(S04E12) After what was an all too long winter break, our pals at NCIS are finally back with a new episode. It's an important episode for the show. This season has seen the shows audience grow to be a top ten contender, but now things have changed. The gorilla is back in the building and it will be interesting to see how NCIS holds up against Idolmania. There was a lot going on here. Aside from the case of the week there was some foreshadowing of coming stories and a crazy cliffhanger ending. I'll get to that in a minute, but first a look at the little town of Edenvale. It was obvious where they were going with the town when Tony and McGee started in with the dueling banjos. Boondocks. I can't believe that their little concert didn't warrant dual headslaps from Gibbs though.
I'm undecided on how they portrayed the town. It might have been a little too backwards. Most notably when the local cops just open fire on Tariq. Ziva actually had to stop Deputy Barrett's shooting. It came around in the end, somewhat, when Ruby actually uncovered the big clue showing that they shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss her and her report. But there was a problem with that story. If Ruby knew about the bad shell, and the two bullets from one gun, why didn't she speak up? She kept going on about the casing she couldn't find, and when the team was listening to her she dismissed it as one tiny little thing, not bothering to go into detail.
Aside from that bit of shakey plot development, I liked the character Ruby. More specifically, I liked McGee's interaction with Ruby. I wasn't a huge fan of Lyndsey Bartelson in the role. Maybe it's because I watched too much Grounded For Life and can't see her grown up and out in the world solving crimes, but I wasn't really buying her as Ruby.
It was clear early on that Deputy Barrett was going to be involved to some degree. There were just too many red flags for him to not be up to something. I didn't see the bigger bribe conspiracy with Major Raines (Mark Derwin) coming. In hindsight, the tip that the other two informants didn't deliver any good intel was the big clue, but I didn't put it all together until way too late. The resolution was a little rushed at the end, but I liked how it played out.
But all of the happenings in Edenvale were just half the story. The other big part of the episode was secrets. It started out cute with Tony and Ziva pestering McGee about his book. It got a little more serious when they turned the tables on Tony though. Interesting that Ziva asked him, "Who is she?" Although, the more I see of this ongoing story, the less I trust what we are being shown. And here is where we get into blind speculation.
Groundwork is being laid for ramping up Tony's undercover story. With only ten episodes left in the season, it's possible that they will string it out until the end to leave us hanging over the summer break, but I hope they get to it a little sooner. The first big question from "Suspicion" is who was taking pictures of Tony? With Ziva's borderline obsession over what he's been up to, she's an obvious suspect. I'm ruling her out though because why would she be taking photographs? I could see her just having to know, it's part of her training after all. But she would have seen through the window, and that would have been enough. From her perspective, Tony wasn't up to anything that he shouldn't have been.
With Ziva off the suspect list, I'm leaning toward the cameraman being someone involved in Tony's undercover mission. And I have two different theories for why they were there. First, while street-singer Tony was a fun moment, he did kind of stand out, and there was a moment where he could have been made. The other theory, first brought up by Dorv in the comments for 'Driven', is that Tony's romance with Jeannie (Scottie Thompson) is all part of his undercover gig. I don't think she's one of the bad guys. Rather, Jeannie is somehow connected to them and could possibly lead to more information. It could be that the cameraman was watching her to make sure she was safe.
That would be the MOAS that Tony was referring to when he was talking with Abbie. And it would go a long way to explain his drastic change in behavior. The other thing that makes me lean to Jeannie being part of the assignment is what Gibbs said to Ziva. When she was explaining that Tony being sick is the only explanation for his behavior Gibbs said, "That's not the only explanation." So, it would seem that Gibbs knows what Tony is up to. I don't think he would just know that Tony was dating a special girl, falling in love, and changing his stripes. It's much more conceivable that he would know that Tony is in deep on a dangerous, and 'secret' mission.
So what do you think, am I out of my tree? I'm curious to hear any theories on where the big Tony story is headed. As for this episode, I'd rate it as very good. A couple issues with the story of the week, but ultimately an interesting conclusion for the mystery. All the hints and clues to drive the speculation about the ongoing arc pushed it over the top for me.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-23-2007 @ 5:21PM
DudeBoyz said...
I think they are setting us up for a very sad situation where Tony's new love will be killed by the bad guys and it may crush Tony and set him up for a long bout of sadness, similar to Gibbs.
It would add a new dimension to his character, losing the woman he loves, and also perhaps change the relationship between him and Jenny, the Director of NCIS, who put him on those missions in the first place.
Remember the episode where Tony was singing outside the Restaurant and said "Jenny, I think I've been made. Do you see what I see?" They may indeed have made him, with disasterous results apparently in the works.
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1-17-2007 @ 12:40PM
LC said...
Ruby did speak up. Well, in a way she did. That information about the bullet was in her report that she gave to NCIS that they never bothered looking at. She probably figured these big city detectives already figured out the bullet theory.
About Tony, I actually think that the girl he is dating, may have something to do with the case he is working on for the director. Maybe she is the estranged daughter of the terrorist he is spying on or something. It would make sense, since in one episode Tony has a one on one with director Shepard and was basically asking if it is ok to pursue a relationship with her. I don't see why he would need to ask her this unless it had something to do with what he is working on.
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1-18-2007 @ 2:19PM
Quack said...
Well if we're speculating ... I think Tony is on assignment the girls part of the assignment. I think this mainly because how often has he been late back from lunch and gotten in late to work without Gibbs giving him hell over it. I think that he is falling for her and that in the end one way or the other he will get hurt. My general thought is that she's trying to turn him or he's trying get intel from her. The camera man is just as likely to be his NCIS tail taking pictures so that a record is kept, or Ziva's fiends" doing her a favor (the way she drives she couldn't tail a 90 yr old myoptic man without being seen), or Magee just getting his jollies for more info for his new book.
Agreed didn't like the actress who played Ruby ... she came off too passive agressive. She works in a lab you give the facts even if no one wants to here you. Magee needs to have a romance; it gives us geeks something to dream for.
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1-17-2007 @ 1:10PM
Gordy said...
I agree...Tony's headed for the big upset.
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1-17-2007 @ 1:32PM
Gordon Werner said...
I hope that it won't be as shocking as when they assassinated Kate at the end of Season 2. That had to be one of the most brutal ways (and completely unexpected) I have ever seen a character end on a show.
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1-17-2007 @ 7:04PM
Bryan Prindiville said...
I also figure on the turning Tony into Gibs angle. Ducky, in past episodes, has remarked on how Gibs used to act like Tony.
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1-17-2007 @ 9:05PM
Dorv said...
God, I hope they don't put Tony on Gibbs' path. What is great about this show is that its light hearted and funny...
(On another note, you know what is really, REALLY good about this show? I just spent the last six weeks or so catching up on all of S1 and S2 on DVD. The continuity on this show is AMAZING. From paintball shots to stuffed animals heads to spring break pictures (hell to the spring break trip Tony took, and bragged about it at the end of the season). My favorite bit of continuity? In Kill Ari at the beginning of S3, Gibbs asks Ziva if during her profiling him, if she found out about his first wife and kid. Way to set that seed and walk away from it).
Back to my point is that while it would be an interesting story to watch Tony go down that path, I don't want to watch NCIS to get that story. Just a bit too dark for what I think most people enjoy the show for.
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1-17-2007 @ 9:41PM
Cat said...
Was I the only one who found the dueling banjoes bit hilarious? Definitely odd, but my roommate and I were cracking up.
At first I was convinced Gibbs didn't know about Tony's undercover mission and would be pissed that Madame Director kept it from him, but now I'm not so sure. His conversation with Ziva seems indicate he knows something more. I kind of wanted him to blow up at when he discovered what was going on. But I don't think he would let Tony keep sneaking off unless he knew what was up.
I don't think it's Ziva who was taking the photographs-- it's way too obvious. Following him, maybe. But pictures? That's a little too creepy. I bet it's someone related to the undercover case, and that Jeanne is somehow related to it, or related to the people Tony is watching. Or perhaps it's really just a red-herring and she's going to get caught in the middle and die. Which I hope she does anyway, because I don't really like her.
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1-18-2007 @ 6:29PM
Cat said...
The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that Jeanne is related somehow to the Tony's undercover assignment and the people he's watching. I mean, he hasn't told her what he does for a living (ie, is a special agent working at NCIS) and has a special cell phone just for her. This doesn't exactly scream 'trust' or 'meaningful relationship' to me. I agree with Quack, I think Tony's trying to get intel from her.
My theory: she's part of the assignment, but Tony really likes her. Because of this, she'll get caught in the middle of some major shoot-out and die.
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1-18-2007 @ 7:06PM
Brett said...
I'm leaning that way too Cat, only I don't think Jeannie is going to die. Instead I suspect she'll find Tony out, whether it is through her father/brother/ex-husband that Tony is after or through a slip-up by Tony, and she'll dump him in a big dramatic "how could you" showdown. He'll be crushed, but respond by reverting back to the Tony of old.
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1-19-2007 @ 1:07AM
John said...
I spent the entire episode trying to figure out who Sheriff Barrett was apart from really looking like Meatloaf when a quick imdb search pointed me to the good old favorite Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. I highly recommend it for everyone for a slightly ... odder view of the Sheriff =)
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1-19-2007 @ 1:10AM
Cat said...
Well, that's always a possibility, Brett. I personally don't really like Jeanne, so I wouldn't be offended if TPTB killed her off. (It's probably the Tony/Ziva shipper in me!) But, if they don't kill her, I really don't want her to become a regular part of the cast. But something is definitely going to happen between her and Tony, no matter what.
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1-22-2007 @ 11:57AM
ray stone said...
if i remember right the gun used by the major was a REVOLVER there would no casing not just a missing shell casing empties stay in gun rs
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1-22-2007 @ 12:02PM
Brett said...
Actually Ray, I remember it differently. The revolver idea was floated when they thought there may have been a second shooter. The idea being that there was only one casing because the second weapon was a revolver. And I believe they said they never found the gun, because the major had tossed it. With all of that, I was going with the theory that when the gun exploded on the second shot, causing his injuries it somehow kept the weapon from ejecting the empty casing. That, or he just forgot to grab both because his hand was burnt up.
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2-01-2007 @ 10:14AM
sharon said...
I love this show. I got hooked thanks to a cold day and nothing on reg. T.V. I went to HD and there it was. I now watch it everytime it's on. As a detective for the DoD, it is great to see how the NCIS could work. The actors work great together and I love their connections. I find my self talking out loud and laughing. Again......LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!!
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