NCIS Episode Review: 9.18 The Tell

[dragonheart]

Not much of a review - more of a commentary.

I know this is probably going to come across much harsher than I intend it to, but I don’t really have a better way of saying of it, so I am just going to put it out there; I think most of you know me well enough to take it in the vein to which it was meant and not make too much of it.

Disclaimer:  I love my show with a passion, but just because you love something doesn’t mean you have to eat everything that is spoon fed to you.

 

For me this episode was just okay. The case is very important to me and while this episode had a somewhat interesting case – it wasn’t interesting enough to take my mind off all the interpersonal stuff going on.

I have always thought that a big part of what makes NCIS the number one show on television is the nice balance between case and interpersonal team stuff. It always had a little something for everyone – the people who watched for the interesting cases weren’t overtaken with the personal stuff while those who watched for the personal dynamics didn’t become bored with the case/techy stuff.

In my opinion - at least lately, it seems the cases are taking a back seat to the interpersonal stuff. Sometimes, the case even feels shoe horned around a personal story that needs to be told. I feel that is what happened this week.

If you asked me today what the case was about, I would be hard pressed to tell you. I could tell you in general, but specifics? Nope. 

What I can tell you all about in great detail is the interpersonal stuff. I could write an essay on it (but I won’t, because I wouldn’t be telling you anything that you don’t already know).

Don’t get me wrong – I love the interpersonal stuff. I just don’t want the whole hour built around it. I want the balance.

When Gary Glasberg’s comments from last week came out about more origins episodes for Season 10 – I actually groaned out loud.   I know a lot of people like those, but they aren’t my favorite episodes. And while they sometimes give us a little more insight to our characters, more often than not they end up ret conning what we already know as canon. Besides, I am much more interested in what is happening with them now and where they headed in the future. If it fits in nicely with the case, it’s not too bad, if the case is shoe horned around the origin story – hmm – could go either way.

The case in this episode had the potential to be really good - a joint NCIS/PsyOps sting to find out who was blackmailing the Secretary of the Navy and why. Cool beans. I like Dr. Ryan and I really liked Tyler Elliott (there is just something about Sean Astin that makes me want to cuddle him. Yes, I know he is a grown man, but that doesn’t stifle my urge to cuddle). I liked the “kids” speculating on the nature of the relationship between Ryan/Gibbs – I just thought it was given too much screen time and that focus detracted from everything else going on. I loved the brief little scenes: Ryan/Ducky, Ryan/Abby, Tony/Ziva (squee).  I loved the ending scene between Ryan/Gibbs.  On the other hand, that Ryan/Gibbs scene in Ryan's office - total waste of time that could have been used on someone else - perhaps McGee?

Again, I am not knocking the interpersonal dynamics – it is very important (heck, I am shipper) – it’s just that case is important too. It’s what makes NCIS – NCIS.
 

Comments

[alidiabin]

*nods*

The only origin I'd like to see is Abby, but they'd probably screw her up and make her 22 or something.

I miss when the case was the point of the episode, and full of twists and turns and there was a little subplot of character. (S3,S4)

I hope this was just because it's the middle of the season and the finales going to be epic.

[whiteink]

I don't think it's that there wasn't a case - but I feel like PsyOps just needs to go away. I like the people in it, but it's all about watching people and talking to people and seeing what their tells are. NCIS is about going in, guns blazing, bomb defusing, kicking the bad guys butts. And when PsyOps gets involved, it gets talky - and that talky gets full of layers. We're talking about the bad guys, but also us, and also the team, and also ... blah, blah, blah. Gibbs's gut is the only PsyOps that we needed for 7 seasons. Then we brough Rachel in in season 8 which was ok ... but now it's a whole department! It's like bring in EJ's team of extra random people last season. To many surplus people.

What if Ryan goes to the wedding with Gibbs and her husband somehow does something to a ship or such in Florida pulling them into the case so he can try and kill Ryan and Gibbs ... but only suceeds in killing Ryan in the finale?

[ncischick09.livejournal.com]

Uh, THANK YOU! This whole ep kinda pissed me off. I mean, I get that it's TV and not RL and dramatic license, blah blah blah...but, why in the HELL would you fake your own death over blackmail? That whole contrived crap was just that...contrived. And yeah. The whole PsyOps pairs up with NCIS? TOTALLY just for the Ryan/Gibbs storyline. It was stupid. Wouldn't it have been more important to partner with PsyOps for, oh, I dunno...that whole Cloak & Dagger fiasco? Hmm? And I am really starting to loathe everyone's personalities. I mean, who are these people? They're like pod people versions of the team I used to know and love! I'm just...guh. I feel like I'm wasting my Tuesday nights, at this point. I actually scheduled my daughters for dance classes on Tuesdays next year, and my husband felt he needed to remind me that Tuesdays are NCIS nights. To which I replied, "Yeah, whatever. I'll just catch them on demand whenever I have time." So, I guess, for me...it is FIN.

[proseac]

I agree completely - no need to worry about upsetting anyone. My overall reaction was "Meh". And yes, it did feel very contrived...even the Tony/Ziva scene felt a bit forced. "Pod people" as ncischick09 aptly says, is a really good description, especially Ziva. That was NOT the Ziva David I know and love.

Everyone was a bit too gooey and squidgy in this episode (even Gibbs)...kind of soft and out of focus, not really "on their game". nakeisha commented in her review about the slow reaction times of Gibbs and Tony during the staged assassination attempt, which I hadn't considered but when she mentioned it I went, yeah, not very believable that they'd focus on first aid and neither one went after the shooter.

If a fanfic author had written that episode they'd be accused of writing everyone OOC and the story would be sloughed off as written by a teeny-bopper shippy freak. Sigh. I guess I knew deep-down the streak of great episodes this season had to end sometime. I sure hope the writers pick up their socks as we approach the finale.

[ophelias-heart.livejournal.com]

Totally agree. I've been really excited about LA lately and then I watch DC when I get around to it. I love Sean Astin, love him! But the episode was just meh. I think faking the SecNav's death just seemed like cutting your finger off because you got a paper cut. And I could not agree more with the fact that origin eps "end up ret conning what we already know as cannon". I know everyone loves DiNozzo Sr, but every episode he is on is just the same story. It's like they want to have him back and since everyone liked him last time we could just use that same plot.
And why would they not tell Ziva and McGee if they were going to tell them before the case was over anyway. I loved the "I won't be ignored" and the whole hot and crazy discussion, but there was no need for secrets.
Also, I like Dr. Ryan, but I don't know if I like her with Gibbs. I almost like her better with Ducky. She is crawling up on him one minute and then walking out the door the next and I just can't help but think she is doing it purposefully cause of all her psy-ops knowledge.

[karaokegal]

it seems the cases are taking a back seat to the interpersonal stuff.

I honestly believe this is what kills so many good procedural, and has been one of the reasons for the decline in House MD. TPTB THINK that because fandom is obsessed with the personal lives that they should skew the actual stories that way. WRONG WRONG WRONG. We like piecing out the personal stuff from the tidbits, not having it force fed.