You know how ticked you were at the end of the NCIS season finale when acting director Leon Vance became the permanent replacement for the recently deceased director, Jenny Shepard? Well, prepare to be ticked off once again. The actor cast as Vance, TV veteran Rocky Carroll, has been named an NCIS regular. That means if you were hoping that in the season premiere Vance was going to be kicked to the curb and Jethro put in charge, forget it. With Rocky as a regular, there are two ways for NCIS to go as I see it. Either he's going to become a major impediment to Gibbs, DiNozzo, Abby and company, or they are going to have to find a way to work with him. The finale put in motion a story line in which Vance has broken up the team. He's terminated Ziva's Israeli liaison by telling her she's going back to Tel Aviv. He cut new orders for Tony, putting him onboard the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan as agent afloat. McGee's headed for a geek squad outside of NCIS headquarters. And Gibbs? He was handed three new files and told that they were his new team.
Perhaps the secret to getting Vance to keep Ziva, McGee and Tony together with Gibbs lies in the mysterious box that Mike Franks acquired. Perhaps the season opener will be all about turning Vance from an antagonist into an ally? Whatever the case, Rocky Carroll is a regular. He's also a good actor so NCIS viewers should have nothing to complain about.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-11-2008 @ 10:00AM
Joe said...
Wow, I was sure that when the writers were leaving us a with a cliffhanger about splitting up the team that the 'new director shreds his file' was their way of saying it will all be OK when they find out what he's hiding and get him kicked out after 4-5 episodes (9-10 if they're House-like brave/stupid). And wow, that was a long non-sensical statement.
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6-11-2008 @ 1:26PM
Gordon Werner said...
Jethro is a field agent. He would never want the director's position.
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6-11-2008 @ 1:54PM
Jimmy said...
Can't say I'm too thrilled about this. It's not that I dislike the actor, I just found the character boring. The positive is the interaction with Gibbs. Unlike Jennifer, I think Vance can go toe-to-toe with Gibbs, which would be a nice change of pace.
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6-11-2008 @ 2:07PM
mb said...
I wasn't ticked. I thought it was a great move. In just the last episodes, I thought they created a very interesting character in Leon Vance, who as acting director, wanted nothing more than for Jenny to get back so he could go home to his family.
That whole "Frog" story line went no where this season. With giving Director Shepard this story line they also decreased my interest in her as a character, as her relationship and interaction with Jethro was what interested me the most. I think the writer's strike really messed with the flow of NCIS (as well as many other shows).
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6-20-2008 @ 3:17PM
barbara said...
I've watched NCIS since the very 1st show but now with the addition of Carroll I'll not be watching it any more. I think he adds nothing to the show but rather detracts big time. His non acting skills aside, I just don't like the role he's playing nor his interaction with the rest of the cast. Too bad because before he came on, I loved the show.
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6-22-2008 @ 12:14AM
Peter said...
Rocky Carroll may be a good actor, but doesn't fit in here. I don't like his character and have watched since the first episode, but doubt if I will continue. If they really break up the team, I can guaranty they will loose a lot of viewers.
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6-23-2008 @ 10:50PM
Singing Duck said...
First, everyone needs to understand something:
There really is an NCIS. It's in Washington DC, and it has agents all over the world; aboard ships, in overseas countries (established field offices) and in just about every state in the country... including the DC metro area.
The big difference between the show and the real NCIS is, field agents aren't running into the director every day. Including senior field agents.
If anything, the show should remove Gibbs and his squad away from the close proximity of the 'Director' and make that a sort of 'unseen authority' that Gibbs would have to answer to - on occassion, and instead, give him a boss that's similiar to himself.
Like the real NCIS... they call them Special Agents in Charge. They don't go on raids, or conduct stake-outs or hunt down international terrorists, but they do -most certainly- involve themselves in the daily operations of their agents.
And that's who Gibbs should be accountable to.
This whole thing with clashing with the director... poppycock.
I know it makes for good TV. But that's an oxymoron in the first place.
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7-17-2008 @ 9:46PM
Joni Hough said...
I've been with the show from the beginning and although I'll miss Lauren (Jenny) and what more could have been done with her character, I'm not going anywhere.
Michael (Tony), Sean (Tim) and) Cote (Ziva) will be back. Shane Brennan has already stated (and I believe him) that he's not pulling a "House" on the show's fans.
With Vance seeming like a bad guy (that paper he shredded, for instance) I can't wait to see how this all plays out.
Let the journey begin.
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7-19-2008 @ 6:02PM
SMiller said...
Although I really did like Lauren Holly as the Director, I liked the first Director too. Rocky Carroll plays a good character and I think he will do alright. That being said, IF the team members do, in fact, change I will NOT be a dedicated viewer. I love Mark Harmon but the team makes the show. They play off each othe SOoooo well and the show gives them all a platform from which to display their various acting skills.
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