It’s an interesting question, and certainly one we’ve come face-to-face with in the recent past. Those of us up and down the East Coast got hit with the big one back in 2003 … I walked 140 blocks back from work to my wife — then my fiance — getting in just before nightfall, which would have left her stuck in my apartment in the pitch black.
But it didn’t matter so much that the electricity grid was down. Everything was closed, so worst case scenario we couldn’t send personal e-mails (although it did require me to be in the office the following Sunday).
But life at NCIS does not stop for the lights. And boy did that lead to a lot of amusing situations.
Tonight’s case itself was only okay for me, nothing to rivet me to the screen. But McGee and Ziva stuck in the elevator together overnight? And I loved Gibbs telling them that they were late as soon as they stepped out, tossing them their gear so they could all head out on a case. What about a bathroom break?
What followed was a mess of paper cuts, Tony not being able to shower and so smothering himself in (even more) cologne, Ducky letting people use one of the morgue freezers for their lunches, and Gibbs handing out film cameras to the team at the crime scene. Every circumstance made me laugh.
And it all just made me realize that there are so many things that we rely on electricity for, things that would be impossible to accomplish today without it. But what’d they do back in the day? I think some of our team here at CliqueClack goes back to pre-Edison days, right (not naming any names)? How’d you all manage without digital friends?
There were, as always, a lot of classic movie and television references, many of them old, and in keeping with the idea of non-digital investigations. Even McGee got in a reference of his own, talking about something having to do with Dr. Who when they stepped into that storage locker that the dead lady kept.
Hell, even GIBBS got in on the fun, quoting a little Hawaii Five-O at McGee and Tony — I’m shocked he ever owned a television set. Anyone know where I have “Hawaii bing-bong” in my head from? Friends?
All in all, I’d call this a strong outing by the writers, continuing their tradition of creating interesting, unusual, and fresh television on a show that could easily fall under the stodgy, procedural label. At the same time, I’m not sure if the creativity behind the cases is weak, or too much of a stretch for my enjoyment, but what’s important is that the structure of NCIS continues to be a winner.
And how about Gibbs at the end of the episode, turning off his errant monitor while everyone else clickity-clacked away when the electricity came back on?… Priceless.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Nov 17, 2009 @ 22:07 EST5EDT
I also liked how instead of the usual quick-click photo montage after every commercial break, we got a slow placement of several polaroids. It was also clever how at the end of the theme montage, the lights went off in the capitol.
I agree with your review– while the case wasn’t strong (or even remotely believable), it was a very interesting premise, and was overall a fun episode to watch. Crazy to think that an entire district could be powerless for days (when not caused by a natural disaster). Just goes to show how reliant we’ve all become on technology….Though as a New Yorker, I was a little confused by the reference to power being out in “the tri-state area”. Since it’s clearly not NY, NJ, and Connecticut, I found myself wondering what the third state was (after Maryland and Virginia).
*POST AUTHOR*
Yeah, the one-time adjustment to the theme was very “Psych” for me.
Yes, especially a district like DC. Although maybe all the emergency power is routed to the White House … it would be interesting to investigate that during a blackout, with the district in darkness and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue lit up like a theme park.
The third state might be Delaware.
I loved Abby trying to make her own Caff Pow. Gibbs was totally prepared: polaroids, film, food (if sardines can qualify as food), and a flashlight that had fresh batteries. I can not count how many times I have gone to use a flashlight and the batteries are dead or dying.
Was it just me being sexist or was it only men who used the morgue to store their lunch? I kept flashing on a previous episode where McGee and Abby had to work in the morgue and he cleaned the tray first.
*POST AUTHOR*
And then Gibbs just repacked it all at the end of the episode. He definitely lugs all that crap around every day. That’s Gibbs!
Ah, Delaware. Thanks. That was my thought, too. My husband guessed West Virginia.
I don’t remember the previous episode you are referring to, but it could be that the reason we saw men (I think it was 2) storing lunch was because odds are there are many more men working there than women, as unfortunately is the case in most fields. Or perhaps women are just too grossed out by the thought, and decide to bring non-perishables to eat? (Come to think of it, if the power is out all over town, I’m not sure how edible the perishables they brought in from home are). It did remind me of the Castle episode I just saw, where the coronor was eating lunch in the morgue. When Castle asked him about it, he said it was the cleanest place in the building with all the disinfectants they use.
It was a first or second season ep when Kate was still alive. It shows up every few weeks on USA due to the heavy rotation they run.
*POST AUTHOR*
I agree; I think it was just either a) who they showed, b) only men would be willing to stomach the thought of storing their lunch in the morgue, or c) more men working there then women. Plus Gibbs would be less likely to intimidate a woman in that situation like he did the second guy.
It’s the episode with Abigail Breslin. The episode name is See No Evil.
I loved this episode. Every time they had an issue, Gibbs just pulled something out of his bag that worked. I loved that bag, Gibbs had less to say in this episode, but with him reaching into the bag and just handing the item out had me laughing the entire episode. Then at the end with him turning off the monitor, that was just clssic Gibbs.
Probably my favorite episode of the season. A little Gibbs whimsy is always welcome.
McGee likened the shipping container to a TARDIS, which I believe is an example of a tesseract, and thus kind of a stretch. Tony’s Lord of War reference, on the other hand, was dead on.
I liked both of Cara Buono’s personalities, and would like to see her NSA agent recur from time to time. We already have our regular FBI and CIA guys, after all.
*POST AUTHOR*
Not sure what TARDIS or tesseract are (you mean like the shape?), but I do think it couldn’t hurt for NCIS to further expand its sometimes-seen agents from other agencies. I love Tobias episodes!
Tesseract–like in A Wrinkle In Time?
Yes, I was referring to tesseract not as the four-dimensional hypercube, but as L’Engle’s wormhole, or, more generally, as the shorthand it has become in sci-fi for a construct that is larger in the interior than the exterior. The TARDIS is one such instance, but it is also a vehicle that can travel in space and time. Since the shipping container was not actually larger on the inside and didn’t go anywhere, I felt McGee’s reference was inferior to Tony’s.
*POST AUTHOR*
Yeah, I definitely don’t get that reference. But, subpar or on-point, I liked McGee getting in the game.
Wow, Ryan, you never cease to amaze me with your insights…
Thanks!