone new in the Blue Beetle costume. *g* I figure I'll get over it eventually and give it a try, though, because from what I'm hearing it's one of the better things to come out of DC lately.

It's adorable, and has one of the most awesome supporting casts I've ever seen :-) And, you kow, it takes Jamie time to get used to the whole superero thing at first, so you get used to it along with him. It took one panel of seeing his awekward interaction with Batman to win me over.

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Last night's NCIS

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